Niggas in Paris

"Niggas in Paris"
Single by Kanye West & Jay Z
from the album Watch the Throne
Released	September 13, 2011 (2011-09-13)
Format	Digital download
Recorded	2010
Genre	East Coast hip hop
Length	3:39
Label	Roc-A-Fella, Roc Nation, Def Jam
Writer(s)	Kanye West, Shawn Carter
Producer	Hit-Boy, Kanye West (co.), Mike Dean (add.), Anthony Kilhoffer (add.)
Jay Z singles chronology
"Lift Off" (2011) "Niggas in Paris" (2011) "Why I Love You" (2011)
Kanye West singles chronology
"Lift Off" (2011) "Niggas in Paris" (2011) "Why I Love You" (2011)

"Niggas in Paris" (or the clean version "In Paris") is a song by American rappers Kanye West and Jay-Z, released as the fourth single from their collaboration album Watch the Throne. It debuted at #75 on the US Billboard Hot 100 on the week of the album's release.^[1] The song was sent to Rhythmic and Urban radio on September 13, 2011.^[2]

Artwork

The artwork for "Niggas in Paris" features the French flag with a black third substituted for a blue one and is the exact same cover used for Kanye West and Jay-Z's song "Why I Love You" which was released to radios simultaneously with "Niggas in Paris" on September 13, 2011.^[3][4]

Inspiration

It's believed by some that the lyrics are not in fact, "that sh*t cray" a shortened version of crazy, but rather, "that shit Kray", a reference to the Kray twins. Reginald "Reggie" Kray (24 October 1933 – 1 October 2000) and his twin brother Ronald "Ronnie" Kray (24 October 1933 – 17 March 1995) were the foremost perpetrators of organized crime in London's East End during the 1950s and 1960s. They evaded the police for quite some time, hence the lyric, "Ball so hard, motherfuckers wanna fine me, but first niggas gotta find me".^{[citation needed]} However, this line most likely refers to the NBA fining Jay-Z for communicating with non-draft eligible players (as Jay-Z is a partial owner of the Nets).

Remixes & Freestyles

The official remix features rapper T.I.. Remixes or freestyles on this beat created by other artists include a remix by Chris Brown and T-Pain, a freestyle by The Game titled "Niggas in Compton", a freestyle by Meek Mill which appeared on his mixtape Dreamchasers, a remix by Chevy Woods titled "Taylors In Paris", a freestyle by Trey Songz which a appeared on his mixtape #LemmeHolDatBeat2 titled "In Africa", a remix by E.S.G. titled "Niggas In Houston", and a remix by Felony titled "Niggas in Harris".

Critical reception

Rolling Stone commented on the song by saying "Jay and Ye come in hard over a slow, menacing beat and icy synthesizer notes, but regardless, this cut is mostly memorable for including an unexpected sample of dialogue from the Will Ferrell/Jon Heder ice-skating comedy Blades of Glory. "No one knows what it means, but it's provocative, Gets the people going!" says Ferrell with deep conviction, essentially summing up the art of hip-hop lyrics."^[5] Billboard commented on the song by saying "N**gas in Paris:" Kanye steals the show on the Hit-Boy produced club anthem. A sampling of dialogue from the 2007 film Blades of Glory is tucked in between."^[6] The Guardian called the song a standout track on the album and also commented by saying "This percolating track could have been produced by Wiley, with sick sub-bass and a snare that sounds like static. Both rappers are in excellent form, with West repeating "That shit cray". Kanye begins in half-time and speeds up. Among the lines that jump out: "I'm suffering from realness" and "Don't let me get in my zone." A standout track."^[7] Pitchfork complimented that the song possessed great moments by Kanye West and said the following "It also features this great Kanye moment, "Doctors say I'm the illest because I'm suffering from realness/ Got my niggas in Paris, and they going gorillas,"^[8]

Live performances

The song has been performed on the Watch the Throne Tour. MTV News said with "the track's Will Ferrell intro ("We're gonna skate to one song and one song only") brought on the moment that everyone was waiting for."^[9] USA Today commented "at one point, as Jay-Z and West performed Niggas in Paris' from their new hit CD, "Watch the Throne," West exhorted the audience to "Bounce! Bounce!" The resulting stomping had Philips Arena rocking and shaking in a way that it hasn't for the Hawks in a long time."^[10]

Chart performance

On August 27, 2011, "Niggas in Paris" made its debut on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 75 making it the second highest debut for any non-single on the album behind only "Who Gon Stop Me". On the US Billboard Hot Digital Songs the song debuted at number 58 even before it was released as a single from the album.^[11]As of November 9, 2011 The song has sold 464,000 copies in the United States.^[12]

Credits and personnel

The credits for "Niggas in Paris" are adapted from the liner notes of Watch the Throne.^[13]

Recording

• Recorded at: Hôtel Meurice, Paris.

Personnel

• Kanye West – songwriting, vocals, production
• Jay-Z – songwriting, vocals
• Hit-Boy – songwriting, production
• Mike Dean – mastering, songwriting, production
• Anthony Kilhoffer – mixing, additional production
• Noah Goldstein – recording
• Reverend W.A. Donaldson – songwriting

Samples

• Contains audio from the motion picture Blades of Glory, used courtesy of Paramount Pictures, and contains elements of "Baptizing Scene", performed and written by Reverend W.A. Donaldson.

