Clique (song)
"Clique" is a song by American rappers Kanye West, Jay-Z, and Big Sean. The song serves as the fourth single from the album Cruel Summer (2012), a collaboration between members of West's label GOOD Music. The song's production was handled by Hit-Boy and West. "Clique" was released as a single to the iTunes Store on September 7, 2012. Additional vocals on the song are provided by American R&B singer James Fauntleroy II, who performs the song's introduction. It was among the Award Winning R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at the 2014 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards and Award Winning Songs at the 2014 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards.
"Clique" | ||||
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Single by GOOD Music, Kanye West, and Big Sean featuring Jay-Z | ||||
from the album Cruel Summer | ||||
Released | September 6, 2012 | |||
Recorded | 2012 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:54 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Kanye West singles chronology | ||||
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Jay-Z singles chronology | ||||
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Big Sean singles chronology | ||||
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GOOD Music singles chronology | ||||
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Audio sample | ||||
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Background
West debuted the song on his website on September 6, 2012. The same day, DJ Funkmaster Flex gave the song a formal radio premiere on his Hot 97 radio show.[1] It was released as a digital download to the iTunes Store the following day.[2] On November 14, 2012 a remix was released featuring rapper T.I..[3]
Sean said in an interview with Tim Westwood that many more A-list rappers had recorded verses for the song. In the end, all of the rappers were cut except Big Sean, Kanye West and Jay-Z.[4]
Composition
The song was produced by Hit-Boy, who was signed to West's label GOOD Music.[1] The song contains vocal samples of American funk musician James Brown's 1974 song "Funky President (People It's Bad)".[5]
Reception
Complex named "Clique" #15 on their list of the 50 best songs of 2012.[6] The track was ranked at #96 on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2012.[7] Both Dagbladet and NME named "Clique" the 15th best song of 2012.[8][9] The song was placed #49 by Paste on their list best songs of 2012 list.[10] "Clique" was ranked #44 on the annual Pazz & Jop singles poll.[11] Jay-Z's guest verse was named the fifth best of 2012 by Complex magazine.[12]
Commercial Performance
"Clique" debuted at 55 on the Billboard Hot 100.[13] The song sold one million digital copies by late-November 2012.[14] It was certified triple platinum in June 2017.[15]
Awards and nominations
Year | Ceremony | Category | Result | Ref. |
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2014 | ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards | Award Winning R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | Won | [16] |
BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards | Award Winning Songs | Won | [17] | |
World Music Awards | World's Best Song | Nominated | [18] | |
Credits and personnel
The credits for "Clique" are adapted from the iTunes single release.[2]
- Songwriting – Kanye West, Chauncey Hollis, Sean Anderson, Shawn Carter, James Fauntleroy, Alexander Izquierdo
- Production – Hit-Boy, Kanye West
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
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Certifications
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Release history
Country | Date | Format | Label |
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United States[2] | September 7, 2012 | Digital download | |
References
- Makarechi, Kia (September 6, 2012). "'Clique': Kanye West Drops Track With Jay-Z & Big Sean As VMAs Get Ready To Take Off". The Huffington Post. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
- "Clique – Single by Kanye West, Jay-Z & Big Sean". iTunes Store. Apple. Retrieved September 8, 2012.
- http://hiphopdx.com, HipHopDX -. "T.I. f. Big Sean, Jay-Z & Kanye West – Clique Remix". hiphopdx.com. Retrieved May 20, 2017.
- Horowitz, Steven (November 29, 2012). "Big Sean Says "Grade A" Rappers Contributed To "Clique" & "I Don't Like (Remix)" But Didn't Make It". HipHopDX. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
- Richard. "G.O.O.D Music ft. Big Sean, Kanye West & Jay-Z – Clique – Listen". DJ Booth. The DJ Booth, LLC. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
- Martin, Andrew; Isenberg, Daniel; Drake, David; Baker, Ernest; Ahmed, Insanul; Erwin, Jack; Moore, Jacob; Nostro, Lauren; Scarano, Ross. "The 50 Best Songs of 2012". Complex. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
- Lavergne, Max. "The Wrap Up | Hottest 100 - 2012". Triple J. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
- "Best International Songs 2012". Dagbladet. 14 December 2012. Archived from the original on 9 March 2020.
- Talia Soghomonian (22 November 2012). "50 Best Tracks of 2012". NME. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- Tyler Kanye (22 November 2012). "The 50 Best Songs of 2012". Paste. Archived from the original on 10 July 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- "Village Voice - Pazz & Jop Lists 2012". Rocklistmusic. Archived from the original on 3 September 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- Baker, Ernest; Martin, Andrew. "The 25 Best Guest Verses of 2012". Complex. Retrieved February 3, 2019.
- Paul Grein (9 September 2012). "Week Ending Sept. 9, 2012. Songs: Taylor's Back On Top". Yahoo. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 26 April 2020.
- Paul Grein (28 November 2012). "Week Ending Nov. 25, 2012. Songs: Phillip Phillips Is "Home"". Yahoo. Archived from the original on 20 January 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2020.
- Danny Schwartz (8 June 2017). "Kanye West, Jay Z, & Big Sean's "Clique" Goes Triple Platinum". HotNewHipHop.
- "2014 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Musi Awards: R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". ASCAP. 27 June 2014. Archived from the original on 7 August 2016. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- "Christopher 'Ludacris' Bridges and Top Songwriters Honored at the 2014 BMI R&B/Hip-Hop Awards". BMI. 23 August 2014. Archived from the original on 6 July 2017. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- "Choose your Nomination Category 2014". World Music Award. Archived from the original on 24 September 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2019.
- "Australian-charts.com – Kanye West, Jay-Z & Big Sean – Clique". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
- "Ultratop.be – Kanye West, Jay-Z & Big Sean – Clique" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
- "Ultratop.be – Kanye West, Jay-Z & Big Sean – Clique" (in French). Ultratip.
- "Kanye West Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
- "Danishcharts.com – Kanye West, Jay-Z & Big Sean – Clique". Tracklisten.
- "Lescharts.com – Kanye West, Jay-Z & Big Sean – Clique" (in French). Les classement single.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – Kanye West, Jay-Z & Big Sean – Clique" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
- "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
- "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- "Kanye West Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
- "Kanye West Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
- "Kanye West Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
- "Kanye West Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
- "UK Singles Chart 2012" (PDF). ChartsPlus. Retrieved 2019-02-02. Cite journal requires
|journal=
(help) - "R&B/Hip-Hop Songs - 2012 Year End Charts". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
- "2013 Year End Charts — R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
- "2013 Year End Charts — Rap Songs". Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2019-02-02.
- "2013 Year End Charts — Rhythmic Songs". Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2019-02-03.
- "Danish single certifications – Kanye West & Jay-Z & Big Sean – Clique". IFPI Denmark. Retrieved August 21, 2019. Scroll through the page-list below until year 2018 to obtain certification.
- "British single certifications – Kanye West – Clique". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 19, 2019. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Clique in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- "American single certifications – Kanye West feat. Jay-Z and Big Sean – Clique". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH.