| "Everybody" | |
|---|---|
| Song by¥$ featuringCharlie Wilson andLil Baby | |
| Recorded | 2023 |
| Genre | |
| Songwriters | |
| Producers | |
"Everybody" is an unreleased song by Americanhip-hopsuperduo¥$, composed of rapperKanye West and singerTy Dolla Sign, featuring American singerCharlie Wilson and American rapperLil Baby.[1] West produced the track withEvian Christ,[2]London on da Track,Timbaland, andwill.i.am. With the exception of Wilson, all vocalists and producers wrote the song together. The song, ahip-hop anddirty rap record, primarily uses a sample of theBackstreet Boys' 1997 single, "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)".
It was intended to be the second single[a] from the duo's debut studio album,Vultures 1 (2024),[4] being previewed during several listening events for the album and featured in its promotional material. Ultimately, the song was scrapped, due to West being unable to clear its chorus, due to the "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" sample. West and Ty Dolla Sign continued to perform it at listening events for the album.
Prior to creating "Everybody", bothCharlie Wilson andLil Baby had collaborated withKanye West. Wilson provided additional vocals for songs from West's albumsMy Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) andYe (2018), and was prominently featured on "Bound 2" from West's sixth studio album,Yeezus (2013).[5] Lil Baby made a guest appearance on West and Canadian singerthe Weeknd's single "Hurricane", from the former's tenth studio album,Donda (2021).[6] While recordingVultures 1 inSaudi Arabia during November 2023, videos of the duo recording with Lil Baby surfaced online.[7]
West teased "Everybody" through anInstagram post on December 9, depicting him overlooking a skyline with his back turned to the camera as the song played in the background. West wore an all-white outfit, with an altered version of theGerman Coat of Arms and the text "Vultures" printed on the back of his shirt.[8] Later that day, Ty Dolla Sign posted a tracklist forVultures 1 to his account, featuring "Everybody" as the album's opening track.[8] West and Ty Dolla Sign previewed the track in full during theirVultures Rave event inMiami, Flordia on December 12. After the event,TMZ reported that West had failed to clear itsinterpolation of "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)", alleging that the members ofBackstreet Boys disapproved of West using the song.[9] Since West had interpolated the song rather thansampling it, he would only need approval from its songwriters, beingMax Martin and the estate ofDenniz Pop, to use it.[9][10] Though it was never confirmed if West sought out their approval, with Martin's publisher refusing to discuss any "legal matters",[11] it is likely that West was denied, asVultures 1 released on February 10, 2024, without "Everybody" on its track listing.[9]
Though it was never released, West and Ty Dolla Sign have played "Everybody" during most of their live performances as ¥$. As noted byVariety, performing the song in public would not constitute a copyright violation, as opposed to releasing it on music streaming services.[11] It was played during theVultures 1 release party atUBS Arena on February 10 despite being cut from the album.[12] On February 24, the duo performed it at theMediolanum Forum inMilan, where the crowd sang along as West's wifeBianca Censori recorded the event on her phone.[13] At their September 15 show inHaikou'sWuyuan River Stadium, West performed the track while accompanied by his children and Censori.[14]
"Everybody" prominently interpolates "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)", featuring a rendition sung by Wilson as its chorus, where the line "Backstreet's back, alright!" is changed to "Yeezy's back, alright!".[15] The song also interpolates its bass line, which is used during the verses.[16] West raps about feeling ostracized by the music industry, saying they want to kill and "MeToo" him, adding that they're waiting for him to "say the wrong thing".[15] Ty Dolla Sign and Lil Baby also perform verses.[15]
