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Niggas in Paris

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"Niggas in Paris"
Artwork displaying the French flag for Jay-Z and Kanye West
Single by Jay-Z and Kanye West
from the album Watch the Throne
ReleasedSeptember 13, 2011 (2011-09-13)
Recorded2010–2011
Studio
Genre
Length3:39
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Jay-Z singles chronology
"Lift Off"
(2011) 		"Niggas in Paris"
(2011) 		"Why I Love You"
(2011)
Kanye West singles chronology
"Amen"
(2011) 		"Niggas in Paris"
(2011) 		"Why I Love You"
(2011)
Music video
"Niggas in Paris" on YouTube

"Niggas in Paris" (censored as "Ni**as in Paris"[1]) is a song by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West from their collaborative studio album, Watch the Throne (2011). The song was produced by Hit-Boy with West and Mike Dean, while Anthony Kilhoffer contributed additional production. The producers served as co-writers with Jay-Z and Reverend W.A. Donaldson, the latter of whom was credited due to a sample of his work. Jay-Z envisioned the song's concept as how the two obtained their wealth instead of showing it off, using it as a momentary question of their status. Pusha T was originally offered the beat, yet rejected it due to the playful sound. The beat was crafted by Hit-Boy in five minutes and went unused until he was called by Don C, then he provided it for the song. On September 13, 2011, the song was released to US rhythmic and urban contemporary radio stations as the album's fourth single, through Def Jam, Roc Nation, and Roc-A-Fella

An uptempo hip hop and club song with elements of West Coast rap, "Niggas in Paris" features a minimalist beat and samples from "Baptizing Scene" by Donaldson. The song also samples a couple of excerpts of Will Ferrell's character Chazz Michael Michaels from the sports comedy film, Blades of Glory (2007). Lyrically, it carries a theme of black empowerment as Jay-Z and West discuss defying their odds to achieve extensive wealth and success. Jay-Z envisions he would have elsewise found himself in jail, while West asserts that his doctors diagnosed him with an illness for his realness. The song received generally positive reviews from music critics, who mostly highlighted Jay-Z and West's verses. Some praised the synthesizer driven production and focused was also placed on the samples from Blades of Glory, while a few critics saw it as an album highlight.

The song was named to year-end lists for 2011 by multiple publications, such as Pitchfork and Rolling Stone. It was awarded Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, alongside winning Track of the Year and Best Club Banger at the 2012 BET Hip Hop Awards. Later appearing on retrospective lists of numerous outlets, "Niggas in Paris" was ranked as the 81st best song of all time by NME in 2014. The song reached number five on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming the 11th top-five hit for Jay-Z and the 10th for West on the chart. Also in the United States, it topped the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts. The song attained top–20 positions in Canada, Denmark, Scotland, and the United Kingdom. It was certified diamond in the US by the Recording Industry Association of America, standing as Jay-Z's first single to achieve this certification and West's second. The song further received triple platinum certifications in Denmark and the UK by IFPI Danmark and the British Phonographic Industry, respectively.

An accompanying music video was premiered at the entrance to Shoreditch High Street railway station in February 2012, using split screen kaleidoscopic effects to go between Jay-Z and West performing the song at a concert in the Staples Center and footage of their crowd. The music video received a nomination for Video of the Year at the 2012 BET Awards, while it was nominated for Best Editing and Best Hip-Hop Video at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards. Jay-Z and West performed the song repeatedly at concerts on the Watch the Throne Tour (2011–12), providing the largest number of performances at a concert in Paris. The rappers performed the song three times for Jay-Z's set at BBC Radio 1's Hackney Weekend in 2012, three years before West delivered a performance of it at the Glastonbury Festival. The song was used as a soundtrack across different forms of media, including Otter Spice Productions' browser game, Kanye Zone (2012). Katy Perry performed an acoustic version of it for BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge in March 2012, replacing the explicit language with alternate phrases. In October 2011, the remix of "Niggas in Paris" was released, featuring a verse from T.I.

Background and recording

Will Ferrell on the carpet of the 2007 Golden Glabe Awards
The song samples excerpts from Will Ferrell's appearance in Blades of Glory (2007), which created a surreal feel that he enjoyed and was succeeded by references to him in various hip hop songs.

