Slow Jamz

Last updated

Critical reception

Barrie Examiner staff writers stated that "Slow Jamz" is a "tribute to old-school R&B love songs", and highlighted West's line as an instant classic, "She got a light-skinned friend look like Michael Jackson / got a dark-skinned friend look like Michael Jackson". [14] Caramanica praised the audacious execution of the "low-concept" song, stating that Foxx's inclusion on the hook should have been a car crash on paper, but was assisted by West's "keen ear for melody and near perfect sample selection". [11] In a review of Kamikaze, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writers called it a "hilarious bedroom song". [28] Writing for PopMatters , Matt Cibula commended "Slow Jamz" for being "one of the finest rap singles in many years". He described West's verse as "swagger", and was impressed with how Twista added more syllables in his verse than other rappers such as Lyrics Born and Busta Rhymes. [18] Soren Baker of Houston Chronicle stated that the song is a "crowning moment for Twista", and acknowledged that it "showcases his stunning delivery and flow patterns". He also referred to Foxx's chorus as "charmingly nostalgic". [29]

Baker additionally wrote in the Los Angeles Times that West's verse was "playful but unremarkable", but compared Twista's verse to a "lyrical tornado". [15] However, Pitchfork staff writer Sean Fennessey criticized Twista's involvement in a review of Kamikaze, stating that West overshadowed him on the song. [30] Writing for the same publication while reviewing The College Dropout, Rob Mitchum berated the song's extended version, which he described Foxx as "overkill" and Twista as "depleted". Mitchum concluded that it "[remained] the best getting-it-on song ever written about getting-it-on songs". [31]

Writing for Cleveland.com, Troy L. Smith ranked "Slow Jamz" on his list of 100 greatest rap songs since 2000 at number 74. He praised West's creative process of sampling the song, allowing Foxx to "go all out on the hook", and combining Twista's rhymes to create a "hip-hop soul masterpiece". [12] Pitchfork staff ranked the song at number 12 on its Top 50 Singles of 2004 list, writing that it was "the reverse Midas track of 2004" and a "choice musical meta-fiction [ sic ]". [32] Blender ranked "Slow Jamz" at number 327 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born, stating that it was "an old school celebration of [...] gettin' that booty!". [33]

Accolades

"Slow Jamz" received several awards and nominations including; Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards, [34] R&B/Rap Collaboration of the Year at the 2004 Source Awards, [35] Best Collaboration at the 2004 MOBO Awards, [36] Best Collaboration at the 2004 BET Awards, [37] and Coolest Collabo at the 2004 Vibe Awards. [38]

"Slow Jamz"
Twista featuring Kanye West and Jamie Foxx - Slow Jamz - CD single cover.jpg
Single by Twista featuring Kanye West and Jamie Foxx
from the album Kamikaze and The College Dropout
B-side "I Know"
ReleasedNovember 10, 2003 (2003-11-10)
Studio CRC (Chicago)
Genre
Length
  • 3:32 (Kamikaze version)
  • 5:16 (The College Dropout version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Kanye West
Twista singles chronology
"Get It Wet"
(1997)
"Slow Jamz"
(2003)
"Overnight Celebrity"
(2004)
Kanye West singles chronology
"Through the Wire"
(2003)
"Slow Jamz"
(2003)
"All Falls Down"
(2004)
Awards and nominations for "Slow Jamz"
YearCeremonyCategoryResultRef.
2004 BET Awards Best Collaboration Nominated [37]
MOBO AwardsBest CollaborationNominated [36]
Source AwardsR&B/Rap Collaboration of the YearNominated [35]
T M H HonorsHottest Collab Single of the YearNominated [39]
Favorite Ballad of the YearNominated
Vibe Awards Coolest CollaboNominated [38]
2005ASCAP Pop Music AwardsMost Performed SongsWon [40]
ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music AwardsAward Winning Rap SongsWon [41]
Award Winning R&B/Hip-Hop SongsWon
47th Annual Grammy Awards Best Rap/Sung Collaboration Nominated [34]
Groovevolt Music and Fashion AwardsBest Hip-Hop Song Collaboration - Duo or GroupNominated [42]

Commercial performance

In the United States, "Slow Jamz" peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated February 21, 2004, where it remained for 22 weeks. [43] [44] It was the first number one song on the chart for Twista, West, and Foxx, the seventh for songwriter Burt Bacharach, and the fourth for songwriter Hal David. [45] The song debuted at the number three peak on the UK Singles Chart dated April 4, 2004, where it charted for 13 non-consecutive weeks. [46] It received a gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), for sales and streams of over 400,000 equivalent-units in the United Kingdom. [47] In Australia, "Slow Jamz" debuted at number 32 on the ARIA Singles Chart dated April 4, 2004. It peaked at number 26 on the chart dated May 9, 2004, and remained for 10 weeks. [48] The song peaked at number 9 on the New Zealand Top 40 Singles Chart. [49]

Music video

The music video shows a party; at first Jamie Foxx is seen buying records for the party, then it goes to the party where Kanye West and Twista are. It includes cameo appearances by Consequence, Aisha Tyler, John Legend, Mike Epps, and Common.[ citation needed ] While the video was being filmed, Twista stated that Foxx "kept the whole place live[ sic ]". [50] A second version of the music video was filmed in South Side, Chicago, but was unreleased. [51]

British actor Riz Ahmed performed Twista's verse on the sixth season's first episode of American comedy-drama Girls on February 13, 2017. [52] Writing for NME , Sam Moore described his rendition as "near-flawless". [53]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the back cover of "Slow Jamz". [54]

Track listing

Charts

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Slow Jamz"
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [47] Gold400,000
United States (RIAA) [77] 3× Platinum3,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref.
United StatesNovember 10, 2003 Urban contemporary radio Atlantic [78]
January 26, 2004 Contemporary hit radio [79]
AustraliaMarch 22, 2004CD [80]
United KingdomMarch 29, 2004 [81]

See also

References

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