"Famous" is a song by American rapper
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
, produced and co-written by fellow American hip hop artist/producer
Havoc
High Altitude Venus Operational Concept (HAVOC) is a set of crewed NASA mission concepts to the planet Venus. All human portions of the missions would be conducted from lighter-than-air craft or from orbit.
Background
Venus is a planet with a r ...
. It serves as the lead single from his seventh studio album ''
The Life of Pablo
''The Life of Pablo'' is the seventh studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released on February 14, 2016, through GOOD Music and distributed by Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions took place from 2013 to 2016, in I ...
'' (2016). The song features vocals from Barbadian singer
Rihanna and ad-libs from American hip hop artist
Swizz Beatz
Kasseem Daoud Dean (born September 13, 1978), known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, rapper, disc jockey (DJ) and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the ag ...
, and enlists
samples of Jamaican singer
Sister Nancy
Ophlin Russell (born on 2 January 1962), better known as Sister Nancy (or Muma Nancy), is a Jamaican dancehall DJ and singer. She is known to the world as the first female dancehall DJ and was described as being a "dominating female voice for ...
's song "
Bam Bam" and "
Do What You Gotta Do" by American singer
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blu ...
. The single was serviced to US
urban
Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to:
* Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas
* Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities
Urban may also refer to:
General
* Urban (name), a list of people ...
and
rhythmic contemporary radio stations on March 28, 2016, and was confirmed for release three days before. It was sent to Italian
contemporary hit radio stations on April 15 by
Universal
Universal is the adjective for universe.
Universal may also refer to:
Companies
* NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company
** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal
** Universal TV, a ...
.
Upon its release, "Famous" was met with both critical acclaim and scrutiny for a controversial lyrical reference to American singer-songwriter
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
, partially in relation to West's
interruption of her
2009 VMA acceptance speech. After West claimed to have obtained Swift's approval over the criticized lyric, Swift denied the claim, criticizing West and denouncing the lyric as "misogynistic" in a statement. Several months later, West's wife
Kim Kardashian
Kimberly Noel Kardashian (formerly West; born October 21, 1980) is an American socialite, media personality, and businesswoman. She first gained media attention as a friend and stylist of Paris Hilton, but received wider notice after the s ...
released a three-minute video capturing parts of a conversation between Swift and West in which Swift appears to approve a portion of the lyric.
In 2020, a 25-minute uncut version of the video surfaced, establishing that West did not appear to tell Swift about the specific line ("I made that bitch famous") which she had objected to.
In June 2016, West released a music video for "Famous" depicting wax figures of
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
,
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
,
Kim Kardashian
Kimberly Noel Kardashian (formerly West; born October 21, 1980) is an American socialite, media personality, and businesswoman. She first gained media attention as a friend and stylist of Paris Hilton, but received wider notice after the s ...
,
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
,
Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
,
Anna Wintour
Dame Anna Wintour (; born 3 November 1949) is a British journalist based in New York City who has served as editor-in-Chief of ''Vogue'' since 1988 and Global Chief Content Officer for Condé Nast since 2020; she is also the artistic directo ...
,
Rihanna,
Chris Brown,
Ray J
William Ray Norwood Jr. (born January 17, 1981), known professionally as Ray J, is an American singer, actor, and television personality. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Carson, California, he is the younger brother of recording a ...
,
Amber Rose
Amber Rose Levonchuck (born October 21, 1983) is an American model and television personality. She first gained attention after she appeared in the music video for Young Jeezy and Kanye West's single " Put On". In 2008, Rose began a high-profil ...
,
Caitlyn Jenner and
Bill Cosby
William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and media personality. He made significant contributions to American and African-American culture, and is well known in the United States for his eccentric ...
all sleeping nude in a shared bed. It was released to a polarized response. The wax figures used in the video were later exhibited as a sculpture. The song was nominated for
Best Rap/Sung Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance (awarded as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration until 2017, and Best Rap/Sung Performance from 2018 to 2020) is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and original ...
and
Best Rap Song
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rap music genre. Honors in several c ...
at the
59th Annual Grammy Awards.
