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I Thought About Killing You

January 26, 2023

"I Thought About Killing You" is a song by American rapper Kanye West, released as the opening track on his eighth studio album, Ye (2018). The song was produced by West, Francis and the Lights, and Benny Blanco, with additional production from Mike Dean, Andy C and Aaron Lammer. The production is driven by repetitive a capella intonations, which play in the background. The lyrical content of the song centers around West's thoughts of suicide and homicide, delivered in both rapping and spoken word. West imparted that he has had suicidal thoughts in an interview with The New York Times.

"I Thought About Killing You"
Song by Kanye West
from the album Ye
ReleasedJune 1, 2018
Recorded2018
StudioWest Lake Ranch, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
GenreSpoken word
Length4:34
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

"I Thought About Killing You" received mixed to positive reviews from music critics, with some directing praise towards its lyrical content and the beat switch, though other critics expressed negative feelings of such content. The original version of the song contained an unlicensed sample of "Fr3sh" by Kareem Lofty. The sample was removed in November 2018 after legal action was threatened by Lofty's record label, PAN. Though not released as a single, the song peaked at number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100, while it reached top 40 positions on the Canadian Hot 100 and Irish Singles Chart.

Background and recording

West first worked with American pop project Francis and the Lights on their 2016 single "Friends" alongside Bon Iver; West appeared in the song's music video.[1][2] In addition to "I Thought About Killing You", Francis and the Lights helped produce Ye tracks "All Mine" and "Ghost Town".[3] The project produced the song with West and Benny Blanco, while additional production was handled by Mike Dean, Andy C and Aaron Lammer.[3] British grime rapper Wiley commented on West's TMZ interview in which he suggested slavery was a choice via Twitter on May 3, 2018, claiming in one of his tweets that "Slavery was not a choice it was forced upon us. We were born into it."[4] Despite tweeting out against his remarks, Wiley described West as "very smart."[4] The contributions of Wiley and fellow British rapper Skepta weren't revealed until the credits of Ye were updated on June 14, 2018 to show them as co-writers on "I Thought About Killing You".[5] It stands along with "Yikes" as one of only two tracks on the album where the vocals are solely by West.[3]

West explained that he has had contemplations of suicide during an interview with The New York Times on June 25, 2018; the album was recorded that same year.[6][7] When asked to what degree song's title was literal and metaphoric, West replied, "Oh yeah, I've thought about killing myself all the time. It's always an option and [expletive]. Like Louis C.K. said, I flip through the manual. I weigh all the options. I'm just having this epiphany now because I didn't do it, but I did think it all the way through. But if I didn't think it all the way through, then it's actually maybe more of a chance of it happening."[6] On June 14, 2018, West posted a tweet that indicated his thoughts linked to the song were about killing his ego, and West revealed that without his ego he is "Just Ye," giving potential context into why West titled his album as such.[8] West's wife Kim Kardashian posted a photo to her Instagram with the caption "I thought about killing you" on August 15, though did not directly reference him.[9]

The original version of the song contains an uncredited sample from "Fr3sh", as performed by Kareem Lotfy.[10][11] Bill Kouligas, head of Lotfy's label PAN, criticized West for the unlicensed sample and indicated intent to pursue legal action, saying "It's sadly another case of an artist who capitalizes on culture without any original ideas" and calling West "the ultimate narcissist."[10] Francis and the Lights, who produced the track with West, took responsibility for the sampling and apologized, saying that he would be "reaching out" to rectify the issue and that the sample was added "at the last minute."[12] On November 7, 2018, an alternative version of the album on streaming services revealed the song with its sample removed and the beat revised.[13]

On the night of the album's premiere, West said that specific lyrics had been cut from it after his controversial interview with TMZ in which he made comments about slavery. On June 7, 2018, six days after the release of Ye, the clean version of "I Thought About Killing You" had the lyric "Sorry, but I chose not to be no slave" added at approximately three minutes and 30 seconds into the song in reference to those comments. The line has not been added to the explicit version of the song.[14]

Composition and lyrics

West delivers rap and spoken word lyrics over a cappella voices intoning "I know, I know" in the song, which sees him express thoughts about killing himself and someone else.[15][16] It stands along with "Yikes" as one of the occasions where West addresses his mental health on the album.[17] The song begins with the line "The most beautiful thoughts are always besides the darkest," which is a thesis by West.[16] At precisely two minutes and 20 seconds into the song, West begins to rap after having delivered spoken word and soft drums kick in at this point.[11] When rapping, West mispronounces "cache" as "cash-ay" at one point, which may have been purposeful due to his history with neologisms.[18] A lyric is left unfinished by West in one of his lines with "Mhm, I don't see no, mhm, yeah, I don't see no, mhm, mhm."[18] The uncredited sample from "Fr3sh" by Kareem Lotfy within the original version is used for a beat switch at precisely 3:10.[10][11]

Release and promotion

 
The song was played during the listening party for Ye in Jackson Hole.

