| "I Luv This Shit" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single byAugust Alsina featuringTrinidad James | ||||
| from the albumDowntown: Life Under the GunandTestimony | ||||
| Released | February 19, 2013 | |||
| Studio | Goldie's Playhouse and Zac Recording,Atlanta,Georgia | |||
| Genre | R&B | |||
| Length | 4:27 | |||
| Label | Def Jam | |||
| Songwriters |
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| Producer | Knucklehead | |||
| August Alsina singles chronology | ||||
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| Trinidad James singles chronology | ||||
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| Audio sample | ||||
"I Luv This Shit" (clean version titled "I Luv This" or "I Luv This Sh*t") is the debut single by American singerAugust Alsina, released byDef Jam Recordings on February 19, 2013 as the lead single from both his debut EPDowntown: Life Under the Gun (2013) and debut studio album,Testimony (2014). It features a guest appearance from Def Jam labelmate, American rapperTrinidad James. "I Luv This Shit" is anR&B song about partying with alcohol and drugs. Two remixes—one featuringBirdman, and another featuringTrey Songz andChris Brown—were released.
The song was well received by music critics, and peaked at number 48 on the USBillboard Hot 100 and number 13 on theHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It was promoted by a Motion Family-directed music video and performances onThe Wendy Williams Show,106 & Park andThe Arsenio Hall Show.
"I Luv This Shit" was written byAugust Alsina,The Exclusives (Sean McMillion and Ralph Jeanty), Samuel Irving III, Christine Massa, andTrinidad James and was produced by Knucklehead. It was recorded by McMillion and Cody Sciara at Goldie's Playhouse and Zac Recording Studios inAtlanta, Georgia, and mixed byJaycen Joshua with assistance from Trehy Harris at Larrabee Sound Studios,North Hollywood. Vocals were produced by The Exclusives.[1] Knucklehead toldVibe in 2014 that he created the song'sbeat and knew it would be successful, stating: "I just knew what [Alsina's] voice was gonna do over my beat. And that beat didn't sound like [any]thing else at the time that was out ... When I made the beat, I called him immediately after I finished it." After playing the beat to Alsina and The Exclusives, they recorded the song in one hour.[2] It is anR&B song instrumented byguitar,synthesizer, synth-horns and a heavybassline. The production was compared bySpin's Brandon Soderberg to the work of Alsina's mentor,The-Dream. It revolves around about partying with alcohol and drugs with the centralhook "I love this shit",[3][4] and references the vodkaCiroc, yet there is an element of sorrow to Alsina's vocals.[5] James' verse contemplateshuman nature, according to Gregory Adams ofExclaim!.[6] "I Luv This Shit" was originally recorded for Alsina's mixtapeThe Product 2 (2013), and was included on his debut EPDowntown: Life Under the Gun (2013).[7] It was also a bonus track on his first studio album,Testimony (2014).[1]
"I Luv This Shit" was released as adigital download byDef Jam Recordings on February 19, 2013 in Canada and the United States.[8][9] A remix of the song, titled "I Luv This Shit (G-Mix)", was made available for streaming in May 2013 and featuresBirdman.[10][11] The single impactedrhythmic contemporary radio in the United States on September 3, 2013.[12]Trey Songz andChris Brown appeared on another remix of "I Luv This Shit"; it was released for digital download by Def Jam on October 4, 2013 in the US.[13] Songz and Brown wrote their verses of the remix. Alsina's vocals for the remix were recorded by Macmillion at Upper Class Studios, Atlanta. Songz' vocals were recorded by Anthony Daniels at Premier Studios inNew York City and Brown's were recorded by Brian Springer at Glenwood Studios inBurbank, California.[1]
AllMusic's Andy Kellman picked "I Luv This Shit" as one of the best tracks from bothDowntown andTestimony.[14][15] Gregory Adams ofExclaim! praised Alsina's "velvety" vocal delivery on the song.[6] Brandon Soderberg fromSpin called it "one of the more mazy and rewarding radio R&B songs in quite some time",[16] but was unimpressed with the Songz and Brown remix's shift from partying to sexual intercourse, particularly the rewriting of the hook as "She loves this shit" or "You love this shit".[3] A panel of writers forComplex placed "I Luv This Shit" at number thirty-three on its list of the 50 Best Songs of 2013; Claire Lobenfeld disapproved of James' verse but lauded the "quivering beauty" of Alsina's voice.[5] At the2014 BET Awards, "I Luv This Shit" won the award forViewer's Choice and was nominated for the award of Best Collaboration, losing to "Drunk in Love" byBeyoncé andJay-Z.[17]
"I Luv This Shit" topped theMainstream R&B/Hip-Hop chart for two weeks in October 2013,[18] becoming the first R&B artist to reach number one with a debut single sinceJeremih with "Birthday Sex" in 2009.[19] On the mainHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, it reached number thirteen, and peaked at number eighteen on theRhythmic chart.[20] It spent three weeks atop the USHeatseekers Songs in October and November 2013,[21] then peaked at number forty-eight on theBillboard Hot 100.[22] On March 6, 2014 theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA)certified "I Luv This Shit" gold for shipping 500,000 copies. The certification was updated to platinum (1,000,000) on October 2, 2014.[23]
Themusic video for "I Luv This Shit" was filmed in Atlanta in January 2013 and directed by Motion Family.[6][24][25] Alsina sleeps with two women, then James delivers his verse while a woman dances next to him. At the end of the song Alsina and James go to a strip club, where the two women see each other and engage in an argument while Alsina laughs.[26]Alsina performed "I Luv This Shit" onThe Wendy Williams Show on October 28, 2013.[27] For the New Year's Eve 2013 special of106 & Park, titled106 & Party, he performed the remix of the song with Songz and the remix of "Numb".[28] On April 1, 2014 Alsina was interviewed and performed a medley of "Make It Home" and "I Luv This Shit" on late-night talk showThe Arsenio Hall Show.[29] At the 2014 BET Awards, Alsina performed "Kissin' on My Tattoos" before transitioning into "I Luv This Shit". Songz and Brown joined him and sang their verses of the remix. Songz finished the performance with "Na Na".[30]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
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| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[35] | Platinum | 30,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[36] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||