Kush (song)
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"Kush" is a single by American rapper
Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...
, featuring vocals by
Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...
and
Akon Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P) ...
. It was released via digital download on November 18, 2010. The song was produced by
DJ Khalil Khalil Abdul-Rahman Hazzard (born October 16, 1973), professionally known as DJ Khalil, is an American music producer and DJ from Los Angeles. He is the instrumental half of the hip hop duo Self Scientific (along with rapper Chace Infinite) an ...
and mixed by Dr. Dre, with additional keys by Daniel "Danny Keyz" Tannenbaum. The song has additional vocals by Sly "Pyper" Jordan, Kobe Honeycutt and Blackthoven.


Background

On November 16, 2010 an unfinished version of the song leaked onto the Internet. On the same day, Dr. Dre spoke on Radio Big Boy regarding the status of his album and the leaked song: Later that same day, a mastered version of "Kush" was released along with the creation of a new website. The song was featured in episode fourteen of season eleven of CSI. The song was originally going to be the only one from his upcoming studio album that had a smoker type of subject matter, but on September 21, 2011, Dre tweeted that both "I Need a Doctor" and "Kush" would not make the final cut of the album.


Composition

"Kush" took three to four months to complete due to the numerous production stages that it eventually went through. The genesis of song came when Dr. Dre's request for a single prompted producer DJ Khalil to pick out an archived vocal sample he had previously made of songwriter collaborator Kobe Honeycutt that he felt would be perfect to build a new Dre track around. Khalil told
HitQuarters HitQuarters was an international music industry publication and contact database founded in 1999. It was noted for its in-depth interviews with industry figures, as well as its A&R and manager contact directory, free artist promo pages and song ...
that he began with the sample of Honeycutt saying "Hold up, wait a minute, let me put some
kush Kush or Cush may refer to: Bible * Cush (Bible), two people and one or more places in the Hebrew Bible Places * Kush (mountain), a mountain near Kalat, Pakistan Balochistan * Kush (satrapy), a satrapy of the Achaemenid Empire * Hindu Kush, a ...
up in it", which he looped in
Reason Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, ...
, and the drums, which he tried to make sound "pulsating and clubby". Keyboard player Danny Keyz then added a synth which Khalil then filtered and washed out with a reverb. To this basic track they started adding hook parts and different vocals with the aim of giving the song a constantly evolving sound, but at the same time Khalil was mindful to keep the production as open and spare as possible.