Background and composition
In May 2016,
Chance the Rapper shared a snippet of a demo version of the song during an interview with
Zane Lowe
Alexander Zane Reid Lowe (born 7 August 1973) is a New Zealand radio DJ, live DJ, record producer, and television presenter.
After an early career in music creation, production and DJing, he moved to the UK in 1997. He came to prominence thro ...
of
Beats 1 that featured a verse from him. "Famous" was originally slated to be released under the title of "Nina Chop", as it was called in West's handwritten notes, and include vocals from American musician
Young Thug
Jeffery Lamar Williams (born August 16, 1991), known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is considered to be an influential figure of his generation, with his music impacting the modern sound of hip ...
.
In October 2016, another demo version leaked online, featuring two verses from Young Thug and him singing alongside the Nina Simone sample.
Ab-libs were also provided by Young Thug for West's vocals, with the demo revealing more explicit lyrics about
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
from West and him insulting his ex-girlfriend in American model and actress
Amber Rose
Amber Rose Levonchuck (born October 21, 1983) is an American model and television personality. She first gained attention after she appeared in the music video for Young Jeezy and Kanye West's single " Put On". In 2008, Rose began a high-profil ...
.
"Famous" features a segue from "braggadocious, bell-ringing hip-hop" into samples of
Sister Nancy
Ophlin Russell (born on 2 January 1962), better known as Sister Nancy (or Muma Nancy), is a Jamaican dancehall DJ and singer. She is known to the world as the first female dancehall DJ and was described as being a "dominating female voice for ...
's
dancehall song "
Bam Bam" chopped up over the chord progression featured in Nina Simone's "Do What You Gotta Do".
After the initial release of ''The Life of Pablo'', "Famous" was among the several tracks to receive alterations in West's March 2016 update of the album; changes included a different mix and slightly altered lyrics.
On August 6, 2020, rapper
Rick Ross played a version with an unreleased verse from him in the song during his ''
Verzuz
''Verzuz'' is an American webcast series created by record producers Timbaland and Swizz Beatz, that airs on Verzuz TV.
Verzuz was introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic as a virtual DJ battle, with Timbaland and Swizz Beatz facing off in ...
'' battle with
2 Chainz
Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (or Tity Boi), is an American rapper. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he initially gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Playaz Circle, a ...
.
Reception
Critical response
''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...
'' critic
Greg Kot
Greg Kot (born March 3, 1957) is an American music journalist and author. From 1990 until 2020, Kot was the rock music critic at the ''Chicago Tribune'', where he covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and busines ...
called the song "an example of just how brilliant and infuriating West can be at the same time", noting its controversial Swift-referencing lyric while going on to praise the production and
Rihanna's guest vocals. Jayson Greene of
''Pitchfork'' wrote that the controversial lyric "feels like a piece of bathroom graffiti made to purposefully reignite the most racially-charged rivalry in 21st-century pop".
''
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 ...
s
Alexis Petridis described the song's position on ''The Life of Pablo'' as being "a flatly fantastic piece of music that may be the best thing on the album".
''
Time
Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...
'' staff named "Famous" one of the best songs of the year 2016 and wrote of it that:
Kanye West is a genius musician and a world-class provocateur, and "Famous" is yet another piece of proof those two qualities are inextricably intertwined. He weaves ''The Life of Pablo''s hardest-knocking beat, chords cribbed from Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blu ...
, and Sister Nancy
Ophlin Russell (born on 2 January 1962), better known as Sister Nancy (or Muma Nancy), is a Jamaican dancehall DJ and singer. She is known to the world as the first female dancehall DJ and was described as being a "dominating female voice for ...