Charts

Charts (2011)	Peak position
Germany (German Black Charts)[14]	2
South Korea Gaon Chart[15]	53
US Billboard Hot 100[16]	16
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[17]	1
US Rap Songs (Billboard)[18]	2
US Pop Songs (Billboard)[19]	39

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label
United States	September 13, 2011	Rhythmic[20] and Urban radio[21]	Roc-A-Fella/IDJMG
	November 8, 2011	Top 40/Mainstream radio[22]	Roc-A-Fella/IDJMG

References

1. ^ "Music Charts, Most Popular Music, Music by Genre & Top Music Charts". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/charts#/charts/hot-100?chartDate=2011-08-27&order=gainer. Retrieved 2011-09-08. 
2. ^ "R&R". Radio and Records. http://gfa.radioandrecords.com/publishGFA/GFANextPage.asp?sDate=09/13/2011&Format=9. Retrieved 2011-09-08. 
3. ^ "Jay-Z & Kanye West Reveal Cover Art For Single "Why I Love You"". Hip Hop DX. 2011-09-09. http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.16803/title.jay-z-kanye-west-reveal-cover-art-for-single-why-i-love-you. Retrieved 2011-09-10. 
4. ^ http://gfa.radioandrecords.com/publishGFA/GFANextPage.asp?sDate=09/13/2011&Format=9
5. ^ "Kanye West and Jay-Z's 'Watch the Throne': A Track-by-Track Breakdown". Rolling Stone. 2011-08-11. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/kanye-west-and-jay-zs-watch-the-throne-a-track-by-track-breakdown-20110809. Retrieved 2011-09-10. 
6. ^ "Jay-Z and Kanye West's 'Watch the Throne': Track-by-Track Review". Billboard. 2011-08-08. http://www.billboard.com/column/the-juice/jay-z-and-kanye-west-s-watch-the-throne-1005308022.story#/column/the-juice/jay-z-and-kanye-west-s-watch-the-throne-1005308022.story. Retrieved 2011-09-10. 
7. ^ "Jay-Z and Kanye West: Watch the Throne – track-by-track review". The Guardian. 2011-08-08. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2011/aug/02/jay-z-kanye-west-watch-throne. Retrieved 2011-09-10. 
8. ^ "Jay-Z / Kanye West: Watch the Throne". Pitchfork Media. 2011-08-11. http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15725-watch-the-throne/. Retrieved 2011-09-10. 
9. ^ Markman, Rob (October 29, 2011). "Jay-Z, Kanye West's Throne Tour Has Thrilling Liftoff". MTV News. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1673399/kanye-west-jay-z-watch-the-throne-tour.jhtml. Retrieved October 29, 2011. 
10. ^ Copeland, Larry (October 29, 2011). "Jay-Z and Kanye's joint tour opens in Atlanta". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/news/story/2011-10-28/watch-the-throne-kanye-west-jay-z/50991356/1. Retrieved October 29, 2011. 
11. ^ "Music Charts, Most Popular Music, Music by Genre & Top Music Charts". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/charts#/charts/digital-songs?chartDate=2011-08-27&order=gainer. Retrieved 2011-09-08. 
12. ^ http://music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart-watch/week-ending-nov-6-2011-songs-taboo-word-013130618.html;_ylt=AhpSzDG1z4xjQX.YFP5KdQoPwiUv;_ylu=X3oDMTFkYTZnZmZkBG1pdANNdXNpYyBCbG9nIEluZGV4BHBvcwMxBHNlYwNNZWRpYUJsb2dJbmRleA--;_ylg=X3oDMTFpMm9iMzh1BGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDBHBzdGNhdANibG9nBHB0A3NlY3Rpb25z;_ylv=3
13. ^ (2011) Album notes for Watch the Throne by Jay-Z and Kanye West [liner notes]. The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group (0602527650579).
14. ^ Die Deutschen Trend Charts (2011-10-17). "Die Deutschen Trend Charts". Trendcharts.de. http://www.trendcharts.de/de/trendcharts.html?dl=deutsche_black_charts.html. Retrieved 2010-10-18. 
15. ^ "South Korea Gaon International Chart (Week: June 26, 2011 to July 2, 2011)". Gaon Chart. http://www.gaonchart.co.kr/main/section/total/list.gaon?mainGbn=CHART&mainCate=1&nationGbn=E&termGbn=week. Retrieved August 20, 2011. 
16. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/hot-100?begin=11&order=position
17. ^ "Music Charts, Most Popular Music, Music by Genre & Top Music Charts". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/charts#/charts/r-b-hip-hop-songs?begin=21&order=position. Retrieved 2011-09-08. 
18. ^ "Music Charts, Most Popular Music, Music by Genre & Top Music Charts". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/#/charts/rap-songs?begin=11&order=position. Retrieved 2011-09-08. 
19. ^ "Chart Highlights: Michael Buble Jingles Onto Adult Contemporary". Billboard. 2011-11-14. http://www.billboard.com/column/chartbeat#/column/chartbeat/chart-highlights-michael-buble-jingles-onto-1005519752.story. Retrieved November 14, 2011. 
20. ^ http://gfa.radioandrecords.com/publishGFA/GFANextPage.asp?sDate=09/13/2011&Format=9
21. ^ http://gfa.radioandrecords.com/publishGFA/GFANextPage.asp?sDate=09/13/2011&Format=5
22. ^ http://www.webcitation.org/62Q2P8QoB