Jesy Nelson
Jessica Louise Nelson (born 14 June 1991) is an English singer who rose to prominence as a member of the girl group Little Mix from 2011 to 2020, one of the world's best-selling girl groups. With Little Mix, she released six studio albums and ...
featuring Trinidad rapper
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated Flow (rapping), flow in her rapping, alter e ...
; marking the second collaboration between both artists after " Woman Like Me" in 2018 when Nelson was part of Little Mix. It was released on 8 October 2021, through
Polydor Records
Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...
, becoming her only release with that label after parting ways with them in 2022. It is also Nelson's first single to be released since leaving the girl group Little Mix in 2020. It heavily interpolates American rapper Diddy's 2001 song "
Bad Boy for Life
"Bad Boy for Life" is a song by American rappers P. Diddy, Black Rob and Mark Curry, featured on Diddy's 2001 third album '' The Saga Continues...''. Produced by Megahertz (Dorsey Wesley), it was released as the second single from the album in ...
". Lyrically "Boys", speaks of Nelson's infatuation with rebellious men.
The song debuted at number four on the
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
, charting for seven weeks and reached number sixteen in Ireland, but failed to sustain its success in subsequent weeks. It received negative reviews from critics, with the music video sparking controversy due to allegations of
blackfishing
Cultural appropriation is the inappropriate or unacknowledged adoption of an element or elements of one culture or identity by members of another culture or identity. This can be controversial when members of a dominant culture appropriate from ...
and cultural appropriation. Nelson's performance at the 2021
Jingle Bell Ball
The Jingle Bell Ball is a concert held annually in December since 2008 (except for 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic), by the radio station Capital FM at The O2. Artists that have headlined the concert include Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, ...
was widely mocked by viewers and yielded numerous
internet memes
An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...
that were circulated across social media.
Background
In December 2020, Nelson announced she was leaving Little Mix for mental health reasons. A few months later, she signed a record deal with Polydor Records. Nelson teased a comeback in August 2021, saying: "For me, this is the music that I've always wanted to make. I don't think that anyone is gonna expect this."
On 28 September 2021, Nelson confirmed that her first solo single, "Boyz", was being released soon. Nelson said that a "horrible breakup" inspired the single. In an interview with ''Noctis Magazine,'' Nelson described the song as "in your face", adding: "I wrote it when I was going through a break-up and it's me all over. I just love a bad boy. I say it to people all the time... it's not healthy!"
Nelson shared a teaser of the single on Instagram, showing her practicing the choreography.
When asked about working with Nicki Minaj, Nelson said in an interview with ''
Paper
Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distrib ...
'':
Composition
"Boyz" has elements of R&B and hip hop, and includes a rap verse written and performed by Nicki Minaj. The track was written by Nelson, Minaj, Oladayo Olatunji, Hanni Ibrahim, Abby Keen, Amanda Atoui, and Avital and produced by the duo Loose Change (
Patrick Jordan-Patrikios
Patrick Jordan-Patrikios (born 1987 in Wales, United Kingdom), is a British record producer, songwriter and Multi-instrumentalist, multi-instrumentalist musician.
Biography
Patrick Jordan-Patrikios was born and raised in Pontypool, Wales, Pont ...
and Sunny) "Boyz" has been variously described as either sampling or interpolatingDiddy's 2001 song "
Bad Boy for Life
"Bad Boy for Life" is a song by American rappers P. Diddy, Black Rob and Mark Curry, featured on Diddy's 2001 third album '' The Saga Continues...''. Produced by Megahertz (Dorsey Wesley), it was released as the second single from the album in ...
".
Commercial performance
"Boyz" debuted at number four on the
UK Singles
The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
( OCC) chart, making it Nelson's first top-10 single as a solo artist and Minaj's 13th. It dropped to number eighteen the following week, and spent seven weeks in the chart.
It debuted at number thirteen on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles ('' Billboard'') chart, and number thirty-nine on the US Mainstream Top 40 (''Billboard'') chart. In
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, "Boyz" debuted at number four on the New Zealand Hot Singles (
RMNZ
Recorded Music NZ (formerly the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ)) is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell recorded music in New Zealand. Membership of Recorded Mu ...
) chart, the ranking of songs out of the
top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...
. In Ireland the song debuted at number sixteen on the Ireland ( IRMA) chart, The song entered the Hungary ( Single Top 40) chart at number fifteen. Globally, "Boyz" debuted and peaked at number 86 on the ''Billboard'' Global 200.