's reggae classic "Bam Bam" into a vibrant tapestry, and he uses all of that beauty to crack open his long-simmering spat with the biggest pop star on the planet. The court of public opinion won't ever reach a verdict on Taylor wift
WIFT (102.1 FM, "Bigfoot Country 102.1 & 101.3") is a country music formatted broadcast radio station licensed to DuBois, Pennsylvania, serving the DuBois/ Punxsutawney/ Clearfield area. WIFT is owned and operated by Kristin Cantrell, through ...
v. Kanye — did she consent to being mentioned? Did she double-cross Kanye? At least we can all agree that "Famous" captures West in all of his complicated, vital glory.
Accolades
The track was positioned at number 10 on ''Time''s list of 2016's best songs.
''
Slant
Slant can refer to:
Bias
*Bias or other non-objectivity in journalism, politics, academia or other fields
Technical
* Slant range, in telecommunications, the line-of-sight distance between two points which are not at the same level
* Slant d ...
'' named it the second best single of 2016. German magazine ''
Juice
Juice is a drink made from the extraction or pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat or seafood, such as ...
'' named it the seventh best international rap song of 2016.
The song received
Grammy nominations for
Best Rap/Sung Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance (awarded as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration until 2017, and Best Rap/Sung Performance from 2018 to 2020) is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and original ...
and
Best Rap Song
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Song is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs in the rap music genre. Honors in several c ...
at the
59th Annual Grammy Awards in 2017, but ended up losing both to "
Hotline Bling
"Hotline Bling" is a song recorded by Canadian rapper Drake, which serves as the lead single from his fourth studio album '' Views'' (2016). The song is credited as a bonus track on the album. It was made available for digital download on July 3 ...
" by Canadian rapper and singer
Drake
Drake may refer to:
Animals
* A male duck
People and fictional characters
* Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name
* Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* ...
.
Controversy
The song includes a controversial lyric in reference to West's
interruption of
Taylor Swift
Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...
's
2009 VMA acceptance speech and its aftermath:
For all my South Side niggas that know me best
I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex
Why? I made that bitch famous
(Goddamn!)
I made that bitch famous.
Upon the song's release, the lyric was heavily publicized and criticized by media outlets, though West defended the line, saying, "I called Taylor and had an hour long convo with her about the line and she thought it was funny and gave her blessings."
In response, Swift's spokesperson adamantly denied that West asked for her approval for the controversial lyric, with an official statement claiming that Swift had only been asked to release West's song on her Twitter page, and had instead warned him not to release a track "with such a strong
misogynistic
Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women. It is a form of sexism that is used to keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the societal roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practiced f ...
message".
In Swift's 2016
Grammy Award
The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...
s victory speech for
Album of the Year, she seemingly made a veiled reference to West's lyric, referring to "those people along the way who are going to try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your ''fame.''"
In a June 2016 interview with ''
GQ'', West's then wife
Kim Kardashian
Kimberly Noel Kardashian (formerly West; born October 21, 1980) is an American socialite, media personality, and businesswoman. She first gained media attention as a friend and stylist of Paris Hilton, but received wider notice after the s ...
claimed the couple possessed a video recording of West's phone call with Swift, in which Swift could be heard amiably discussing and approving the lyrics.
She clarified that Swift's camp had threatened legal action should the video be released, and argued that "I swear, my husband gets so much shit for things
hen
Hen commonly refers to a female animal: a female chicken, other gallinaceous bird, any type of bird in general, or a lobster. It is also a slang term for a woman.
Hen or Hens may also refer to:
Places Norway
*Hen, Buskerud, a village in Ringer ...
he really was doing proper protocol and even called to get it approved."
In July 2016, Kardashian posted a 3-minute recording of the phone conversation online, in which Swift can allegedly be heard approving West's lyric, describing it as a "compliment" and a show of friendship. Due to the release of this video, Swift has been accused of lying about approving the lyric. In the edited video, Swift appears to say:
Yeah, go with whatever line makes you feel better, it's obviously very tongue-in-cheek
The idiom tongue-in-cheek refers to a humorous or sarcastic statement expressed in a serious manner.