Music video

Joseph Kahn Joseph Kahn may refer to: *Joseph Kahn (director) (born 1972), a film and music video director *Joseph Kahn (journalist) (born 1964), American journalist * Joseph Kahn (shipping executive) (1916–1979), American businessman See also *Joseph Hahn ...
directed the music video for the song. The music video was shot November 18, 2010 in Downtown LA.
50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...
,
E-40 Earl Tywone Stevens Sr. (born November 15, 1967), better known by his stage name E-40, is an American rapper. He is a founding member of the rap group The Click, and the founder of Sick Wid It Records. He has released 26 studio albums to date, a ...
, Roccett, The Menace and
Glasses Malone Glasses Malone is an American rapper from Los Angeles, California. Early life Glasses Malone grew up in the Watts and Compton neighborhoods in Los Angeles County. Malone was a Crip gang member as a teenager, and got into street racing after brea ...
were present for the shooting of the video, but do not make cameo appearances. DJ Khalil, producer of the song, makes a cameo appearance throwing a
Beats By Dr. Dre Beats Electronics LLC (also known as Beats by Dr. Dre, or simply Beats by Dre) is an American consumer audio products manufacturer headquartered in Culver City, California. The company was founded by music producer Dr. Dre and record company exec ...
headphone towards the camera in a freeze frame shot. December 10, 2010 marked the video's release on
Vevo Vevo ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized as VEVO until 2013) is an American multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available as an app on selected smart TVs, di ...
. The video, directed by Joseph Kahn, begins as Dre is seated in a sleek, black
Lamborghini Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. () is an Italian brand and manufacturer of luxury sports cars and SUVs based in Sant'Agata Bolognese. The company is owned by the Volkswagen Group through its subsidiary Audi. Ferruccio Lamborghini (1916–1993) ...
, attempting to flick a
Zippo A Zippo lighter is a reusable metal lighter produced by Zippo Manufacturing Company of Bradford, Pennsylvania, United States. Thousands of different styles and designs have been made in the nine decades since their introduction, including milita ...
lighter. Once Dr. Dre ignites it, the beat drops, and he exits the car. Dre approaches the club in a setting similar to "
The Next Episode "The Next Episode" is a single by American rapper-producer Dr. Dre, released on June 26, 2000 as the third single from his second studio album, '' 2001'' (1999). The track features Snoop Dogg, Kurupt and Nate Dogg, but only Snoop Dogg is cred ...
", one of his past hits. But the festivities around him are ice cold; the club patrons are statue-like, frozen in the parking lot and inside, in mid groove. Snoop Dogg kicks things off on the second verse, and he is surrounded by a bevy of frozen women. They're smiling, drinks are pouring, but they're also statues compared to the rapper. As Dre makes his way into the club and to the bar, however, the party livens up. Dre pulls out his lighter, engraved with the song's title, and holds it to the sprinklers overhead, setting them off. As water rains down on the partygoers, they come back to life, gyrating to the thumping track's production. Later, Dre and Snoop leave the club, and Dre drives off into the night on an empty highway, surrounded by the streaking lights of cars that are no longer there. Akon makes appearances periodically while singing the hook. He appears to be in a private jet with money frozen in mid-air, as well as women seemingly dancing, though they too aren't moving.


Remixes

On December 2, 2010, the official remix of the song was released featuring
Game A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...
,
Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...
&
Akon Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P) ...
. There are two remixes, both containing different verses from
Game A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...
.
Jay Rock Johnny Reed McKinzie Jr. (born March 31, 1983), better known by his stage name Jay Rock, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter from Los Angeles. He signed to indie label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE), in 2005. Under TDE, Rock secured a rec ...
has released a freestyle to the track. Gilbere Forte also released a Freestyle Version of this song. Slim da Mobster has freestyled over the beat.
Mike G Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, better known as Odd Future and often abbreviated as OF, was an American hip-hop music collective formed in Los Angeles County, California in 2007. The original members were Tyler, the Creator, Casey Veggies, ...
of
OFWGKTA 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 ...
released 707 over the instrumental. Dr. Dre, along with
Akon Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P) ...
and
Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...
, performed this song at the Grammy Interscope Party along with "
The Next Episode "The Next Episode" is a single by American rapper-producer Dr. Dre, released on June 26, 2000 as the third single from his second studio album, '' 2001'' (1999). The track features Snoop Dogg, Kurupt and Nate Dogg, but only Snoop Dogg is cred ...
", "
Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" is a song by American rapper Dr. Dre, featuring fellow American rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg, on Dre's debut solo album, ''The Chronic'' (1992). The album's first single, "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang," reaching number 2 on the ' ...
", "
Gin and Juice "Gin and Juice" is a song by American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released on January 18, 1994, as the second single from his debut album, ''Doggystyle''. Lyrics The lyrics depict a party filled with sex, marijuana, and alcohol continuing i ...
" and " Still D.R.E.".


Track listing

* Digital download * CD single


Charts


Release history


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kush (Dr. Dre Song) 2010 singles Songs about cannabis Dr. Dre songs Snoop Dogg songs Akon songs Interscope Records singles Songs written by Dr. Dre Songs written by Snoop Dogg Songs written by Akon Aftermath Entertainment singles Music videos directed by Joseph Kahn Song recordings produced by DJ Khalil Songs written by DJ Khalil 2010 songs