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{{Infobox song
⚫
#REDIRECT [[The Life of Pablo]]
| Name = Facts
⚫
{{R from song}}
| Type = Promotional single
| Cover =
| Artist = [[Kanye West]]
| Album =
| Released = December 31, 2015
| Recorded = 2015
| Format = [[streaming media|Streaming]]
| Genre = {{hlist|[[Hip hop music|Hip hop]]|[[Trap music|trap]]}} <!-- Facts is an obvious hip hop song, as well as a trap one. Do not alter these genres without a source. -->
| Length = {{Duration|m=3|s=31}}
| Label = {{hlist|[[GOOD Music|GOOD]]|[[Def Jam Recordings|Def Jam]]}}
| Writer = {{hlist|[[Kanye West]]|[[Cyhi the Prynce|Cydel Young]]|Noah Goldstein|[[Southside (record producer)|Joshua Luellen]]|Nicholas Smith|[[Drake (rapper)|Aubrey Graham]]|[[Metro Boomin|Leland Wayne]]|[[Future (rapper)|Nayvadius Wilburn]]}}
| Producer = {{hlist|[[Metro Boomin]]|[[Southside (record producer)|Southside]]}}
}}

{{Infobox song
| Name = Charlie Heat Version
| Artist = [[Kanye West]]
⚫
| Album = [[The Life of Pablo]]
| Released = February 14, 2016
| Recorded = 2015-2016
| Genre = {{hlist|[[Hip hop music|Hip hop]]|[[Trap music|trap]]}}
| Length = {{Duration|m=3|s=20}}
| Label = {{hlist|[[GOOD Music|GOOD]]|[[Def Jam Recordings|Def Jam]]}}
| Writer = {{hlist|West|Young|[[Charlie Heat|Ernest Brown]]|Goldstein|Luellen|Smith|Graham|Wayne|Wilburn}}
| Producer = {{hlist|West|Boomin|Southside|[[Charlie Heat]]}}
| Misc =
}}

"'''Facts'''" (often stylized as "'''FACTS'''"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://soundcloud.com/kanyewest/facts-explicit|title=FACTS (EXPLICIT) by Kanye West|work=[[SoundCloud]]|accessdate=August 21, 2018}}</ref>) is a song by American rap artist [[Kanye West]]. It was released as a promotional single on [[New Year's Eve]] 2015, marking his first solo release since 2015's "[[All Day (Kanye West song)|All Day]]" - West released "[[Only One (Kanye West song)|Only One]]" on New Year's Eve the previous year, but that was released as an actual single and not a promotional one.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/2720113/kanye-west-facts/|title=Kanye West Drops New Track 'Facts'|work=[[MTV]]|accessdate=June 30, 2018}}</ref>

==Background==
As soon as the song was released, there was speculation of whether or not it would end up on the tracklisting of West's seventh studio album, but in the end, the original version of the song that was released in 2015 didn't end up on his seventh studio album ''[[The Life of Pablo]]'' (2016) - an alternative version did instead though, which was titled "Facts (Charlie Heat Version)".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/12/31/10697536/kanye-west-facts-new-single-listen|title=Listen to Kanye West's new single 'Facts'|work=[[The Verge]]|accessdate=June 30, 2018}}</ref> When Charlie was asked about his name being on the album credits in an interview with [[Complex (magazine)|''Complex'']], he said it was: "A dream manifested right in front of my face.".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.complex.com/music/2016/02/charlie-heat-good-music-the-life-of-pablo-interview|title=Charlie Heat Interview on 'The Life of Pablo' and Signing to G.O.O.D. Music|work=[[Complex (magazine)|Complex]]|accessdate=June 30, 2018}}</ref>

==Composition==

===Facts===
For both its intro and outro, the song samples 2011 track "Dirt and Grime" by [[Father's Children]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.complex.com/music/2016/02/kanye-west-the-life-of-pablo-sample-breakdown|title=Here's Every Sample on Kanye West's New Album, 'The Life of Pablo'|work=[[Complex (magazine)|Complex]]|accessdate=June 30, 2018}}</ref> Rather uniquely, it contains samples of sound effects from video game [[Street Fighter II: The World Warrior]] (1991) throughout.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://kotaku.com/yep-thats-street-fighter-on-kanye-wests-new-album-1759253069|title=Yep, That's Street Fighter On Kanye West's New Album|work=[[Kotaku]]|accessdate=June 30, 2018}}</ref>

As well as this, "Facts" quotes lyrics from 2012 single "[[New God Flow]]" by Kanye and [[Pusha T]], which are mixed together with a flow sampled from [[Drake (rapper)|Drake]] and [[Future (rapper)|Future]]'s 2015 single "[[Jumpman (song)|Jumpman]]" that is used when West is rapping throughout the entirety of the song.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://genius.com/Kanye-west-facts-lyrics|title=Kanye West - Facts Lyrics|work=[[Rap Genius|Genius Lyrics]]|accessdate=June 30, 2018}}</ref>