"I Thought About Killing You" was released on June 1, 2018, as the first track on West's eighth studio album Ye.[19] It stands as the longest song on the album, running for a total of 4:34.[3] A promotional video was displayed on the official website of West from the album's listening party that included "I Thought About Killing You" and "Ghost Town" being played, though the website was later updated on October 22, 2019.[20][21] The listening party was convened by West on the night before the release of Ye in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, which is the same place that West recorded the album.[22][23] Co-writer Cyhi the Prynce was among the attendees at the listening party.[24] Kid Cudi walked down the runway to the song at a fashion show of Virgil Abloh during 2018 Paris Fashion Week, where West was in attendance.[25]

Critical reception

The song was met with mixed to positive reviews from music critics, who were somewhat divided in their opinions towards West's lyricism and the beat switch. In a highly positive review, Christopher Hooton from The Independent analysed the song as something that "has shades of the Kanye genius of yore, showing the instinctive command of melody of a musical aesthete who builds momentum in a song like no other" and Hooton also praised the beat switch, noting it as being addictive.[26] Douglas Greenwood of NME described the song's position on the album as being "a bold opener lyrically" and what is "made even darker by the fact he seems to abandons the song's style two thirds of the way through," with Greenwood viewing it as becoming a totally new track after the style is abandoned by West.[27] Reviewing Ye for Exclaim!, Kyle Mullin viewed the song's vocal effects employed by West "that help him evoke the myriad voices that ring in a deranged mind" as being one of the "moments devoted to mental health" that truly give the album a purpose.[28] In response to West's performance, Zachary Hoskins from Slant Magazine wrote "'Sometimes I think really bad things,' he confesses on the stark, harrowing opener 'I Thought About Killing You,' his voice dipping into an artificial chopped-and-screwed baritone. 'Really, really, really bad things.'"[29] Courtney E. Smith of Refinery29 viewed the song as "a track punctuated by screams that deals with heavy themes of death and violence" and described it as feeling "eerie to listen to these dark thoughts next to that dark production from Mike Dean," looking at Dean's production as combining synths and dirty bass, while claiming that the gloom should be attributed "to West (think of Bey's 'Partition' verses West's 'Monster,' which encapsulate the different directions in which an artist can push Dean's signature sound)."[30]

Alexis Petridis was more mixed in The Guardian, claiming that despite there being "something audacious about the way 'I Thought About Killing You' suddenly turns into a completely different track three-quarters of the way through, neither of its two contrasting parts are anything to write home about."[31] The staff of XXL noted West's "series of spoken word phrases" within the track for being repetitive, while claiming that the phrases are succeeded by him "launching into a completely unrelated rap that offers no real payoff" and cited the track as an example of "waiting for moments of enlightenment or engagement that ultimately never arrive" on Ye.[32] In reference to the lyrics "Sometimes I think bad things... Really, really, really bad things," Andrew Barker of Variety criticized the album's "emotional trajectory" for being "fairly obvious, beginning with West at his lowest" and slammed the song as "his pitch shifting ever downward to a woozy, demonic register."[33] In Consequence of Sound, Wren Graves claimed that "some of that Life of Pablo rambling starts to creep in" when the first two minutes of the track "feel repetitive after just a few listens."[34] Ross Horton from The Line of Best Fit characterized the track as "comically bad" and being "an interesting, sinister concept that is executed in so poorly that you begin to question where the record is going."[35]

Commercial performance

Following the release of Ye, the song made its debut on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 28.[36] The song received 23.4 million streams, leading to an entry at number 15 on the US Streaming Songs chart.[37] Simultaneously, it reached number 17 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[38] On September 23, 2020, "I Thought About Killing You" was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of 500,000 certified units in the United States.[39]

