| "Cops Shot the Kid" | |
|---|---|
| Single byNas featuringKanye West | |
| from the albumNasir | |
| Released | June 15, 2018 |
| Recorded | 2018 |
| Studio | West's ranch inJackson Hole, Wyoming |
| Genre | |
| Length | 2:47 |
| Label | |
| Songwriters | |
| Producer | Kanye West |
| Music video | |
| "Cops Shot the Kid" onYouTube | |
"Cops Shot the Kid" is a song by American rapperNas featuring fellow rapperKanye West from the former's eleventh studio album,Nasir (2018). The track was written by Nas, West,Andrew Dawson, andChe Smith, with West handling production and Dawson providing additional production. The song samples "Children's Story" bySlick Rick throughout, and includes dialogue spoken byRichard Pryor from the filmWattstax (1974); both are also credited as writers.
Nas took toInstagram shortly after the song had generated attention as a standout from the album and paid homage toSlick Rick, since he's sampled and behind the inspiration for it.[1]
In October 2020, a snippet of the original version of the song featuring an unreleased guest verse from André 3000 surfaced online.[2][3]
For the background vocals saying: "The cops shot the kid" throughout the vast majority of "Cops Shot the Kid", a sample from "Children's Story" by Slick Rick is used.[4] The speech in the track's intro is sampled from a scene includingRichard Pryor in 1973Stax Records filmWattstax.[5]
The song received mostly positive reviews.NME described it as being: 'a track full of evocative images', and labelled the Rick sample as being both 'breathless' and 'frantic'.[6]Rolling Stone viewed "Cops Shot the Kid" as being the album's 'most cogent song' and branded West's appearance as a 'lone guest verse'.[7]
Upon the release ofNasir, the track debuted at number 96 on the USBillboardHot 100.[8] This made it the only song from the album to enter that chart.[9]
| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (OCC)[10] | 97 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[11] | 96 |
| USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[12] | 49 |
