Champions (Paid in Full song)

Last updated
"Champions"
Song by Damon Dash, Kanye West, Beanie Sigel, Cam'ron, Young Chris and Twista
from the album Paid In Full/Dream Team and The College Dropout
ReleasedNovember 26, 2002
Recorded2002
Genre Hip hop
Length6:12
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Dash
  • West

"Champions" is a collaborative song by hip hop artists Damon Dash, Kanye West, Beanie Sigel, Cam'ron, Young Chris and Twista. It is listed as the first track on the second disc of the Paid in Full soundtrack. The song includes a sped-up sample of "We Are the Champions" by Queen. It was originally scheduled to be a bonus track on West's album The College Dropout (2004).

Contents

Background and composition

On the original track listing of West's debut studio album The College Dropout (2004), "Champions" was listed as a bonus track. [1] Dash introduces West's verse with the line: "I bet niggas didn't know you could rap huh?" because back in 2002, when the soundtrack album was released, West was only recognized for his talent as a producer and not viewed as a credible rapper. [2] Throughout the entirety of the track, a sped up sample of highly famous 1977 Queen single "We Are the Champions" is used and the rappers state themselves as being of importance. [3] [4] Dash revealed that he asked West to flip the track's beat after Just Blaze wouldn't do so and West reacted quickly to this, which gathered the approval of Dash. [2]

Critical reception

Billboard viewed the track as being one of the Paid in Full soundtrack's highlights. [3] Its presence on the soundtrack album was looked at by Jason Birchmeier of AllMusic as being one of "some promising ideas here" and an example of where "some of the beats are on point". [5] Jesse of HipHopDX voiced the opinion towards West being one of the lead artists on 2016 GOOD Music single "Champions" that: "It makes little sense for Kanye to title another song 'Champions,' especially one that can't live up to the Queen sampled Roc-A-Fella posse cut or track two on Graduation." [6]

Commercial performance

In March 2003, around four months after the soundtrack album had been released, the song peaked at number 6 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart and spent a total of nine weeks on it. [7]

Charts

Chart (2003)Peak
position
US Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles ( Billboard ) [8] 9

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roc-A-Fella Records</span> American hip hop record label

Roc-A-Fella Records was an American hip hop record label and music management company founded by record executives and entrepreneurs Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke in 1994. Carter issued his debut album, Reasonable Doubt (1996) as the label's first release, in a joint venture with Priority Records. The label has signed and released albums for acts including Kanye West, Cam'ron, Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, Juelz Santana, Freeway, Jadakiss, Teairra Marí, State Property, and The Diplomats before its dissolution in 2013.

<i>The College Dropout</i> 2004 studio album by Kanye West

The College Dropout is the debut studio album by the American rapper Kanye West. It was released on February 10, 2004, by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. In the years leading up to release, West had received praise for his production work for rappers such as Jay-Z and Talib Kweli, but faced difficulty being accepted as an artist in his own right by figures in the music industry. Intent on pursuing a solo career, he signed a record deal with Roc-A-Fella and recorded the album over a period of four years, beginning in 1999.

<i>Late Registration</i> 2005 studio album by Kanye West

Late Registration is the second studio album by the American rapper Kanye West. It was released on August 30, 2005, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. West recorded the album over the course of a year during sessions held at studios in Hollywood and New York City, in collaboration with Jon Brion. The album features guest appearances from Adam Levine, Jamie Foxx, Common, Brandy, Jay-Z, and Nas, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The New Workout Plan</span> 2004 single by Kanye West

"The New Workout Plan" is a song from Kanye West's debut album, The College Dropout. Released as the album's fifth single on August 31, 2004, it peaked at number 59 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song was written and produced by West, with additional songwriting from John Legend, Miri Ben-Ari, Sumeke Rainey, and Bosko Cante. The music video was released the same year, with cameos from Legend, Ben-Ari, Anna Nicole Smith, Fonzworth Bentley, Tracee Ellis Ross, Vida Guerra and GLC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Through the Wire</span> 2003 single by Kanye West

"Through the Wire" is the debut solo single by American rapper and producer Kanye West, who wrote and recorded the song with his jaw wired shut after a car crash on October 23, 2002. The song samples Chaka Khan's 1985 single "Through the Fire" and was released on September 30, 2003 as the lead single from his debut album The College Dropout (2004).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">All Falls Down</span> Kanye West song