In Canada, the song entered at number 28 on the Canadian Hot 100.[40] On the Irish Singles Chart, the song debuted at number 34.[41] It reached number 41 on the ARIA Singles Chart and charted similarly on Slovakia's Singles Digitál Top 100, reaching number 43 on the chart.[42][43] The song charted at number 52 and 53 on the Greece International Digital Singles chart and Portuguese Singles Chart, respectively.[44][45] It debuted at number 74 on the Czech Republic Singles Digitál Top 100.[46] "I Thought About Killing You" entered at number 125 on the French SNEP chart, standing as the album's highest charting non-single in France.[47]

Credits and personnel

Recording

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[3]

Charts

Chart performance for "I Thought About Killing You"
Chart (2018) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[50] 41
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[51] 28
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[46] 74
France (SNEP)[52] 125
Greece International Digital Singles (IFPI)[44] 52
Ireland (IRMA)[53] 34
New Zealand Heatseekers (RMNZ)[54] 1
Portugal (AFP)[55] 53
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[43] 43
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[56] 9
UK Audio Streaming (OCC)[57] 18
US Billboard Hot 100[58] 28
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[59] 17

Certifications

Certifications for "I Thought About Killing You"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[39] Gold 500,000 

  Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

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  2. ^ Woolf, Jake (July 7, 2016). "Kanye's New Video with Bon Iver and Francis and the Lights Is Delightfully Self-Aware". GQ. from the original on June 25, 2018. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e "ye / Kanye West". Tidal. Archived from the original on March 28, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Roper, Kerri-Ann (May 3, 2018). "Slavery was not a choice, says Wiley in wake of Kanye West controversy". Independent.ie. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  5. ^ "Skepta and Wiley are credited as composers on Kanye West's ye". Crack Magazine. June 14, 2018. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Caramanica, Jon (June 25, 2018). "Into the Wild With Kanye West playback". The New York Times. from the original on March 7, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  7. ^ "Kanye West Says He Redid Entire 'ye' Album After TMZ Interview". Rap-Up. June 3, 2018. from the original on September 27, 2019. Retrieved July 9, 2020.
  8. ^ Holmes, Charles (June 14, 2018). "Did Kanye Just Reveal Who He 'Thought About Killing' On That Ye Track?". MTV. from the original on February 17, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  9. ^ "Kim Kardashian's Message to Kanye West? 'I Thought About Killing You'". OK!. August 15, 2018. from the original on August 16, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  10. ^ a b c Yoo, Noah (June 2, 2018). "Berlin Label Pan Claims Kanye Sampled Their Song Without Permission". Pitchfork. from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  11. ^ a b c Glaysher, Scott (June 3, 2018). "Kanye West's 'Ye': A Closer Look Into The Samples Of The Album". Billboard. from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  12. ^ Espinoza, Joshua (June 2, 2018). "Record Label Claims Kanye West Illegally Sampled One of Their Tracks on 'Ye'". Complex. from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  13. ^ Cowen, Trace William (November 9, 2018). "Kanye West's 'Ye' Has Been Updated". Complex. from the original on November 9, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  14. ^ Wicks, Amanda (June 7, 2018). "Kanye Updates ye, Adds 'I Thought About Killing You' Lyrics". Pitchfork. from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  15. ^ Lopez, Veronica (June 1, 2018). "Is 'I Thought About Killing You'About Someone? Kanye West's 'Ye' Track Has Fans Asking Similar Questions". Elite Daily. from the original on December 21, 2018. Retrieved December 20, 2018.
  16. ^ a b Pareles, Jon (June 3, 2018). "Kanye West Writes a Song of Himself on 'Ye'". The New York Times. from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
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  20. ^ Markowitz, Douglas (June 6, 2018). "Kanye West Project Wyoming Miami Event and Venue Updated". Miami New Times. from the original on December 19, 2019. Retrieved December 21, 2019.
