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"Illest Motherfucker Alive"
Song by Jay-Z & Kanye West
from the album Watch the Throne (deluxe edition)
ReleasedAugust 8, 2011
Genre
Length5:23
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

"Illest Motherfucker Alive" (censored on the album as "Illest Motherf**ker Alive" [1]) is a song by American rappers Kanye West and Jay-Z. It is only available on their collaborative album Watch the Throne (2011) on the deluxe edition. The song features additional vocals by Kid Cudi, Bankulli, and Aude Cardona. [2] It samples "Tristessa" by Orchestra Njervudarov for an interlude.

Composition

The song includes a sample of "Tristessa" by Orchestra Njervudarov for the interlude played before it, which is also used for the interludes played after fellow album tracks " No Church in the Wild", "New Day" and " Welcome to the Jungle". [2] Producer Southside revealed in an interview that he's responsible for the drums, the snares, the hi-hat and the breakdowns, and also that mostly all the synths were added by West. [3] Jay compares himself to The Beatles and Beyoncé to Yoko Ono. [4]

Release and recording

"Illest Motherfucker Alive" is only available on Watch the Throne as a bonus track on the deluxe edition. [5] The involvement of Southside was due to him being in the studio whilst Lex Luger was co-producing West's song " See Me Now" and being asked by West's manager for beats. [3]

Critical reception

Brian Josephs of Complex viewed the track's presence on Watch the Throne as being "pretty much there for you to revere two impossibly rich black men". [6] It was described by Simon Price of The Independent as "brilliantly absurd" and he pointed out West's lines: "Bulletproof condom when I'm in these hoes/Got staples on my dick. Why? Fuckin' centrefolds". [7]

Commercial performance

In the month of the album's release, the song peaked at number 4 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart and never managed to chart on it again. [8]

Charts

Chart (2011) Peak
position
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles ( Billboard) [9] 4
US R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales ( Billboard) [10] 22

References

  1. ^ "Watch The Throne / JAY-Z". Tidal. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  2. ^ a b Watch the Throne (PDF digital booklet). Jay-Z and Kanye West. Universal Music Group. 2011.{{ cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) ( link)
  3. ^ a b ""The Illest Motherfucker Alive" - An Interview with SouthSide". RESPECT. August 30, 2011. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  4. ^ Rosen, Jody (September 1, 2011). "Watch The Throne". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  5. ^ Ramirez, Erika (July 12, 2011). "Jay-Z and Kanye West's 'Watch The Throne' Deluxe Tracklisting Revealed". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  6. ^ Josephs, Brian (August 8, 2018). "'Watch the Throne' Songs Ranked: A Track-by-Track Review". Complex. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  7. ^ Price, Simon (August 14, 2011). "Album: Jay-Z & Kanye West, Watch the Throne (Mercury)". The Independent. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  8. ^ "Jay-Z Illest Motherf**ker Alive Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2019.
  9. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  10. ^ "Kanye West Chart History (R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved February 19, 2019.
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