Mercy (Kanye West song)

Last updated

"Mercy" is a Southern hip hop song with dancehall influences. [9] Beginning with a vocal sample by Fuzzy Jones, [5] the song spans a haunting bass track, sparse drums, piano keys, and a Scarface film sample. [5] The track features an undulating beat "threaded through the entire song, and it almost mimics an eerie piano. There's also an omnipotent voiceover that shows up every once and a while[ sic ], too." [10] Playing off a hook (sampled from YB's song "Lambo") about a "two-seat Lamborghini". West's posse references Sarah Palin, Rick James, and Ms. Pac-Man. [11] By three minutes, the song's beat switches to an electronic dance music track. [10] The beat then slows down, and "despite the jarring difference in timing, it's like a song within a song." [10]

Lyrically, Big Sean returns where his "Dance (A$$)" single left behind, with bars inspired by strip clubs, while Pusha brags about his "exotic car collection." Meanwhile, Kanye baits "lesser rappers, flashing his riches and model girlfriends." [5] With no real "concept in place", 2 Chainz makes a closure with a "free associative verse where spits about his black diamond chain and Louis Vuitton backpack and expensive strains of marijuana." [5] Sean repeats the phrase, "swerve", several times throughout the song. [12] LA Weekly journalist, Brian McManus, noted that the track contains references to suicide doors, which West has previously discussed in his song, "Can't Tell Me Nothing". [11] The sample of "Dust a Sound Boy" on "Mercy" was the most popular sample of 2012, according to WhoSampled. [13]

Critical reception

"Mercy" received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Idolator stated that the track "falls somewhere in the middle of the pack among West's previous G.O.O.D. Friday singles – it's nowhere near as much fun as "Good Friday" or as seductive as "Devil in a New Dress". [11] Amy Sciarretto of Popcrush stated that the track was "great", and that "even with four rappers laying down verses on the song, it's a compact, tightly constructed tune that feels like a series of freestyle raps that flow into one another flawlessly." [10] Corban Goble of Stereogum mused that the song "is a giant, lurching thing where the rappers trade bravado-filled verses around a syrup-music inspired hook." [14] Jayson Rodriguez of XXL stated that "the public may have seen this idea and presentation before, but the music is still next level. It's fitting that Kanye could bring together this cast and execute the finished product this well. Still, Wednesday's spontaneous release of "Cold" was a bit much more exhilarating both musically and dramatically." [7] Josiah Hughes of Exclaim! mused that "the track most likely sounds just as you'd expect, all expensive, epic-sounding production, some slowed-down samples and an aggressive synth beat. There's also an appearance of Kanye's obnoxious new trademark huuuuh?" [15] Kia Makarechi of The Huffington Post wrote that "lyrically, 'Mercy' doesn't have much to it, but it's a competent piece of braggadocio." [16]

In 2012 year-end lists, both Complex and Spin named "Mercy" the best song of 2012. [17] [18] Rolling Stone named the song the 6th best song of 2012. [19] MTV named "Mercy" the seventh best song of 2012. [20] XXL named it one of the top five hip hop songs of 2012. [21] Billboard named it the third best song of 2012. [22] NME named it the 39th best song of the year. [23] "Mercy" was placed at 31 on Club Fonograma's best songs of 2012 list. [24] MSN listed the song eighth on its best 2012 songs list. [25]

"Mercy" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at position 38, and achieved a peak position of 13. [26] The song peaked at number one on both the Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. [27] [28] In May 2018, it ranked as West's 14th biggest success on the Hot 100. [29] The song also became a top 50 song in both Canada and the UK (on its R&B chart). [30] [31] It would go on to win Best Hip-Hop Song of the Year at the 2012 Soul Train Music Awards. [32]

In end of the decade best songs of the 2010s lists; Stereogum placed it at 53, [33] Crack Magazine listed it at 62, [34] and Uproxx ranked it at 36. [35]