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  22. ^ Leight, Elias (June 1, 2018). "Inside Kanye West's Wyoming Listening Party". Rolling Stone. from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  23. ^ Nembhard, Candice (June 1, 2018). "Kanye West's New Album 'Ye': Everything We Know So Far". Highsnobiety. from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved April 14, 2019.
  24. ^ Lavin, Will (June 2018). "Here's a list of everyone who attended last night's Kanye West album playback". Joe.co.uk. from the original on July 30, 2018. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  25. ^ Yoo, Noah (June 21, 2018). "Watch Kid Cudi Walk in Virgil Abloh's First Louis Vuitton Show". Pitchfork. from the original on May 11, 2019. Retrieved May 11, 2019.
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  27. ^ Greenwood, Douglas (June 3, 2018). "Kanye West - 'ye' review". NME. from the original on July 19, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
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  32. ^ . XXL. June 6, 2018. Archived from the original on April 14, 2020. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  33. ^ Barker, Andrew (June 2, 2018). "Album Review: Kanye West's 'Ye'". Variety. from the original on July 20, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  34. ^ Graves, Wren (June 4, 2018). "Kanye West Proves Less Is So Much More on ye". Consequence of Sound. from the original on July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  35. ^ Horton, Ross (June 2, 2018). "Kanye West - Ye | Album Review". The Line of Best Fit. from the original on February 3, 2019. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  36. ^ Zellner, Xander; Trust, Gary (June 12, 2018). "Kanye West Debuts All 7 Songs From 'Ye' in Billboard Hot 100's Top 40". Billboard. from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  37. ^ Rutherford, Kevin (June 13, 2018). . Billboard. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
  38. ^ Anderson, Trevor (June 14, 2018). "Kanye West Passes Aretha Franklin's Top 40 Total on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. from the original on July 2, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  39. ^ a b "American single certifications – Kanye West – I Thought About Killing You". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
  40. ^ "Canadian Music: Top 100 Songs – June 16, 2018". Billboard. from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  41. ^ "Discography Kanye West". irish-charts.com. from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
  42. ^ "Kanye West debuts at #1 with ye". ARIA. June 9, 2018. from the original on March 26, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  43. ^ a b "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201823 into search. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  44. ^ a b "Official IFPI Charts – Digital Singles Chart (International) – Week: 23/2018". IFPI Greece. from the original on 2018-06-18. Retrieved April 21, 2019.
  45. ^ "Portuguese Charts – Singles – 23.23.2018". portuguesecharts.com. from the original on June 29, 2018. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  46. ^ a b "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201823 into search. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  47. ^ "Discographie Kanye West" (in French). lescharts.com. from the original on December 1, 2014. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  48. ^ Fu, Eddie (April 2, 2018). "Kanye West spotted with Rick Rubin at Calabasas office". Consequence of Sound. from the original on April 21, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  49. ^ Bromwich, Jonah Engel (February 23, 2020). . The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 24, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
  50. ^ "Kanye West – I Thought About Killing You". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  51. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  52. ^ "Kanye West – I Thought About Killing You" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
  53. ^ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  54. ^ "NZ Heatseeker Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. June 11, 2018. from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  55. ^ "Kanye West – I Thought About Killing You". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved June 23, 2018.
  56. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  57. ^ "Official Audio Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  58. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  59. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2018.