===Charlie Heat Version===
This version was featured on West's seventh studio album ''The Life of Pablo'' rather than the original, with all the samples being kept in this version and the only difference being an alternative backing beat, produced by West, [[Metro Boomin]], [[Southside (producer)|Southside]] and Heat. When changes were made to ''The Life of Pablo'' in June 2016, "Facts (Charlie Heat Version)" wasn't subject to any.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2016/06/kanye-west-the-life-of-pablo-changes/|title=Every Change Kanye West Made to 'The Life of Pablo'|work=[[XXL (magazine)|XXL]]|accessdate=July 13, 2018}}</ref>

==Release==

===Facts===
Very shortly before the track was released, Kanye's wife [[Kim Kardashian]] made the world aware via [[Twitter]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/i/moments/682719598983135233?lang=en|title=Kanye West releases new song on New Year's Eve|work=[[Twitter]]|accessdate=June 30, 2018}}</ref> Since it was released as a promotional single, the song was only made available for streaming on [[SoundCloud]] instead of sites like [[iTunes]] or [[Amazon Music]] where it had to be paid for.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uk.businessinsider.com/kanye-wests-nike-diss-track-2016-1?r=US&IR=T|title=Kanye West's Nike diss track|work=[[Business Insider]]|accessdate=June 30, 2018}}</ref>

===Charlie Heat Version===
This version was premiered live, along with the rest of an early version of West's 2016 album, at [[Madison Square Garden]] on February 11, 2016, as part of his [[Yeezy Season|Yeezy Season 3]] fashion show in collaboration with [[Adidas]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21542-the-life-of-pablo/|title=Kanye West: The Life of Pablo Album Review|work=[[Pitchfork (magazine)|Pitchfork]]|accessdate=July 1, 2018}}</ref> It stayed as part of the album when it was officially released later in February. Following on from ''The Life of Pablo'''s release, Heat saw an increase in fame.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/charlie-heat/profile/|title=Charlie Heat|work=[[HotNewHipHop]]|accessdate=July 1, 2018}}</ref>

==Critical reception==
Sidney Freitag of [[Odyssey]] described "Facts" as: 'a way for Kanye to promote his Yeezy shoes' and 'not the best song to put on an album', as well as being: 'mostly a let down', showing somewhat negative reception towards the track.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theodysseyonline.com/review-recently-released-song-facts-kanye-west|title=A Review Of "Facts" By Kanye West|work=[[Odyssey]]|accessdate=June 30, 2018}}</ref> However, [[The Atlantic (magazine)|The Atlantic]] gave a much better reception towards the song, with Spencer Kornhaber describing it as West reminding: 'people of why he matters in the first place'.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2016/01/kanye-west-facts-new-years-day-rap-resurrection-2016-drake-future-review/422484/|title=Review: 'Facts' Is Kanye West's Resurrection as an Unhinged, Relevant Rapper|work=[[The Atlantic (magazine)|The Atlantic]]|accessdate=June 30, 2018}}</ref>

==Live performances==
When performing "Facts (Charlie Heat Version)" live in [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]] on 14 September 2016, the rap star stopped the track briefly to rant against its critics, aggressively saying: "Internet - remember y'all didn't like this song? Now we're at that motherf**king Saint Pablo Tour and listen to everybody sing in this motherf**ker!".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUKAd0ODDjw|title=Kanye West stops show to rant - Facts (Tampa, 9/14/16)|work=[[YouTube]]|accessdate=June 30, 2018}}</ref> On 27 October 2016, West gave a live performance of the same version in [[Los Angeles]] - but before rapping it, he summed up the track's lyrical content up by stating: "This song is called "Facts". Everything is quite factual in this motherf**ker."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJqvqr5M3Gc|title=Saint Pablo Tour - Facts The Forum Los Angeles 27 Oct 2016|work=[[YouTube]]|accessdate=June 30, 2018}}</ref>