Accolades

"Mercy"
Mercy - Kanye West.jpg
Single by Kanye West featuring Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz
from the album Cruel Summer
ReleasedApril 10, 2012 (2012-04-10)
Recorded2011–12
Genre
Length
  • 5:33 (video version)
  • 5:29 (single version)
  • 5:26 (album version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Kanye West singles chronology
"No Church in the Wild"
(2012)
"Mercy"
(2012)
"Cold"
(2012)
Big Sean singles chronology
"Dance (A$$)"
(2011)
"Mercy"
(2012)
"Till I Die"
(2012)
YearOrganizationAwardResultRef.
2012 Bet Hip Hop Awards Best Club BangerNominated [36]
Reese's Perfect Combo AwardWon
Best Hip-Hop VideoNominated
People's Champ AwardNominated
MTV Video Music Awards Best Hip-Hop Video Nominated [37]
Best Editing Nominated
HipHopDX Awards Collaboration of the YearWon [38]
Soul Train Music Awards Best Hip-Hop Song of the Year Won [39]
2013ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music AwardsAward Winning R&B/Hip-Hop SongsWon [40]
Award Winning Rap SongsWon
BET Awards Video of the Year Nominated [41]
Best Collaboration Nominated
Billboard Music Awards Top Rap Song Nominated [42]
BMI R&B/Hip-Hop AwardsAward Winning SongsWon [43]
Grammy Awards Best Rap Performance Nominated [44]
Best Rap Song Nominated
International Dance Music AwardsBest Rap/Hip Hop/Trap Dance TrackNominated [45]
MTVU Woodie Awards Tag Team WoodieNominated [46]
XXL Awards Record of the YearWon [47]
Best VideoNominated
Best Posse CutWon
2014 World Music Awards World's Best SongNominated [48]
World's Best Music VideoNominated

Chart performance

"Mercy" sold one million digital copies in the United States by July 2012. [49] It was number-one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for five weeks in July and August 2012. [50]

Music video

Kanye West, Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz standing at the end of the video. Mercykanye.jpg
Kanye West, Big Sean, Pusha T and 2 Chainz standing at the end of the video.

West released a black-and-white image of a Lamborghini on his Twitter account, serving as promotion for the video. [51] The music video was directed by prior West collaborator, Brandyn Tan, who has helmed prior West videos, such as "Welcome to Heartbreak" and "Paranoid". [52] It was filmed in a university at Qatar Foundation's parking garage in Doha, Qatar, while West was producing his short film, Cruel Summer . [52] On June 6, West "unleashed the deceptively minimalist video" onto his Website. [53]

The video was shot in a wide frame with the artists in what looks like a "parking garage, rapping as the camera pans across the room", with a Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 featured in the background. [54] The video contains numerous cameos by other artists signed to GOOD, including Kid Cudi, Cyhi the Prynce, and Teyana Taylor. [12] In the video, Big Sean is wearing a turban-styled headpiece as he raps first. [12] At the end of the clip, a Lamborghini Gallardo moves past the screen, and the artists are gone from the scene after it passes by. [12] Marc Hogan of Spin praised the video, writing that "as with the track itself, the visuals at first might not appear to involve anything flashy – just West and friends, all lurking about and looking chic in stark black-and-white. But there's one big exception: If the highlight of the audio is the moment where the synths lift off right before West's laconic verse, then that's where the video peaks, too – watch closely, or you'll miss two Wests lip-syncing for the price of one!" [53] Pitchfork Media's Carrie Batton commented that "it's a simple but cinematographically impressive black-and-white clip with lots of leather and keffiyehs and sharp angles." [55]

Live performances

The song's debut performance was at The O2 Arena in London, during West's Watch the Throne Tour in May 2012, with West performing his portion of the song. [56] Big Sean performed the song with Pusha T and 2 Chainz during his 2012 setlist at Summer Jam, which was described as a "possibly a show-stealing performance". [57] At the 2012 BET Awards, the song was performed by all four rappers in front of a stage-set Lamborghini model. [58] Though Los Angeles Times's Randall Roberts noted that it wasn't "until West moved into his hit "Cold" that things got great", with the "music dropping, the rapper moved into a freestyle on "New God Flow" that culminated in a foot-stomping breakdown." [58]

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil) [75] Gold30,000
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [76] Gold45,000
New Zealand (RMNZ) [77] Platinum30,000
United Kingdom (BPI) [78] Gold400,000
United States (RIAA) [79] 7× Platinum7,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

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