External links

  • Official website


January 26, 2023
thought, about, killing, song, american, rapper, kanye, west, released, opening, track, eighth, studio, album, 2018, song, produced, west, francis, lights, benny, blanco, with, additional, production, from, mike, dean, andy, aaron, lammer, production, driven, . I Thought About Killing You is a song by American rapper Kanye West released as the opening track on his eighth studio album Ye 2018 The song was produced by West Francis and the Lights and Benny Blanco with additional production from Mike Dean Andy C and Aaron Lammer The production is driven by repetitive a capella intonations which play in the background The lyrical content of the song centers around West s thoughts of suicide and homicide delivered in both rapping and spoken word West imparted that he has had suicidal thoughts in an interview with The New York Times I Thought About Killing You Song by Kanye Westfrom the album YeReleasedJune 1 2018Recorded2018StudioWest Lake Ranch Jackson Hole WyomingGenreSpoken wordLength4 34LabelGOOD Def JamSongwriter s Kanye West Benny Blanco Cydel Young Dexter Mills Francis Starlite Joseph Adenuga Olaitan Kenneth Pershon Malik Jones Mike Dean Richard Cowie Terrence BoykinProducer s Kanye West Francis and the Lights Benny Blanco I Thought About Killing You received mixed to positive reviews from music critics with some directing praise towards its lyrical content and the beat switch though other critics expressed negative feelings of such content The original version of the song contained an unlicensed sample of Fr3sh by Kareem Lofty The sample was removed in November 2018 after legal action was threatened by Lofty s record label PAN Though not released as a single the song peaked at number 28 on the US Billboard Hot 100 while it reached top 40 positions on the Canadian Hot 100 and Irish Singles Chart Contents 1 Background and recording 2 Composition and lyrics 3 Release and promotion 4 Critical reception 5 Commercial performance 6 Credits and personnel 7 Charts 8 Certifications 9 See also 10 References 11 External linksBackground and recording EditWest first worked with American pop project Francis and the Lights on their 2016 single Friends alongside Bon Iver West appeared in the song s music video 1 2 In addition to I Thought About Killing You Francis and the Lights helped produce Ye tracks All Mine and Ghost Town 3 The project produced the song with West and Benny Blanco while additional production was handled by Mike Dean Andy C and Aaron Lammer 3 British grime rapper Wiley commented on West s TMZ interview in which he suggested slavery was a choice via Twitter on May 3 2018 claiming in one of his tweets that Slavery was not a choice it was forced upon us We were born into it 4 Despite tweeting out against his remarks Wiley described West as very smart 4 The contributions of Wiley and fellow British rapper Skepta weren t revealed until the credits of Ye were updated on June 14 2018 to show them as co writers on I Thought About Killing You 5 It stands along with Yikes as one of only two tracks on the album where the vocals are solely by West 3 West explained that he has had contemplations of suicide during an interview with The New York Times on June 25 2018 the album was recorded that same year 6 7 When asked to what degree song s title was literal and metaphoric West replied Oh yeah I ve thought about killing myself all the time It s always an option and expletive Like Louis C K said I flip through the manual I weigh all the options I m just having this epiphany now because I didn t do it but I did think it all the way through But if I didn t think it all the way through then it s actually maybe more of a chance of it happening 6 On June 14 2018 West posted a tweet that indicated his thoughts linked to the song were about killing his ego and West revealed that without his ego he is Just Ye giving potential context into why West titled his album as such 8 West s wife Kim Kardashian posted a photo to her Instagram with the caption I thought about killing you on August 15 though did not directly reference him 9 The original version of the song contains an uncredited sample from Fr3sh as performed by Kareem Lotfy 10 11 Bill Kouligas head of Lotfy s label PAN criticized West for the unlicensed sample and indicated intent to pursue legal action saying It s sadly another case of an artist who capitalizes on culture without any original ideas and calling West the ultimate narcissist 10 Francis and the Lights who produced the track with West took responsibility for the sampling and apologized saying that he would be reaching out to rectify the issue and that the sample was added at the last minute 12 On November 7 2018 an alternative version of the album on streaming services revealed the song with its sample removed and the beat revised 13 On the night of the album s premiere West said that specific lyrics had been cut from it after his controversial interview with TMZ in which he made comments about slavery On June 7 2018 six days after the release of Ye the clean version of I Thought About Killing You had the lyric Sorry but I chose not to be no slave added at approximately three minutes and 30 seconds into the song in reference to those comments The line has not been added to the explicit version of the song 14 Composition and lyrics EditWest delivers