Jay-Z and West are both American rappers who have collaborated on several tracks together, such as the singles "Swagga Like Us" (2008), "Run This Town" (2009), and "Monster" (2010).[2][3] In 2010, the two began production and recording together for a collaborative record titled Watch the Throne.[3] West revealed that "Niggas in Paris" was inspired by the duality he witnessed when traveling to Paris as he cited his own examples of the hood and Hollywood, and him conversing with Karl Lagerfeld and Jay-Z during one hour. He described himself as "where art meets commercial" and made effort to dress up at fashion shows in Paris while listening to Jay-Z, concluding: "Jeezy in Paris, that's what it is."[4] West said that the song's title came about "because Niggas was in [sic] Paris", where he had an office and a small courtyard near the retailer Colette.[5] He compared the need for the album's odes before the song to bringing flowers to a door first.[5] Speaking with GQ in November 2011, Jay-Z explained that the song's concept is focused on how him and West obtained their wealth rather than flaunting this at everybody. The rappers felt shocked with their impressive status and used it as a moment to question, "What are we doing here? How did we get here?"[6][7] Jay-Z acknowledges the struggle that he made it past to reach success after having known many people who failed, placing himself in an entirely different category to people's children who studied at Harvard University.[6][7] During a concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City for The Yeezus Tour on November 24, 2013, West said that the song would not exist if it was not for singer Lenny Kravitz having been "the first nigga in Paris" with his rock star appearance.[8]

West came up with the idea of sampling a couple of excerpts from actor Will Ferrell's character Chazz Michael Michaels in the 2007 sports comedy film Blades of Glory;[9] he agreed and was flattered by the usage on the song. Ferrell laughed when he first listened to the song due to a surreal feel and was appreciative, attempting to film a piece for the video boards of Jay-Z and West's concerts that never materialized. He also became aware of further opportunities to be sampled within hip hop music, considering the suitability of his films like Step Brothers (2008) and Melinda and Melinda (2004).[10] In December 2013, Ferrell mentioned how he was later referenced in various hip hop songs and "Niggas in Paris" is the only one he cannot say the title of himself, joking that he sounds "ever whiter" when referring to it as "N-words from Paris".[11] The song also samples Reverend W. A. Donaldson's "Baptizing Scene" (1960), which West sampled again on "Wouldn't Leave" from his 2018 album Ye.[12]

Le Meurice pictured on the streets of Paris
Jay-Z and West started recording the song during their sessions at Paris' Le Meurice hotel in November 2010.

During the album's sessions, West offered the beat of "Niggas in Paris" to fellow rapper and GOOD Music signee Pusha T, who rejected this offer. Pusha T felt it was too playful when he was "in demonic rap mode" and when writing tracks such as "My God", he did not want to change his focus to the beat's club appeal that West indicated.[13] In May 2013, Pusha T compared the sound of the song to a video game and commented that West does send artists material they do not always connect with, then deliberately tries to prove them wrong.[14] After record producer Hit-Boy first met West in 2007, he was later introduced to Jay-Z through him and engaged in recording sessions with the rappers at The Mercer Hotel in SoHo, Manhattan for three weeks. Hit-Boy crafted a few beats for Watch the Throne that were initially not used at all, until he received a call from Don C asking for the beat of "Niggas in Paris". The producer then scrapped the plans for his associate Chilly Chill to upload the beat on a mixtape and he had recorded it quickly, feeling grateful as Jay-Z and West told him "that's our biggest record".[9] The song was one of Hit-Boy's most simple works and he had overestimated how much he was ready for its success, feeling he truly grew up and placed himself under pressure to make a hit at the same level. Hit-Boy went against his preferred method of working on music for hours by creating the beat in five minutes and it inspired him to continue creating, realizing it is never known "what's gonna touch people" and anything that is meant "to line up will line up".[9] Following the song's success, Hit-Boy felt he reached his peak as he moved into a mansion with five studios and his popularity continued into 2012. He remained there and went bankrupt within five years after investing his money in his peers, having made millions of dollars mostly from his Interscope deal rather than the song's publishing deal that went wrong.[15] Parts of the song were taken from the album's sessions at the Le Meurice hotel in Paris during November 2010, while the later sessions at The Mercer Hotel were held in 2011.[16] "Niggas in Paris" was produced by Hit-Boy, West, and Mike Dean, with additional production from Anthony Kilhoffer. The producers co-wrote the song with Jay-Z, while Donaldson received a songwriting credit due to being sampled.[17]

