Out of My Head (Lupe Fiasco song)

Last updated
"Out of My Head"
Out of my head.jpg
Single by Lupe Fiasco featuring Trey Songz
from the album Lasers
ReleasedMay 22, 2011
Recorded2010
Genre
Length3:24
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Miykal Snoddy
Lupe Fiasco singles chronology
"Words I Never Said"
(2011)		"Out of My Head"
(2011)		"I Don't Wanna Care Right Now"
(2011)
Trey Songz singles chronology
"Unusual"
(2011)		"Out of My Head"
(2011)		"Take Off"
(2011)

"Out of My Head" is a song by American rapper Lupe Fiasco, released as the third single from his third studio album, Lasers . The single features vocals from American R&B singer Trey Songz, and features production from record producer Miykal Snoddy, with co-production from fellow producers Jerry Wonda and Arden Altino. The song was released as a digital download on May 22, 2011, along with the rest of Lasers. Fiasco performed this single with Trey Songz at the 2011 MTV Movie Awards. Lyrically, the song likens a love interest to that of a catchy song.

Contents

The song was Fiasco's third top-40 hit in the U.S., reaaching number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. Critical reception was mixed, and it was named the 34th best song of 2011 by XXL.

Background

Lupe Fiasco says that the song "doesn't have any deep meaning behind it, and is for the chicks." Trey Songz has praised the song, saying that it was one of his favorite collaborations he ever did.

Music video

A behind-the-scenes video was released on June 19, 2011. The director of the video is Gil Green. The music video debuted on MTV and YouTube on June 29, 2011. [1] [2] Model Tracey Thomas played the girl throughout the video. Oklahoma City Thunder's Serge Ibaka made a cameo appearance in the video.

Critical reception

Critics had a wide range of views about "Out of My Head". Brad Wete of Entertainment Weekly called the song "spacey" and an example of "love and joy" on Lasers. [3] For Spin , Brandon Soderberg was complimentary of the songwriting for "skip[ping] icky lover-man clichés and employ[ing] an extended music-industry-as-romance metaphor instead". [4] Matthew Cole of Slant Magazine called the song a "solid banger" but added that the chorus by Trey Songz "seems to incarnate Lupe's thesis that hip-hop radio provides materialistic escapism at the price of the listener's political consciousness." [5]

However, other critics were more negative, for instance USA Today critic Steve Jones considering the song an attempt at pandering to mainstream audiences. [6] For HipHopDX , Edwin Ortiz called the lyrics "predictable" and the song's placement "a disconcerting lapse in execution" on the album. [7] In a 2012 commentary on HipHopDX, Omar Burgess regarded "Out of My Head" as "visibly forced" but an example of a commercially successful hip-hop ballad. [8] Todd Martens of the Los Angeles Times regarded the song as "loaded with trendy synths and a pin-the-sympathy-on-the-song chorus". [9] XXL ranked "Out of My Head" no. 34 in its "Top 100 Songs of 2011" list. [10]

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (2011)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA) [11] 52
US Billboard Hot 100 [12] 40
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ( Billboard )11
US Rap Songs ( Billboard )5
US Rhythmic ( Billboard ) [13] 8

Year-end charts

Chart (2011)Position
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard) [14] 39
US Rhythmic (Billboard) [15] 35

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [16] Gold500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ "Lupe Fiasco And Trey Songz Drop 'Out Of My Head' Video". RapFix. MTV Networks. June 29, 2011. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Lupe Fiasco - Out Of My Head ft. Trey Songz [Music Video]". YouTube. June 29, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  3. ↑ Wete, Brad (March 2, 2011). "Lasers (2011), Lupe Fiasco". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on March 5, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  4. ↑ Soderberg, Brandon (March 8, 2011). "Lupe Fiasco, 'Lasers'". Spin. Archived from the original on April 6, 2013. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  5. ↑ Cole, Matthew (March 11, 2011). "Lupe Fiasco: Lasers". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on March 14, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  6. ↑ Jones, Steve; Gardner, Elysa; Gundersen, Edna; Mansfield, Brian (March 8, 2011). "Listen Up: Lupe Fiasco, R.E.M., Avril Lavigne". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 11, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  7. ↑ Ortiz, Edwin (March 4, 2011). "Lupe Fiasco, Lasers". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on March 30, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  8. ↑ Burgess, Omar (February 9, 2012). "Ain't No Love: The Demise Of Radio Friendly Hip Hop Ballads". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on March 13, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  9. ↑ Martens, Todd (March 7, 2011). "Album review: Lupe Fiasco's 'Lasers'". Pop & Hiss. LATimes.com. Archived from the original on March 10, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Top 100 Songs of 2011". XXL. January 2, 2012. Archived from the original on November 28, 2019. Retrieved June 2, 2025.
  11. ↑ "ARIA Report" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. July 4, 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-09-29. Retrieved February 9, 2014.
  12. ↑ http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/chart_watch/74376/week-ending-june-12-2011-songs-the-odd-couples/;_ylt=ArEo0yLGkKS8JGOQvHmzzkQPwiUv [ dead link ]
  13. ↑ "Lupe Fiasco Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard.
  14. ↑ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2011". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Rhythmic Songs – Year-End 2011". Billboard. 9 December 2014. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
  16. ↑ "American single certifications – Lupe Fiasco – Out of My Head (feat. Trey Songz)". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved February 27, 2025.
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