==Controversy==
"Facts" is clearly a diss track aimed at [[Nike, Inc.|Nike]], with lines such as: "If Nike ain’t had Drizzy man they would have nothing" and "Nike, Nike treat employees just like slaves/Gave LeBron a billi' not to run away" being rapped throughout it.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.highsnobiety.com/2016/01/03/the-real-facts-behind-kanye-wests-diss-song-to-nike/|title=The Real Facts Behind Kanye West's Diss Song to Nike|work=[[Highsnobiety]]|accessdate=June 30, 2018}}</ref> [[Marcus Jordan]] posted his reaction to this content via Twitter on 2 January 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.complex.com/sneakers/2016/01/marcus-jordan-tweet-kanye-west-facts|title=Marcus Jordan's Reaction to Kanye West's "Facts"|publisher=[[Complex (magazine)|Complex]]|accessdate=June 30, 2018}}</ref> Basketball player [[LeBron James]] had an interview regarding this diss, in which he acted in a way that was described as: 'predictably diplomatic, backing Nike and avoiding any direct disagreement with the popular rapper, producer, and designer'.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/lebron-james-responds-to-kanye-wests-nike-diss-track-facts-news.19489.html|title=LeBron James Responds To Kanye West's Nike Diss Track "Facts"|work=[[HotNewHipHop]]|accessdate=June 30, 2018}}</ref> On 8 January 2018, two days after James had been interviewed, West himself clarified that there was no beef between the pair of them.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/kanye-west-lebron-james-facts-nike-diss_us_568ffe35e4b0c8beacf6d5c3|title=Kanye West Scrambling To Make Sure He's Still Cool With LeBron|work=[[Huffington post]]|accessdate=June 30, 2018}}</ref>

==Commercial performance==

===Charlie Heat Version===
Upon the release of ''The Life of Pablo'', the Charlie Heat Version debuted at its peak of number 4 on the US ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' [[Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles]] chart.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/Kanye-West/chart-history/bubbling-under-r-b-hip-hop-songs/3|title=Kanye West Chart History|work=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|accessdate=June 30, 2018}}</ref>

==Charts==

===Charlie Heat Version===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
! scope="col"| Chart (2016)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
! scope="row" | [[UK Singles Chart|UK Singles]] (Official Charts Company)<ref name="official singles chart">{{Cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/search/singles/facts%20(charlie%20heat%20version)/|title=Facts (Charlie Heat Version) {{!}} Full Official Chart History {{!}}|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=June 30, 2018}}</ref>
| 151
|-
! scope="row"| US [[Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles]] (''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'')<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/biz/search/charts?f[0]=ts_chart_artistname%3AKanye%20West&f[1]=ss_chart_search_title%3A%2AFacts%20%28Charlie%20Heat%20Version%29%2A&f[2]=itm_field_chart_id%3A-&f[3]=ss_bb_type%3Achart_item&type=1&artist=Kanye%20West&title=Facts%20%28Charlie%20Heat%20Version%29|title=Chart Search|publisher=[[Billboard (magazine)|''Billboard'']]|accessdate=June 30, 2018}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 4
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{MetroLyrics song|kanye-west|facts}}<!-- Licensed lyrics provider -->

{{The Life of Pablo}}
{{Kanye West songs}}
{{Metro Boomin}}

[[Category:2015 songs]]
[[Category:2015 songs]]
[[Category:2015 singles]]
[[Category:Kanye West songs]]
[[Category:Kanye West songs]]
[[Category:Songs written by Kanye West]]
[[Category:Songs written by Kanye West]]
Line 8: Line 98:
[[Category:Songs written by Future (rapper)]]
[[Category:Songs written by Future (rapper)]]
[[Category:Songs written by Southside (record producer)]]
[[Category:Songs written by Southside (record producer)]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Kanye West]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Metro Boomin]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Charlie Heat]]
[[Category:Trap music (hip hop) songs]]

Revision as of 08:06, 28 August 2018

"Facts"
Song
"Facts"
Song

"Facts" (often stylized as "FACTS"[1]) is a song by American rap artist Kanye West. It was released as a promotional single on New Year's Eve 2015, marking his first solo release since 2015's "All Day" - West released "Only One" on New Year's Eve the previous year, but that was released as an actual single and not a promotional one.[2]

Background

As soon as the song was released, there was speculation of whether or not it would end up on the tracklisting of West's seventh studio album, but in the end, the original version of the song that was released in 2015 didn't end up on his seventh studio album The Life of Pablo (2016) - an alternative version did instead though, which was titled "Facts (Charlie Heat Version)".[3] When Charlie was asked about his name being on the album credits in an interview with Complex, he said it was: "A dream manifested right in front of my face.".[4]

Composition

Facts

For both its intro and outro, the song samples 2011 track "Dirt and Grime" by Father's Children.[5] Rather uniquely, it contains samples of sound effects from video game Street Fighter II: The World Warrior (1991) throughout.[6]

As well as this, "Facts" quotes lyrics from 2012 single "New God Flow" by Kanye and Pusha T, which are mixed together with a flow sampled from Drake and Future's 2015 single "Jumpman" that is used when West is rapping throughout the entirety of the song.[7]

