"See Me Now" is a song by American rapper

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

featuring R&B singers

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

and Charlie Wilson. The album version includes a verse by

Big Sean Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper. Anderson began his music career in 2007 and gained popularity in 2010 with his third mixtape '' Finally Famous Vol. 3: Big''. He then s ...

and is included on West's fifth studio album ''

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'' is the fifth studio album by American rapper and producer Kanye West. It was released by Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records on November 22, 2010, following a period of public controversy for West. Re ...

'' (2010) as an

iTunes Store The iTunes Store is a digital media store operated by Apple Inc. It opened on April 28, 2003, as a result of Steve Jobs' push to open a digital marketplace for music. As of April 2020, iTunes offered 60 million songs, 2.2 million apps, 25,00 ...

bonus track. It was written by West, Knowles, Wilson and Sean, while production was handled by West,

Lex Luger Lawrence Wendell Pfohl (born June 2, 1958), better known by the ring name Lex Luger, is an American retired professional wrestler, bodybuilder, and football player. In 2011 he began working with WWE on its wellness policy. He is best known for ...

and No I.D. "See Me Now" received generally positive reviews from music critics. The song peaked at number two on the US ''Billboard'' Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart in 2010 and appeared at number 160 on the 2011 year-end South Korean Gaon Chart.

Background and composition

"See Me Now" was produced by West,

and No I.D. Southside was in the studio during Luger's production work on the song, which led to him being involved with West's 2011

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

collaboration " Illest Motherfucker Alive". It premiered on August 11, 2010. The song was also available on West's website, also on the same day, for a free digital download. The album version has an additional verse by

and is included on ''

'' as an

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 ...

bonus track. Knowles recorded her vocals for the song at 5am. During the

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

of the song, Knowles sings the lines, "I know one thing, my momma would be proud/And you see me looking up cause I know she's looking down right now". During the hook Wilson sings the lines "I know you see me now right now, I know you see me now right now" with a "deep"

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

. In October 2010, the song "See Me Again" by West leaked, under the name "Never See Me Again". Described as a "a nine-minute melancholy demo song", it was supposedly recorded while West was in a self-imposed exile to

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

due to the backlash he received after interrupting Taylor Swift at the

2009 MTV Video Music Awards The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, honoring the best music videos from the previous year between June 2008 to June 2009, were presented on September 13, 2009, at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City, and televised by MTV. The ceremony was ho ...

. Online speculation later formed the theory "See Me Again" was to be West's final song before retiring or committing

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

; West went public with

suicidal ideation Suicidal ideation, or suicidal thoughts, means having thoughts, ideas, or ruminations about the possibility of ending one's own life.World Health Organization, ''ICD-11 for Mortality and Morbidity Statistics'', ver. 09/2020MB26.A Suicidal ideatio ...

during this time. The song interpolates "I Never Want to See You Again" by Quasi. "See Me Now" has been viewed as the triumphant, louder spiritual successor to "Never See Me Again".

Critical reception

Christian Hoard of the ''

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 ...

'' gave the song a rating of three and a half out of five stars, writing in his review of the song: "'I'm Socrates, but my skin more chocolaty,' shouts Kanye, who goes on to detail several feats of attention-whore behavior — cruising in Ferraris, rocking fur coats, walking into high-end restaurants with no shoes on. But the sound is remarkably warm, a gospel-style mix of heartfelt crooning (from Beyoncé and... Charlie Wilson) and plush accompaniment that's perfect for worshipping at the altar of Yeezy."

Chart performance

"See Me Now" debuted and peaked at number two on the US ''Billboard'' Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart on August 28, 2010. It appeared at number 160 on the year-end South Korean Gaon Chart for 2011.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

Kanye West' official websiteBeyoncé Knowles' official website
{{Big Sean singles 2010 songs Beyoncé songs Big Sean songs Charlie Wilson (singer) songs Kanye West songs Song recordings produced by Kanye West Song recordings produced by Lex Luger (musician) Songs written by Beyoncé Songs written by Big Sean Songs written by Kanye West Songs written by No I.D.