Gotta Have It (song)

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"Gotta Have It"
Single by Jay-Z and Kanye West
from the album Watch the Throne
ReleasedDecember 6, 2011
Recorded2011
GenreHip hop
Length2:20
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Jay-Z singles chronology
"Why I Love You"
(2011)
"Gotta Have It"
(2011)
"I Do"
(2012)
Kanye West singles chronology
"Why I Love You"
(2011)
"Gotta Have It"
(2011)
"No Church in the Wild"
(2012)

"Gotta Have It" is a song by American hip hop artists Kanye West and Jay-Z from their collaborative album Watch the Throne (2011). The song was produced by West and The Neptunes, and samples three original compositions by James Brown: "Don't Tell a Lie About Me and I Won't Tell the Truth About You", "People Get Up and Drive Your Funky Soul" and "My Thang". The song explores themes of wealth, decadence and the economic stature in the US. The song received positive reviews from critics who complimented the production and the clever wordplay of the two rappers.

The song was released as the sixth single from Watch the Throne on December 6, 2011. The song peaked at number 69 on the US

Radio 1's Big Weekend
musical festival.

Background

Jay-Z and Kanye West are both American rappers who have collaborated on several tracks together, such as singles like "

Radio 1's Big Weekend festival, West joined Jay-Z to perform "Gotta Have It" and other Watch the Throne hits, including the singles "Niggas in Paris" and "No Church in the Wild".[8]

Composition

Jay-Z uses a homophone connecting the pronunciation of the words "richer" and prior" to comedian Richard Pryor.[9]

"Gotta Have It" unites "Kanye and the Neptunes to crazily chop up James Brown vocal samples and Eastern flute melodies."

Ferris Bueller and Miami Heat jokes over a chopped-up James Brown yelps" provided by The Neptunes.[13]

Reception

"Gotta Have It" received mostly positive reviews from

music critics. Sputnikmusic's Tyler Fisher stated that "The Neptunes turn in their best beat in years on "Gotta Have It", sampling James Brown in a realm completely removed from funk and soul."[14] Slant Magazine's Matthew Cole stated that "the duo volleys ball lines at each other on "Otis" and do call-and-response riffing on "Gotta Have It," sounding like a pair of hustlers who can't believe how much they've gotten away with. The chemistry between the two friends and self-described sibling rivals is conveyed perfectly on those two tracks."[15]

David Amidon of PopMatters commented that several songs on the album are a "whirlwind of excitement, particularly "Gotta Have It", which finds Kanye and Jay spitting such decadent, pro-Black-laden material as "Maybachs on bachs on bachs on bachs on bachs / Who in that? / Oh, shit, it's just blacks on blacks on blacks".[16] Popdust's Emily Exton reported that "the two trade lines instead of verses in what results in a surefire example of what can happen when two pros team up."[10] The song peaked at number 69 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and at numbers 14, 13 and 17 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot Rap Songs and Rhythmic charts respectively.[17][18][19][20]

Credits and personnel

Chart performance

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[23] Platinum 1,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ 'Watch The Throne' Track-By-Track Breakdown (Def Jam VP of A&R Bu Thiam breaks down the tracks on 'Watch the Throne' with MTV News)
  2. Rovi Corporation. Biography. Archived
    from the original on 2012-05-31. Retrieved 2011-08-11.
  3. ^ a b Dombal, Ryan (2010-10-25). "Kanye West and Jay-Z Planning Joint Album". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 2012-09-02. Retrieved 2010-10-26.
  4. ^ a b c Breihan, Tom (August 11, 2011). "Album Reviews: Jay-Z / Kanye West: Watch the Throne". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on August 16, 2011. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  5. ^ "®R&R :: Going For Adds™ :: Urban". Radio & Records. Archived from the original on 2012-03-11. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
  6. ^ "CHR – Available for Airplay". FMQB. Archived from the original on 2012-02-07. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
  7. ^ Bretbaf (May 21, 2012). "Kanye West & Jay-Z Concert Setlist at the O2 Arena, London, UK on May 21, 2012". The Independent. Independent Print Limited. Archived from the original on May 23, 2012. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  8. ^ Higgins Keenan (2012-06-25). "Kanye, Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj and Nas join Hackney 2012". Vibe. Archived from the original on January 5, 2013. Retrieved 2012-06-25.
  9. ^ JAY-Z & Kanye West – Gotta Have It, retrieved 2022-11-12
  10. ^ a b Exton, Emily (2011-11-14). "Gotta Have It by Kanye and Jay-Z Review". Popdust. Archived from the original on 2012-05-11. Retrieved 2012-10-07.
  11. ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (July 8, 2011). "Jay-Z Previews 'Watch the Throne' in New York". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2011.
  12. ^ "Kanye West and Jay-Z's 'Watch the Throne': A Track-by-Track Breakdown". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. August 9, 2011. Archived from the original on December 24, 2011. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
  13. ^ Harvilla, Rob (August 10, 2011). "Jay-Z and Kanye West, 'Watch the Throne' (Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam/Roc Nation)". Spin. Spin Media. Archived from the original on October 28, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
  14. ^ Fisher, Tyler (August 10, 2011). "Jay-Z and Kanye West – Watch the Throne (staff review)". Sputnikmusic. Archived from the original on December 16, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  15. ^ Cole, Matthew (August 11, 2011). "Jay-Z and Kanye West: Watch the Throne". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on September 25, 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
  16. ^ Amidon, David (August 12, 2011). "Jay-Z & Kanye West: Watch the Throne". PopMatters. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2011.
  17. ^ a b "Kanye West Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
  18. ^ a b "Kanye West Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
  19. ^ a b "Kanye West Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
  20. ^ a b "Kanye West Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-02-19.
  21. ^ "R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – 2012 Year End Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 2019-03-31. Retrieved 2019-03-12.
  22. ^ "Rap Songs – 2012 Year End Charts". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on 2017-09-29. Retrieved 2012-12-17.
  23. ^ "American single certifications – Jay-Z & Kanye West – Gotta Have It". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links