"Jail" 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 ...
from his tenth studio album, ''
Donda
''Donda'' is the tenth studio album by American rapper Kanye West, released through GOOD Music on August 29, 2021, with distribution handled by Def Jam Recordings, his last release with the label. West recorded much of the material at multiple ...
'' (2021). The song includes vocals from fellow American rapper
Jay-Z. Towards the end of the album, another version of the song titled "Jail pt 2" appears, which includes vocals from rapper
DaBaby
Jonathan Lyndale Kirk (born December 22, 1991), known professionally as DaBaby (formerly known as Baby Jesus), is an American rapper. After releasing several mixtapes between 2014 and 2018, he rose to mainstream prominence with his debut alb ...
and singer
Marilyn Manson. Some critics compared the song to West's previous single "
Black Skinhead
"Black Skinhead" (also stylized as "BLKKK SKKKN HEAD") is a song by American rapper Kanye West, from his sixth studio album '' Yeezus'' (2013). It was produced by West and Daft Punk. The song's lyrics center on racial tensions and the crumbli ...
" (2013) for its similar musical style.
It won the award for
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
2022 Grammy Awards
The 64th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 2020, to September 30, ...
.
Background
West heavily contributed production to fellow rapper
Jay-Z's sixth studio album ''
The Blueprint
''The Blueprint'' is the sixth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released on September 11, 2001, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. Its release was set a week earlier than initially planned in order to combat bootlegging. ...
'' in 2001, beginning a creative bond between the two. He has since helped produce various Jay-Z albums, while the rapper has been featured on numerous records by West, including his fifth studio album ''
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'' is the fifth studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released by Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records on November 22, 2010, following a period of public controversy for West. Re ...
'' (2010).
West and Jay-Z's collaborative album ''
Watch the Throne
''Watch the Throne'' is a collaborative studio album by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West, collectively known as The Throne. It was released on August 8, 2011, through Roc-A-Fella Records, Roc Nation, and Def Jam Recordings. Prior to the r ...
'' was released in 2011, though they had a falling out five years later when West complained about him during the
Saint Pablo Tour
The Saint Pablo Tour was a concert tour by American rapper Kanye West which ran from August 25, 2016 to November 19, 2016 in support of West's seventh solo studio album, ''The Life of Pablo'' (2016). The tour was originally planned to run until D ...
. Jay-Z addressed the fallout on the intro to his 13th studio album ''
4:44'' (2017) and also assured in a promotional interview that he needed to speak with West for resolving their "family business", before the latter alleged their issues started after his wedding to
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 ...
in 2014.
On July 22, 2021, West ended the first listening event for ''Donda'' at
Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta by playing a song that includes a verse from Jay-Z.
The verse was reportedly recorded at 4pm on the previous day, apparently being rushed by Jay-Z for the event.
The song's title was unveiled as "Jail" and during the album's third listening party at
Soldier Field
Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) since ...
in Chicago, a version was played that replaced Jay-Z's verse with one from fellow rapper
DaBaby
Jonathan Lyndale Kirk (born December 22, 1991), known professionally as DaBaby (formerly known as Baby Jesus), is an American rapper. After releasing several mixtapes between 2014 and 2018, he rose to mainstream prominence with his debut alb ...
.
The replacement was widely condemned by fans, due to DaBaby's July 2021 homophobic rant.
The final version re-added Jay-Z and removed DaBaby, marking the first track to include him and West since they both appeared on
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
* ...
's "
Pop Style
"Pop Style" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake, featuring American rappers Kanye West and Jay-Z, collectively known as The Throne. The song was released alongside "One Dance", as singles promoting Drake's fourth studio album '' Views'', initially ...
" (2016).
Critical reception
"Jail" received mixed reviews. Thomas Hobbs 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 ...
'' was unimpressed by West's lyrics on the track, describing them as "blunted" when compared to his previous work; he also considered its "dad-rock riffs" to be "slightly flat" and its melody "meandering". In her review for ''
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 ...
'', Roisin O'Connor condemned the "sluggish one-two punch of the motif" as derivative of the "superior jabs" on
Kendrick Lamar
Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper and songwriter. Known for his progressive musical styles and socially conscious songwriting, he is often considered one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generat ...
's "
Humble" (2017).