Composition and lyrics

"Niggas In Paris" (2011)
A 22-second sample of "Niggas In Paris", showcasing the icy synthesizers, kick drums, and Hit-Boy's bleeps in the minimalist production. West begins his verse as he comes in at the end of Jay-Z's performance, rapping the phrase "that shit cray!"
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Musically, "Niggas in Paris" is an uptempo[14] hip hop and club song,[18][19][20] with elements of West Coast rap.[21] The song begins with an excerpt of Ferrell's declaration from Blades of Glory: "We're gonna skate to one song and one song only."[10] It later samples Ferrell talking about how art does not need any meaning when "it's provocative ... it gets the people going",[10][22][23] which appears in the middle of West's verse and was interpreted by Rolling Stone's Matthew Perpetua as summarizing the lyrical style of hip hop.[16][24] The song also features samples of Donaldson's "Baptizing Scene".[17] It incorporates a slow, bouncy, cheerful, and minimalist beat.[24][25][26][27] The beat is driven by[28][29] a riff of stabs of looped[19] icy synthesizers,[24][30] combined with kick drums.[23][31] The song includes Hit Boy's bleeps, while a braggadocio flow is used by Jay-Z and West.[9][32][33] Jay-Z raps fast,[19] whereas West begins in half-time before moving to a faster pace.[34] In the middle of the song, it transitions from continuous snare shots and orchestration of staccato electronics to an 808 breakdown.[22][34][35] The breakdown contains industrial sounds,[22] distorted thumping sub-bass,[9][34] and operatic backing vocals.[36] For the last 30 seconds, the song is dominated by a dubstep drop.[30][37][38] The ending features studio buzz, synthesized monk voices, and static bursts.[16]

The lyrics of "Niggas in Paris" are themed around black empowerment, with Jay-Z and West discussing how they defied the odds of their backgrounds to obtain extensive wealth and success.[32][39][40] Jay-Z uses his verse to envision that had he not achieved success, he would have ended up in jail with his peers as he appreciates his freedom.[16] The rapper lists out different elements of his success such as drinks and clothing, while he justifies his arrival to Paris by rapping that if others escaped what he had they would be there "getting fucked up too".[27][31][41] West references the royal theme of Watch the Throne by imagining himself as Prince William of Wales in the wake of his marriage to Catherine Middleton, deciding he would instead marry the twins Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.[16] He declares that he has been diagnosed with an illness by his doctors, who apparently said he is "suffering from realness".[23][34] The rapper teases entering his zone and offers the ad-lib "hah",[42] as well as rapping the phrases "going gorillas" and "that shit cray!"[25][34][43] The performers trade lines with each other, including Jay-Z boasting about having his "hot bitch" at home and West retorting by asking how many of these he owns himself.[44][45][46]

Release and reception

On August 8, 2011, "Niggas in Paris" was included as the third track on Jay-Z and West's collaborative studio album Watch The Throne.[47] On September 8, 2011, the two unveiled the cover art for "Niggas in Paris". The artwork maintains the same motif as that of their 2011 single "Otis", while it displays the performers' names and the song's title in white letters against the colours of the French flag.[48] Jay-Z and West invoked the cover for "Why I Love You", which was released as a single to rhythmic contemporary radio stations in the United States simultaneously with "Niggas in Paris" on September 13, 2011, through their record labels Def Jam, Roc Nation, and Roc-A-Fella.[49][50] On the same date, the former was sent to US urban contemporary radio stations by the aforementioned labels.[51] "Niggas in Paris" was later serviced to US mainstream radio stations by Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam on November 8, 2011.[52]

West performing at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City on May 10, 2011.
Numerous reviewers placed focus on West's verse, often appreciating his lyrical style.