Charlie Heat Version

This version was featured on West's seventh studio album The Life of Pablo rather than the original, with all the samples being kept in this version and the only difference being an alternative backing beat, produced by West, Metro Boomin, Southside and Heat. When changes were made to The Life of Pablo in June 2016, "Facts (Charlie Heat Version)" wasn't subject to any.[8]

Release

Facts

Very shortly before the track was released, Kanye's wife Kim Kardashian made the world aware via Twitter.[9] Since it was released as a promotional single, the song was only made available for streaming on SoundCloud instead of sites like iTunes or Amazon Music where it had to be paid for.[10]

Charlie Heat Version

This version was premiered live, along with the rest of an early version of West's 2016 album, at Madison Square Garden on February 11, 2016, as part of his Yeezy Season 3 fashion show in collaboration with Adidas.[11] It stayed as part of the album when it was officially released later in February. Following on from The Life of Pablo's release, Heat saw an increase in fame.[12]

Critical reception

Sidney Freitag of Odyssey described "Facts" as: 'a way for Kanye to promote his Yeezy shoes' and 'not the best song to put on an album', as well as being: 'mostly a let down', showing somewhat negative reception towards the track.[13] However, The Atlantic gave a much better reception towards the song, with Spencer Kornhaber describing it as West reminding: 'people of why he matters in the first place'.[14]

Live performances

When performing "Facts (Charlie Heat Version)" live in Tampa on 14 September 2016, the rap star stopped the track briefly to rant against its critics, aggressively saying: "Internet - remember y'all didn't like this song? Now we're at that motherf**king Saint Pablo Tour and listen to everybody sing in this motherf**ker!".[15] On 27 October 2016, West gave a live performance of the same version in Los Angeles - but before rapping it, he summed up the track's lyrical content up by stating: "This song is called "Facts". Everything is quite factual in this motherf**ker."[16]

Controversy

"Facts" is clearly a diss track aimed at Nike, with lines such as: "If Nike ain’t had Drizzy man they would have nothing" and "Nike, Nike treat employees just like slaves/Gave LeBron a billi' not to run away" being rapped throughout it.[17] Marcus Jordan posted his reaction to this content via Twitter on 2 January 2015.[18] Basketball player LeBron James had an interview regarding this diss, in which he acted in a way that was described as: 'predictably diplomatic, backing Nike and avoiding any direct disagreement with the popular rapper, producer, and designer'.[19] On 8 January 2018, two days after James had been interviewed, West himself clarified that there was no beef between the pair of them.[20]

Commercial performance

Charlie Heat Version

Upon the release of The Life of Pablo, the Charlie Heat Version debuted at its peak of number 4 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart.[21]

Charts

Charlie Heat Version

Chart (2016) Peak
position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[22] 151
US Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles (Billboard)[23] 4

References

  1. ^ "FACTS (EXPLICIT) by Kanye West". SoundCloud. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  2. ^ "Kanye West Drops New Track 'Facts'". MTV. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  3. ^ "Listen to Kanye West's new single 'Facts'". The Verge. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  4. ^ "Charlie Heat Interview on 'The Life of Pablo' and Signing to G.O.O.D. Music". Complex. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  5. ^ "Here's Every Sample on Kanye West's New Album, 'The Life of Pablo'". Complex. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  6. ^ "Yep, That's Street Fighter On Kanye West's New Album". Kotaku. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  7. ^ "Kanye West - Facts Lyrics". Genius Lyrics. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  8. ^ "Every Change Kanye West Made to 'The Life of Pablo'". XXL. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  9. ^ "Kanye West releases new song on New Year's Eve". Twitter. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  10. ^ "Kanye West's Nike diss track". Business Insider. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  11. ^ "Kanye West: The Life of Pablo Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  12. ^ "Charlie Heat". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
  13. ^ "A Review Of "Facts" By Kanye West". Odyssey. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  14. ^ "Review: 'Facts' Is Kanye West's Resurrection as an Unhinged, Relevant Rapper". The Atlantic. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  15. ^ "Kanye West stops show to rant - Facts (Tampa, 9/14/16)". YouTube. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  16. ^ "Saint Pablo Tour - Facts The Forum Los Angeles 27 Oct 2016". YouTube. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  17. ^ "The Real Facts Behind Kanye West's Diss Song to Nike". Highsnobiety. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  18. ^ "Marcus Jordan's Reaction to Kanye West's "Facts"". Complex. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  19. ^ "LeBron James Responds To Kanye West's Nike Diss Track "Facts"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  20. ^ "Kanye West Scrambling To Make Sure He's Still Cool With LeBron". Huffington post. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  21. ^ "Kanye West Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  22. ^ "Facts (Charlie Heat Version) | Full Official Chart History |". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  23. ^ "Chart Search". Billboard. Retrieved June 30, 2018. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

External links

Template:The Life of Pablo

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