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
's Fred Thomas dubbed it "a banger with no bang" besides its "last seconds".
Conversely, Paul Thomas of ''
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 ...
'' described it as "pure catharsis" and "clear-eyed" in its examination of "the threat police pose", highlighting it as one of the tracks off ''Donda'' which display a "sincere darkness".
In his review for ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'', Chris Willman called it a "pleasingly genre-crossing surprise" with "power chords and anthemic chorus lines that somebody like
Imagine Dragons might give their dragons' eye teeth for". ''
Clash''s Mike Milenko considered it "a half-decent Kanye cut".
Jay-Z's appearance divided critics.
Jon Caramanica
Jon Caramanica (born 1975) is an American journalist and pop music critic who writes for ''The New York Times''. He is also known for writing about hip hop music.
Biography
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Caramanica received his bachelor's degree ...
of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' simply described it as "decent", while Tom Breihan of ''
Stereogum'' wrote that "it's not peak Jay"; he considered his "underwhelming" verse to be inferior to the other guest appearances on ''Donda'', and assessed that he "gets through his awkward verse on charisma and accumulated goodwill". Thomas panned his "atrociously written" verse, arguing that "it sounds like a rehearsal take from someone who knows he's written C-grade material".
''
HipHopDX
''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head Of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. ''HipHopDX'' is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group.
...
''s David Aaron Brake called it "one of the worst verses of his career", and joked that "Kanye awoke him from a nap and asked him for some quick bars in 30 minutes or less". In contrast, Nina Hernandez of ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' hailed it as "one of Jay's most successful feature verses in several years" and a "clear high point" on ''Donda''. Similarly, Milenko found Jay-Z to be "at his most recent best, sneering into the mic with a cockiness that is unmatched even by Ye himself".
Riley Wallace of ''
Exclaim!'' considered that he provided one of the "shiniest gems" on the album with his verse, while Rhian Daly called it "a thrill" in her review for ''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
''.
Commercial performance
"Jail" debuted at number 10 on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming West's 20th top-10 hit on the chart and making him the 21st act to have this amount of top-10s. The debut was almost entirely driven by streaming, with the song entering the US
Streaming Songs
The Streaming Songs chart is released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists each week's top streamed radio songs, on-demand songs and videos on leading online music services in the United States. The chart represents one of the three component ...
chart at number three and amassing 24.2 million streams. The song reached number two on both the US
Christian Songs
Hot Christian Songs is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It ranks the popularity of Christian songs using the same methodology developed for the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the magazine's flagship songs c ...
and
Gospel Songs
Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...
charts. It debuted at number three 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, standing among West's seven simultaneous top-10 hits that tied him with
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
* ...
's record on the chart.
In Australia, "Jail" opened at number five on the
ARIA Singles Chart. The song experienced similar performance in New Zealand, entering the
NZ Singles Chart
The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...
at number six.
Elsewhere, it reached number eight on the
Icelandic Singles Chart.
The song debuted at number seven on the
Irish Singles Chart, placing among West's three entries from the album in Ireland. It entered 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 ...
at number 11, also standing as one of his three entries in the United Kingdom.
Pt 2
The second part of the song, titled "Jail pt 2", was premiered to a controversial reception at the third and final public listening party at
Soldier Field
Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) since ...
in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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on August 26, 2021. It was subsequently released as ''Donda''s 24th track on August 29, 2021.
Initially, the song appeared on the album's
Spotify
Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
track list while blanked out and unavailable to play, until it became playable at 10pm.
West posted screenshots to his
Instagram of texts between him and his manager Bu Thiam demonstrating that the song was not able to be released due to DaBaby's management refusing to clear his appearance, with West replying: "I'm not taking my brother off. He was the only person who said he would vote for me in public."
He also accused
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...
of having blocked the song's inclusion on the album; sources at the company denied the allegations and called them "preposterous".
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
{{Grammy Award for Best Rap Song
2021 songs
Kanye West songs
Song recordings produced by Kanye West
Song recordings produced by Mike Dean (record producer)
Songs written by Dem Jointz
Songs written by Jay-Z
Songs written by Kanye West
Songs written by Mike Dean (record producer)
Jay-Z songs
Songs written by DaBaby
DaBaby songs
Gospel songs
American pop rock songs
American alternative rock songs
Alternative hip hop songs