Us Placers

Last updated
"Us Placers"
Song by Child Rebel Soldier
from the album Can't Tell Me Nothing
ReleasedMay 27, 2007
Recorded2007
Genre Hip hop
Length3:53
Label 1st & 15th, GOOD, Star Trak
Songwriter(s) Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Thom Yorke
Producer(s) Lupe Fiasco

"Us Placers" is the debut song by American supergroup Child Rebel Soldier, a musical collaboration consisting of American hip-hop artists Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, and Pharrell Williams. [1] It was released as the third song on the track-listing of West's 2007 mixtape Can't Tell Me Nothing . The song was produced by Fiasco and samples the 2006 song "The Eraser" by Thom Yorke. [2] In "Us Placers," the trio speaks on the entrapments of fame. Having been released on a free mixtape, the song did not enter the charts but became an online hit and received strong reviews from music critics. [3]

Contents

Background

"Us Placers" was produced by Lupe Fiasco, who initially crafted the song for inclusion within his mixtape. He intended to create a mashup mixtape of the same name, a hip-hop remake of English alternative rock musician Thom Yorke's 2006 solo album The Eraser , along with a few Radiohead songs. Fiasco originally wanted Kanye West, who also deeply enjoyed Yorke's album, and English hip-hop group The Streets to appear on the track. [2] [4] However, the Streets failed to respond while West sent the song over to Pharrell Williams after laying down a verse. The three enjoyed the collaboration so much that they decided to form their very own group. It was Williams who came up with their name, Child Rebel Soldier. [2] [5] According to Fiasco, "It was Pharrell's idea one day in the studio 'cause we're all similar, same likes and same dislikes, same goals and aspirations." [6] Early track listings for West's third studio album Graduation indicated that he intended to feature the group's song on his album, but it was subsequently not included. [7]

Composition

Critical reception

"Us Placers" received overwhelmingly positive reviews from music critics and was widely regarded as the highlight of the Can't Tell Me Nothing mixtape. Rolling Stone not only cited the song as the best track on the mixtape but also placed it at number forty-three on their list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007. [13] Complimenting the poignant use of the sample as well as the depth of the trio's individual verses, it wrote, "Each brings something wholly new to the other, trading self-effacement and self-possession back and forth until there's no difference between the two. For this 3:53, hip-hop isn't dead, and neither is rock. They're quietly invincible." [8] Thomas Inskeep of Stylus Magazine described "Us Placers" as being both deep and intelligent and praised the dexterity of Williams' verse in particular. [14] Toronto Star columnist John Sakamoto wrote that the recording was a "stunning collaboration." [15] Greg Kot of Chicago Tribune stated that the song was brilliant while Entertainment Weekly called it an "instant Internet classic." [16] [17] Luke Lewis of Q Magazine felt it was a shame that "Us Placers" would not be featured on Fiasco's then-forthcoming sophomore album, Lupe Fiasco's The Cool , as he believed that the song's guest appearances and lyrical content "all adds up to the most atmospheric, and quietly enthralling, hip-hop track we've heard in a long time." [10] Two years later, while reviewing his Enemy of the State: A Love Story mixtape, Allison Stewart from The Washington Post retrospectively referred to "Us Placers" as "the great '07 track" and commended Fiasco's production of the song." [18] At About.com, "Us Placers" was placed at number thirty-two on their list of the Top 100 Rap Songs of 2007 and later at number eighty-three on their 100 Best Rap Songs of the 2000s. [19] [20]

Music video

Though no official music video for "Us Placers" was released, a non-commissioned video was produced by music video director Va$htie. [21] The video features then-ten-year-old child impersonators standing in for Fiasco, West, Williams and Yorke. They lip-sync to and illustrate the song's lyrics and hold up cue cards in reference to Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues". [22] Despite its "zero-budget," unofficial nature, the music video was very well received, garnering well over two million views on YouTube alone. It went on to catch the attention of West, who expressed his affinity for it by posting the video up on his official blog. [23]

Live performances

Fiasco performed "Us Placers" on August 5, 2007 during his set at Lollapalooza, to the delight of the largely alternative rock audience. [24]

