"Gifted" is a song by American rapper

Cordae Cordae Amari Dunston (born August 26, 1997) known mononymously as Cordae (formerly YBN Cordae and Entendre), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He gained popularity by releasing remixes of popular songs, such as "My Name Is" by Eminem ...

featuring fellow American rapper

Roddy Ricch Rodrick Wayne Moore Jr. (born October 22, 1998), known professionally as Roddy Ricch, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to fame in 2018 with his single, "Die Young", which peaked at number 98 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. R ...

. The song was released on August 27, 2020, marking Cordae's first release of 2020, and the first after dropping the "YBN" from his name. "Gifted" was released a day after Cordae's 23rd birthday, and features uncredited vocals from American singer

Ant Clemons Anthony Clemons Jr. (born September 26, 1991) is an American singer. He rose to prominence as a guest artist on Kanye West's 2018 single " All Mine". Clemons has since worked with a multitude of artists, including West, Ty Dolla Sign, Beyoncé, ...

. The song sees the rappers reflect on their beginnings and eventual successes. It is Cordae's highest charting single, peaking at number one on the

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 ...

Background and composition

In 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 ...

for Apple Music, Cordae said the song was recorded one night in August 2019 after he and Ricch both performed at Real Street Festival. Cordae stated, "It was definitely a dope process making that record, for sure". ''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

''s Jordan Rose deemed "Gifted" somewhat of a coming-of-age song, with Cordae reminiscing on life before fame. The song finds the rappers talking about those who depend on them, harmonizing about their rags-to-riches come up over melodic production.

Critical reception

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

''s Zoe Haylock called the song a "

Chance the Rapper Chancelor Johnathan Bennett (born April 16, 1993), known professionally as Chance the Rapper, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and record producer. Born and raised in Chicago, Bennett released his debut mixtape '' 10 Day'' in 2012. He ...

–tinged bop" and complimented Cordae and Ricch for establishing themselves as "relatable but inspirational" on the track. Haylock further stated that "Cordae's skills as a chameleon shine". Jessica McKinney of ''

'' named it among the best new music of the week, noting how the duo trade reflective bars, but said "The best part of the track, though is the harmonizing between the two stars". ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

''s Carl Lamarre listed it as an essential release, and commended the rappers for embracing "their supreme talents", as they "carve a tuneful record for dreamers yearning for their big break". Marquin Stanley of KarenCivil.com said the song "certainly showcases Cordae's continued elevation as an artist and as a rapper that we all truly can relate to". ''

Rap-Up ''Rap-Up'' is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the ...

'' called the track "inspirational". Alex Zidel of ''HotNewHipHop'' opined that

's vocal contributions complement the duo well.

Music video

The music video was directed by

Cole Bennett Cole Michael Bennett (born May 14, 1996) is an American business executive, videographer, and music video director. His multimedia company, Lyrical Lemonade, started in 2013 as an internet blog while he was in high school. Early life Cole Be ...

and premiered on his Lyrical Lemonade channel along with the song's release.
The visual reflects the lyrics, and sees Cordae go from driving a low-range car to living a grande life, complete with a mansion and a

Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...

. The video closes with a quote from political activist

Huey P. Newton Huey Percy Newton (February 17, 1942 – August 22, 1989) was an African-American revolutionary, notable as founder of the Black Panther Party. Newton crafted the Party's ten-point manifesto with Bobby Seale in 1966. Under Newton's leadershi ...

: "The revolution has always been in the hands of the young. The young always inherit the revolution". The next frame references

police brutality Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to, ...

in the US, reading "

Defund the police "Defund the police" is a slogan that supports removing funds from police departments and reallocating them to non-policing forms of public safety and community support, such as social services, youth services, housing, education, healthcare and o ...

. Arrest and convict the killer cops", along with the names of

Jacob Blake On August 23, 2020, Jacob S. Blake, a 29-year-old black man, was shot and seriously injured by police officer Rusten Sheskey in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Sheskey shot Blake in the back four times and the side three times after Blake opened the driv ...

Breonna Taylor Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old African-American woman, was fatally shot in her Louisville, Kentucky apartment on March 13, 2020, when at least seven police officers forced entry into the apartment as part of an investigation into drug dealing op ...

George Floyd George Perry Floyd Jr. (October 14, 1973 – May 25, 2020) was an African-American man who was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest made after a store clerk suspected Floyd may have used a counterfeit twe ...

, and

Elijah McClain Elijah Jovan McClain (February 25, 1996 – August 30, 2019) was a 23-year-old American Black man from Aurora, Colorado, who was killed as a result of being illegally injected with 500 mg of ketamine by paramedics after being forcibly detained ...

. Shortly prior to the song's release, Cordae showed support for the

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (abbreviated BLM) is a decentralized political and social movement that seeks to highlight racism, discrimination, and racial inequality experienced by black people. Its primary concerns are incidents of police bruta ...

movement he was arrested and charged with a felony while protesting Breonna Taylor's death by sitting on the lawn outside of Kentucky Attorney General

Daniel Cameron Daniel, Dan or Danny Cameron may refer to: Politicians *Daniel Alexander Cameron (1870–1937), Canadian politician from the province of Nova Scotia *Daniel R. Cameron (1885–1933), lumber merchant and political figure in Nova Scotia, Canada *Dan ...

's house with other protestors.

Charts

References

{{authority control 2020 singles 2020 songs Cordae songs Roddy Ricch songs Songs written by Roddy Ricch Songs written by Ant Clemons Atlantic Records singles Music videos directed by Cole Bennett