"The New Workout Plan" | ||||
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Single by Kanye West | ||||
from the album The College Dropout | ||||
Released | August 31, 2004 | |||
Recorded | 2003 at Quad Recordings Sony Music Studios (New York City) | |||
Genre | Comedy hip hop | |||
Length | 5:22 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Kanye West | |||
Kanye West singles chronology | ||||
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Music videos | ||||
"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.
The talk box harmonizing heard towards the end of the song was sampled by J. Cole for his 2011 single "Work Out".
The lyrics of "The New Workout Plan" are voiced from the point of view of different girls reacting to a fake workout video. West explains unusual "testimonials" from women who have successfully undergone the workout plan and have been able to attain a lavish lifestyle thanks to being in shape.
The song was subject to generally favorable reviews from music critics. Derek Xu of Medium looked at it as being "a satirical anthem, just like "We Don't Care"". [1] Tareck Ghoneim of Contactmusic.com had praise for West's performance: "[he shows] excellent wordplay that is original, humorous and the touch of irony makes for very clever use of lyrics". [2] Paul Cantor of Billboard acknowledged that "Some critics argue that "The New Workout Plan" doesn't fit in with the rest of [The College Dropout]", but praised it as what "should be commended as much for its conceptual ingenuity as its arrangement". [3]
The official music video was directed by Little X, both short and long versions of the video for the song were officially released in 2004. [4] [5] The video features West in a faux 1980s-era workout video as he instructs women how to transform themselves into housewives. [6] [5] Cameo appearances are included from John Legend, Miri Ben-Ari, Anna Nicole Smith, Fonzworth Bentley, Tracee Ellis Ross, Vida Guerra and GLC. [7] Anna Nicole Smith's cameo sees her playing the role of Ella-May and having a star like her frequently featured in a video of West's went against the idea of so many at the time that he'd fail as a rapper. [8]
The track peaked at #59 on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart on November 9, 2004, which was around two months after its release as a single and it spent a total of 21 weeks on the chart. [9]
Forrest Wickman of Slate looked at "Highlights" from West's seventh studio album The Life of Pablo (2016) as ending "with another new workout plan", whilst Austin Isaacsohn of Medium wrote of the album two years after its release "Kanye has taken a beating over the years, man. Listen to "The New Workout Plan" off [The College] Dropout, then listen to "Wolves"." [10] [11] Raleigh-based rapper J. Cole sampled "The New Workout Plan" in his 2011 hit single "Work Out", but despite sampling the original, Cole revealed himself to not be a fan of the song personally. [12] [13]
CD single [14]
Information taken from The College Dropout liner notes. [15]
Chart (2004) | Peak position |
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US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ( Billboard ) [16] | 59 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United States (RIAA) [17] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United States | September 20, 2004 | Rhythmic contemporary · urban contemporary radio | Roc-A-Fella, IDJMG | [18] |
November 1, 2004 | Contemporary hit radio | [19] | ||
"The New Workout Plan (Remix)" | |
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Song by Kanye West featuring Fonzworth Bentley, Luke and Twista | |
Released | March 22, 2005 |
Recorded | 2004 |
Genre | Hip hop |
Length | 4:01 |
Label | |
Songwriter(s) | |
Producer(s) | Lil Jon |
The official remix for the song was produced by Lil Jon and features a new verse by West and guest appearances from Twista, Luke, and Fonzworth Bentley. The remix was later included on The College Dropout Video Anthology . [20]
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.
Derek Watkins, known professionally as Fonzworth Bentley, is an American rapper, actor, television presenter, and author. He is perhaps best known for being Sean Combs' former personal valet and assistant, as first seen in Making the Band 2, and was the host of MTV's From G's to Gents. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia.
American rapper Kanye West has released 10 studio albums, three collaborative studio albums, one compilation album, one demo album, two live albums, one video album, and five mixtapes. All ten of his studio albums have been certified at least gold in the United States. As of June 2021, West has certified 25 million equivalent solo albums units in the United States, placing him among the highest-certified music artists in the United States.
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"Overnight Celebrity" is the second single from Twista's 2004 album Kamikaze. The song was produced and features uncredited vocals by Kanye West and uncredited violin by Miri Ben-Ari. It contains a sample of the 1978 song "Cause I Love You" By Lenny Williams. The song reached number six on the Billboard Hot 100 on May 11, 2004. The song received a nomination for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards.
"Two Words" is a song by American hip-hop artist Kanye West, that features Mos Def, Freeway and The Boys Choir of Harlem, from West's debut studio album The College Dropout (2004). A cinematic version of the song was released as part of The College Dropout Video Anthology. It has been performed by Freeway regularly at his live shows over the years. An orchestral sound is used in the song. The music video was released in March 2005.
"International Players Anthem (I Choose You)" is a song by American hip hop duo UGK, released on June 6, 2007, as the second single from their fifth studio album Underground Kingz (2007). The song, produced by DJ Paul and Juicy J of Three 6 Mafia, features verses from fellow Southern hip hop duo Outkast.
The College Dropout Video Anthology is a DVD release featuring the music videos to the singles from American rapper Kanye West's debut studio album The College Dropout (2004), released on March 22, 2005. It featured the videos to the previously unreleased "Two Words", "Slow Jamz", "Through the Wire", "All Falls Down", the three versions of "Jesus Walks", and "The New Workout Plan".
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Antony Von Williams, known professionally as the WRLDFMS Tony Williams, is an American singer and songwriter. Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Williams is the first-cousin of American rapper Kanye West and has contributed vocals or songwriting to most of his albums, beginning with The College Dropout (2004).
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"Champions" is a song by American rappers Kanye West, Gucci Mane, Big Sean, 2 Chainz, Travis Scott, Yo Gotti, Quavo, and Desiigner. It was originally intended to be released as the lead single from the scrapped GOOD Music compilation album Cruel Winter. The song was produced by West alongside Low Pros and Mike Dean, with co-production from Derek Watkins and Charlie Heat, and additional production from Noah Goldstein. A freestyle video was released by Teyana Taylor in September 2016.
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