"Welcome to the World" is a song by American rapper T.I. featuring fellow American rappers

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 ...

and

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 ...

. Produced by the latter, it is the first track from the former's seventh studio album '' No Mercy'' (2010).

Background

The track leaked online on November 22, 2010, within the same week that 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 ...

'' was released. T.I. was being held in a federal prison at the time of this leak. In his appearance, West addresses the

conspiracy theory A conspiracy theory is an explanation for an event or situation that invokes a conspiracy by sinister and powerful groups, often political in motivation, when other explanations are more probable.Additional sources: * * * * The term has a nega ...

of him being an

Illuminati The Illuminati (; plural of Latin ''illuminatus'', 'enlightened') is a name given to several groups, both real and fictitious. Historically, the name usually refers to the Bavarian Illuminati, an Enlightenment-era secret society founded on ...

member when rapping: "People ask me shit about the Illuminati/First off, fuck that mean?/He loved Jesus when he was worse off, oh I see/When they think a nigga is stupid rich/People just start coming up with stupid shit".

Critical reception

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. ...

'' received the song negatively, describing it as being: 'not nearly as cordial an introduction as the title suggests, as T.I. and Kanye West sound like they're having a terrible day, and the listener is responsible and must bear the brunt of their respective wrath'. However, ''

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 ...

'' had a more positive reception towards "Welcome to the World", describing it as a track that: 'opens the album with T.I.'s characteristic swagger'. When '' Complex'' listed the best collaborations between West and Cudi in August 2017, the song was positioned at number nine.

Commercial performance

Upon the release of the featuring album, "Welcome to the World" peaked at number 17 on the US ''Billboard''

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

Charts

References

External links

* {{Kid Cudi songs 2010 songs T.I. songs Kanye West songs Kid Cudi songs Song recordings produced by Kanye West Songs written by Kanye West Songs written by T.I. Songs written by Kid Cudi