The song was met with generally positive reviews from music critics, with praise mostly going towards Jay-Z and West's performances. Writing for Pitchfork, Tom Breihan was impressed with the song's "propulsive synth riff and gigantic drums" as Jay-Z showcases his technical rap skills, while he highlighted West's lyrics about his apparent illness.[23] Michaelangelo Matos of The Guardian called the "percolating track" a standout on Watch the Throne and felt it invokes Wiley's production, comparing the "sick sub-bass" and a snare to static.[34] Matos hailed Jay-Z and West's performances, commenting that the phrase "that shit cray" leaves the word crazy unfinished.[34] Paste's Ryan Reed asserted that the song proves why Jay-Z and West seemingly operating on a basis of using their first takes is good, praising its hypnotic feel. Reed considered that Jay-Z's "rhythmic gymnastics feel like spontaneous genius" despite him sounding fully possessed, while he found the "simple, synth-driven beat" to be a strong match for the minimal production.[28] The staff of XXL saw the song as an album standout and a centerpiece of the rappers' aims to "shatter a caste system", discussing the luxury of their watches and wealth as the rappers acknowledge being a minority in how they achieved success "over Hit-Boy's pulsating production".[40] Cokemachineglow's Calum Marsh declared that it features the first earnest rapping from Jay-Z and West on the album, as the latter's "leering flow sets the standard".[53] For Prefix Mag, Dave Park praised Jay-Z's lyrics about his past and commented how West "stop[s] at nothing to match wares with his one-time idol", interjecting himself after his lines.[45]

While Perpetua from Rolling Stone praised Jay-Z and West's performances "over a slow, menacing beat and icy synthesizer notes", he saw the song's highlight as the unexpected excerpt from Blades of Glory about the lack of art's meaning that essentially summarizes "the art of hip-hop lyrics".[24] Erika Ramirez of Billboard felt that West is the strongest performer on Hit-Boy's "club anthem" and observed the underlying samples from the film.[20] Nathan S. from DJ Booth named the song as one from Watch the Throne he listened to repeatedly and glorified the excerpts of Ferrell from Blades of Glory, questioning if anyone else would be courageous enough to sample "an obscure [...] figure skating movie on the biggest collaborative album ever".[54] In Spin, Rob Harvilla Jesal wrote that the song's stabs of synths "gracefully withstand" two goofy samples from the film and "a violent dubstep intrusion".[30] David Amidon of PopMatters observed the song's West Coast "blog rap bop" and how it feels like the true start of the album from the position of track number three.[21]

Some reviewers were less enthusiastic. For Urb, James Shahan felt that though West uses his signature punchline style in a humorous manner, Jay-Z's verse comes across as "one big laundry list" of his material possessions.[31] Shahan found Jay-Z to be the main reason the song's subjects of wealth and possessions become overwhelming, while he noted the "knocking kick drums and teasing synths".[31] In a mixed review at RapReviews, Jesal 'Jay Soul' Padania assessed that the song is decent, yet a stronger one would be more suitable for its position as one of the album's first three tracks. Padania commented that the song functions suitably as "loud, obnoxious rap music" once listeners look past "the ringtone melody" and excessive bragging, although considered "Niggas in Paris" a cringeworthy title and criticized its heavy resemblance to fellow rapper Big Sean's Finally Famous (2011).[36] Providing a negative review for Beats Per Minute, Sean Highkin wrote it off as sounding like a Waka Flocka Flame song with "30 seconds of dubstep stapled to the end".[37]

Accolades

Digital Spy placed the track on their 24th spot of the best songs of 2011,[55] while Consequence ranked it 13th on their list of the year's top 50 songs.[19] The song was named as the 12th best track of 2011 by Pitchfork, whose author Ryan Dombal wrote that West's hah ad-lib successfully summarizes the "one-percent-ness of Watch the Throne" as he commended the lyrical style of him and Jay-Z.[42] Amazon named it the eighth best song of 2011.[56] The track was voted fifth on The Village Voice's yearly Pazz & Jop poll, receiving 64 mentions.[57] Rolling Stone named the song the second best single of 2011, with the staff praising the "minimalist thunder pegged to a tweedling synth line" and the lyrical opulence.[27] XXL crowned "Niggas In Paris" as the best song of the year and the staff praised the direction of the bouncy production as Jay-Z and West "took balling to new frontiers", noting its club appeal too.[25] For 2011, the magazine also listed the song as the "hottest beat".[58]