Critical reception
"Boyz" received negative reviews. ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' writer Laura Snapes gave it two-out-of-five stars, finding the song derivative and dated, concluding: "The long-awaited debut is a farrago of incomprehensible lyrics and queasy tropes that undermines her elson'sself-help journey". Roisin O'Connor of ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'' wrote that "Boyz" is "a terrible song on which a barely comprehensible Nelson sings like Britney Spears doing
TLC
TLC may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Television
* ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2
* TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network
** TLC (Asia), an A ...
karaoke, lisping and gasping her way around a sample of Diddy's 'Bad Boy For Life'. Where Diddy's original was gritty, sharp and visceral, Nelson's has been polished and autotuned to death". She considered Nelson's solo career debut "one of the most disastrous in recent memory." ''
Rolling Stone India
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its cove ...
'' listed it among the worst songs of 2021, saying that it's "probably the dumbest debut single by any boy or girl group member to depart their respective band". ''
Insider
''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German publ ...
'' also included the song in their list of the worst songs of 2021, saying that it is "a reductive and stale take on a hip-hop classic".
Music video
The
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...
was released on 8 October 2021, the same day as the song's release. The video was inspired by the original "Bad Boy For Life" music video, with Diddy himself appearing in a cameo playing the role
Ben Stiller
Benjamin Edward Meara Stiller (born November 30, 1965) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is the son of the comedians and actors Jerry Stiller and Anne Meara. Stiller was a member of a group of comedic actors colloquially known ...
played in the original video. In the video, Nelson wears grills on her teeth, braids,
bandanas
A kerchief (from the Old French ''couvrechief'', "cover head"), also known as a bandana, bandanna, or "Wild Rag" (in cowboy culture), is a triangular or square piece of cloth tied around the head, face or neck for protective or decorative purpos ...
, and sings about liking men who are "so hood". The video has reached 20 million views on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
. Critics noted the video has scenes "mimicking classic 2000s hip-hop videos".
Controversy
On the day of the release of the music video, Nelson faced accusations of both cultural appropriation and
blackfishing
Cultural appropriation is the inappropriate or unacknowledged adoption of an element or elements of one culture or identity by members of another culture or identity. This can be controversial when members of a dominant culture appropriate from ...
for her appearance in the music video. Raven Smith of ''Vogue'' noted that Nelson's skin tone looked "unnaturally, un-genetically tanned" and that she was "parroting the aesthetics of Blackness". ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' writer Mikki Kendall said that Nelson "will dispose of her Black costume when it no longer serves her" and that she "exemplifies the exact attitude that makes this type of racist cosplay so desirable. She's able to make jabs at the person whose appearance she's seemingly jealous of and insists she's not racist, too." ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'' writer Roisin O'Connor called it "a
grotesque
Since at least the 18th century (in French and German as well as English), grotesque has come to be used as a general adjective for the strange, mysterious, magnificent, fantastic, hideous, ugly, incongruous, unpleasant, or disgusting, and thus ...
caricature of what Nelson perceives Black culture to be".
In response, Nelson said, "I take all those comments made seriously. I would never intentionally do anything to make myself look
racially ambiguous
Mixed race people are people of more than one race (human categorization), race or ethnicity. A variety of terms have been used both historically and presently for mixed race people in a variety of contexts, including ''multiethnic'', ''polyeth ...
, so that's why I was initially shocked that the term was directed at me." In an
Instagram Live
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can be ...
, Nelson said furthermore that her "intention was never ever to offend
people of colour
The term "person of color" ( : people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is primarily used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is primarily associated with, the U ...
with the video" and that she instead wanted to "celebrate 90's R&B because that era of music is what I love." She shared, "It actually does really hurt me that it may have offended people." Minaj defended Nelson from the accusations. British TV presenter
Charlene White
Charlene Denise White (born 22 June 1980) is a British television broadcaster, journalist and presenter, best known for presenting ''ITV News'' programmes. She has been an anchor on ''Loose Women'' since 2021Jamaican descent, called Nelson and Minaj's explanation of the video "embarrassing".
Live performances
Nelson's debut solo performance of "Boyz" took place on ''
The Graham Norton Show
''The Graham Norton Show'' is a British comedy chat show presented by Graham Norton. It was initially broadcast on BBC Two, from 22 February 2007, before moving to BBC One in October 2009. It currently airs on Friday evenings, with Norton s ...
'' on 29 October 2021. Nelson further performed "Boyz" at the 2021 Jingle Bell Ball on 11 December 2021. The performances resulted in a number of memes being spread on various social media platforms mocking Jesy after she screamed “Are you ready” followed by shoulder arm movements.
Track listing
* Digital download / streaming
# "Boyz" (featuring Nicki Minaj) – 3:00
* UK CD single
# "Boyz" (featuring Nicki Minaj) – 3:00
# "Boyz" (acoustic) – 2:34