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Guilt Trip (song)

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For the song byPUP,seePUP (album).

"Guilt Trip"
SongbyKanye West
from the albumYeezus
ReleasedJune 18, 2013
Recorded2013
Genre
Length4:03
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

"Guilt Trip"is a song by Americanhip hoprecording artistKanye West,from his sixth studio albumYeezus(2013). It was produced by West,Mike Dean,S1,with an additional production credit forTravis Scottand Ackeejuice Rockers for the samples of "Chief Rocka"byLords of the Undergroundand "Blocka" byPusha TfeaturingPopcaanandTravis Scott.The song's lyrics deal with looking back at a failed relationship, similar to fellowYeezustrack "Blood on the Leaves".West provides his vocals through rapping and singing through anAuto-Tuneprocessor, reminiscent of his 2008 album808s & Heartbreak.The song includes vocals from rapperKid Cudi,who later expressed negative opinions about his feature due to his vocals being recorded years prior.

Since release, "Guilt Trip" has received positive reviews from music critics, with multiple commenting on its melodic sound. The song charted at number 2 on the USBillboardBubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Songschart. West performed the song live onThe Yeezus Tourin 2013.

Background and development

[edit]
American rapper Kid Cudi performing live in 2014.
The song includes vocals byKid Cudi(pictured in 2014), who later expressed negative opinions toward his appearance.

In October 2014, producerS1revealed that he created the earliest version of the beat during sessions for West's collaboration albumWatch the Throne(2011) withJay-Z,who revealed that the song was originally intended for that album; a version exists with an unfinished verse by Jay-Z.[1][2]After being passed on for that album, West revisited the song during theYeezussessions, reworking it with S1 andMike Dean,and adding it to the final tracklist forYeezus.[1]West andKid Cudihad collaborated on numerous tracks in the past, including the former's "Welcome to Heartbreak"and the latter's"Erase Me".[3]

West began to useAuto-Tuneon a regular basis with the release of his album808s & Heartbreakin 2008.[4]It eventually came to define the sound of West's music, with him using his own voice as an "instrument."[4]The song's combining ofhip hopwithexperimental musicfocuses on lyrics as being of a lesser importance, which West later did again in his 2016 single "Fade".[4]

Composition

[edit]

"Guilt Trip" is a hip hop song that includes elements of experimental music in its instrumentation.[4]The song, like other tracks onYeezus,sees West looking back at a failed relationship; he delivers his vocals through both rapping and singing through an Auto-Tune processor, similar to his album808s & Heartbreak.[5][6]He delivers only one verse using the same rhyme scheme for over half of it, during which he namechecks several cultural references, including JamaicandancehallmusicianShabba Ranks,the song "Chief Rocka"by hip hop trioLords of the Underground(of which the song also samples),[7]andStar WarscharacterChewbacca.[6]On top of "Chief Rocka", the song also contains a sample of "Blocka" by rapperPusha TfeaturingPopcaanandTravis Scott.[7]The song's outro is sung by Kid Cudi, who asks the question, "If you loved me so much, then why'd you let me go?"[6][8]West's reference to Chewbacca is one of numerous times theStar Warsfranchise has been referenced in music.[9]

Release and reception

[edit]

"Guilt Trip" was released on June 18, 2013, as the eighth track on West's sixth studio albumYeezus.[10]The song received positive reviews from music critics, with the melodic sound garnering praise.[11][6]The melody at the end of the song was described byLou Reed,formerly ofthe Velvet Underground,as "so beautiful, it makes me so emotional, it brings tears to my eyes."[11]When comparing the track to "Blood on the Leaves",the staff ofPopdustdescribed it as being "even closer to the 'Say You Will' or 'See You in My Nightmares' feel of [West's]808s & HeartbreakLP. "[6]The site also praised West's verse and Kid Cudi's cameo, calling it "well-placed," concluding: "'Blood on the Leaves' might have the showier setup, but in the end," Guilt Trip "is arguably the more moving song."[6]The staff ofBillboardlooked at the track's position on the album as "a brief thumper with Kanye once again looking back at a failed relationship" and claimed for his vocals to be "delivered as a hybrid of raps and singing."[5]

In an interview withComplexin February 2014, Kid Cudi revealed he had negative feelings about his feature, due to the vocals being a few years old.[12][13]He also revealed West never told him he was going to be on the song; he found out viaTwitter.[12][14]He ultimately stated he felt "underused" onYeezusand wished he wasn't on the song, due to him not being present at the recording sessions.[12]Despite Kid Cudi's negative feelings toward his appearance, Charles Holmes ofComplexplaced the song at number two on the magazine's list of the best collaborations between West and Kid Cudi in August 2017, behind the 2010 song "Gorgeous".[15]Holmes felt that the song "perfected" what the duo introduced on West's 2008 album808s & Heartbreak– "an entire sub-genre of rap with their melodic and heartfelt lyrics."[15]Holmes ultimately felt Kid Cudi wasn't underused, writing: "If time has taught us anything it is that in Kanye's hand 50 seconds of Cudi hums and melodic ruminations speak more than some artist's entire careers."[15]

Commercial performance

[edit]

On the week of July 6, 2013, "Guilt Trip" peaked at number 2 on the USBillboardBubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Songschart, remaining on it for a total of two weeks.[16]The same week, it peaked at number 39 on the USBillboardOn-Demand Songschart.[17][18]

