"X" (originally titled "X Bitch") is a song written and performed by

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

-based rapper

21 Savage Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph (born October 22, 1992), known professionally as 21 Savage, is a rapper based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Born in London, he moved to Atlanta with his mother at age seven. He became known after releasing two m ...

and American record producer

Metro Boomin Leland Tyler Wayne (born September 16, 1993), professionally known as Metro Boomin, is an American record producer, record executive, beatmaker, and DJ. He is known for his dark production style and its influence on modern hip hop and trap. R ...

featuring American rapper

Future The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...

. Produced by Savage and Metro, it was released on July 14, 2016 as the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from the their collaborative

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

, ''

Savage Mode ''Savage Mode'' is a collaborative extended play by Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage and American record producer Metro Boomin. It was released on July 15, 2016. The EP was self-released. The EP received acclaim from critics, with ''Rolling Stone'' ...

'' (2016). The song was certified

double platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA).

Background and release

On July 2, 2016, 21 Savage announced his collaborative EP with Metro Boomin, sharing the artwork and the release date. On July 14, he shared the EP's track listing and released "X" featuring

as the project's first single. He released ''Savage Mode'' on July 15. While talking about the song's success in an interview with ''Rolling Out'' magazine, he said; "I knew the song was taking off when I looked at

iTunes iTunes () is a software program that acts as a media player, media library, mobile device management utility, and the client app for the iTunes Store. Developed by Apple Inc., it is used to purchase, play, download, and organize digital mul ...

and saw the numbers and all the views".

Critical reception

Eric Diep of ''

HipHopDX ''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head Of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. ''HipHopDX'' is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group. ...

'' wrote that "X" is "a good entry point for listeners just learning about 21". Niya Hogans from ''Rolling Out'' gave the song a positive review, saying that it has "catchy lyrics and a dope beat". ''

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 ...

'' ranked it at number 21 on its 50 Best Songs of 2016 list, commenting: “The Atlanta trap contender teams up with Future for a thugged-and-drugged banger, boasting "I spent your rent at the mall," while producer Metro Boomin gives it all a creepy cinematic vibe.” ''

Fact A fact is a datum about one or more aspects of a circumstance, which, if accepted as true and proven true, allows a logical conclusion to be reached on a true–false evaluation. Standard reference works are often used to check facts. Scient ...

'' named it as one of the 20 best rap and R&B tracks of 2016.

Music video

The music video for "X" was released on December 25, 2016. The video was directed by Vincent Lou.

Live performances

On September 17, 2016, 21 Savage performed the song at the

BET Hip Hop Awards The BET Hip Hop Awards are an annual awards show, airing on BET, showcasing hip hop performers, producers and music video directors. The awards ceremony began in 2006; it was held on November 12, 2006 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, and w ...

, which aired in the next month.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

*
Lyrics of this song at Genius
{{Future (rapper) 2016 singles 2016 songs 21 Savage songs Future (rapper) songs Metro Boomin songs Songs written by Future (rapper) Songs written by Metro Boomin Song recordings produced by Metro Boomin Songs written by 21 Savage