History
The phrase originally expressed contempt, but by 1842 had acquired its modern meaning. Early users of the phrase include Sir Walter Scot ...
either way. And I really appreciate you telling me about it, that's really nice ..I don't think anyone would listen to that and be like 'that's a real diss, she must be crying.' You've gotta tell the story the way that it happened to you and the way that you experienced it. You honestly didn't know who I was before that. It doesn't matter that I sold 7 million of that album before you did that which is what happened, you didn't know who I was before that. It's fine. ..If people ask me about it, I think it would be great for me to be like, 'Look, he called me and told me about the line.'
West can be heard telling Swift, "I just had a responsibility to you as a friend, you know, and thanks for being so cool about it."
The recording of the call without Swift's consent was illegal and broke Californian
telephone call recording law. Following the video's release, Swift released a statement stating "being falsely painted as a liar when I was never given the full story or played any part of the song is character assassination", claiming West did not tell her she would be referred to as "that bitch".
On the same day as the video's release, Kardashian tweeted about National Snake Day, saying "They have holidays for everybody, I mean everything these days! 🐍". This tweet was interpreted as being aimed at Swift, and the
hashtag #TaylorSwiftIsASnake became trending. In September 2016, Swift started using a filter created by
Instagram CEO
Kevin Systrom
Kevin Systrom (born December 30, 1983) is an American computer programmer and entrepreneur. He co-founded Instagram, the world's largest photo sharing website, along with Mike Krieger.
Systrom was included on the list of America's Richest Entrep ...
to automatically delete comments using the snake emoji on her profile.
Later developments
By August 2017, Swift was using images of snakes in the promotional material of her sixth studio album, ''
Reputation
The reputation of a social entity (a person, a social group, an organization, or a place) is an opinion about that entity typically as a result of social evaluation on a set of criteria, such as behavior or performance.
Reputation is a ubiquitous ...
'' (2017). They were worked into merchandise, the music video for its lead single "
Look What You Made Me Do
"Look What You Made Me Do" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on August 24, 2017, by Big Machine Records, as the lead single from her sixth studio album, '' Reputation'' (2017). Swift wrote and produ ...
", and her 2018
Reputation Stadium Tour
The Reputation Stadium Tour was the fifth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, in support of her sixth studio album ''Reputation'' (2017). The all- stadium tour began on May 8, 2018, in Glendale, Arizona, and concluded on ...
.
In June 2019, on her
Tumblr
Tumblr (stylized as tumblr; pronounced "tumbler") is an American microblogging and social networking website founded by David Karp in 2007 and currently owned by Automattic. The service allows users to post multimedia and other content to a sho ...
post about
the acquisition of the masters of her back catalog by American media proprietor
Scooter Braun
Scott Samuel "Scooter" Braun (born June 18, 1981) is an American entrepreneur, investor, and entertainment executive. Known as the manager for artists such as Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, J Balvin, Demi Lovato, The Kid Laroi and other artists ...
—West's former manager, Swift described the video as "a
revenge porn music video which strips my body naked".
During an interview with ''
Rolling Stone
''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 ...
'' in its October 2019 issue, Swift said that the world "didn't understand the context and events" preceding West's diss towards her.
Swift also said that the drama was the last straw between her and West, stating: "When I heard the song, I was like, 'I'm done with this.'"
She elaborated on her opinion of the two's relationship, saying: "I really don't want to talk about it anymore because I get worked up, and I don't want to just talk about negative shit all day."
In March 2020, a 25-minute leaked video of the same telephone conversation between West and Swift surfaced, in which West tells Swift about the line "I feel like Taylor Swift might owe me sex" and asks, "What if later in the song I was also to have said, uh… 'I made her famous'?" Swift objects to that lyric, telling West she "pulled 7 million off ''
Fearless''" before the
2009 VMA incident. After West reveals the "owe me sex" line, Swift appears to be explicitly relieved that West did not call her a bitch, saying, "I'm glad it's not mean, though
..I thought it was going to be like, 'That stupid, dumb bitch.' But it's not. So I don't know."
