"Tequila Shots" is a song by American rapper

Kid Cudi Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi (born January 30, 1984), also known by his stage name Kid Cudi ( ), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, actor and fashion designer. Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Cudi would move to New Yo ...

, released on December 11, 2020 as part of his seventh studio album '' Man on the Moon III: The Chosen''. The song was

produced Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

by Dot da Genius,

Take a Daytrip Take a Daytrip is an American record production and songwriting duo composed of Denzel Baptiste (born January 9, 1993) and David Biral (born February 22, 1993). They are best known for producing singles such as Sheck Wes' "Mo Bamba", Lil Nas X ...

and Cudi himself. In June 2022, the song reached platinum status, selling over 1 million units in the US. The song was later included on Cudi’s first greatest hits album '' The Boy Who Flew to the Moon, Vol. 1'' (2022).

Background

In an interview with Zane Lowe, Kid Cudi stated that "Tequila Shots" was the first song he made for ''Man on the Moon III'' which he finished before even deciding to make the album. He said of the song, "it sounds like such an introduction, it sounds like you pick right back up where we left off ten years ago", referring to the 2010 release of '' Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager''. The song was created on the day that Kid Cudi's collaboration with fellow American rapper Travis Scott, titled " The Scotts", reached the peak of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, marking Cudi's first number-one hit single in the US. Its title derived from Cudi, Dot da Genius and Take a Daytrip drinking shots of tequila in celebration.

Composition

The song features "warped synths and distorted organs", as well as humming from Cudi. It has been described as reminiscent of his early music in style. Kid Cudi sings about facing internal conflicts relating to mental health which he thought had already been dealt with, and being ready to manage them.

Critical reception

The song received generally positive reviews from critics. Aron A. of ''

HotNewHipHop ''HotNewHipHop (HNHH)'' is an online publication that covers daily news about hip hop and pop culture, including streetwear, sports, and sneakers. In addition to its editorial content, HotNewHipHop also produces the video serieses; ''How to Roll ...

'' wrote that it "brings Cudi's long-time collaborator Dot Da Genius into the fold alongside Take A Daytrip for an exhilarating and psychedelic blast-off". Alphonse Pierre of '' Pitchfork'' called it the best song from ''Man on the Moon III''.

Live performances

Kid Cudi performed the song on '' Saturday Night Live'' on April 10, 2021.

Other versions

In 2021, Kid Cudi released a alternate version of the song, which originally premiered on Amazon’s Prime Day Show. The alternate version was included on an extended play (EP) titled ''Prime Day Show x Kid Cudi'', issued exclusively on Amazon Music, on June 17, 2021.

Charts

References

{{Kid Cudi songs 2020 songs Kid Cudi songs Song recordings produced by Kid Cudi Song recordings produced by Take a Daytrip Songs written by Kid Cudi Songs written by Dot da Genius