Complex ranked the song as the 20th best of their decade, which spanned from when the magazine was founded in 2002 to its 10th anniversary in 2012.[26] In 2014, NME ranked it as the best track of the 2010s decade so far and Emily Barker praised the "thundering tale of black empowerment" for Hit-Boy's production and Jay-Z's lyrics about Paris.[32] That same year, Pitchfork placed the song at number 36 on their list and Kyle Kramer considered it "the crown jewel" of the opulence of Watch the Throne and the exception to the album's production due to the simplistic beat.[59] In 2015, Billboard listed it as the fifth best song of the 2010s.[44] In 2019, Business Insider ranked the track as the 35th best song of the decade and Stereogum named it as the 11th best; Tom Breihan highlighted the chemistry of Jay-Z flaunting his wealth and West boasting of his rap skills.[60][38]

For the 2014 issue of XXL that celebrated 40 years of hip hop, the track was listed as one of the five best singles of 2007.[61] The song was chosen for the year of 2011 in The Rap Year Book, which deconstructed the most important rap song from every year since 1979 until 2015.[62] NME named "Niggas in Paris" the 81st best song of all time in 2014.[18] Highsnobiety placed "Niggas in Paris" at number 11 on their list of West's best songs in 2017, a year before Complex named the song as his sixth best.[63][64] Also in 2018, Rolling Stone crowned the song as the 58th best of the 21st century so far and the staff praised its "over-the-top indulgence", as well as the hook that makes fun of haters and the "dark truth underlying the mayhem" of the lyrical content.[65] On the 20th anniversary of BBC Radio 1Xtra in 2022, "Niggas in Paris" was voted by the station's listeners as the seventh best hip-hop track of the century.[66] In 2023, Revolt named it as one of the 11 rap songs about high fashion to get dressed to and Legendary Lade noted "braggadocious rap at its highest form".[33]

"Niggas in Paris" was awarded Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song at the 2013 Grammy Awards, with the title's first word censored as "N*****" during the announcements.[67][68] Hit Boy's work on the song marked his first Grammy wins and he felt a dream had been reached in not only winning the awards, but also sharing them with those he holds in such a high regard as Jay-Z and West.[69] At a concert in December 2012, West cited the song not receiving a nomination for Record of the Year as one of his reasons for not attending the 2013 Grammys.[68] It was nominated for Best Dancefloor Anthem at the 2013 NME Awards, alongside receiving a nomination for Anthem of the Summer at that year's UK Festival Awards.[70][71] The song won Song of the Year at the 2011 Sucker Free Awards, while it was awarded as one of the Most Performed R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at the 2012 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards.[72][73] At the 2012 BET Hip Hop Awards, "Niggas in Paris" was awarded Track of the Year and Best Club Banger.[74]

Decade-end lists for "Niggas in Paris"
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Business Insider The 113 Best Songs from the 2010s
35
[60]
Billboard The 20 Best Songs of the 2010s (2010–15)
5
[44]
Consequence Top 100 Songs of the 2010s
44
[39]
Fact The 100 Best Songs of the 2010s (2010–14)
64
[75]
NME The 50 Best Tracks Of The Decade (2010–14)
1
[32]
Pitchfork The 200 Best Tracks of the Decade (2010-14)
36
[59]
Stereogum The 200 Best Songs of the 2010s
2
[38]
Way Too Indie The 50 Best Songs of the Decade (2010–15)
13
[29]
Uproxx The Best Songs of the 2010s
80
[76]

Music video

West and Jay-Z performing for the Watch the Throne Tour in 2011
For its premiere in February 2012, the song's music video was projected onto the entrance of Shoreditch High Street railway station in East London (pictured).