rap and spoken word lyrics over a cappella voices intoning I know I know in the song which sees him express thoughts about killing himself and someone else 15 16 It stands along with Yikes as one of the occasions where West addresses his mental health on the album 17 The song begins with the line The most beautiful thoughts are always besides the darkest which is a thesis by West 16 At precisely two minutes and 20 seconds into the song West begins to rap after having delivered spoken word and soft drums kick in at this point 11 When rapping West mispronounces cache as cash ay at one point which may have been purposeful due to his history with neologisms 18 A lyric is left unfinished by West in one of his lines with Mhm I don t see no mhm yeah I don t see no mhm mhm 18 The uncredited sample from Fr3sh by Kareem Lotfy within the original version is used for a beat switch at precisely 3 10 10 11 Release and promotion Edit The song was played during the listening party for Ye in Jackson Hole I Thought About Killing You was released on June 1 2018 as the first track on West s eighth studio album Ye 19 It stands as the longest song on the album running for a total of 4 34 3 A promotional video was displayed on the official website of West from the album s listening party that included I Thought About Killing You and Ghost Town being played though the website was later updated on October 22 2019 20 21 The listening party was convened by West on the night before the release of Ye in Jackson Hole Wyoming which is the same place that West recorded the album 22 23 Co writer Cyhi the Prynce was among the attendees at the listening party 24 Kid Cudi walked down the runway to the song at a fashion show of Virgil Abloh during 2018 Paris Fashion Week where West was in attendance 25 Critical reception EditThe song was met with mixed to positive reviews from music critics who were somewhat divided in their opinions towards West s lyricism and the beat switch In a highly positive review Christopher Hooton from The Independent analysed the song as something that has shades of the Kanye genius of yore showing the instinctive command of melody of a musical aesthete who builds momentum in a song like no other and Hooton also praised the beat switch noting it as being addictive 26 Douglas Greenwood of NME described the song s position on the album as being a bold opener lyrically and what is made even darker by the fact he seems to abandons the song s style two thirds of the way through with Greenwood viewing it as becoming a totally new track after the style is abandoned by West 27 Reviewing Ye for Exclaim Kyle Mullin viewed the song s vocal effects employed by West that help him evoke the myriad voices that ring in a deranged mind as being one of the moments devoted to mental health that truly give the album a purpose 28 In response to West s performance Zachary Hoskins from Slant Magazine wrote Sometimes I think really bad things he confesses on the stark harrowing opener I Thought About Killing You his voice dipping into an artificial chopped and screwed baritone Really really really bad things 29 Courtney E Smith of Refinery29 viewed the song as a track punctuated by screams that deals with heavy themes of death and violence and described it as feeling eerie to listen to these dark thoughts next to that dark production from Mike Dean looking at Dean s production as combining synths and dirty bass while claiming that the gloom should be attributed to West think of Bey s Partition verses West s Monster which encapsulate the different directions in which an artist can push Dean s signature sound 30 Alexis Petridis was more mixed in The Guardian claiming that despite there being something audacious about the way I Thought About Killing You suddenly turns into a completely different track three quarters of the way through neither of its two contrasting parts are anything to write home about 31 The staff of XXL noted West s series of spoken word phrases within the track for being repetitive while claiming that the phrases are succeeded by him launching into a completely unrelated rap that offers no real payoff and cited the track as an example of waiting for moments of enlightenment or engagement that ultimately never arrive on Ye 32 In reference to the lyrics Sometimes I think bad things Really really really bad things Andrew Barker of Variety criticized the album s emotional trajectory for being fairly obvious beginning with West at his lowest and slammed the song as his pitch shifting ever downward to a woozy demonic register 33 In Consequence of Sound Wren Graves claimed that some of that Life of Pablo rambling starts to creep in when the first two minutes of the track feel repetitive after just a few listens 34 Ross Horton from The Line of Best Fit characterized the track as comically bad and being an interesting sinister concept that is executed in so poorly that you begin to question where the record is going 35 Commercial performance EditFollowing the release of Ye the song made its debut on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 28 36 The song received 23 4 million streams leading to an entry at number 15 on the US Streaming Songs chart 37 Simultaneously it reached number 17 on the US Hot R amp B Hip Hop Songs chart 38 On September 23 2020 I Thought About Killing You