"All Falls Down" is a song by American rapper Kanye West. It was released as the third single from his debut album, The College Dropout. The song was written and produced by West and features singer Syleena Johnson. The hip hop song contains an interpolation of "Mystery of Iniquity" by Lauryn Hill from her live album MTV Unplugged No. 2.0; Hill is credited as a composer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slow Jamz</span> 2003 single by Twista

"Slow Jamz" is a song by American rapper Twista together with the American rapper and producer Kanye West and American singer Jamie Foxx. Produced by West, it was released in November 2003 through Atlantic and Roc-A-Fella Records, as the lead single from Twista's fourth studio album Kamikaze (2004), and the second single from West's debut studio album The College Dropout (2004). The song was written by Twista and West, with additional writing credits going to Burt Bacharach and Hal David for the sampling of Luther Vandross' cover of Dionne Warwick's 1964 song "A House Is Not a Home". Containing genres of hip hop, pop rap, R&B, and soul, the song's lyrics reference slow jam artists and describes the role of lovermen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Common discography</span>

The discography of Common, an American rapper, consists of fourteen studio albums, one collaborative album, one extended play, two compilation albums, forty-nine singles and twenty-one music videos. It also contains the list of Common songs. Common sold more than 2.8 million albums in the United States. Common released his first album, Can I Borrow a Dollar? (1992), and follow suit with his second album, Resurrection, which met with critical acclaim, calling the album as one of the classic of the 90s. Common released his third album, One Day It'll All Make Sense, which was a little commercial success, follow suit with his fourth album, Like Water for Chocolate, which was met with critical acclaim from music critics, calling it the best rap album of the year. The album was also a commercial success certifying it gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His fifth studio album Electric Circus was met with acclaim from music critics. However, it failed to meet the commercial success with Like Water for Chocolate, which only peaked at number 47 on the US Billboard 200.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Go Hard (DJ Khaled song)</span> 2008 single by DJ Khaled featuring Kanye West and T-Pain

"Go Hard" is the second single from DJ Khaled's third studio album, We Global. The hip-hop track features American rappers Kanye West and T-Pain and their trademark auto-tune effect. The song is produced by The Runners and it samples Madonna's 1985 song "Angel". It first charted on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip Hop chart on December 4, 2008, debuting at number 25, where it peaked at number 15, and charted on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs debuting at number 85 and then rising to number 53. It also debuted at number 69 on the Billboard Hot 100 the same week the album We Global was released due to digital downloads, also at number 19 on the Hot Rap Tracks.

"Welcome to the World" is a song by American rapper T.I. featuring fellow American rappers Kid Cudi and Kanye West. Produced by the latter, it is the first track from the former's seventh studio album No Mercy (2010).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercy (Kanye West song)</span> 2012 single by Kanye West

"Mercy" is a song by American rapper Kanye West featuring fellow American rappers Big Sean, Pusha T, and 2 Chainz. The song was released April 3, 2012 through GOOD Music and Def Jam as the lead single from the compilation album Cruel Summer (2012). The song's production was handled by Lifted, with additional production from West, Mike Dean, and Mike Will Made It, and additional instrumentation from Hudson Mohawke. The song heavily samples the dancehall song "Dust a Sound Boy" by Super Beagle. The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics who praised the bombastic production, the varying quality of the verses, and the wordplay of the individual rappers. The song was featured on the soundtrack for NBA 2K13.

"30 Hours" is a song by American rap musician Kanye West, featuring backing vocals from Andre 3000, that lies on West's seventh studio album The Life of Pablo (2016). The track was released as a promotional single from the album as part of West's GOOD Fridays program.

<i>Nasir</i> (album) 2018 studio album by Nas

Nasir is the eleventh studio album by American rapper Nas. It was released on June 15, 2018 through Mass Appeal Records and Def Jam Recordings. It succeeds Nas album Life Is Good, released six years prior in 2012. The album features an appearance from Kanye West, who also produced the entirety of the album, as well as guest appearances from Puff Daddy, 070 Shake, Tony Williams, and The-Dream.

