Amazing (Kanye West song)
Encyclopedia
"Amazing" is a song by American
hip hop
artist Kanye West
, released as the third single for his fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak
. Co-produced with Jeff Bhasker
, the song features hip hop artist Young Jeezy
and contains additional vocals provided by Mr Hudson and Tony Williams. This song is also well known for its use in the NBA during the 2009 Playoffs
, and is featured on the NBA 2K10
soundtrack. UFC Fighter Frank Mir
walks out to this song before his fights. The song was nominated at the 52nd Grammy Awards
in the Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group
category.
only, while "Paranoid
" was sent to Top 40 radio
. Prior to becoming a single, "Amazing" debuted at eighty-nine on the Billboard Hot 100
following the release of 808s & Heartbreak. "Amazing" was used by the NBA during the 2009 playoffs as part of their advertisement campaign and was also used in a commercial for the video game, NBA 2K10
. Frank Mir
used "Amazing" as his entrance music at UFC 100
prior to his Heavyweight Championship fight against Brock Lesnar
as well as before his fights with Cheick Kongo
(UFC 107
) and Shane Carwin
(UFC 111
).
and number sixty-three on the Hot Canadian Digital Singles chart on the week of December 4, 2008. Although the song relapsed the following weeks, it re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 to peak at number eighty-one on May 14, 2009.
After being released onto to urban radio, "Amazing" entered the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
at number ninety-six for the issue date of March 28. The song moved up four spaces the next week to reach number ninety-two. That same week, "Amazing" entered and peaked at number twenty-two on Hot Rap Tracks
for the issue dated April 11. The following week, the song climbed again to reach the seventy-fourth position. "Amazing" peaked at number sixty-five on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for the issue date of April 18.
On June 12, "Amazing" debuted on the Swedish Singles Chart
at number forty-two.
. On April 13, 2009, West posted stills from the music video on his blog and announced that it will be released soon. On April 23, 2009, the music video premiered on BET
's 106 & Park
. The video ranked at #91 on BET
's Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2009 countdown.
The models featured in the video were Vanessa Veasley and Sweetie Cyanide.
's 106 & Park
on November 25, 2008. Backed by a seven-piece band, West performed the song alongside Jeezy before segueing into the two's previous collaboration, "Put On
". West provided another live rendition of "Amazing" during his appearance on VH1 Storytellers
on February 28, 2009. On March 21, West performed the song as the intro for his G.O.O.D. Music concert at Levi's/Fader Fort during SXSW. He performed the solo part of the song on 5 July in Hyde Park, London
for his headline slot on the final day of the Wireless Festival
2009.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
artist Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
, released as the third single for his fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak
808s & Heartbreak
808s & Heartbreak is the fourth studio album by American hip hop artist Kanye West, released November 24, 2008 on Roc-A-Fella Records in the United States. Recording sessions for the album took place at Glenwood Studios in Burbank, California and Avex Recording Studio in Honolulu, Hawaii during...
. Co-produced with Jeff Bhasker
Jeff Bhasker (producer)
Jeff Bhasker is an American producer and writer, as well as a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist.Bhasker was one of the producers of the rapper Kanye West's track "Runaway" which made its debut at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards...
, the song features hip hop artist Young Jeezy
Young Jeezy
Jay Wayne Jenkins , better known by his stage name Young Jeezy, is an American rapper. He is the member of the hip hop group United Streets Dopeboyz of America and a former member of BMF...
and contains additional vocals provided by Mr Hudson and Tony Williams. This song is also well known for its use in the NBA during the 2009 Playoffs
2009 NBA Playoffs
The 2009 NBA Playoffs was the postseason for the National Basketball Association's 2008–09 season. The playoffs started on April 18, 2009 with ABC, ESPN, TNT, and NBA TV broadcasting the games in the United States...
, and is featured on the NBA 2K10
NBA 2K10
NBA 2K10 is a basketball video game based on the National Basketball Association developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports. It was released on October 6, 2009 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and PSP and on October 12, 2009 on PC. It was released on Wii on November 9, 2009 in...
soundtrack. UFC Fighter Frank Mir
Frank Mir
Francisco Santos Miranda is an American mixed martial artist, as well as a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Kenpō Karate, who competes in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and a former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion...
walks out to this song before his fights. The song was nominated at the 52nd Grammy Awards
52nd Grammy Awards
The 52nd Annual Grammy Awards took place on January 31, 2010, at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Neil Young was honored as the 2010 MusiCares Person of the Year on January 29, two days prior to the Grammy telecast. Only ten of the 109 awards were received during the broadcast...
in the Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group
Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group was awarded between 1991 and 2011, alongside the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. Previously a single award was presented for Best Rap Performance....
category.
Release
"Amazing" was sent to Rhythmic/Urban radioRhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may...
only, while "Paranoid
Paranoid (Kanye West song)
"Paranoid" is a song by American hip hop artist Kanye West. It was released as the fourth and final single from his fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak. The song was co-produced with Jeff Bhasker and Plain Pat, while co-written by the three along with Consequence and Kid Cudi...
" was sent to Top 40 radio
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
. Prior to becoming a single, "Amazing" debuted at eighty-nine on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
following the release of 808s & Heartbreak. "Amazing" was used by the NBA during the 2009 playoffs as part of their advertisement campaign and was also used in a commercial for the video game, NBA 2K10
NBA 2K10
NBA 2K10 is a basketball video game based on the National Basketball Association developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports. It was released on October 6, 2009 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and PSP and on October 12, 2009 on PC. It was released on Wii on November 9, 2009 in...