was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America RIAA for sales of 500 000 certified units in the United States 39 In Canada the song entered at number 28 on the Canadian Hot 100 40 On the Irish Singles Chart the song debuted at number 34 41 It reached number 41 on the ARIA Singles Chart and charted similarly on Slovakia s Singles Digital Top 100 reaching number 43 on the chart 42 43 The song charted at number 52 and 53 on the Greece International Digital Singles chart and Portuguese Singles Chart respectively 44 45 It debuted at number 74 on the Czech Republic Singles Digital Top 100 46 I Thought About Killing You entered at number 125 on the French SNEP chart standing as the album s highest charting non single in France 47 Credits and personnel EditRecording Recorded at West Lake Ranch Jackson Hole Wyoming 48 49 Personnel Kanye West production songwriter Benny Blanco production songwriter Francis and the Lights production Mike Dean additional production songwriter engineering mixing Andy C additional production Aaron Lammer additional production Cydel Young songwriter Dexter Mills songwriter Francis Starlite songwriter Joseph Adenuga Olaitan songwriter Kenneth Pershon songwriter Malik Yusef songwriter Richard Cowie songwriter Terrence Boykin songwriter Mike Malchicoff engineering Zack Djurich engineering Sean Solymar assistant recording engineering Jess Jackson mixing Credits adapted from Tidal 3 Charts EditChart performance for I Thought About Killing You Chart 2018 PeakpositionAustralia ARIA 50 41Canada Canadian Hot 100 51 28Czech Republic Singles Digital Top 100 46 74France SNEP 52 125Greece International Digital Singles IFPI 44 52Ireland IRMA 53 34New Zealand Heatseekers RMNZ 54 1Portugal AFP 55 53Slovakia Singles Digital Top 100 43 43UK Hip Hop R amp B OCC 56 9UK Audio Streaming OCC 57 18US Billboard Hot 100 58 28US Hot R amp B Hip Hop Songs Billboard 59 17Certifications EditCertifications for I Thought About Killing You Region Certification Certified units salesUnited States RIAA 39 Gold 500 000 Sales streaming figures based on certification alone See also Edit2018 in hip hop musicReferences Edit Adams Erik June 12 2016 Kanye Chance and Bon Iver can t all be wrong about Francis And The Lights The A V Club Archived from the original on August 30 2017 Retrieved April 14 2019 Woolf Jake July 7 2016 Kanye s New Video with Bon Iver and Francis and the Lights Is Delightfully Self Aware GQ Archived from the original on June 25 2018 Retrieved April 14 2019 a b c d e ye Kanye West Tidal Archived from the original on March 28 2020 Retrieved January 27 2021 a b Roper Kerri Ann May 3 2018 Slavery was not a choice says Wiley in wake of Kanye West controversy Independent ie Retrieved April 27 2019 Skepta and Wiley are credited as composers on Kanye West s ye Crack Magazine June 14 2018 Retrieved April 27 2019 a b Caramanica Jon June 25 2018 Into the Wild With Kanye West playback The New York Times Archived from the original on March 7 2019 Retrieved April 29 2019 Kanye West Says He Redid Entire ye Album After TMZ Interview Rap Up June 3 2018 Archived from the original on September 27 2019 Retrieved July 9 2020 Holmes Charles June 14 2018 Did Kanye Just Reveal Who He Thought About Killing On That Ye Track MTV Archived from the original on February 17 2019 Retrieved February 17 2019 Kim Kardashian s Message to Kanye West I Thought About Killing You OK August 15 2018 Archived from the original on August 16 2018 Retrieved April 22 2019 a b c Yoo Noah June 2 2018 Berlin Label Pan Claims Kanye Sampled Their Song Without Permission Pitchfork Archived from the original on June 21 2018 Retrieved June 20 2018 a b c Glaysher Scott June 3 2018 Kanye West s Ye A Closer Look Into The Samples Of The Album Billboard Archived from the original on June 16 2018 Retrieved April 15 2019 Espinoza Joshua June 2 2018 Record Label Claims Kanye West Illegally Sampled One of Their Tracks on Ye Complex Archived from the original on June 21 2018 Retrieved June 20 2018 Cowen Trace William November 9 2018 Kanye West s Ye Has Been Updated Complex Archived from the original on November 9 2018 Retrieved November 8 2018 Wicks Amanda June 7 2018 Kanye Updates ye Adds I Thought About Killing You Lyrics Pitchfork Archived from the original on June 21 2018 Retrieved June 20 2018 Lopez Veronica June 1 2018 Is I Thought About Killing You About Someone Kanye West s Ye Track Has Fans Asking Similar Questions Elite Daily Archived from the original on December 21 2018 Retrieved December 20 2018 a b Pareles Jon June 3 2018 Kanye West Writes a Song of Himself on Ye The New York Times Archived from the original on April 14 2019 Retrieved April 14 2019 Hale Andreas June 1 2018 Kanye West s Ye Album 5 Things We Learned on First Listen Billboard Archived from the original on January 8 2019 Retrieved April 23 2019 a b Setaro Shawn June 5 2018 Kanye West Should Learn From Pusha T and Take His Time Complex Archived from the original on April 16 2019 Retrieved April 16 2019 Yeung Neil Z Ye Kanye West AllMusic Archived from the original on April 3 2019 Retrieved April 14 2019 Markowitz Douglas June 6 2018 Kanye West Project Wyoming Miami Event and Venue Updated Miami New Times Archived from the original on December 19 2019 Retrieved December 21 2019 Caraan Sophie October 22 2019 Kanye West Jesus Is King New Release Date Hypebeast Archived from the original on October 22 2019 