| "The New Workout Plan" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byKanye West | ||||
| from the albumThe College Dropout | ||||
| Released | August 31, 2004 | |||
| Recorded | 2003 at Quad Recordings andSony Music Studios (New York City) | |||
| Genre | Comedy hip hop | |||
| Length | 5:22 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriters |
| |||
| Producer | Kanye West | |||
| Kanye West singles chronology | ||||
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| Music videos | ||||
"The New Workout Plan" is acomedy hip-hop song fromKanye West's debut album,The College Dropout (2004). The song was written and produced by West, with additional songwriting fromJohn Legend,Miri Ben-Ari, Sumeke Rainey, and Bosko Kante. The song was recorded in 2003 at Quad Recordings andSony Music Studios inNew York City. It would later be released as the album's fifth single on the 31st of August, 2004.
Upon the release ofThe College Dropout, the song received positive reviews from music critics. Commercially, the single peaked at number 59 on theHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Themusic video was released the same year, with cameos from Legend, Ben-Ari,Anna Nicole Smith,Fonzworth Bentley,Tracee Ellis Ross,Vida Guerra andGLC. Thetalk box harmonizing heard towards the end of the song would later be sampled byJ. Cole for his 2011 single "Work Out".
The lyrics of "The New Workout Plan" are voiced from the point of view of different girls reacting to a fake workout video. West explains unusual "testimonials" from women who have successfully undergone the workout plan and have been able to attain a lavish lifestyle thanks to being in shape.
The song was subject to generally favorable reviews from music critics. Derek Xu ofMedium looked at it as being "a satirical anthem, just like "We Don't Care"".[1] Tareck Ghoneim ofContactmusic.com had praise for West's performance: "[he shows] excellent wordplay that is original, humorous and the touch of irony makes for very clever use of lyrics".[2] Paul Cantor ofBillboard acknowledged that "Some critics argue that "The New Workout Plan" doesn't fit in with the rest of [The College Dropout]", but praised it as what "should be commended as much for its conceptual ingenuity as its arrangement".[3]
The official music video was directed byLittle X, both short and long versions of the video for the song were officially released in 2004.[4][5] The video features West in a faux 1980s-era workout video as he instructs women how to transform themselves into housewives.[6][5] Cameo appearances are included fromJohn Legend,Miri Ben-Ari,Anna Nicole Smith,Fonzworth Bentley,Tracee Ellis Ross,Vida Guerra andGLC.[7] Anna Nicole Smith's cameo sees her playing the role of Ella-May and having a star like her frequently featured in a video of West's went against the idea of so many at the time that he'd fail as a rapper.[8]
The track peaked at #59 on the U.S.BillboardHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart on November 9, 2004, which was around two months after its release as a single, and it spent a total of 21 weeks on the chart.[9] The song was also certified Gold by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for equivalent sales of 500,000 units in theUnited States.
Forrest Wickman ofSlate looked at "Highlights" from West's seventh studio albumThe Life of Pablo (2016) as ending "with another new workout plan", whilst Austin Isaacsohn ofMedium wrote of the album two years after its release "Kanye has taken a beating over the years, man. Listen to "The New Workout Plan" off[The College] Dropout, then listen to "Wolves"."[10][11] Raleigh-based rapperJ. Cole sampled "The New Workout Plan" in his 2011 hit single "Work Out", but despite sampling the original, Cole revealed himself to not be a fan of the song personally.[12][13]
CD single[14]
Information taken fromThe College Dropout liner notes.[15]
| Chart (2004) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[16] | 59 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[17] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | September 20, 2004 (2004-09-20) | Rhythmic contemporary ·urban contemporary radio | Roc-A-Fella,IDJMG | [18] |
| November 1, 2004 (2004-11-01) | Contemporary hit radio | [19] |
| "The New Workout Plan (Remix)" | |
|---|---|
| Song byKanye West featuringFonzworth Bentley,Luke andTwista | |
| from the albumThe College Dropout Video Anthology | |
| Released | March 22, 2005 |
| Recorded | 2004 |
| Genre | Hip hop |
| Length | 4:01 |
| Label | |
| Songwriters | |
| Producer | Lil Jon |
The official remix for the song was produced byLil Jon and features a new verse by West and guest appearances fromTwista,Luke, andFonzworth Bentley. The remix was recorded in 2005, and was written by West, Bentley, Luke, and Twista, alongsideLil Jon, who also produced the remix. It was originally included onThe College Dropout Video Anthology,[20] released on the 22nd of March, 2005, throughRoc-A-Fella Records andDef Jam Recordings. It would later be included on the Japanese special edition ofThe College Dropout, released that same year.
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