"Rockstar" (stylized in

all caps In typography, all caps (short for "all capitals") refers to text or a font in which all letters are capital letters, for example: "THIS TEXT IS IN ALL CAPS". All caps may be used for emphasis (for a word or phrase). They are commonly seen in ...

) is a song by American 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 albu ...

, 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. ...

. The song was released on April 17, 2020, as the second single from DaBaby's third studio album ''

Blame It on Baby ''Blame It on Baby'' (stylized in all caps) is the third studio album by American rapper DaBaby. The album was released on April 17, 2020, by Interscope Records and South Coast Music Group. The album features guest appearances from Quavo from the ...

'' (2020). It was written by the two rappers. "Rockstar" spent seven non-consecutive weeks at the top of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Outside of the United States, "Rockstar" topped the charts in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Greece, New Zealand, Portugal, the Republic of Ireland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, and peaked within the top ten of the charts in Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Its music video is set in a

zombie apocalypse Zombie apocalypse is a genre of fiction in which society collapses due to overwhelming swarms of zombies. Typically only a few individuals or small bands of survivors are left living. In some versions, the reason the dead rise and attack hum ...

. On June 12, 2020, DaBaby released a " BLM (Black Lives Matter) remix" of "Rockstar", which replaces the intro with an extra verse from him, before the rest of the song, regarding the

George Floyd protests The George Floyd protests were a series of protests and civil unrest against police brutality and racism that began in Minneapolis on May 26, 2020, and largely took place during 2020. The civil unrest and protests began as part of internati ...

that started in May 2020, and his own experience with

police abuse Abuse is the improper usage or treatment of a thing, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, assault, violation, rape, unjust practices, crimes, or other t ...

. The song received nominations for

Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...

Best Melodic Rap Performance The Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance (awarded as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration until 2017, and Best Rap/Sung Performance from 2018 to 2020) is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and original ...

, and

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 ...

at the

63rd Annual Grammy Awards The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held in and around the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles on March 14, 2021. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 201 ...

Critical reception

Reviewing the song's predecessor album for ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'', Sam Hockley-Smith found "Rockstar" and "

Find My Way "Find My Way" (stylized in all caps) is a song by American rapper DaBaby, released as the lead single from his third studio album '' Blame It On Baby'' on April 1, 2020. Composition The song is produced by DJ K.i.D, who also produced DaBaby's " ...

" "catchy and brooding", "allowing him aBabyto rehash harrowing moments of violence, inner turmoil, and

PTSD Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental and behavioral disorder that can develop because of exposure to a traumatic event, such as sexual assault, warfare, traffic collisions, child abuse, domestic violence, or other threats on a ...

." In ''

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 th ...

'', Dani Blum noticed DaBaby "doesn't imitate Roddy Ricch as much as adjust his tone to complement the feature," thus, "his voice becomes softer, as close as DaBaby gets to tender, as he talks about the physical jolt of PTSD."

Commercial performance

"Rockstar" reached number one on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in its seventh week, for the chart issue dated June 13, 2020. It became DaBaby's first chart-topper and Roddy Ricch's second. It also became DaBaby's first number one and Ricch's second on

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 ...

and

Hot Rap Songs Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by '' Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stat ...

charts. Along with " The Box", Ricch became the first artist to achieve his first two number one singles in the same year since

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...

did it in 2017. Topping the chart for a second week, it became the first single to spend multiple weeks on top after a run in which five songs each spent a first and only week at the summit. It spent seven non-consecutive weeks atop the chart. "Rockstar" has also spent six weeks at number one in both Australia and the UK, and eight weeks atop the Irish chart.

Music video

DaBaby teased a music video for "Rockstar" a week before its release, posting pictures on

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 ...

of the filming location. The Reel Goats-directed video was premiered on June 26, 2020, starring the two rappers hunting zombies in an open field. The seven-minute video also features a scene set to DaBaby's chorus and first verse to "Amazing Grace", which also is featured on

Blame It On Baby ''Blame It on Baby'' (stylized in all caps) is the third studio album by American rapper DaBaby. The album was released on April 17, 2020, by Interscope Records and South Coast Music Group. The album features guest appearances from Quavo from the ...

following by the credits playing his verse from the Black Lives Matter remix. In ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'', Jon Blistein noted the video "boasts a distinctly cinematic feel" as the two rappers are heavily armed shooting a horde of zombies with "plenty of over-the-top action," that is "balanced by a refreshingly self-aware sequence" in which the two perform the song backed by a group of zombies dancing and playing instruments.

Production

"Rockstar" was produced by North Carolina producer SethInTheKitchen who also co-wrote the song. The instrumental for "Rockstar" is a melodic

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

beat featuring a guitar loop created from

Spectrasonics Eric Persing is an american sound designer, professional synthesist and producer based in Los Angeles, California. He is best known as the Founder and Creative Director of the music software and virtual instrument company Spectrasonics. He has ...

' Omnisphere. The drums consist of a two-step hi-hat pattern with assorted hat rolls, sampled claps, snares, and kicks. It's bassline features an

808 808 may refer to: Music * Roland-808, Roland TR-808, a drum machine * 808 (film), ''808'' (film), a documentary about the Roland TR-808 * 808 State, British electronic group * ''808s & Heartbreak'', the fourth studio album by American Hip hop artis ...

Awards and nominations

"Rockstar Black Lives Matter Remix"

On June 12, 2020, a remix of the song, titled "Rockstar Black Lives Matter Remix", was released. It joined many other

protest song A protest song is a song that is associated with a movement for social change and hence part of the broader category of ''topical'' songs (or songs connected to current events). It may be folk, classical, or commercial in genre. Among social mov ...

s that spoke out against

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 wake of the deaths of

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 ...

and

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 ...

. Jessica McKinney 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 ...

'' explained how on this version, DaBaby "discusses his multiple run-ins with the police, saying, 'Cops wanna pull me over, embarrass me/Abusin' power, you never knew me, thought I was arrogant/As a juvenile, police pulled their guns like they scared of me', while Roddy Ricch "shares a similar experience, recalling a time the police stopped him at a gas station". It later ended up on the deluxe version of Blame It On Baby, which was released on August 4, 2020.

Live performances

DaBaby and Ricch performed the song live at the 2020 BET Awards. The performance opened in a close-up shot of DaBaby on the ground with the knee of a police officer sitting on his neck — a recreation of

's murder. He then appeared surrounded by protesters — channeling the nationwide protests against police brutality — and performing in front of burning police cars. Ricch joined him for his verse, standing atop a cop car.

Cover versions

On July 18, 2020, rapper Mario Judah released his rendition of "Rockstar".

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 2020 singles 2020 songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Canadian Hot 100 number-one singles DaBaby songs Interscope Records singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in Austria Number-one singles in Denmark Number-one singles in Greece Number-one singles in New Zealand Number-one singles in Portugal Number-one singles in Switzerland UK Singles Chart number-one singles Roddy Ricch songs Songs written by Roddy Ricch Songs written by DaBaby Songs about George Floyd Songs about police brutality Songs about police officers Protest songs Pop-rap songs