Turks (song)

"Turks" is a song by Canadian rapper Nav and American rapper Gunna featuring fellow American rapper and singer Travis Scott. It was released on March 27, 2020, through XO and Republic as the only single from the former's third studio album, Good Intentions.^[2] The song was written by the artists alongside Cash XO and producer Wheezy. The official music video was released on March 30, 2020. The title of the song is a reference to the Turks and Caicos Islands.^[3] The three artists previously collaborated on Scott's single "Yosemite", from his third studio album, Astroworld (2018).

"Turks"
Single by Nav and Gunna featuring Travis Scott
from the album Good Intentions
Released	March 27, 2020 (2020-03-27)
Genre	Trap^[1]
Length	2:41
Label	XO Republic
Songwriter(s)	Navraj Goraya Sergio Kitchens Jacques Webster II Amir Esmailian Wesley Glass
Producer(s)	Wheezy
Nav singles chronology
"Called It" (2019) "Turks" (2020) "Painless 2" (2020)
Gunna singles chronology
"Skybox" (2020) "Turks" (2020) "Numbers" (2020)
Travis Scott singles chronology
"Out West" (2020) "Turks" (2020) "The Scotts" (2020)
Music video
"Turks" on YouTube

Background

"Turks" marks the first new material from Nav since the release of his second studio album, Bad Habits, as well as his first release in a year as a lead artist since the album, which was released on March 22, 2019.^[4] The song was first teased on January 26, 2020 in a video posted on Instagram by a Travis Scott fan page.^[5] The video showed Nav and Scott at the birthday party of Nav's XO manager and XO co-founder Cash,^[3] playing their respective verses to "short eight-bar increments".^[5] The song was eventually released on March 27, 2020, following an Instagram Live session between Nav and Gunna on March 25, 2020.^[6] All three artists had previously collaborated on Scott's song "Yosemite", from Scott's third studio album Astroworld, in August 2018.^[7] The song's title is a reference to the Caribbean islands Turks and Caicos, a territory occasionally appearing on a list of proposed new Canadian provinces and territories.^[3] When the final version of the song was released on March 27, 2020, Gunna and Travis Scott's verses were switched.

Composition and lyrics

"Turks" is a "trap-heavy anthem".^[1] On the song, the rappers each "ride the beat with their melodic rapping", a trademark of all three artists,^[7] mimicking each other's flows.^[8] Jordan Darville of The Fader said Nav's flow on the track is reminiscent of the rapping employed on Young Thug's "Hot" (also featuring Gunna and produced by Wheezy), as well as Roddy Ricch's flow on "The Box".^[9] The song is dedicated to the Turks and Caicos Islands, which all three artists and Wheezy visited in February 2020.^[8] In the chorus, Nav references this, singing "Took 20 bitches on my first vacay/ I ain't pickin' up, I'm in Turks, lil' baby".^[1] With a BPM of 119, the song is in the key of C Minor.^[10]

Commercial performance

"Turks" reached number one on Apple Music the same day it was released.^[11] It marks Nav's highest-charting single as a lead artist on the Billboard Hot 100, debuting at number 17.^[12] However, he later garnered his first highest-charting single in total later in the year with Internet Money and Gunna's single "Lemonade", which also features American rapper and singer Don Toliver, a fellow labelmate of Travis Scott.^[13]

Music video

The song's official video, starring the three artists, premiered on Nav's YouTube channel on March 30, 2020. Directed by Nav's XO label boss Cash and Zac Facts, it was filmed on a military base and finds the artists in the Turks and Caicos Islands as they are surrounded by an army of female soldiers, tanks, and heavy artillery.^[6] Nav is seen waving the XO label flag in the video. Young Thug, a close friend and frequent collaborator of the three artists, makes a cameo appearance.^[14]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2020) Peak position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[15] 75 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)^[16] 45 Hungary (Stream Top 40)^[17] 37 Ireland (IRMA)^[18] 60 Lithuania (AGATA)^[19] 43 New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)^[20] 5 Portugal (AFP)^[21] 83 Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)^[22] 75 Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)^[23] 18 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[24] 63 UK Singles (OCC)^[25] 54 US Billboard Hot 100^[13] 17 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)^[26] 9 US Rhythmic (Billboard)^[27] 20

Year-end charts Chart (2020) Position US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)^[28] 91

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)^[29]	Platinum	80,000
United States (RIAA)^[30]	Platinum	1,000,000
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Country	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
Various	March 27, 2020	Digital download streaming	Republic	^[31]
United States	March 31, 2020	Rhythmic contemporary radio		^[32]

References

1. Lamarre, Carl (March 27, 2020). "NAV, Gunna & Travis Scott Join Forces Again on 'Turks'". Billboard. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
2. "Nav announces new album 'Good Intentions'". Rap-Up. April 27, 2020. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
3. Hip Hop Canada (March 30, 2020). "NAV & Gunna drop new video for Travis Scott-assisted "Turks"". Hip Hop Canada. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
4. Murphy, Sarah (March 27, 2020). "NAV Teams with Gunna and Travis Scott for New Track "Turks". Exclaim!. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
5. R., Dominiq (January 26, 202p). "Travis Scott and Nav Preview New Music In The Club: Watch The Video". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
6. Sawyer, Jonathan (March 2020). "NAV, Gunna & Travis Scott Are Ready for War in Official "Turks" Video". Highsnobiety. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
7. Mahjouri, Shakiel (March 27, 2020). "NAV & Gunna Team Up With Travis Scott For 'Turks'". ET Canada. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
8. McKinney, Jessica (March 27, 2020). "Best New Music This Week: PARTYNEXTDOOR, Fivio Foreign, Murda Beatz, and More". Complex. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
9. Darville, Jordam (March 27, 2020). "Nav and Gunna share "Turks" featuring Travis Scott". The FADER. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
10. "Turks (Original Mix) by NAV, Gunna, Travis Scott on Beatport". www.beatport.com. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
11. Nav (March 20, 2020). "With great company w my brothers". Archived from the original on 2021-12-24. Retrieved March 31, 2020 – via Instagram.
12. Trust, Gary (April 6, 2020). "The Weeknd's 'Blinding Lights' Shines at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 For Second Week". Billboard. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
13. "Nav Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
14. "NAV, Gunna, & Travis Scott Go to War in 'Turks' Video". Rap Up. March 30, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
15. "Nav & Gunna feat. Travis Scott – Turks" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved April 9, 2020.
16. "Nav Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
17. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Stream Top 40 slágerlista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
18. "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
19. "2020 15-os savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
20. "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 6, 2020. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
21. "Nav & Gunna feat. Travis Scott – Turks". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved April 23, 2020.
22. "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 202014 into search. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
23. "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 14". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
24. "Nav & Gunna feat. Travis Scott – Turks". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
25. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 4, 2020.
26. "Nav Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
27. "Nav Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
28. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2020". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
29. "Canadian single certifications – NAV & Gunna – Turks". Music Canada.
30. "American single certifications – NAV & Gunna – Turks". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
31. "Turks (feat. Travis Scott) - Single". Retrieved March 31, 2020 – via Apple Music.
32. . All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on March 9, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2020.