West does not mention the "I made that bitch famous" line, confirming Swift's previous claim that she did not consent to being called "that bitch."
The video was widely shared on social media, and the hastag #KanyeWestIsOverParty and #TaylorToldTheTruth became trending on Twitter.
In an Instagram story, Swift did not address the leak in detail, instead urging her followers to donate to relief efforts for the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
. In response, Kardashian posted a series of tweets accusing Swift of lying and denied editing the video, saying "I never edited the footage (another lie) – I only posted a few clips on Snapchat to make my point and the full video that recently leaked doesn't change the narrative." Swift's publicist
Tree Paine responded to Kardashian with a tweet of the original statement and captioned it "when you take parts out, that's editing."
In August 2020, West went on a Twitter rant and in one of the tweets, he may have referenced his old feud with Swift with the caption "Not gonna use a snake emoji cause you know why... I'm not sure if Christians are allowed to use snake emoji". The snake emoji was previously used by Kardashian when she indirectly called Swift a "snake".
Music video
The song's music video premiered at a
Tidal
Tidal is the adjectival form of tide.
Tidal may also refer to:
* ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple
* Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim
* TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music
* Tidal (servic ...
exclusive event at
The Forum in
Inglewood, California on June 24, 2016. The video begins with a camera passing slowly over the nude, lookalike sleeping bodies of famous personalities. The bodies of all of the celebrities are synthetic.
At the end of the video, the camera pans out to show all of the sleeping bodies at the same time as West wakes up from his slumber.
Vincent Desiderio
Vincent Desiderio (born 1955) is an American realist painter. In 2005 he was on the teaching staff at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts; he is a senior critic at the New York Academy of Art.
Biography
Desiderio was born in 1955, in Pe ...
's painting ''Sleep'' is the visual inspiration for the video.
Two days prior to the video's release, West showed the video to Dirk Standen of ''
Vanity Fair'' over
Skype
Skype () is a proprietary telecommunications application operated by Skype Technologies, a division of Microsoft, best known for VoIP-based videotelephony, videoconferencing and voice calls. It also has instant messaging, file transfer, deb ...
while the video was still in its final editing stages. The video was filmed over a period of three months and went through four different versions prior to the finalized version. West did not reveal which of the celebrities' bodies in the video were real and which ones were
prosthetic
In medicine, a prosthesis (plural: prostheses; from grc, πρόσθεσις, prósthesis, addition, application, attachment), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through trau ...
; however, he stated that the video was "not in support or
gainstany of
he people in the video and was merely "a comment on fame". He also stated that he had received his wife's permission. Days after its release, ''
E! Online
E! (an initialism for Entertainment Television) is an American basic cable channel which primarily focuses on pop culture, celebrity focused reality shows, and movies, owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of NBCUniver ...
'' editor Corinne Heller commented, "Swift is the main reason the 'Famous' video was so anticipated." However, it received "almost no reactions" from the celebrities portrayed. Audience response to the video was polarized.
The video of the song was uploaded to
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 ...
on July 1, 2016. West's song "
Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1" is also featured in the video. It was negatively received on YouTube, gathering nearly 100,000 dislikes three days after being uploaded, which outweighed the number of likes. German director
Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog (; born 5 September 1942) is a German film director, screenwriter, author, actor, and opera director, regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema. His films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with u ...
expressed admiration for the video, describing it as "very good stuff" and admitting he had "never seen anything like this".
The sculptures depicted in the music video are on a gallery tour, whose sale value estimates go as high as $4 million.
