Down Bad (Dreamville song)

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"I had just landed from South Africa and went straight to the studio. Soon as I walked into the A-room, JID was starting this song, first verse and hook, and I was like '[save me a verse please]. That was literally the first verse I recorded when I got to Atlanta after a 17 hour flight, J. Cole was tucked off with T-Minus finishing "Middle Child" and popped his head in [the room] like 'yes, I need parts.' My brother Johnny Venus, who has my vote for camp MVP, well I don't want to give it away but he came in and managed to make the song his. A big assist from our host city's own Young Nudy." [4]

In February, Dreamville gave a live preview of the song after the All Star game – which J. Cole was the halftime show performer, during the free concert in Charlotte. [5] In May, JID also gave fans a snippet of the single during his set at Miami's Rolling Loud Festival. [6]

Under the EP 1-888-88-DREAM , the single was released with "Got Me" on June 12. The EP's title is referencing the "1-888-88-DREAM" phone number that Cole used to announce the original Revenge of the Dreamers in 2014. [7] Dreamville representatives used hotline phone number to talk to fans and also play some exclusive tracks from the label's compilation album. [8]

Composition

According to Genius, the song's "underlying beat is highly reminiscent" of "Rebel Without a Pause" by Public Enemy, although it is not a direct sample of the song. [6]

Music video

The official music video of the song was filmed in Atlanta, Georgia, and was uploaded on YouTube on October 22, 2019. [9]

Critical reception

Complex named "Down Bad" as one of the best songs of the week, calling it a "rowdy, kick-in-the-door anthem ready-made for summer mischief" [10] and said the artists pack a ridiculous amount of energy into less than three minutes, beginning with a "tragically short verse" from Young Nudy and closing things with a "rapid-fire verse" from EarthGang's Johnny Venus. [10]

Commercial performance

"Down Bad" originally peaked at number 75 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Following the release of its parent album, Revenge of the Dreamers III , the song reached a new peak of number 64. [11] On November 22, 2019, the song was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). [12]

Credits and personnel

Credits and personnel adapted from Tidal. [13]

Charts

"Down Bad"
Dreamville-down-bad-ft-earthgang-j-cole-bas-jid-young-nudy.jpg
Single by Dreamville featuring J. Cole, JID, Bas, EarthGang, and Young Nudy
from the album Revenge of the Dreamers III and the EP 1-888-88-DREAM
B-side "Got Me"
ReleasedJune 12, 2019
RecordedJanuary 6, 2019
Studio Tree Sound Studios, Atlanta, Georgia [1]
Genre Hip hop
Length2:49
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Pluss
Dreamville singles chronology
"Down Bad" / "Got Me"
(2019)		"LamboTruck" / "Costa Rica"
(2019)
J. Cole singles chronology
"The London"
(2019)		"Down Bad"
(2019)		"Family and Loyalty"
(2019)
Chart performance for "Down Bad"
Chart (2019)Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [14] 69
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ) [15] 10
US Billboard Hot 100 [11] 64
US Rolling Stone Top 100 [16] 15

Certifications

Certifications for "Down Bad"
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [17] Platinum1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Awards and nominations

List of awards and nominations received by "Down Bad"
YearAwardCategoryResultRef.
2020 Grammy Award Best Rap Performance Nominated [18]

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References

  1. ↑ Hundred, Juan (January 19, 2019). "The Creator's POV of the Dreamville 'ROTD3' Camp". istandardproducers. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  2. ↑ Marie, Erika (June 12, 2019). "Dreamville Delivers "Down Bad" Single Ft. J.I.D, Bas, J. Cole, EarthGang, & Young Nudy". HotNewHipHop . Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  3. ↑ Martinez, Jose (January 6, 2019). "J. Cole Announces 'Revenge of The Dreamers III'". Complex .
  4. ↑ "Bas". Archived from the original on December 24, 2021 – via Instagram.
  5. ↑ "J. COLE PREVIEWS 2 NEW SONGS AT NBA ALL-STAR DREAMVILLE SHOW: WATCH". HipHop-n-more. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  6. 1 2 "Dreamville Pays Homage To Public Enemy With "Down Bad"". Genius . Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  7. ↑ "1-888-88-DREAM". Genius . Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  8. ↑ "Dreamville Artists Drop 'Down Bad' & 'Got Me' Off Upcoming Compilation Project: Listen". Billboard . Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Watch Dreamville's "Down Bad" Video f/ J.I.D, Bas, J. Cole, EarthGang, and Young Nudy". Complex . Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  10. 1 2 Bernucca, Carolyn (June 14, 2019). "Best New Music This Week: Dreamville, Mac Miller, GoldLink, and More". Complex . Retrieved July 30, 2019.
  11. 1 2 "J Cole Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Down Bad". RIAA. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
  13. ↑ "1-888-88-DREAM" – via Tidal.
  14. ↑ "J Cole Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  15. ↑ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. June 24, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone . July 5, 2019. Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
  17. ↑ "American single certifications – Dreamville – Down Bad". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved November 3, 2022.
  18. ↑ "Artist - J. Cole". Grammy Awards . Retrieved November 24, 2019.
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