On February 9, 2012, Jay-Z and West premiered the music video for "Niggas in Paris" with a projection at the front of East London's Shoreditch High Street railway station.[77] The video followed "Otis" as the second visual from Watch the Throne, with its footage taken from the rappers' concert at Los Angeles' Staples Center on their accompanying tour in December 2011.[78][79] After performing the song, Jay-Z announced the video had been filmed live at the venue.[80] The music video was self-directed by West, with Jon handling the production. Good Company worked on post-production, while Daniel Pearl served as the director of photography.[81]

The music video is preceded by an epilepsy warning, informing people that it may trigger their seizures and advising of viewer discretion.[82][83] The video utilizes split screen kaleidoscopic effects to jump from Jay-Z and West performing the song at the Staples Center to footage of the crowd,[78][83] which mostly features models.[82] Mirror images are shown of the performance, which the camera pans in to. The visual incorporates laser-lights, roars from lions, and imagery of Paris landmarks such as Notre-Dame de Paris.[82][84] For the excerpt from Blades of Glory that interrupts West's verse, a brief snippet of Ferrell's appearance in the film is displayed.[78]

The music video received a nomination for Video of the Year at the 2012 BET Awards, losing the award to "Otis".[85] At the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards, the visual was nominated for the awards of Best Editing and Best Hip-Hop Video.[86] The video received a nomination for Best Hip-Hop Video at the 2012 Antville Music Video Awards, while it was nominated for Best International Urban Video at the 2012 UK Music Video Awards.[87][88] As of June 12, 2023, the music video has received over 386 million views on YouTube.[4]

Commercial performance

West and Jay-Z performing for the Watch the Throne Tour in 2011
The song reached the fifth position of the US Billboard Hot 100 on Christmas 2011, becoming the 11th top-five hit of Jay-Z (right) and the second for West (left) on the chart.

Prior to release as a single, "Niggas in Paris" entered the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 75 following the album's release, standing as its second highest charting non-single behind "Who Gon Stop Me".[89] For the chart issue of the Hot 100 dated November 6, 2011, it entered the top-20 at number 17.[90] Around a month later, the track reached number eight on the Hot 100, with 113,000 digital units. The track became the first top-10 single from Watch the Throne and Jay-Z's 18th top-10 on the Hot 100.[91] It rose two places for the chart dated December 18, 2011, then peaked at number five on the Hot 100 Christmas issue and had sold 2,000,000 copies by this point.[16] The song became the 11th top-five hit of Jay-Z and the 10th for West on the chart, while it marked their third collaboration to reach the top-five.[92] For 2012, the track ranked as the 40th biggest release on the Hot 100.[93] "Niggas in Paris" lasted for 36 weeks on the chart.[94] As of May 31, 2018, the song ranks as West's eighth biggest hit of all time on the Hot 100.[95]

Upon the album's release, the track debuted at number 99 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[96] It later entered the top-10 of the chart at number six on the issue dated October 9, 2011.[97] The track gradually climbed the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for the next month, peaking at number one on November 12.[98] It remained at this position for seven weeks and remained on the chart for a total of 45 weeks.[99] On the decade-end Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for the 2010s, the track ranked as the 36th most successful release.[100] The track also topped the US Hot Rap Songs chart for 10 weeks, on which it totaled 36 weeks.[101] "Niggas in Paris" reached number three on the US Rhythmic chart, while it peaked within the top-20 of the Dance/Mix Show Airplay and Pop Airplay charts.[102][103][104] Across the 2010s, the track received the second most radio spins for Rhythmic and sixth most for Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay.[105] It surpassed 3,000,000 digital sales in the US on November 4, 2012, standing as one of the three songs from Nielsen SoundScan's 200 best-selling songs list that uses an asterisk to censor its title.[1] On June 12, 2023, "Niggas in Paris" was certified diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for pushing 10 million certified units in the US. The track marked the first to receive this RIAA certification for Jay-Z and the second for West, following his 2007 single "Stronger".[4]

In Canada, the track peaked at number 16 on the Canadian Hot 100.[106] On May 9, 2012, "Niggas in Paris" received a platinum certification from Music Canada for selling 80,000 units.[107] Elsewhere, the track entered the UK Singles Chart at number 76 on February 25, 2012, rising over the following weeks to peak at number 10. The track spent 53 weeks on the chart, with 6 of these being within the top-20.[108] For 2012, it ranked as the 31st most successful track and the 17th most streamed in the United Kingdom.[109][110] "Niggas in Paris" ranks as the 18th highest-selling hip-hop song of all time in the UK up to April 17, 2017, while it stands as Jay-Z's second biggest song in the country as of August 19.[111][112] As of August 5, 2021, the track is West's fifth most successful single in the UK, with 1,520,000 sales and 91 million streams.[113] On January 20, 2023, "Niggas in Paris" was certified triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry for shelving 1,800,000 units in the country.[114] In Scotland, the track peaked at number 14 on the Scottish Singles Chart.[115]

