| "Amazing" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single byKanye West featuringYoung Jeezy | ||||
| from the album808s & Heartbreak | ||||
| Released | March 10, 2009 | |||
| Recorded | 2008 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 3:58 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Kanye West | |||
| Kanye West singles chronology | ||||
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| Young Jeezy singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Amazing" onYouTube | ||||
"Amazing" is a song by American rapperKanye West from his fourth studio album,808s & Heartbreak (2008). The song features a guest appearance fromYoung Jeezy, and includes background vocals fromMr Hudson andTony Williams. It was produced by West, while co-produced byJeff Bhasker. The producers wrote the song alongsideMalik Yusef,Consequence,Jeff Bhasker, and Young Jeezy. The song was serviced to USrhythmic contemporary andurban contemporary radio stations as the thirdsingle from the album on March 10, 2009, byRoc-A-Fella andDef Jam. Ahip hop song with heavypop influences, it features piano. Lyrically, West sings an attempt to capture part of his former bravado. The cover depicts a broken heart surrounded by a blue heart-shaped maze, a play on the song name ("A-maze-ing").
"Amazing" received generally positive reviews frommusic critics, most of whom complimented Young Jeezy's feature. Some praised the composition and structure, while numerous critics chose the song as an album highlight. At the52nd Annual Grammy Awards, it was nominated forBest Rap Performance By a Duo or Group. In 2009, the song charted at number 81 on the USBillboard Hot 100 and number 42 on theSwedish Singles Chart. It has since been certifiedplatinum in the United States by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
An accompanyingmusic video premiered viaBET's106 & Park on April 23, 2009. The video was shot inKauai, Hawaii, with it prominently featuring aerial shots of the Hawaiian Islands. The visual was ranked by BET as among the top 100 videos of 2009. West provided performances of "Amazing" throughout 2009, including one for his secondlive album,VH1 Storytellers (2010). The song was used by theNational Basketball Association (NBA) in a campaign for the2009 playoffs, before it was later featured on the respective soundtracks of the video gamesNBA 2K10 andNBA 2K13.
West's 2007 hitsingle "Can't Tell Me Nothing" was passed on to him by American rapper and hisDef Jam labelmateYoung Jeezy, who performsad-libs on the song.[1] Following the success of "Can't Tell Me Nothing", Young Jeezy felt that West "owed him one" because of the ad-libs being used and featured him on hissingle "Put On" (2008).[2] The rapper recalled that West was initially reluctant to guest on the single due to his time on hiatus, before calling him back 10 minutes later and performing his verse.[2] "Put On" was the first record that West performed throughAuto-Tune on, while "Amazing" marked the second collaboration between him and Young Jeezy.[3][4] The former was nominated for theBest Rap Performance by a Duo or Group award at the51st Annual Grammy Awards in 2009, standing as the first collaboration between the two to be nominated for aGrammy Award.[5] Young Jeezy said of fellow album track "RoboCop", which he co-wrote, in 2008: "You know how you hear some songs and they just sound big? That's one of them. Right away, it just sounds like a big hit."[6][7] In a 2019 interview forComplex, fellow rapperConsequence likened West's ninth studio albumJesus Is King from that year to808s & Heartbreak creatively; he cited writing thechorus to "Amazing" as part of his challenging involvement.[8] The song was produced by West and co-produced by his frequent collaborator Victor Alexander; the pair co-wrote it withMalik Yusef, Consequence, and Young Jeezy.[6] "Amazing" was recorded during the three week period that West worked on the album in 2008.[9]
Bhasker discussed the song's conception: "That was actually the first song [we did for the album.] I brought the beat and the music. I started the idea and [West] was like, 'That's hot.' [...] So I brought that music and he brought his editorial to it and then wrote the melody, and said we're gonna get Jeezy on it. We were searching for sort of a tribal-ish drum sounds and that just came out. It's a very simple and dark sounding piano figure."[10]
Musically, "Amazing" is a stripped-downhip hop hype song, with influences of1980spop.[11][12][13] The song combines usage of tender piano with bass and drums for its style,[10][11][12] the former of which carries the harmonies.[13] Keyboards are also included, which are performed by Bhasker.[6] Throughout the song, West sings through Auto-Tune in a low-pitched and depressed voice, despite him showing arrogance.[13][14] West has assistance from the grunting of background vocalistsMr Hudson andTony Williams on the track.[6][14] He performs the chorus, which features chants at everydownbeat.[13][15][16] The song goes through a beat switch for Young Jeezy's verse, which is the only rapping present and is preceded by moaning sounds.[12][13][17] The rapper performs in a rough voice.[12][18][19] The track includes West boasting and trying to capture some of his former bravado.[10][14]
In the lyrics of the song, West boasts while trying to capture some of his former bravado, including him muttering "I'm a problem that will never ever be solved".[14] This problem was partly created by bravado, as masculine pride has long been used as a force for the obliteration of vulnerability in rap, such as usage byDMX and theGeto Boys.[14] On the chorus, West repeatedly sings "so amazing".[15] West depicts a difficulty in dealing with himself on the song, showing hopelessness that he cannot "be solved" and his "rein is as far as your eyes can see".[13] Young Jeezy's verse features him worrying about his blood pressure and the inevitability of defeat, as well as applauding West who he believes "go[es] so hard".[16][19]
