| "Deathcamp" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byTyler, the Creator featuringCole Alexander | ||||
| from the albumCherry Bomb | ||||
| Released | April 9, 2015 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:09 (album version)
| |||
| Label | Odd Future | |||
| Songwriters |
| |||
| Producer | Tyler, the Creator | |||
| Tyler, the Creator singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Tyler, the Creator - Fucking Young" onYouTube | ||||
"Deathcamp" is a song by American rapper and producerTyler, the Creator featuring American guitaristCole Alexander, and serves as the first track from the Tyler's fourth albumCherry Bomb (2015). It was released alongside "Fucking Young / Perfect" as the album's lead single on April 9, 2015. The song was written and produced by Tyler, the Creator, with Herman Weems receiving additional writing credits for the sampling of his 1971 song, "Why Can't There Be Love", sung byDee Edwards.
On April 9, 2015, Tyler, the Creator formally announced on Twitter thatCherry Bomb would be releasing April 13, the next week, and released the songs "Deathcamp" alongside "Fucking Young / Perfect" as the lead singles from the album on theiTunes Store.[2][3]
"Deathcamp" features a sample of "Why Can’t There Be Love" sung by Dee Edwards and written by Herman Weems. The song's instrumental is very aggressive,[4] even being compared tometal songs.[5] Like many of his earlier songs, he conveys the topic in an intentionally aggressive and offensive way.[6] Tyler, the Creator also quotesLa Di Da Di bySlick Rick.[7] The song was allegedly inspired byThe Stooges as well asN.E.R.D.[8]
"Deathcamp" has been compared toN.E.R.D.'s debut albumIn Search of... (2001), particularly the song "Lapdance". Tyler, the Creator specifically mentions the album in the song with the lines "In Search of... did more for me thanIllmatic".[9] Andrew Unterberger ofSpin also compared "Deathcamp" toIn Search of... and also pointed out its four-count intro commonly used inPharrell-produced songs.[10] Matthew Ramirez ofPitchfork likened "Deathcamp" tothe Stooges,Glassjaw,Trash Talk (who Tyler, the Creator andOdd Future signed), Lil Wayne's seventh studio albumRebirth as well as N.E.R.D.[11] It has also been compared toexperimental hip hop groupDeath Grips.[12]
A small visual for "Deathcamp" is included in the music video forCherry Bomb's other lead single, "Fucking Young".[13] The video was released on the same day the singles were released.[14]
The "Deathcamp" portion picks up where the "Fucking Young" left off, with Tyler, the Creator getting thrown out of a cinema in the middle of a desert by the employees. He gets up, with some Odd Future members walking up behind him, and throws a small bomb at them, blowing them away. After this, the cinema employees chase after them in a white van. Tyler, the Creator and the Odd Future members drive off in vehicles, Tyler, the Creator driving a go-kart. At the end of the video, Tyler, the Creator faces the cinema employees' van and launches another bomb at them with a slingshot.[15] It features guest cameos from Charlie Wilson, Chaz Bundick and Cole Alexander.[14]
On March 23, 2018, Tyler, the Creator was accused of copyright infringement and sued for $750,000 in damages by Lela Weems. She alleged that the song illegally sampled the 1971 song, "Why Can’t There Be Love" composed by the late Herman Weems and sung by Dee Edwards. Following Herman's death, Lela became the sole owner of the song's copyright. Weems alleged that "Deathcamp" used the beat of Edwards' song.[16]
On May 22, 2018, the case was settled, and in all subsequent releases, Herman Weems is listed as a co-songwriter on "Deathcamp".[17][18] In theCherry Bomb Documentary from 2015, Tyler, the Creator stated that the sample was rejected shortly before the release of the album, and so he hadCole Alexander re-record the guitar.[19]
The court documents are available for viewing as of 2024.[17]
Credits adapted from the vinyl liner notes ofCherry Bomb,[20] with video credits adapted from the song's music video.[14]
| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USBubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles (Billboard)[21] | 7 |
| US Rap Digital Song Sales (Billboard)[22] | 31 |
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)| Studio albums | |
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| EPs | |
| Singles | |
| Featured singles | |
| Promotional singles | |
| Other songs | |
| Filmography | |
| Concert tours | |
| Related articles | |