On June 8, 2012, the track entered the Danish Tracklisten Top 40 at number 21 and fell down 10 places within two weeks. The track exited the chart and re-entered at number 21 on July 6, shortly before peaking at number 19.[116] "Niggas in Paris" was awarded with a triple platinum from IFPI Danmark for shipments of 270,000 units in Denmark on June 5, 2018.[117] It reached number 22 on the Irish Singles Chart, while charting at number 26 on the Hungarian Single Top 40.[118][119] Elsewhere in Europe, the track attained top-50 positions in France,[120] the Netherlands,[121] Austria,[122] Germany,[123] Switzerland,[124] and Sweden.[125] For 2012, it ranked as the 45th biggest track in France.[126] "Niggas in Paris" was certified double platinum by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie and Swedish Recording Industry Association in Germany and Sweden, respectively.[127][128] On November 3, 2019, the track received a platinum certification from Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana for selling 50,000 copies in Italy.[129] In New Zealand, it reached number 38 on the NZ Singles Chart.[130] The track was awarded with a double platinum certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association for shipments of 140,000 copies in Australia on December 3, 2015.[131]

Live performances

West and Jay-Z performing at the Staples Center in Los Angeles for the Watch the Throne Tour in 2011
Jay-Z and West pictured during a concert at Los Angeles' Staples Center on the Watch the Throne Tour in December 2011, where they performed the song an increased number of 10 times from the 3 repeat performances at the tour's first concert.

During the first concert on the Watch the Throne Tour at Atlanta's Philips Arena on October 28, 2011, West commanded the audience as he performed the song with Jay-Z, "Bounce! Bounce!"[132] Jay-Z ordered the performance to be restarted midway, with him and West performing "Niggas in Paris" three times at the concert.[16][133] The rappers performed the song repeatedly during encores on the tour and increased the number of occasions as they traveled to different cities in the US,[38][134][135] performing it 10 times for their third night at the Staples Center on December 13, 2011.[80] During a concert at Rogers Arena in Vancouver for the Watch the Throne Tour on December 18, 2011, Jay-Z and West set their new record for the most performances of the song by performing it 11 times.[136] The rappers then continuously delivered this amount of performances on the tour and for a show at Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris on June 18, 2012, they broke the record by performing the song 12 times.[16][137] In November 2020, the musical director Omar Edwards recalled that an ending section of songs including Jay-Z's "Encore" (2003) was planned instead of the repeat performances, yet it was performed repeatedly after the reactions on one night and this led to the number of performances increasing further.[138]

West brought out Jay-Z as a special guest to perform the song at the 2011 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at Lexington Avenue Armory in New York City, where Beyoncé was in attendance.[139][140] During Jay-Z's encore at BBC Radio 1's Hackney Weekend on June 23, 2012, he was joined by West to perform the song. The rappers performed it three times, during which they instructed the audience to engage in circle pits.[141][142] During the second day of Jay-Z's appearance at the 2012 Made in America Festival, he was joined by West to perform the song for the encore.[143] The rappers performed it three times for an encore during Samsung Galaxy's South by Southwest concert at the Austin Music Hall in Austin, Texas on March 12, 2014, accompanied by a 12-foot video cube at the center of the stage.[144][145] West performed the song as one of his opening numbers at the Glastonbury Festival 2015, walking around the stage while he twirled his microphone stand around.[146] He delivered a performance of it from a flying stage at downtown Indianapolis' Gainbridge Fieldhouse for the Saint Pablo Tour's kickoff show on August 25, 2016.[147]

On October 18, 2011, singer Chris Brown released a freestyle over the song that features ad-libs from T-Pain.[148] The freestyle was met with a lukewarm response and the next day, an accompanying music video was released that sees Brown appearing with a werewolf masks and fangs.[149][150] "Niggas in Paris" was used as the introductory music of the Miami Heat in the 2011–12 NBA season.[151] In March 2012, Otter Spice Productions made their browser game Kanye Zone available for free that is soundtracked by repetition of West's line from the song, "Don't let me get in my zone."[152][153] The game features West's head flying towards the zone in the center of the screen and the objective is to use keyboard buttons to prevent him from reaching there; Jay-Z and West appear if players lose with the line, "I'm definitely in my zone."[152][153] In April 2012, 2012–2017 French president François Hollande shared a campaign video for the year's presidential election that used the song. The video shows Hollande on a two-day trip around suburbs of Paris as he meets with the likes of his black, Arab, and multi-ethnic supporters.[154][155]