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On November 24, 2008, the track was released as the fourth track on West's fourth studio album808s & Heartbreak.[20] Five months later, "Amazing" was serviced to USrhythmic contemporary andurban contemporary radio stations as the album's third single on March 10, 2009, and had been known to be scheduled for release as a single since February.[21][22][23] The song was met with generally positive reviews frommusic critics. In a positive review, Alex Macpherson ofThe Guardian pointed to Young Jeezy's guest appearance as being among "the isolated moments of levity" on808s & Heartbreak that "are a relief".[24] Writing forNPR, Oliver Wang thought "the haunting cross-section of tender pianos" and the rapper's "menace" on the song showcase the album's "fantastic raw sounds".[11]The New York Times criticJon Caramanica saw the "visceral" Young Jeezy collaboration as sounding like "it were recorded inside a whirring oldgrandfather clock, a collection of precisely moving parts neatly interlocking — classic Kanye".[25] The staff ofNME remarked that the song is a "sizzurp-addled juggernaut closer", which sees the rapper quickly producing "some much-needed gruff machismo".[18]Spin journalistCharles Aaron noted the song's potential to be part of "a greatest-hits comp one day and be accepted as Kanyeezy standards", attributing this to Young Jeezy's "welcome bluster of sodium-deficient thug-you-can-hug".[26] ForUrb, Brandon Perkins felt the song "delicately plods along beautiful builds" up to the point that "the bottom drops out" and the rapper performs his verse with a "monstrous (and yet understated) flair".[17]PopMatters' Dave Heaton commented that the song is "filled with unusual sounds" and noticed the "coldness" of West's voice initially sings "a purposely repetitive tune" while "balanced by choir-ish vocals and keyboard", commenting how the "lower, growling backing vocals" ultimately "turn to aChewbacca-like grunt".[27] He elaborated, chronicling that the background vocals combined with the beats "conveys a toughness even while the song creeps forward with gentle melancholy", going on to describe Young Jeezy's feature as perfectly chosen for "the cold atmosphere" of808s & Heartbreak.[27]
InVibe, Jozen Cummings graded the song as the album's "true triumph" due to the "drums reminiscent of HBCU marching bands and haunting chants", which he said "bridges the gap" between West's love for pop and hip hop "while keeping his musical integrity intact".[16] Cummings further observed how the moment is "so good" that "even Jeezy has to give his boy props" on his "brief, but memorable verse".[16] Wilson McBee fromSlant Magazine saw the song as taking "a ruminative piano riff, West's catchiest tune and a shuffling drumbeat evocative of a broomstick on marble to spin an eerie vision of a kingpin's braggadocio" that prominently shows "disgust and sarcasm" as "Lord Kanye surveys his minions of chipmunk-soul-producers and pink-polo-wearers" to realize "it's worth little more than peanuts".[19] McBee also regarded Young Jeezy's "joyless, snarling addendum" that features him worrying about his blood pressure and "the inevitability of defeat" to be a suitable "thank you" for West's appearance on "Put On".[19]The Washington Post's Chris Richards picked "Amazing" as one of the album's tracks that should be downloaded, a sentiment also held by Steve Jones ofUSA Today and Josh Eells ofBlender.[28][29][30] In a mixed review forNo Ripcord, Cara Nash said although the song "may prove more commercially viable" than others on808s & Heartbreak, she was disappointed in how Young Jeezy's vocals disrupt the album's "introspective flow".[31] Scott Plagenhoef fromPitchfork was negative about the song, calling it one of808s & Heartbreak's "low points" and blaming Young Jeezy's appearance by opining that "when the mood is broken up by outsiders or actual rapping, the results aren't pretty".[32]The Boston Globe's James Reed criticized West's songwriting on the "shockingly shallow hook" because of "so amazing" being repeated, complaining that not even the rapper's feature adds "much life" to the song, stating he "sound[s] like he's just snuffed out his 100th cigarette of the day".[15]
"Amazing" was nominated for the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the2010 Grammy Awards, which was the only nomination that808s & Heartbreak earned West.[33][34] The song ultimately lost the award to the single "Crack a Bottle" byEminem featuring50 Cent andDr. Dre.[34] At the2009 BET Hip Hop Awards, the song was nominated for the Verizon People's Champ Award, ultimately losing to "Throw It in the Bag" byFabolous featuringThe-Dream.[35][36]
Themusic video for "Amazing" was filmed inKauai, Hawaii and directed by frequent collaboratorHype Williams, who rented a helicopter with West for it; there was a high production value.[37][38] Westblogged about being in Hawaii on March 27, 2009, withRap-Up reporting on April 13 that West had shot the video in the country.[39][40] On the same day that the website reported him to be in Hawaii, West posted stills from the music video on his blog and wrote "AMAZING feat. YOUNG JEEZY directed by HYPE WILLIAMS coming soon. Here's some stills till then!"[41] On April 23, 2009, the video premiered onBET's music video show106 & Park; West had released multiple music videos for808s & Heartbreak by this time.[42][43]
The video includes a series of aerial shots of the Hawaiian Islands and sees West contemplating nature whilst feeling lonesome.[44][43] Young Jeezy has a cameo in it, along with a girl wearing a bikini by the fire.[43]