References

  1. "Can't Tell Me Nothing". Amazon . Amazon.com, Inc. 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-12.
  2. 1 2 3 Reid, Shaheem (2008-04-18). "Lupe Fiasco Wants To Quit Music Biz, But Promises More Collabos With Kanye, Pharrell; Fabolous Makes The Band: Mixtape Monday". MTV . MTV Networks. Archived from the original on April 15, 2008. Retrieved 2008-04-18.
  3. Cohen, Jonathan (2008-01-30). "Kanye Touring With Rihanna, Lupe, N.E.R.D." Billboard . Nielson Business Media, Inc . Retrieved 2008-02-02.
  4. Scaggs, Austin (2007-09-20). "Kanye West: A Genius In Praise of Himself". Rolling Stone . RealNetworks, Inc. Archived from the original on March 9, 2009. Retrieved 2007-09-26.
  5. Collins, Hattie (2008-04-12). "Lupe Dreams". The Guardian . Guardian News and Media Limited . Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  6. Geoghegan, Kev (2008-04-04). "Lupe Fiasco 'Ready to Quit Albums'". BBC Music . BBC . Retrieved 2008-06-08.
  7. Spin Staff (2007-08-08). "Kanye Unveils Tracklisting; MTV's VMA Noms Announced". Spin . Spin Media, LLC. Retrieved 2007-08-14.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Levy, Joe (2007-07-27). "Alternate Takes: Go West to the Future". Rolling Stone . RealNetworks. Archived from the original on March 7, 2008. Retrieved 2007-07-27.
  9. 1 2 3 Kot, Greg (2007-06-01). "Kanye, Lupe, Pharrell Collaborate on Thom Yorke Track". Chicago Tribune . Tribune Company . Retrieved 2008-05-28.
  10. 1 2 Lewis, Luke (2007-07-20). "Thom Yorke Gets a Hip-hop Makeover". Q Magazine . Bauer . Retrieved 2007-07-29.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Louis, Justin (2008-02-08). "The Power of Three". The Brandeis Hoot. Retrieved 2008-02-08.
  12. Sakamoto, John (2007-12-29). "The Anti-Hit List Top 10". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
  13. "The 100 Best Songs of 2007". Rolling Stone. RealNetworks, Inc. 2007-12-27. Archived from the original on December 16, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-21.
  14. Inskeep, Thomas (2007-08-31). "Kanye West Can't Tell Me Nothing – Music Review". Stylus Magazine . stylusmagazine.com. Retrieved 2007-09-10.
  15. Sakamoto, John (2007-07-28). "The Anti-Hit List for July 28". Toronto Star . Toronto Star. Retrieved 2007-12-29.
  16. Kot, Greg (2008-05-24). "Kanye West Takes a One-man Trip to Dark Side of the Moon". Chicago Tribune. Tribune Company. Retrieved 2008-05-24.
  17. Vozick-Levinson, Simon (2007-12-20). "Meet 10-year-old Kanye, Lupe, and Pharrell". Entertainment Weekly . Entertainment Weekly Inc. Retrieved 2009-12-23.
  18. Stewart, Allison (2009-12-09). "Singles File". The Washington Post . Retrieved 2009-12-09.
  19. Adaso, Henry (2007). "Top 100 Rap Songs of 2007". About.com . About.com.
  20. Adaso, Henry. "100 Best Rap Songs of the 2000s". About.com.
  21. Reid, Shaheem (2008-01-28). "Mixtape Monday: Lupe Fiasco Plans His Cool Viral Video; Joe Budden Compares Jay-Z To A 'Bully'". MTV. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on April 15, 2008. Retrieved 2008-01-28.
  22. Kreps, Daniel (2007-12-20). "Video for Lupe/Kanye/Pharrell/Yorke Collabo Gets Unofficially Kidz-Bopped". Rolling Stone. RealNetworks, Inc. Archived from the original on July 20, 2014. Retrieved 2008-01-09.
  23. West, Kanye (2008-01-03). "va$htie - "Us Placers" by Lupe, Kanye & Pharrell (CRS)". Kanye West Blog. Kanye West/Mascotte Holdings, LLC. Retrieved 2008-01-03.
  24. Harris, Chris; Kaufman, Gil (2007-08-06). "Pearl Jam Electrify; Amy Winehouse, Lupe Fiasco, Kings Of Leon Also Help Cap Lollapalooza". MTV. MTV Networks. Archived from the original on August 24, 2007. Retrieved 2007-08-12.