Watch (song)

"Watch" is a song by American rapper Travis Scott, featuring vocals from American rappers Lil Uzi Vert and Kanye West. All three artists wrote the song alongside producer Pi'erre Bourne. It was released by Epic Records on May 4, 2018. It was expected to be the second single from Scott's third studio album Astroworld, before being excluded when the album was released on August 3, 2018.[1][2]

For the Billie Eilish song of the same name, see Watch (Billie Eilish song).
"Watch"
Single by Travis Scott featuring Lil Uzi Vert and Kanye West
ReleasedMay 4, 2018 (2018-05-04)
GenreTrap
Length3:37
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Pi'erre Bourne
Travis Scott singles chronology
"Dark Knight Dummo"
(2017)		 "Watch"
(2018)		 "Champion"
(2018)
Lil Uzi Vert singles chronology
"Sauce It Up"
(2018)		 "Watch"
(2018)		 "Wasted"
(2018)
Kanye West singles chronology
"Ye vs. the People"
(2018)		 "Watch"
(2018)		 "Yikes"
(2018)

Release

American supermodel and reality star and Travis Scott's girlfriend at the time, Kylie Jenner, first teased the track via her Snapchat story on April 24, 2018,[3] West also teased it on Twitter the following day.[4][5][6] A day before the song's release, Scott revealed its release date and cover art,[7][8][9] the latter of which includes a roller coaster, a skull with fire in its eye sockets, flowers and a gem-encrusted gold watch.[10] On May 11, Scott premiered a vertical video for the song exclusively on Spotify, in which Uzi and West were absent. It was shot at Six Flags Magic Mountain.[11]

Composition

"Watch" is a trap song which samples Ronald Jenkees' 2012 song "Early Morning May" and KSupreme's unreleased song "Expensive Shit".[12][13][3] According to Rolling Stone's Althea Legaspi, "the track opens with an amusement park clip of a child at AstroWorld, and a whimsical, woozy musical vibe follows that befits that theme".[10] Lyrically, Uzi raps about his cash flow,[14] while West raps about opioid addiction and addresses his controversial social position.[15][16][17] The outro was spoken by Scott's then-girlfriend and West's sister-in-law Kylie Jenner until their breakup in October 2019.[18][19]

Critical reception

Sheldon Pearce of Pitchfork regarded the song as "an enjoyable ego trip full of empty-calorie raps, reliant entirely on the premise that you are as enthralled by these three artists as they are with themselves". He noted "Pi'erre's superb ear-bending production" as "the song's best feature", writing that "Scott is largely forgettable" due to his "toneless, flat, and unchanging" hums.[20]

Live performances

On May 6, 2018, Scott made a live performance debut of the song during an appearance at Avenue nightclub in Los Angeles.[21]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[22]

Charts
Chart (2018) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[23] 65
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[24] 24
New Zealand Heatseekers (RMNZ)[25] 2
Portugal (AFP)[26] 78
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[27] 62
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[28] 53
US Billboard Hot 100[29] 16
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[30] 9
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[31] 21

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[32] Platinum 1,000,000*

sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Release history
Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various May 4, 2018
Epic [22]
United States May 29, 2018 Rhythmic contemporary radio [33]
gollark: `we're not allowed to talk abt the formula or find out the specific formula`
gollark: Did *they*?
gollark: How are you meant to look at the code exactly?
gollark: Which they seemingly won't allow you to share, you see.
gollark: Yes, one which I believe should be analysable.

References
  1. Hilberath, LJ (May 4, 2018). "Review: Kanye West's verse is superfluous on solid lead single from Travis Scott's forthcoming album Astroworld". Creative Loafing. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  2. Guerra, Joey (May 4, 2018). "Travis Scott debuts new song with Kanye West and Lil Uzi Vert". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  3. Goddard, Kevin (May 4, 2018). "Travis Scott Recruits Kanye West & Lil Uzi Vert For New Single "Watch"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  4. Espinoza, Joshua (May 4, 2018). "Travis Scott, Kanye West, and Lil Uzi Vert Join Forces on "Watch"". Complex. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  5. Coleman II, C. Vernon (May 4, 2018). "Travis Scott, Kanye West and Lil Uzi Vert Brag About Their "Watch" Game on New Track". XXL. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  6. Reilly, Nick (May 4, 2018). "Travis Scott, Kanye West and Lil Uzi Vert drop new single 'Watch'". NME. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  7. A., Aron (May 3, 2018). "Travis Scott's New Single "Watch" Drops Tonight". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  8. Kim, Michelle; Minsker, Evan (May 4, 2018). "Travis Scott, Kanye West, Lil Uzi Vert Drop New Song "Watch": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  9. Thiessen, Brock (May 3, 2018). "Travis Scott, Kanye West and Lil Uzi Vert Connect for "Watch"". Exclaim!. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  10. Legaspi, Althea (May 4, 2018). "Hear Travis Scott's New Song 'Watch' featuring Kanye West, Lil Uzi Vert". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  11. Goddard, Kevin (May 11, 2018). "Travis Scott Drops Off Vertical Video For "Watch" On Spotify". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  12. Cook-Wilson, Winston (May 4, 2018). "Kanye West Raps About Larry David, Getting Off His Meds, and Jeff Bezos on Travis Scott's New Song". Spin. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  13. Miller, Matt (May 4, 2018). "Kanye West Raps About the Sunken Place, Opioid Addiction, and Seinfeld on a New Song". Esquire. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  14. "New Music: Travis Scott feat. Kanye West & Lil Uzi Vert – 'Watch'". Rap-Up. May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  15. Breihan, Tom (May 4, 2018). "Travis Scott – "Watch" (Feat. Kanye West & Lil Uzi Vert)". Stereogum. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  16. Hearon, Sarah (May 4, 2018). "Kanye West Raps About 'Opioid Addiction' on New Travis Scott Song: 'Pharmacy's the Real Trap'". Us Weekly. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  17. Ivey, Justin (May 3, 2018). "Travis Scott Teams With Kanye West & Lil Uzi Vert For "Watch" Single". HipHopDX. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  18. People Staff (May 4, 2018). "Kanye West Raps About Opioid Addiction on New Travis Scott Track: 'I Got Off My Main Pills'". People. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  19. Hosken, Patrick (May 4, 2018). "Kanye West References His Opioid Addiction (And The Sunken Place) On New Verse". MTV News. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  20. Pearce, Sheldon (May 4, 2018). ""Watch" [ft. Kanye West & Lil Uzi Vert] by Travis Scott Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  21. India, Lindsey (May 7, 2018). "Travis Scott Debuts First Live Performance of "Watch"". XXL. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  22. "Watch / Travis Scott TIDAL". Tidal. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  23. "ARIA Chart Watch #472". auspOp. May 12, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  24. "Travis Scott Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  25. "NZ Heatseeker Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. May 14, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  26. "Portuguesecharts.com – Travis Scott feat. Kanye West & Lil Uzi Vert – Watch". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  27. "Swisscharts.com – Travis Scott feat. Kanye West & Lil Uzi Vert – Watch". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
  28. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
  29. Trust, Gary (May 14, 2018). "Childish Gambino's 'This Is America' Is No. 1 On The Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  30. "Travis Scott Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 15, 2018.
  31. "Travis Scott Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
  32. "American single certifications – Travis Scott – Watch". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 23, 2019. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  33. "Top 40/R Future Releases". Archived from the original on May 13, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
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