"Freestyle 4" is a song by American hip-hop artist
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 ...
that features vocals from rapper
Desiigner
Sidney Royel Selby III (born May 3, 1997), better known by his stage name Desiigner, is an American rapper and singer. In December 2015, his debut single "Panda" reached number one on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In 2019, he was released fr ...
, which is from West's 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 It ...
'' (2016). It was remixed by
Tyler, the Creator
Tyler Gregory Okonma (born March 6, 1991), known professionally as Tyler, the Creator, is an American rapper and record producer. He is one of the founding members of the music collective Odd Future.
Okonma self-released his debut mixtape Bast ...
in March 2016.
Composition
The track samples the beginning of 2001 song "
Human
Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture, ...
" by
Goldfrapp
Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo from London, formed in 1999. The duo consists of Alison Goldfrapp (vocals, synthesiser) and Will Gregory (synthesiser).
Despite favourable reviews and a short-listing for the Mercury Prize, their ...
and is heavily composed around the sample.
By the time that all of the changes had been made to ''The Life of Pablo'' in June 2016, a different instrumental popped up at the 45-second mark and more synths were added.
Remixes
On March 3, 2016,
Odd Future
Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, better known as Odd Future and often abbreviated as OF, was an American Hip hop music, hip-hop Musical collective, music collective formed in Los Angeles County, California in 2007. The original members were Ty ...
rapper
Tyler, the Creator
Tyler Gregory Okonma (born March 6, 1991), known professionally as Tyler, the Creator, is an American rapper and record producer. He is one of the founding members of the music collective Odd Future.
Okonma self-released his debut mixtape Bast ...
released a remix of "Freestyle 4" titled "What the Fuck Right Now", which featured
ASAP Rocky
Rakim Athelaston Mayers (born October 3, 1988), known professionally as ASAP Rocky ( ; stylized as A$AP Rocky), is an American rapper, music producer and record executive. Born and raised in Harlem, he embarked on his musical career as a membe ...
. Shortly before releasing his remix, Tyler had shown that he was a fan of the song. West tweeted out his approval of the remix three days after it was released.
LSDXOXO remixed the original on May 25, 2016, flipping it to being more suitable for the clubs. A remix of the song by Kanye West featuring
ASAP Ferg
Darold Durard Brown Ferguson Jr. (born October 20, 1988), known professionally as ASAP Ferg (stylized as A$AP Ferg), is an American rapper from New York City's Harlem neighborhood. Aside from his solo career, he is a member of the hip hop collec ...
and
Big Sean
Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper. Anderson began his music career in 2007 and gained popularity in 2010 with his third mixtape '' Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big''. He then s ...
was subject to an online leak on August 5, 2017.
Critical reception
Tom Thorogood of ''
The Line of Best Fit
''The Line of Best Fit'' is an independent online magazine based in London, concentrating on new music.
It publishes independent music reviews, features, interview, and media. Founded by Richard Thane in February 2007 and currently edited by P ...
'' viewed "Freestyle 4" as "
icking
Icking is a municipality in the district of Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen in Bavaria in Germany.
People
* Anita Augspurg, lived in Icking from 1916 until she fled the Nazis
* Dieter Borsche, actor, lived in Icking in the beginning of the '60s.
* Ber ...
up where
Daft Punk
Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Widely regarded as one of the most influential acts in dance music history, they achieved popularity in the late 1990s as p ...
left off on ''
Yeezus
''Yeezus'' is the sixth studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released on June 18, 2013, through Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records. West gathered a number of artists and close collaborators for the production, ...
'' with Kanye rapping over electro beats and Hitchcock strings".
Its "dense claustrophobia" was pointed out in praise by Nosheen Iqbal of ''
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 ...
''.
Commercial performance
Upon the release of ''The Life of Pablo'' in February 2016, the track debuted at number 9 on the US
''Billboard'' Bubbling Under Hot 100
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...
. Within the same week, it reached number 43 on the US
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
chart.
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from West's official website.
*Production – Kanye West
*Co-production – Hudson Mohawke, Noah Goldstein for Ark Productions, Inc &
Mike Dean #MWA for Dean's List Productions
*Additional production – DJDS, Caroline Shaw & Trevor Gureckis
*Engineering – Noah Goldstein,
Andrew Dawson, Anthony Kilhoffer, Mike Dean & Tom Kahre
*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
M ...
at Larrabee Studios, North Hollywood, CA
*Mix assisted – Chris Galland, Ike Schultz & Jeff Jackson
*Vocals –
Desiigner
Sidney Royel Selby III (born May 3, 1997), better known by his stage name Desiigner, is an American rapper and singer. In December 2015, his debut single "Panda" reached number one on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In 2019, he was released fr ...
Charts
Certifications
Notes
References
{{authority control
2016 songs
Alternative hip hop songs
Desiigner songs
Kanye West songs
Song recordings produced by Hudson Mohawke
Song recordings produced by Kanye West
Song recordings produced by Mike Dean (record producer)
Songs written by Alison Goldfrapp
Songs written by Cyhi the Prynce
Songs written by Kanye West
Songs written by Mike Dean (record producer)
Songs written by Will Gregory