After Jay-Z's friend Gwyneth Paltrow attended a concert in Paris on the Watch the Throne Tour in June 2012, she was criticized for a tweet from her as a white person reading, "Ni**as in paris for real."[156] Paltrow responded that she simply tweeted the title of the song, yet she had identified artists at the concert as "niggas" before censoring the word in this tweet.[156] On July 9, 2013, Miami Heat player LeBron James shared two short Instagram clips of him rapping over the song that he preceded by telling his followers "you already know what it is ..."[151] Rapper French Montana sampled the song for the beginning of his Lil Wayne and Rick Ross-featuring single "Lose It", which was produced by West with the Mekanics and released on June 25, 2015.[157]

Cover versions and remixes

Katy Perry appears for Audi in 2012
In March 2012, Katy Perry performed a clean cover version of the song on BBC Radio 1, which a couple of reviewers found to be off–putting.

On March 19, 2012, singer Katy Perry delivered an acoustic cover version of "Niggas in Paris" with a backing band for BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge special, censoring the explicit language. Katy Perry edited lines to phrases like "ninjas in London" and "that so cray", prefacing the performance by announcing it would become "real embarrassing" and she wore a New York Yankees cap as Jay-Z has done.[158][159][160] Exclaim!'s Sarah Murphy described the performance as cringeworthy and embarrassing like the singer said, while Daniel Kreps of Spin felt that her cadence seems to make Kreayshawn sound like Nas and dubbed it "drunk karaoke rap".[159][160] On May 29, 2012, the seven-man music collective cdza, an abbreviation of Collective Cadenza, shared their piano interpretation of the song entitled "Pianists in Paris". The interpretation features the members taking it in turns to add piano notes to the song and a music video was released, showing the collective playing the instrument.[161][162]

On October 13, 2011, rapper T.I. announced that he had recorded a verse for the remix of "Niggas in Paris", but was unsure whether it would be official. Despite not speaking to West, T.I. had allowed him to listen to the verse and thought he let Jay-Z listen in turn, although lacked certainty if the remix would be official or unofficial.[163] The remix was released the following day and features lyrics from T.I. in French, alongside him rapping that "Even in prison, I'm still the shit".[164][165] On January 16, 2012, rapper Mos Def, under his real name of Yasiin Bey, shared his version of the song titled "Niggas in Poorest" for his Top 40 Underdog series of remade radio hits and this coincided with Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The version includes menacing vocal effects and vocals from Bey that were described as a rant by Stereogum, discussing American culture such as the youth's pride and wickedness. Bey also addresses economic dread and poverty in the wake of the Great Recession, declaring that "Doctors say I'm the illest / I ain't got no insurance".[166][167][168]

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[17]

Recording

Personnel

  • Kanye West – songwriter, production
  • Jay-Z – songwriter
  • Hit-Boy – songwriter, production
  • Mike Dean – songwriter, production
  • W.A. Donaldson – songwriter
  • Anthony Kilhoffer – additional production, mix engineer
  • Noah Goldstein – recording engineer

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Niggas in Paris"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[131] 2× Platinum 140,000‡
Belgium (BEA)[192] Gold 15,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[107] Platinum 80,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[117] 3× Platinum 270,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[193]
Streaming 		2× Platinum 3,600,000†
Germany (BVMI)[127] 2× Platinum 600,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[129] Platinum 50,000‡
Sweden (GLF)[128] 2× Platinum 80,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[114] 3× Platinum 1,520,000[113]
United States (RIAA)[194] Diamond 10,000,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Niggas in Paris"
Country Date Format Label(s) Ref.
United States September 13, 2011 Rhythmic contemporary radio
[50]
Urban contemporary radio [50]
November 8, 2011 Mainstream radio
  • Roc-A-Fella
  • Def Jam
 [52]

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