Retrieved December 21 2019 Leight Elias June 1 2018 Inside Kanye West s Wyoming Listening Party Rolling Stone Archived from the original on March 30 2019 Retrieved April 14 2019 Nembhard Candice June 1 2018 Kanye West s New Album Ye Everything We Know So Far Highsnobiety Archived from the original on April 14 2019 Retrieved April 14 2019 Lavin Will June 2018 Here s a list of everyone who attended last night s Kanye West album playback Joe co uk Archived from the original on July 30 2018 Retrieved April 27 2019 Yoo Noah June 21 2018 Watch Kid Cudi Walk in Virgil Abloh s First Louis Vuitton Show Pitchfork Archived from the original on May 11 2019 Retrieved May 11 2019 Hooton Christopher June 6 2018 ye album review Kanye West flew too close to the sun then directly into it The Independent Archived from the original on June 22 2018 Retrieved December 6 2018 Greenwood Douglas June 3 2018 Kanye West ye review NME Archived from the original on July 19 2018 Retrieved July 19 2018 Mullin Kyle June 3 2018 Kanye West ye Exclaim Archived from the original on August 12 2018 Retrieved April 27 2019 Hoskins Zachary June 1 2018 Review Kanye West Ye Slant Magazine Archived from the original on February 3 2019 Retrieved April 27 2019 Smith Courtney E June 4 2018 Kanye West Struggles On Ye Album Review Refinery29 Archived from the original on December 9 2018 Retrieved April 27 2019 Petridis Alexis June 1 2018 ye album review Kanye West flew too close to the sun then directly into it The Guardian Archived from the original on March 29 2019 Retrieved April 27 2019 Kanye West Ye Album Fails to Deliver on Its Promise XXL June 6 2018 Archived from the original on April 14 2020 Retrieved May 8 2020 Barker Andrew June 2 2018 Album Review Kanye West s Ye Variety Archived from the original on July 20 2018 Retrieved December 6 2018 Graves Wren June 4 2018 Kanye West Proves Less Is So Much More on ye Consequence of Sound Archived from the original on July 17 2018 Retrieved July 19 2018 Horton Ross June 2 2018 Kanye West Ye Album Review The Line of Best Fit Archived from the original on February 3 2019 Retrieved April 27 2019 Zellner Xander Trust Gary June 12 2018 Kanye West Debuts All 7 Songs From Ye in Billboard Hot 100 s Top 40 Billboard Archived from the original on June 12 2018 Retrieved June 20 2018 Rutherford Kevin June 13 2018 Kanye West Leads Streaming Songs Chart for First Time With All Mine Billboard Archived from the original on October 14 2019 Retrieved October 14 2019 Anderson Trevor June 14 2018 Kanye West Passes Aretha Franklin s Top 40 Total on Hot R amp B Hip Hop Songs Billboard Archived from the original on July 2 2018 Retrieved May 8 2020 a b American single certifications Kanye West I Thought About Killing You Recording Industry Association of America Retrieved September 29 2020 Canadian Music Top 100 Songs June 16 2018 Billboard Archived from the original on March 30 2019 Retrieved February 17 2019 Discography Kanye West irish charts com Archived from the original on November 2 2012 Retrieved April 27 2019 Kanye West debuts at 1 with ye ARIA June 9 2018 Archived from the original on March 26 2019 Retrieved June 20 2018 a b CNS IFPI in Slovak Hitparada Singles Digital Top 100 Oficialna IFPI Czech Republic Note Select SINGLES DIGITAL TOP 100 and insert 201823 into search Retrieved February 12 2019 a b Official IFPI Charts Digital Singles Chart International Week 23 2018 IFPI Greece Archived from the original on 2018 06 18 Retrieved April 21 2019 Portuguese Charts Singles 23 23 2018 portuguesecharts com Archived from the original on June 29 2018 Retrieved April 28 2019 a b CNS IFPI in Czech Hitparada Digital Top 100 Oficialni IFPI Czech Republic Note Change the chart to CZ SINGLES DIGITAL TOP 100 and insert 201823 into search Retrieved February 12 2019 Discographie Kanye West in French lescharts com Archived from the original on December 1 2014 Retrieved April 28 2019 Fu Eddie April 2 2018 Kanye West spotted with Rick Rubin at Calabasas office Consequence of Sound Archived from the original on April 21 2018 Retrieved July 8 2020 Bromwich Jonah Engel February 23 2020 Kanye Out West The New York Times Archived from the original on February 24 2020 Retrieved July 8 2020 Kanye West I Thought About Killing You ARIA Top 50 Singles Retrieved June 20 2018 Kanye West Chart History Canadian Hot 100 Billboard Retrieved June 20 2018 Kanye West I Thought About Killing You in French Les classement single Retrieved February 12 2019 Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50 Official Charts Company Retrieved June 20 2018 NZ Heatseeker Singles Chart Recorded Music NZ June 11 2018 Archived from the original on June 18 2018 Retrieved April 25 2019 Kanye West I Thought About Killing You AFP Top 100 Singles Retrieved June 23 2018 Official Hip Hop and R amp B Singles Chart Top 40 Official Charts Company Retrieved June 20 2018 Official Audio Streaming Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Retrieved September 1 2019 Kanye West Chart History Hot 100 Billboard Retrieved June 20 2018 Kanye West Chart History Hot R amp B Hip Hop Songs Billboard Retrieved June 20 2018 External links EditOfficial website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title I Thought About Killing You amp oldid 1093586790, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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