"Best Friend" is a song by American rapper
Saweetie, featuring fellow American rapper and singer
Doja Cat, released on January 7, 2021 as the third single from the upcoming debut studio album ''
Pretty Bitch Music''.
The song was written by the two performers along with Asia Smith, Kaine,
Theron Thomas, and producers
Dr. Luke and
Rocco Did It Again!
Rocco Valdes, better known by his stage name Rocco Did It Again!, is an American record producer, songwriter, music publisher, and music executive.
Beginning his career in 2002, Valdes shares business and creative operations in the hip hop genr ...
.
The song's first official remix features vocals from British rapper
Stefflon Don
Stephanie Victoria Allen (born 14 December 1991), better known by her stage name Stefflon Don, is a British rapper and singer. She rose to fame after her 2017 single " Hurtin' Me" featuring French Montana peaked at number 7 on UK Singles Chart ...
,
while the second features Chinese rapper
VaVa.
A third, with New Zealand rapper
JessB
Jess Bourke, better known as JessB, is a rapper and former professional netballer from Auckland, New Zealand. She has released two EPs (''Bloom'' and ''New Views'') and won Best New Zealand Act at the 2019 MTV Europe Music Awards.
Discography ...
and Australian singer
Okenyo,
a fourth, with South Korean singer
Jamie and South Korean/Japanese rapper
Chanmina,
and fifth, with German rapper
Katja Krasavice,
were also released. The latter debuted at number one in Germany, becoming the first number-one single there for both Saweetie and Doja Cat. The single also won Saweetie her first Video Music Award for Best Art Direction. The song also received a nomination for
Best Rap Song at the
64th Annual Grammy Awards.
Background and release
On December 4, 2020, "Best Friend" was released prematurely on streaming platforms. Saweetie later took to social media to express her disappointment in her record label,
Warner Records, in regards to handling the release. She stated: "I am extremely disappointed in my label WBR for prematurely releasing a single I was so excited about. I feel disrespected. I'm hands on with ALL of my creative & had such a dope rollout for 'best friends'. The thirst for clout & $ is real & it overrides the artists' art." The single was later taken off streaming services the following day. "Best Friend" was then officially released on January 7, 2021 for
digital download and
streaming
Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...
.
The track was sent to both
contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...
and
rhythmic contemporary radio
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music- radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip hop and upbeat R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary never uses ...
in the United States on January 12, 2021.
Composition and reception
The hip hop song was described as a "danceable",
"
club-ready",
and "fun,
uptempo record that celebrates friendship."
Lyrically the rappers highlight and hype up each other's beauty, success, independence, wealth, and loyalty.
Accolades
Music video
Filmed in November 2020, The
Dave Meyers directed music video was released alongside the song on January 7, 2021.
The video consists of Saweetie and Doja Cat in various settings including driving and posing in front of a bedazzled
Tesla as well as jumping off of a cliff into the ocean. The video also features an appearance from Canadian comedian
King Bach. Althea Legaspi of ''Rolling Stone'' noted that they call out
misogyny and celebrate
camaraderie
The term ''comrade'' (russian: товарищ, tovarisch) generally means 'mate', 'colleague', or 'ally', and derives from the Spanish and Portuguese, term , literally meaning 'chamber mate', from Latin , meaning 'chamber' or 'room'. It may also ...
in the music video.
Upon release, Saweetie was accused of stealing the concept of the music video from "BFF" by R&B duo
Ceraadi
Ceraadi were an American R&B- hip hop duo based in Los Angeles. Their debut EP, ''Ceraadi's Playlist'', was released in 2019.
History
The group consisted of sisters Emaza Gibson, Saiyr Gibson, and Znui Gibson, who are originally from Cedar Rapi ...
.
As of November 2022, the music video has 241 million views on YouTube.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
Footnotes
References
{{Authority control
2021 singles
2021 songs
Saweetie songs
Doja Cat songs
Number-one singles in Germany
Song recordings produced by Dr. Luke
Songs written by Dr. Luke
Songs written by Doja Cat
Songs written by Saweetie
Songs written by Theron Thomas
Warner Records singles
Music videos directed by Dave Meyers (director)
Songs about loyalty
Songs about friendship
Songs about dancing
Pop-rap songs
Songs about alcohol