Live performances

[edit]

The song was performed live by West during the first concert ofThe Yeezus TouratSeattle'sKeyArenain October 2013.[19]The next month, West performed it at the first concert inNew York Cityon the tour at theBarclays Center.[20]In December 2013, he delivered a live performance of "Guilt Trip" at theNew Orleans Arenaas part of The Yeezus Tour.[21]During the performance, anonymous female figures wearing robes braided themselves around him.[21]The figures were also involved with West's performance of "I Am a God"during the concert, holding him aloft.[21]

Credits and personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from theYeezusliner notes.[22]

Charts

[edit]
Chart (2013) Peak
position
USBubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Songs(Billboard)[16] 2
USOn-Demand Songs(Billboard)[17] 39

References

[edit]
  1. ^abHarling, Danielle (October 21, 2014)."Jay Z Verse to Kanye West's" Guilt Trip "Exists, According to S1".HipHopDX.Archivedfrom the original on June 17, 2019.RetrievedJune 17,2019.
  2. ^Lyons, Patrick (October 20, 2014)."Kanye West's" Guilt Trip "Was Originally For" Watch The Throne "And Featured Jay Z".HotNewHipHop.Archivedfrom the original on July 19, 2018.RetrievedJuly 19,2018.
  3. ^Saponara, Michael (April 24, 2018)."Kanye West & Kid Cudi's Best Collaborations: Critic's Picks".Billboard.Archivedfrom the original on June 28, 2018.RetrievedJune 18,2019.
  4. ^abcdHarrison, Duncan (February 11, 2016)."How Electronic Music Turned Kanye West into a Superhuman".Vice.Archivedfrom the original on June 20, 2019.RetrievedJune 17,2019.
  5. ^abStaff (June 14, 2013)."Kanye West, 'Yeezus': Track-by-Track review".Billboard.Archivedfrom the original on June 24, 2018.RetrievedJune 16,2019.
  6. ^abcdef"Kanye West's" Yeezus "Reviewed:" Guilt Trip "".Popdust.June 17, 2013.Archivedfrom the original on July 19, 2018.RetrievedJuly 19,2018.
  7. ^abFarmer, Brian (June 18, 2013)."Here Are All of the Samples Used for Kanye West's 'Yeezus'".Highsnobiety.RetrievedJuly 13,2018.
  8. ^Tang, Alexander (November 26, 2013)."Top 10 Realest Moments in Hip Hop | Arts".The Harvard Crimson.Archivedfrom the original on June 1, 2015.RetrievedJanuary 3,2019.
  9. ^Dansby, Andrew (December 13, 2016)."Music and" Star Wars "".Houston Chronicle.Archivedfrom the original on January 12, 2019.RetrievedJanuary 12,2019.
  10. ^Jeffries, David."Yeezus– Kanye West ".AllMusic.Archivedfrom the original on June 21, 2013.RetrievedJune 19,2013.
  11. ^abReed, Lou (July 13, 2013)."Lou Reed on Kanye West's Yeezus: 'It brings tears to my eyes'".The Guardian.Archivedfrom the original on August 2, 2013.RetrievedJuly 19,2018.
  12. ^abcLa Puma, Joe (February 27, 2014)."Kid Cudi Talks" Satellite Flight, "Sobriety, and His Latest Path in Music".Complex.Archivedfrom the original on March 26, 2019.RetrievedJune 17,2019.
  13. ^Battan, Carrie (February 28, 2014)."Kid Cudi Is Annoyed With His Yeezus Feature".Pitchfork.Archivedfrom the original on June 23, 2018.RetrievedJuly 13,2018.
  14. ^Alexis, Nadeska (February 27, 2014)."Kid Cudi Wasn't Too Thrilled About HisYeezusFeature ".MTV News.MTV Networks. Archived fromthe originalon June 16, 2019.RetrievedJune 17,2019.
  15. ^abcHolmes, Charles (August 24, 2017)."Best Kid Cudi And Kanye West Collaborations".Complex.Archivedfrom the original on July 19, 2018.RetrievedJuly 19,2018.
  16. ^ab"Kanye West Guilt Trip Chart History".Billboard.Archived fromthe originalon November 10, 2018.RetrievedNovember 10,2018.
  17. ^ab"Kanye West Chart History (On-Demand Songs)".Billboard.Archived fromthe originalon February 14, 2019.RetrievedFebruary 13,2019.
  18. ^"Kanye West Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)".Billboard.Archived fromthe originalon August 27, 2018.RetrievedNovember 10,2018.
  19. ^"Kanye West Comes to Jesus at 'Yeezus' Tour Kickoff".Rap-Up.October 20, 2013.Archivedfrom the original on June 20, 2019.RetrievedJune 20,2019.
  20. ^Farber, Jim (November 20, 2013)."Concert review: Kanye West startles, appalls during 'Yeezus' show at Barclays".New York Daily News.Archivedfrom the original on November 2, 2018.RetrievedSeptember 30,2018.
  21. ^abcSpera, Keith (December 6, 2013)."Kanye West's show at the New Orleans Arena was all about the spectacle".NOLA.Archivedfrom the original on January 12, 2019.RetrievedJanuary 12,2019.
  22. ^Yeezus(PDF)(Media notes). Kanye West.Def Jam Recordings.2013.Archived(PDF)from the original on October 3, 2013.RetrievedMay 27,2019.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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