The video earned nominations for
Best Male Video
The MTV Video Music Award for Best Male Video was one of four original general awards that have been handed out every year since the first MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. In 2007, though, the award was briefly renamed Male Artist of the Year, and ...
and
Video of the Year at the
2016 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2016 MTV Video Music Awards were held on Sunday night, August 28, 2016 at 9:00–11:54pm EDT at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan. Adele's " Hello" was the most nominated video with seven categories. This marked the 33rd edition of the live ...
, along with
Best Hip-Hop Video at the
2016 MTV Video Music Awards Japan, and
Best Video at the
2016 MTV Europe Music Awards
The 2016 MTV EMAs (also known as the MTV Europe Music Awards) were held at the Rotterdam Ahoy in Rotterdam, Netherlands, on 6 November 2016. It was hosted by Bebe Rexha. This was the third time the awards have taken place in the Netherlands, and ...
, also the video got a nomination for Best Video at the
2017 NME Awards.
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from West's official website.
*Production – Kanye West &
Havoc
High Altitude Venus Operational Concept (HAVOC) is a set of crewed NASA mission concepts to the planet Venus. All human portions of the missions would be conducted from lighter-than-air craft or from orbit.
Background
Venus is a planet with a r ...
*Co-production – Noah Goldstein for Ark Productions, Inc., Charlie Heat for Very Good Beats, Inc. &
Andrew Dawson
*Additional production – Hudson Mohawke, Mike Dean #MWA for Dean's List Productions &
Plain Pat
Patrick Reynolds, professionally known as Plain Pat, is an American music executive, record producer, songwriter and disc jockey (DJ). He is perhaps best known for overseeing American musicians Kanye West and Kid Cudi, during their respective ...
*Engineering – Noah Goldstein, Andrew Dawson,
Anthony Kilhoffer Anthony Kilhoffer is an American hip hop record producer, songwriter and engineer, best known for his collaborations with Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Keyshia Cole and John Legend.
Select discography Albums 2020s
*'' Free The Beast(album)'' - B-Free 20 ...
& Mike Dean
*
Rihanna vocals recording – Marcos Tovar
*Rihanna vocals assistance – Jose Balaguer
*Rihanna vocal production – Kuk Harrell
*Swizz vocals recording – Zeke Mishanec
*Mix –
Manny Marroquin
Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is an American mixing engineer.Daley, Dan (May 2005).Manny Marroquin. ''Sound on Sound''. Retrieved February 10, 2007 He has received ten Grammy awards for his professional audio work.
Life and career
...
at Larrabee Studios, North Hollywood, CA
*Mix assisted – Chris Galland, Ike Schultz & Jeff Jackson
*Vocals –
Rihanna &
Swizz Beatz
Kasseem Daoud Dean (born September 13, 1978), known professionally as Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, rapper, disc jockey (DJ) and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, Dean embarked on his musical career as a DJ. At the ag ...
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
See also
*
2016 in hip hop music
*
Look What You Made Me Do
"Look What You Made Me Do" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on August 24, 2017, by Big Machine Records, as the lead single from her sixth studio album, '' Reputation'' (2017). Swift wrote and produ ...
References
{{authority control
2016 singles
2016 songs
Cultural depictions of Bill Cosby
Cultural depictions of Caitlyn Jenner
Cultural depictions of Donald Trump
Cultural depictions of George W. Bush
Kanye West songs
Music video controversies
Nina Simone
Obscenity controversies in music
Rihanna songs
Song recordings produced by Charlie Heat
Song recordings produced by Havoc (musician)
Song recordings produced by Hudson Mohawke
Song recordings produced by Kanye West
Song recordings produced by Mike Dean (record producer)
Songs about musicians
Songs written by Chance the Rapper
Songs written by Cyhi the Prynce
Songs written by Havoc (musician)
Songs written by Jimmy Webb
Songs written by Kanye West
Songs written by Mike Dean (record producer)
Songs written by Plain Pat
Songs written by Swizz Beatz
Swizz Beatz songs
Taylor Swift
Songs written by Hudson Mohawke