''Nobody'' is a collaborative
studio album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by American hip hop recording artist
Chief Keef
Keith Farrelle Cozart (born August 15, 1995), better known by his stage name Chief Keef, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. His music first became popular during his teen years in the early 2010s among high school s ...
and
record producer
A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...
12Hunna. It was independently released on December 16, 2014, by Keef's Glo Gang label. The album is primarily a solo effort, includes two guest features from Tadoe and
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 ...
. The album's production and lyrics are representative of the
drill music genre.
Release and promotion
On November 22, 2014, when Keef announced the release of an album, titled ''Nobody'' (also noted as ''Nobody: The Album''), slated for a December 2, 2014 release, it became apparent that the "
Nobody
Nobody may refer to:
* Nobody, an indefinite pronoun
Nobody may also refer to:
Fictional characters
* Nobody (''Kingdom Hearts''), a race of beings in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' video game series
*Nobody, a character in the Jim Jarmusch films '' D ...
" track had developed into its own project, rather than as a portion of ''Bang 3''. The album experienced a slight delay, but was released on December 16 through
iTunes
iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...
digital download. Meaghan Garvey of ''
Pitchfork Media
''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog.
Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...
'' wrote that the album was, "released suddenly and without much fanfare."
Artwork
On September 2, 2014, Chief Keef released the cover art for the song "Nobody". The cover art features the heads of Keef and
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 ...
side by side, seemingly fading into the black background,
where Keef was shown holding a bundle of dollar bills up to his ear.
[
]
Music and lyrics
The music on the album was noted to be, "experimental, and equally devoid of any conventional hits."[ On the album, Keef touches on the concept of his fame, and how it has impacted his life in both positive and negative aspects.] The album included "emotional cornerstones," as well as subtle jokes made by Keef at his own expense.[ Keef also raps about his romantic insecurities that have been compiling in his work since 2012, the, "unflinching ubermasculinity that characterizes drill and its proponents, and beyond that, the temperament expected of black men from a young age."][
Specifically, on the track "Nobody", various sources reached a consensus that Keef's slurs and croons over Kanye West's vocals contributed to one of his more emotionally driven songs. Chris Coplan of '']Consequence of Sound
''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...
'' writes that Keef's auto-tuned vocals are, "part slur and part croon", and that Kanye West's, "succinct-yet-soulful backing harmonies sound doubly hazy over rumbling drum beats and the intermittent flutter of keys." ''The Source
''The Source'' is an American hip hop and entertainment website, and a magazine that publishes annually or . It is the world's longest-running rap periodical, being founded as a newsletter in 1988 by Jonathan Shecter. David Mays was the ma ...
'' writes that the song is, "one of the more emotionally driven cuts we’ve heard from the Chicago rapper in recent history." Garvey writes that the track is, "about Keef at his rawest and most honest," referring to the line, "They thought I was a joke," as being burbled, "with a melancholy that suggests he reads the comments."[ Zach Frydenlund of '']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 ...
'', writes that the song is, "decked out in auto-tune from start to finish, as Keef handles the majority of the record with his unique crooning throughout." However, Brennan Carley of '' Spin'', commented, "as West croons in his trademark 808s warble in the background, the drill rapper slurs through bragging lyrics."
Critical reception
In comparison to Keef's mixtape, ''Back from the Dead 2
''Back from the Dead 2'' is a mixtape by Chief Keef
Keith Farrelle Cozart (born August 15, 1995), better known by his stage name Chief Keef, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. His music first became popular durin ...
'', Meaghan Garvey of ''Pitchfork Media'', stated that ''Nobody'' was, "sharper, clearer, and more purposeful."[ Garvey adds her opinions on the tracks, commenting, "a handful feel more like sketches than completed works. But its high points have a clarity unmatched within Keef’s last two years of work; at times, he’s straight up vulnerable. He may not be coming back to earth any time soon, but he’s looking his audience in the eyes."][ Garvey gave the album an overall score of 7 out of 10, stating, "''Nobody'' is, at its best, strikingly lucid. Maybe his recent passion for visual art has rekindled an interest in direct expression. Maybe he’s just growing up."][
]
Track listing
All tracks are produced by 12Hunna himself, except where noted.
;Samples credits
*"Nobody" samples the instrumentals from Willie Hutch
William McKinley Hutchison (December 6, 1944 – September 19, 2005), better known as Willie Hutch, was an American singer, songwriter as well as a record producer and recording artist for the Motown record label during the 1970s and 1980s.
Biog ...
's " Brother's Gonna Work It Out".[
]
Nobody (single)
"Nobody" is a song by Chief Keef featuring fellow 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 ...
. It was released on December 15, 2014, as the lead single and title track from the album.
Composition
"Nobody" prominently samples Willie Hutch
William McKinley Hutchison (December 6, 1944 – September 19, 2005), better known as Willie Hutch, was an American singer, songwriter as well as a record producer and recording artist for the Motown record label during the 1970s and 1980s.
Biog ...
's 1973 track "Brother's Gonna Work It Out", which was also sampled by 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 ...
at an earlier date on his 2013 mixtape '' Acid Rap''. West's feature makes heavy usage of auto-tune, which is mixed with his emotions.
Release
On August 18, 2014, Keef shared a snippet of the track via Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
. The artwork for it was officially released by him on September 2. It was announced on November 22, 2014, that the song was set to be released on December 2 and would be included on Keef's album of the same title, which shut down any speculation that "Nobody" was set to be a track on ''Bang 3
''Bang 3'' is the second studio album by American rapper Chief Keef. The LP is a double album itself, serving as the third installment of Chief Keef's ''Bang'' trilogy. It was leaked online on August 1, 2015. Soon after the album was released off ...
''. However, the track was released at a later date then originally planned, since it came out on December 15, 2014.
Critical reception
''Vibe
''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down producti ...
'' had praise for both artists on the collaboration, describing it as them trading: 'auto-tuned melodies reflective how they both turned somethin’ into nothin’'. However, ''Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
'' had praise for only Keef's work throughout the song, describing it as being him: 'at his rawest and most honest'.
References
{{Authority control
2014 albums
Chief Keef albums
Self-released albums
Albums produced by Kanye West