"Take It to the Head" is a song by American hip hop producer

DJ Khaled Khaled Mohammed Khaled (born November 26, 1975), known professionally as DJ Khaled, is an American DJ, record executive, record producer and rapper. Khaled first gained recognition as a radio host in the 1990s on the radio station WEDR, 99 Ja ...

, released as the lead single from his sixth studio album, ''

Kiss the Ring ''Kiss the Ring '' is the sixth studio album by American disc jockey and record producer DJ Khaled. It was released under We the Best Music Group, Terror Squad Entertainment, Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, and Universal Republic ...

''. The song features American singer

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to '' Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempo ...

, rappers

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Sean Combs, D ...

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...

and Trinidadian American rapper

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...

. The song was premiered via DJ Khaled's

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on March 26, 2012. It was later released for digital download in the United States on April 3, 2012. The single was certified

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by the

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(RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 digital copies. Musically, "Take It to the Head" is a hip hop song with elements of trap from Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne and Rick Ross, and R&B from Chris Brown.

Critical reception

David Jeffries highlighted it and wrote a positive description: " Nicki Minaj joins labelmate Wayne, along with Chris Brown and Rick Ross, for "Take It to the Head," a song perfect for rainy days as the lyricists go from sullen to champion over a slow-rolling Runners production." BBC music said of the single, "Single Take It to the Head, meanwhile, is oddly ineffectual considering the talent showcased. Rick Ross comes off lackadaisical, Nicki Minaj offers far from her greatest verse, a mumbling Lil Wayne's mouth sounds fuller of iced grill than usual, while Khaled hollers unselfconsciously over the whole palaver like an actual ghetto Tim Westwood." Mark Bozzer also wrote a positive review: "the Runners/Khaled-produced bachelorette party favourite, "Take It To The Head," featuring Breezy, Rozay, Nicki Minaj and Weezy." XXL panned the song noting it incapable of recapturing the magic of last album’s lead single but he also wrote that it's better than today’s average radio record: "appreciate in listening value over time."

Music video

The video was filmed on April 30, 2012 inside Disaster!: A Major Motion Picture Ride...Starring You!, one of the rides in Universal Studios Florida. It was directed by Colin Tilley. It premiered on May 20, 2012 on

MTV2 MTV2 (formerly M2) is an American pay television Cable television, channel owned by the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. The channel launched initially as an all-music video service, once the original MTV had started to sh ...

'' Sucker Free'' and it was uploaded on DJ Khaled's

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account on May 25. In addition to Khaled and the track's featured artists, the video features cameos from rappers

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 * ...

, Birdman,

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...

and

Mack Maine Jermaine Anthony Preyan (born July 28, 1982), better known by his stage name Mack Maine, is an American record executive, songwriter, and rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. Mack Maine has been the president of Young Money Entertainment since 2 ...

, among others. The video takes place at The BART. Brown appears in a cage as he sings the chorus. Rick Ross performs his verse on the sidelines of the train tracks as during the verse, Drake appears. Then Minaj raps her verse sitting on the train tracks as gasoline barrels on fire behind her. Then Wayne performs on the back of a destroyed train as Busta Rhymes, Mack Maine and Birdman make small appearances during Wayne's verse.

Remix

The remix features Chris Brown,

Fat Joe Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper from New York City. He began his music career as a member of hip hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.), then forged a sol ...

, Ace Hood,

Jae Millz Jarvis Mills (born September 11, 1983), better known by his stage name Jae Millz, is an American rapper from Harlem, New York, who was signed to T.I.'s record label Grand Hustle Records and Atlantic Records. His debut major label studio album, ...

, Maino, Lil Twist, T-Streets,

Bun B Bernard James Freeman (born March 19, 1973), known professionally as Bun B, is an American rapper. He is best known as one half of the southern rap duo UGK (UnderGround Kingz), a group he formed in 1987 alongside Pimp C. Aside from his work with ...

and Lil Chuckee.

Live performances

Minaj and Wayne performed the song during Minaj's Pepsi Promotional Show as a part of her Pink Friday Tour. Minaj has also recited her verse on her Pink Friday: Reloaded Tour.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Lil Wayne singles 2012 songs 2012 singles DJ Khaled songs Chris Brown songs Nicki Minaj songs Rick Ross songs Lil Wayne songs Songs written by Kevin Cossom Songs written by Nicki Minaj Songs written by Lil Wayne Cash Money Records singles Music videos directed by Colin Tilley Songs written by Rick Ross Song recordings produced by the Runners Songs written by Jermaine Jackson (hip hop producer) Songs written by Andrew Harr Songs written by Andre Davidson Songs written by Sean Davidson Song recordings produced by the Monarch (production team)