| "Fried" | |
|---|---|
| Song by¥$ | |
| from the albumVultures 2 | |
| Released | August 3, 2024 |
| Genre | Trap |
| Length | 2:46 |
| Label | YZY |
| Songwriters |
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| Producers |
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"Fried" (stylized inall caps) is atrap song by the Americanhip-hopsuperduo¥$, composed of rapperKanye West and singerTy Dolla Sign, from their second collaborative album,Vultures 2 (2024), released throughYZY. The song features additional vocals from theCurva Nord Milano ultras. West and Ty Dolla Sign served as producers with Outtatown, TheLabCook, and Oscar Adler. With the exception of Outtatown, the producers wrote the song alongsideBump J,Malik Yusef, andRich the Kid.
Upon its release, the song received mixed reviews frommusic critics. Commercially, the track peaked at number 87 on the USBillboard Hot 100 and within the top 10 of theNew Zealand Hot Singles chart. It also charted at number 151 on theGlobal 200, and made charts in Canada and the United Kingdom. An accompanying animatedmusic video, directed by West and Austin Taylor, was released on August 8, 2024, depicting masked individuals running through an eerie concrete setting continuously.
On February 10, 2024,Kanye West andTy Dolla Sign releasedVultures 1, their debut album as¥$ and the first in theirVultures series.[1] The duo had previously collaborated on multiple tracks, including the singles "Only One" (2014) and "Ego Death" (2020). Their most recent collaboration, up untilVultures 1, was "Junya pt 2", from West's 2021 studio albumDonda.[2][3] Rich the Kid, who contributed writing to "Fried", had previously contributed vocals to theVultures 1 single "Carnival", which peaked at number one on the USBillboard Hot 100.[4][5] Producer TheLabCook was also heavily involved in both tracks.[6] TheCurva Nord Milano ultras are prominently featured on the track, having also been featured on multipleVultures series songs, "Carnival" included.[7]
"Fried" is a high-energy track,[8] featuring trap production and stadium chants. Many critics have noted its similarities to "Carnival", due to its production and usage of the Milano ultras.[9][10][11] The song was written by West and Ty Dolla Sign themselves, alongsideBump J, TheLabCook,Malik Yusef, Oscar Adler, andRich the Kid. West and Ty Dolla Sign also produced the song alongside TheLabCook, Adler, and Outtatown. The song underwent multiple minor changes in the days following the release ofVultures 2,[12] including a short-lived addition of new ad-libs by Ty Dolla Sign.[13] In September 2024, West called "Fried" his favorite song he's released.[14]
"Fried" received mixed reviews frommusic critics. In a positive review of the song, Michael Saponara ofBillboard placed the song 6th on his list of the bestVultures 2 songs, stating it gave the album "positive change of pace ... to send the energy levels through the roof." He complimented the appearance of the Curva Nord Milano ultras, who were a "perfect fit" and helped give the song a "sinister texture", predicting the song will become a fan-favorite at listening events.[15] Ben Beaumont-Thomas ofThe Guardian had mixed thoughts on the song, finding its lyrics to be a mixture of "witless porn-addled bars ... alongside some satisfyingly weighted ones". He complimented West and Ty Dolla Sign's performance as "convincingly unhinged when delivering the song’s climactic lines, sealing the kind of blown-out rager that West helped inspire with 2013'sYeezus".[16]
Others critics were more negative. In his review ofVultures 2, Gabriel Bras Nevares ofHotNewHipHop called the track "an embarrassing attempt to copy the appeal behind 'Carnival' with even worse lyrics".[17]Slant Magazine's Paul Attard saw the song as a "desperate attempt" to recreate the success of "Carnival", and viewed it as emblematic of greater issues withVultures 2, writing that it "serves as the working thesis for this blunder: all bluster, zero modesty."[10]Pitchfork's Stephen Kearse also noted similarities between the two tracks, believing that American rapperPlayboi Carti's appearance on theVultures 2 track "Field Trip" was also an attempt to capitalize on the success of "Carnival".[11]
In theUnited States, the song charted at number 87 on theBillboard Hot 100 and peaked at number 24 on theHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. InCanada, the song charted at number 80 on theCanadian Hot 100. InNew Zealand, the song charted at number 8 on theNew Zealand Hot Singles chart, its highest peak on any chart it made. In theUnited Kingdom, the song charted at number 43 on theUK Independent Singles Chart. The song also charted at number 151 on theGlobal 200.
On August 8, 2024, West posted themusic video for "Fried" to hisYouTube andInstagram accounts., marking the first visual fromVultures 2.[18] It was directed by West and Austin Taylor, while the animation was done by London-based animator and creative director Carlos Rico. He, along with Arseni Novo and Velvet Control, created the video's3D models.[19] The final video was edited and produced by Medet.[19] A short behind-the-scenes clip, showcasing the making of the music video, was shared on Rico'sInstagram account on August 9, 2024.[20]
The music video for "Fried" isminimalist, and runs for two-and-a-half minutes. The video shows a large group of masked individuals wearing black hoodies and pants running through an eerie concrete setting, consisting of geometric structures and walls.[18][21] They seem to run across hallways continuously, which infinitely stretch outwards. The music video led to mixed reactions from fans; some felt it worked well as a visualizer, while others were confused as to how it connected to the song.[21]
| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| CanadaHot 100 (Billboard)[22] | 80 |
| Global 200 (Billboard)[23] | 151 |
| New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[24] | 8 |
| UK Indie (OCC)[25] | 43 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[26] | 87 |
| USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[27] | 24 |