. Frank Mir
Frank Mir
Francisco Santos Miranda is an American mixed martial artist, as well as a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Kenpō Karate, who competes in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and a former UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion...
used "Amazing" as his entrance music at UFC 100
UFC 100
UFC 100 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on July 11, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada.-Background:...
prior to his Heavyweight Championship fight against Brock Lesnar
Brock Lesnar
Brock Edward Lesnar is an American mixed martial artist, actor and a former professional and amateur wrestler. He is a former UFC Heavyweight Champion and is ranked the No.5 Heavyweight in the world by Sherdog...
as well as before his fights with Cheick Kongo
Cheick Kongo
Cheick Guillaume Ouedraogo , more commonly known as Cheick Kongo, is a professional French heavyweight mixed martial artist and kickboxer currently fighting in the Ultimate Fighting Championship...
(UFC 107
UFC 107
UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on December 12, 2009 in Memphis, Tennessee at the FedExForum.-Background:...
) and Shane Carwin
Shane Carwin
Shane Bannister Carwin is an American mixed martial artist who competes in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship , where he was previously the UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion...
(UFC 111
UFC 111
UFC 111: St-Pierre vs. Hardy was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on March 27, 2010 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, United States.-Background:...
).
Chart performance
Along with "See You in My Nightmares", "Amazing" charted without actually being released as a single following the debut of 808s & Heartbreak. In the United States, the song entered at number eighty-nine on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and number sixty-three on the Hot Canadian Digital Singles chart on the week of December 4, 2008. Although the song relapsed the following weeks, it re-entered the Billboard Hot 100 to peak at number eighty-one on May 14, 2009.
After being released onto to urban radio, "Amazing" entered the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
at number ninety-six for the issue date of March 28. The song moved up four spaces the next week to reach number ninety-two. That same week, "Amazing" entered and peaked at number twenty-two on Hot Rap Tracks
Hot Rap Tracks
Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single...
for the issue dated April 11. The following week, the song climbed again to reach the seventy-fourth position. "Amazing" peaked at number sixty-five on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for the issue date of April 18.
On June 12, "Amazing" debuted on the Swedish Singles Chart
Sverigetopplistan
Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association ....
at number forty-two.
Music video
The music video for "Amazing" was filmed in Kauai, Hawaii and directed by Hype WilliamsHype Williams
Harold "Hype" Williams , previously known as HYPE, is an American music video and film director of African-American and Honduran descent. His nickname "Hype" comes from his hyperactive nature as a child....
. On April 13, 2009, West posted stills from the music video on his blog and announced that it will be released soon. On April 23, 2009, the music video premiered on BET
Bet
Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...
's 106 & Park
106 & Park
106 & Park is a Top Ten Hip-Hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that airs weekdays at 6:00 PM on BET . Since its inception, it was the network's #1 rated show...
. The video ranked at #91 on BET
Black Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...
's Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2009 countdown.
The models featured in the video were Vanessa Veasley and Sweetie Cyanide.
Live performances
"Amazing" was first performed live on BETBet
Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...
's 106 & Park
106 & Park
106 & Park is a Top Ten Hip-Hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that airs weekdays at 6:00 PM on BET . Since its inception, it was the network's #1 rated show...
on November 25, 2008. Backed by a seven-piece band, West performed the song alongside Jeezy before segueing into the two's previous collaboration, "Put On
Put On
"Put On" is the first single off rapper Young Jeezy's third studio album, The Recession. The song features Kanye West using an Auto-Tune effect. It was released on iTunes on June 3, 2008 under the same name. The song received a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group.-Music...
". West provided another live rendition of "Amazing" during his appearance on VH1 Storytellers
VH1 Storytellers
Storytellers is a television music series produced by the VH1 network.In each episode artists perform in front of a live audience, and tell stories about their music, writing experiences and memories, somewhat similar to MTV Unplugged...
on February 28, 2009. On March 21, West performed the song as the intro for his G.O.O.D. Music concert at Levi's/Fader Fort during SXSW. He performed the solo part of the song on 5 July in Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park, London
Hyde Park is one of the largest parks in central London, United Kingdom, and one of the Royal Parks of London, famous for its Speakers' Corner.The park is divided in two by the Serpentine...
for his headline slot on the final day of the Wireless Festival
Wireless Festival
The Wireless Festival is a music festival in England that takes place every year in Hyde Park, London, and took place at Harewood House, Leeds in 2006 and 2007. It is owned and managed by Live Nation....
2009.
Chart positions
| Chart (2008/2009) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Türkiye Billboard Türkiye Billboard Türkiye is the official Turkish chart magazine and was founded in November 2006. Also the "Billboard Radio" is on the 87.7 FM in the Turkish radios.-Charts:Billboard Charts are accepted as Turkey's official charts... Top 20 |
11 |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
42 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
81 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
65 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Tracks Hot Rap Tracks Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single... |
22 |
| Hot Canadian Digital Singles | 63 |
Personnel
Information taken from 808s & Heartbreak liner notes.- Songwriters: Kanye West, Malik Yusef Jones, Dexter Mills, Jeff Bhasker, Jay Jenkins
- Producers: Kanye West, Jeff Bhasker
- Recorders: Andrew Dawson, Anthony Kilhoffer
- Keyboards: Jeff Bhasker.
- Background vocals: Mr Hudson, Tony Williams
- Mix engineer: Manny MarroquinManny MarroquinManny Marroquin, born 21 September 1971 in Guatemala, is a Grammy winning mixing engineer. His family moved to Los Angeles when he was nine due to the Guatemalan Civil War....
- Assistant engineers: Christian Plata, Erik Madrid