"4th Dimension" is a song by American hip hop duo Kids See Ghosts, composed of the rappers Kanye West and Kid Cudi, from their eponymous debut studio album (2018). The song features a guest appearance from Louis Prima, who was credited as a featured artist due to his work being sampled. It was produced by West, with additional production from Mike Dean and Noah Goldstein. The producers co-wrote the song with Kid Cudi and Prima, with the latter of the two receiving credit as a result of it sampling music by him. A hip hop song, it samples Prima's "What Will Santa Claus Say " and Shirley Ann Lee's "Someday". Lyrically, the song features Kids See Ghosts presenting their thoughts to stop themselves from becoming worried.

"Cops Shot the Kid" is a song by American rap artist Nas featuring fellow rap artist Kanye West, and the second track off of Nas' eleventh studio album Nasir (2018). The track was written by Nas, West, Andrew Dawson, and Che Smith, with West handling production and Dawson providing additional production. The song samples "Children's Story" by Slick Rick throughout, and includes dialogue spoken by Richard Pryor from the film Wattstax (1974); both are also credited as writers.

"Impossible" is a song by American hip-hop recording artist Kanye West, featuring Twista, Keyshia Cole and BJ. The song was made for the film Mission: Impossible III and used as its official theme song, but was not featured on its soundtrack album. It appeared on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Bubbling Under Hot 100 charts in 2006.

"Guilt Trip" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West, from his sixth studio album Yeezus (2013). It was produced by West, Mike Dean, S1, with an additional production credit for Travis Scott and Ackeejuice Rockers for the samples of "Chief Rocka" by Lords of the Underground and "Blocka" by Pusha T featuring Popcaan and Travis Scott. The song's lyrics deal with looking back at a failed relationship, similar to fellow Yeezus track "Blood on the Leaves". West provides his vocals through rapping and singing through an Auto-Tune processor, reminiscent of his 2008 album 808s & Heartbreak. The song includes vocals from rapper Kid Cudi, who later expressed negative opinions about his feature due to his vocals being recorded years prior.

"Welcome to the Jungle" is a song by American hip hop recording artists Kanye West and Jay-Z, from their collaborative album Watch the Throne (2011). Additional vocals are provided by Swizz Beatz and Acapella Soul, and Swizz Beatz also produced the song. It plays an interlude afterwards that samples "Tristessa" by Orchestra Njervudarov. The song was praised by music critics, with Jay-Z usually pointed out as the main star. Rolling Stone listed it as the 20th best song of 2011.

"Spaceship" is a song by American musician Kanye West, featuring fellow American rappers GLC and Consequence, taken from West's debut studio album The College Dropout (2004). It was scheduled to be released as the album's sixth and final single, but this plan ended up being cancelled. The music video was released in June 2009. "Spaceship II" and "Spaceship III" were released by Alex Wiley in 2013 and Consequence in 2017.

"Never Let Me Down" is a song by American rapper and producer Kanye West featuring Jay-Z and J. Ivy, from West's debut studio album The College Dropout (2004). It was released as the album's eight track, produced solely by West and samples "Maybe It's the Power of Love" by Blackjack. West and Ivy each provide one verse–the latter is a poem–while Jay-Z has two verses. Music critics mostly had praise for it, but tended to view Jay's appearance in a negative light. In 2011, Billboard listed the song as the second greatest collaboration between Kanye and Jay. Although an accompanying music video wasn't ever produced for "Never Let Me Down", the audio of it was used in one of West's videos for "Jesus Walks". The song has developed a significant legacy over time, despite never being released as a single.

References

  1. Garrison, Lucas (January 25, 2016). "Kanye's Early 'College Dropout' Tracklist Will Blow Your Mind". DJBooth. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  2. 1 2 Ahmed, Insanul (February 10, 2014). "The Making of Kanye West's "The College Dropout"". Complex . Retrieved December 12, 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Paid in Full/Dream Team". Billboard . December 7, 2002. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  4. Crawford, Byron (September 10, 2014). "Dame Dash Owes Everyone Money – Byron Crawford". Medium . Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  5. Birchmeier, Jason. "Paid in Full [Universal][Soundtrack] - Original Soundtrack". AllMusic . Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  6. "Ranking The Verses on Kanye West's "Champions (Round and Round)"". HipHopDX . June 9, 2016. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
  7. "Kanye West Champions Chart History". Billboard . Archived from the original on September 3, 2018. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  8. "Kanye West Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard . Archived from the original on August 27, 2018. Retrieved December 12, 2018.