ForStereogum, Amrit Singh claimed that the "aerial shots of Hawaii are inherently amazing" and wrote of West's appearance that "seeing him contemplating nature by his lonesome has a certain poetry to it".[43] Despite not being a fan of "Amazing" itself, shamz ofOkayplayer praised the video, writing: "Hype Williams really put his foot in this video. I'm contemplating booking that flight to Hawaii as we speak."[45] The staff ofPitchfork looked at the music video as what "has some seriously high production values".[38] The music video ranked at number 91 on BET'sNotarized: Top 100 Videos of 2009 countdown.[46]
Despite not being initially released as a single, "Amazing" debuted at number 89 on the USBillboard Hot 100 following the album's release.[47] The song later exited the Hot 100 before re-entering to peak at number 81 on the issue dated May 14, 2009, after being released as a single.[48] It lasted for five weeks on the chart.[49] On March 28, 2009, the song opened at number 96 on the USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[50] The song moved up four spaces to number 92 on the chart the following week, before it later peaked at number 65 on April 18.[51][52] One week before achieving its peak on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, the song entered the USHot Rap Songs chart at number 22.[53] The song further peaked at number 32 on the USRhythmic chart issue dated April 25, 2009.[54] "Amazing" was certifiedplatinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on April 1, 2015, having amassed 1,000,000 certified units in the United States.[55] Elsewhere in North America, the song reached number 63 on theBillboardHot Canadian Digital Singles chart.[56] On June 12, 2009, the song debuted on theSwedish Singles Chart at number 42.[57]
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West and Young Jeezy first performed "Amazing" live for BET's106 & Park on November 25, 2008, where they segued from the performance into one of "Put On".[58] West delivered a performance of the former for his February 2009VH1 show, which was released as his secondlive albumVH1 Storytellers in January 2010.[59] A pianofigure and finger snaps backed him for the performance, the latter of which the audience clapped along with.[60] West spoke about the story behind the song and in the middle of the performance, he complained about being scrutinized by the media, before issuing an apology for "acting like a bitch at award shows".[59][60] He stated the song's title directly after his separate name-drops ofMichael Jackson andMichael Phelps; the audience responded favorably on both occasions.[61][62] However, the crowd were silent when West said "amazing" after mentioningO. J. Simpson, with West directly questioning if he was amazing or not for "what he did".[61][62] West also made comments defendingChris Brown that caused controversy, though these were edited out of the broadcast.[61][62]
On March 21, 2009, West opened hisGOOD Music concert at Levi's/Fader Fort forSouth by Southwest (SXSW) by performing the song with a seven-piece band.[63] West's outfit for the performance consisted of a gold bullet necklace, black sunglasses, and a sleeveless denim vest.[63] While performing, he welcomed fans to his concert.[64] For his headlining set for the 2009Wireless Festival atHyde Park in London, West performed the song as he rocked his customaryaviator shades and black suit jacket.[65] During West's two night concert of808s & Heartbreak in its entirety at the 2015Hollywood Bowl, he performed the song as the set's fourth number.[66][67] This marked West's first performance of the song since July 2, 2009, with him wearing loose garments in white and off-white shades for it.[67][68] Onstagebleachers rose behind him that had dozens of shirtless men with white jeans standing on them, who were covered in white powder and stood close to one another.[66][68] The performance saw West pacing around the stage alongside fireworks being shot into the sky that were followed by Young Jeezy appearing to perform his verse from the song, accompanied by a piano melody.[66] Staging glitches impacted the show, with the rapper's microphone being switched off at parts, and West stopping and restarting the music towards the end of the song while attempting to complain, "This is one of the best dress rehearsals...so please excuse..."[69]
"Amazing" was used by theNational Basketball Association (NBA) during the2009 playoffs as part of their advertisement campaign, with players such asLeBron James andKobe Bryant being sequenced playingbasketball alongside the audio.[70] The song was used for the soundtracks of video gamesNBA 2K10 andNBA 2K13.[71][72]UFC fighterFrank Mir has used "Amazing" as hisentrance music for his fights.[73] Kanye's daughter North West revealed in her first-ever interview on August 28, 2017 that the track is her favourite song by him, naming the reason behind this as it being "so amazing".[37][74]
Information taken from808s & Heartbreak liner notes.[6]
Recording
Personnel
| Chart (2008–09) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Hot Canadian Digital Singles (Billboard)[75] | 63 |
| Mexico Ingles Airplay (Billboard)[76] | 32 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[77] | 42 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[49] | 81 |
| USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[78] | 65 |
| USHot Rap Songs (Billboard)[79] | 22 |
| USRhythmic Airplay (Billboard)[54] | 32 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[55] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Format | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | March 10, 2009 | Rhythmic contemporary radio | [21] | |
| Urban contemporary radio | [22] |
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
