Fancy (Drake song)
Encyclopedia
"Fancy" is a song by Canadian recording artist, Drake
, from his debut album Thank Me Later
. Fancy features T.I.
and Swizz Beatz
, who also co-produced the track alongside Noah "40" Shebib
. The track was released to US radio stations on August 3, 2010 as the fourth official single, however promotion of the track ended earlier than expected due to Drake's uncertainty towards the song's planned music video and promotion. It was released as the third single in the United Kingdom on November 29, 2010 as a double-A-side single with "Best I Ever Had
".
The song contains a sample of "I Don't Want to Play Around" by Ace Spectrum. The original leaked version features the chorus sung by Mary J. Blige
and Swizz Beatz and the first verse is rapped by Swizz and the last two are sung by Blige. It was intended to be on Mary J. Blige's Stronger with Each Tear but missed the deadline and was later given to Drake. Blige's vocals were kept on Drake's version as a backing vocal, though formally uncredited.
The track received a nomination for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards.
. In late September 2010, Drake told MTV
that the reason why the video has not yet premiered is because he's debating whether to reshoot the video for "Fancy" or commission a clip for his next single, "Show Me a Good Time", he stated: "We shot 'Fancy,' and to be honest with you, it was done and I watched it and I just had a way better idea, and that's why the video hasn't come out yet. And to follow up 'Find Your Love' and 'Miss Me,' I really wanted to do something different, conceptually, and so I had this amazing idea and now I'm debating whether I should reshoot it or go straight to Show Me a Good Time".
and Swizz Beatz
performed the song at the MTV Video Music Awards
in Los Angeles, California
on September 12, 2010. Mary J. Blige
performed with them in place of T.I.
who was unable to attend, singing a verse from the original leaked version in addition to the chorus. On New Year’s Eve 2011 on ABC
, Drake performed a new version of his “Fancy” track on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest.The record still has Swizz Beatz
.
Underground rapper Syd Whyte recorded his own version "Lonesome" on his youtube page.
at number 99, the week following the album's release, due to it gaining strong digital sales. It's current peak is at number 25. It has reached a current peak at 4 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart and 1 on the US Rap Songs chart.
Drake (entertainer)
Aubrey Drake Graham , who records under the mononym Drake, is a Canadian recording artist and actor. He originally became known for playing Jimmy Brooks on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation....
, from his debut album Thank Me Later
Thank Me Later
Thank Me Later is the debut studio album of Canadian recording artist Drake, released June 15, 2010, on Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Universal Motown Records...
. Fancy features T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....
and Swizz Beatz
Swizz Beatz
Kasseem Dean , better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and painter. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records...
, who also co-produced the track alongside Noah "40" Shebib
40 (producer)
Noah Shebib, better known as 40, is a Canadian hip-hop producer from Toronto, Ontario. He is currently signed to Hip Hop Since 1978, a management and production company. In addition to a strong affiliation with Young Money Cash Money Records , Shebib has produced for artists such as Drake, Lil...
. The track was released to US radio stations on August 3, 2010 as the fourth official single, however promotion of the track ended earlier than expected due to Drake's uncertainty towards the song's planned music video and promotion. It was released as the third single in the United Kingdom on November 29, 2010 as a double-A-side single with "Best I Ever Had
Best I Ever Had (Drake song)
"Best I Ever Had" is the first single from Canadian rapper Drake's first EP So Far Gone. It first became prominent from the release of Drake's third mixtape of the same name. In 2009, the song was named the "Hot Rap Song" of the year by Billboard. The song's popularity helped Drake decide to...
".
The song contains a sample of "I Don't Want to Play Around" by Ace Spectrum. The original leaked version features the chorus sung by Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
and Swizz Beatz and the first verse is rapped by Swizz and the last two are sung by Blige. It was intended to be on Mary J. Blige's Stronger with Each Tear but missed the deadline and was later given to Drake. Blige's vocals were kept on Drake's version as a backing vocal, though formally uncredited.
The track received a nomination for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards.
Music video
A music video was filmed for the song on July 16, 2010.. It was directed by Anthony MandlerAnthony Mandler
Anthony Mandler is a commercial and music video director, who has written and directed music videos for several artists. His most notable and frequent collaborator is Rihanna...
. In late September 2010, Drake told MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
that the reason why the video has not yet premiered is because he's debating whether to reshoot the video for "Fancy" or commission a clip for his next single, "Show Me a Good Time", he stated: "We shot 'Fancy,' and to be honest with you, it was done and I watched it and I just had a way better idea, and that's why the video hasn't come out yet. And to follow up 'Find Your Love' and 'Miss Me,' I really wanted to do something different, conceptually, and so I had this amazing idea and now I'm debating whether I should reshoot it or go straight to Show Me a Good Time".
Live performances
DrakeDrake (entertainer)
Aubrey Drake Graham , who records under the mononym Drake, is a Canadian recording artist and actor. He originally became known for playing Jimmy Brooks on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation....
and Swizz Beatz
Swizz Beatz
Kasseem Dean , better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and painter. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records...
performed the song at the MTV Video Music Awards
MTV Video Music Awards
An MTV Video Music Award , is an award presented by the cable channel MTV to honor the best in music videos...
in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
on September 12, 2010. Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
performed with them in place of T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....
who was unable to attend, singing a verse from the original leaked version in addition to the chorus. On New Year’s Eve 2011 on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, Drake performed a new version of his “Fancy” track on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest.The record still has Swizz Beatz
Swizz Beatz
Kasseem Dean , better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and painter. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records...
.
Remixes
Following the performance at the MTV Video Music Awards, the song was re-purposed as a remix using one of the verses and additional ad-libs from Blige's original version in place of T.I.'s verse. This version also features part of the first verse of the original Ace Spectrum song preceding the first chorus, as well as some minor alterations to the music in the bridge.Underground rapper Syd Whyte recorded his own version "Lonesome" on his youtube page.
Chart performance
"Fancy" debuted the US 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...
at number 99, the week following the album's release, due to it gaining strong digital sales. It's current peak is at number 25. It has reached a current peak at 4 on the US 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,...
chart and 1 on the US Rap Songs chart.
Charts
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US 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... |
25 |
| US 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,... |
4 |
| US Billboard Rap Songs | 1 |
| Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
54 |