"Turks" is a song by Canadian rapper Nav and American rapper Gunna, featuring fellow American rapper and singer Travis Scott. It was released on March 27, 2020, through XO and

Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

as the lead single from the former's third studio album, '' Good Intentions''. The song was written by the artists alongside Cash XO and producer

Wheezy Wesley Tyler Glass (born October 26, 1992), known professionally as Wheezy, is an American record producer and songwriter. He has worked with artists such as Lil Uzi Vert, Young Thug, Lil Baby, Future, King Von, 21 Savage, Gunna (rapper), Gunna ...

. The official music video was released on March 30, 2020. The title of the song is a reference to the

Turks and Caicos Islands The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI; and ) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and n ...

. The three artists previously collaborated on Scott's single "

Yosemite Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ar ...

", from his third studio album, '' Astroworld'' (2018).

Background

"Turks" marks the first new material from Nav since the release of his second studio album, '' Bad Habits'', as well as his first release in a year as a lead artist since the album, which was released on March 22, 2019. The song was first teased on January 26, 2020 in a video posted 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 ...

by a Travis Scott fan page. The video showed Nav and Scott at the birthday party of Nav's XO manager and XO co-founder

Cash In economics, cash is money in the physical form of currency, such as banknotes and coins. In bookkeeping and financial accounting, cash is current assets comprising currency or currency equivalents that can be accessed immediately or near-imm ...

, playing their respective verses to "short eight-bar increments". The song was eventually released on March 27, 2020, following an

Live session between Nav and Gunna on March 25, 2020. All three artists had previously collaborated on Scott's song "

", from Scott's third studio album, ''Astroworld'', in August 2018. The song's title is a reference to the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

islands

Turks and Caicos The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI; and ) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and n ...

, a territory occasionally appearing on a list of proposed new Canadian provinces and territories. When the final version of the song was released on March 27, 2020, Gunna and Travis Scott's verses were switched.

Composition and lyrics

"Turks" is a "

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 ...

-heavy anthem". On the song, the rappers each "ride the beat with their melodic rapping", a trademark of all three artists, mimicking each other's flows. Jordan Darville of ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in New York City that was launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. It was the first print publication to be released on iTunes. It is o ...

'' said Nav's flow on the track is reminiscent of the rapping employed on

Young Thug Jeffery Lamar Williams (born August 16, 1991), known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is considered to be an influential figure of his generation, with his music impacting the modern sound of hip ...

's "Hot" (also featuring Gunna and produced by

), as well as

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. ...

's flow on "The Box". The song is dedicated to the

, which all three artists and Wheezy visited in February 2020. In the chorus, Nav references this, singing "Took 20 bitches on my first vacay/ I ain't pickin' up, I'm in Turks, lil' baby". With a BPM of 119, the song is in the key of

C Minor C minor is a minor scale based on C, consisting of the pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature consists of three flats. Its relative major is E major and its parallel major is C major. The C natural minor scale is: : Cha ...

Commercial performance

"Turks" reached number one on

Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...

the same day it was released. It marks Nav's highest-charting single as a lead artist on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, debuting at number 17. However, he later garnered his first highest-charting single in total later in the year with

Internet Money Internet Money Records, often credited as Internet Money, is an American record label and record producer collective. It was founded by American record producer Taz Taylor, who serves as the chief executive officer (CEO). The producer collecti ...

and Gunna's single "

Lemonade Lemonade is a sweetened lemon-flavored beverage. There are varieties of lemonade found throughout the world. In North America and South Asia, cloudy still lemonade is the most common variety. There it is traditionally a homemade drink using ...

", which also features American rapper and singer

Don Toliver Caleb Zackery "Don" Toliver ( ; born June 12, 1994) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He released his first major label mixtape, ''Donny Womack'', in August 2018. He is known for his singles "No Idea (song), No Idea" and "After Party ...

, a fellow labelmate of Travis Scott.

Music video

The song's official video, starring the three artists, premiered on Nav's

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

channel on March 30, 2020. Directed by Nav's XO label boss

and Zac Facts, it was filmed on a military base and finds the artists in the

as they are surrounded by an army of female soldiers,

tanks A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine ...

, and heavy

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

. Nav is seen waving the XO label flag in the video.

, a close friend and frequent collaborator of the three artists, makes a cameo appearance.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Travis Scott 2020 singles 2020 songs Nav (rapper) songs Travis Scott songs Gunna (rapper) songs Songs written by Travis Scott Songs written by Nav (rapper) Songs written by Gunna (rapper) Republic Records singles Song recordings produced by Wheezy (record producer) Songs written by Wheezy (record producer) Songs written by Amir Esmailian Trap music songs