"Winner" is the first single from American singer/actor

Jamie Foxx Eric Marlon Bishop (born December 13, 1967), known professionally as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He became widely known for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the 2004 biographical film '' Ray'', for which he won the ...

's fourth studio album ''

Best Night of My Life ''Best Night of My Life'' is the fourth studio album by American singer and actor Jamie Foxx. It was released on December 21, 2010, by J Records. The album was supported by four singles in total; "Winner" featuring Justin Timberlake and T.I., " L ...

'', released for digital download on April 6, 2010 through

J Records J Records was an American record label owned and operated by Bertelsmann Music Group until it was transferred to Sony Music Entertainment when they acquired all of BMG’s record labels in late 2008. It was distributed through the RCA Music Gro ...

. It features American singer

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...

and rapper T.I. Foxx told

George Lopez George Edward Lopez (born April 23, 1961) is an American comedian and actor. He is known for starring in his self-produced ABC sitcom. His stand-up comedy examines race and ethnic relations, including Mexican American culture. Lopez has rec ...

about Timberlake's contribution: "I got him on the track—'cause he wasn't gonna get on the track—I just literally said, 'Man, my people suffered for 500 years. You owe me this.'" It was also the official theme song of the 2010 NBA Playoffs for ''

NBA on TNT ''NBA on TNT'' is a branding used for broadcasts of the National Basketball Association (NBA) games, produced by Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, the sports division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Sports subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery and tel ...

'' and

NBA TV NBA TV is an American sports-oriented pay television network owned by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and operated by Warner Bros. Discovery through its sports unit. Dedicated to basketball, the network features exhibition, regular ...

Critical reception

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

considered this song a standout cut. ''

LA Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' was also positive: "Current radio staple "Winner" sets the template — big processed drums, creepy synths and lots of open space for Foxx’s capable runs." ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' was positive too: "On "Winner" there’s even some of the pseudo rapping that Justin Timberlake has been squeezing out of his system of late." ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' was negative in its review, however: ""Winner" is another song that exists in spite of Jamie, and speaks only to the depth of his pockets. (...) The chorus of "Winner" splayed across

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

and TNT promos for basketball games." ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...

'' panned the track: "It's this kind of careless maximalism that produces junk like "Winner", a whirring waste of a Justin Timberlake appearance, a song whose basketball theme and cheesy dribble beat sound like something ripped from ''

High School Musical ''High School Musical'' is a 2006 American musical television film directed by Kenny Ortega and written by Peter Barsocchini. The 63rd Disney Channel Original Movie (DCOM) and first installment of the ''High School Musical'' film series, th ...

''." ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'', however, highlighted the song positively.

Chart performance

The song was released on urban radio stations on April 6, 2010, and was released on May 4, 2010 to mainstream radio stations. The song debuted at number 28 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 due to strong airplay and downloads, becoming T.I.'s third and Timberlake's and Foxx's first "hot shot debut" on the chart.

Charts

References

{{NBA on TNT 2010 singles Jamie Foxx songs Justin Timberlake songs T.I. songs Songs written by T.I. Song recordings produced by the Y's Songs written by James Fauntleroy Songs written by Justin Timberlake J Records singles 2010 songs