2016 song by Young Thug
| "Wyclef Jean" | |
|---|---|
 Screenshot from the improvised music video | |
| Song by Young Thug | |
| from the album Jeffery | |
| Released | August 26, 2016 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 3:56 |
| Label | |
| Songwriter(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| Music video | |
| "Wyclef Jean" on YouTube | |
"Wyclef Jean" is a song by American rapper Young Thug. It is the opening track to his mixtape Jeffery, which was released on August 26, 2016. The song features Young Thug ad-libbing and crooning sexual boasts over a half-time reggae beat produced by TM88 and Supah Mario. The track's instrumental is driven by a groovy bassline and contains horns and a Jamaican-sounding backing chant. Like all other tracks on Jeffery, the song is named after one of Young Thug's idols, Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean. The song peaked at number 87 on the Billboard Hot 100.
On January 16, 2017, a music video for the song was released, which subsequently went viral. The video was co-directed by Young Thug and Ryan Staake of Pomp&Clout, however Young Thug did not appear for the music video's shooting. As a result, the video, which had a budget of US$100,000, was produced almost entirely without Young Thug. The final music video consisted of title cards describing its improvised production, with Young Thug only appearing in a short clip of him eating Cheetos. The video received praise for its novelty and won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Editing in 2017. A day after the ceremony, Young Thug tweeted saying he was unaware that he had won an award.
Composition and critical reception
The track features a half-time reggae beat driven by a groovy bassline. Produced by TM88 and Supah Mario, it features horns as well as a Jamaican-sounding backing chant. Writing for XXL magazine, Scott Glaysher said that the beat had "a distinct Caribbean vibe", and sounded like something that Wyclef Jean himself could rap over. Vocally, Young Thug croons sexual boasts while "ad-libbing noises that resemble a human imitating a horse", according to The Guardian's Lanre Bakare. Brian Duricy of PopMatters highlighted Young Thug's soulful and nasal vocals on the song's bridge and hook respectively.
"Wyclef Jean" is the opening track on Young Thug's mixtape Jeffery, which was released on August 26, 2016 via 300 Entertainment and Atlantic Records. Like every other song on the mixtape, it is named after one of Young Thug's idols, with this track being named after Haitian rapper Wyclef Jean. HotNewHipHop's Mitch Findlay described the song as "a shining point in Thug's discography", and praised its display of Young Thug's artistry. Duricy also praised the track, and considered it one of Jeffery's high points. Bakare criticized the track, writing that it was not a good start to the mixtape. Glaysher considered Young Thug's lyrics "nothing out of the ordinary", but praised the song's production.
Music video
The music video for "Wyclef Jean" was co-directed by Young Thug and Ryan Staake of production company Pomp&Clout, and was released on January 16, 2017. It had a budget of $100,000, and was shot in October 2016. The video was produced almost entirely without the involvement of Young Thug; he arrived to the shoot 10 hours late, refused to film any scenes, and promptly left after finding out that his Instagram account had been hacked. Staake had never met Young Thug prior to the shoot, with their only communication being a recording sent by Young Thug outlining ideas for the music video.
Young Thug ひ @youngthug So no one was going to tell me that I won an award??
August 28, 2017
The music video was received positively and was met with praise for its novelty. It went viral, receiving over one million views within 24 hours of its release. The video won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Editing in 2017, marking Young Thug's first VMA win. The day after, Young Thug tweeted that he was unaware that he had won an award.
The video consists of title cards bluntly detailing the improvised production of each scene. Originally, Staake wanted the video to be of Young Thug lighting the $100,000 budget on fire, but Young Thug's record label was concerned with potential legal consequences. An audio recording of Young Thug's conversation with John Colombo, who was originally slated to direct the music video, was sent to Staake. The audio, in which the two discussed ideas for the video, was ultimately included in the music video. The music video's shots include children dressed in police uniforms smashing police cars and police threatening to shut down production. Young Thug's only appearance in the music video is a brief, self-directed clip of him eating Cheetos, which was sent to Staake two months after the video's shooting.
Awards and nominations
| Organization | Year | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MTV Video Music Awards | 2017 | Best Editing | Won |
Charts
| Chart (2016) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada (Canadian Hot 100) | 96 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 87 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard) | 32 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada) | Platinum | 80,000 |
| United States (RIAA) | Platinum | 1,000,000 |
|
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- ^ Bakare, Lanre (August 31, 2016). "Young Thug: Jeffery review – inconsistent but worth persevering". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
- Findlay, Mitch (August 26, 2019). "Young Thug Introduced His Modern Classic With "Wyclef Jean"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
- ^ Leight, Elias (January 17, 2017). "Watch Young Thug's Comedy of Errors Video for 'Wyclef Jean'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
- ^ Duricy, Brian (September 1, 2016). "Young Thug: No, My Name Is JEFFERY". PopMatters. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
- Lyons, Patrick (September 1, 2016). "Young Thug's "No, My Name Is Jeffery" (Review)". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
- ^ Glaysher, Scott (August 31, 2016). "Young Thug Stays in His Lane With 'Jeffery'". XXL. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
- "Here Are All the Winners From the 2017 MTV VMAs". Billboard. August 27, 2017. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
- Ruiz, Matthew Ismael (September 22, 2016). "Deciphering the Idol Worship of Young Thug's 'Jeffery' Tracklist". Billboard. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
- Findlay, Mitch (August 26, 2019). "Young Thug Introduced His Modern Classic With "Wyclef Jean"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved December 25, 2024.
- ^ Josephs, Brian (January 17, 2017). "Video: Young Thug's "Wyclef Jean" Video Makes Chicken Salad From Expensive Chicken Shit". Spin. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
- ^ Ducker, Eric (January 17, 2017). "Young Thug 'Wyclef Jean' Director on How He Saved His Nightmare Shoot". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
- ^ Darville, Jordan (January 18, 2017). "Why The "Wyclef Jean" Video Is Wrong For Young Thug". The Fader. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
- Klinkenberg, Brendan (January 17, 2017). "How Young Thug's Insane "Wyclef Jean" Video Got Made". Complex. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
- ^ Turner, David (August 29, 2017). "Apparently No One Told Young Thug His "Wyclef Jean" Video Won a VMA". GQ. Archived from the original on April 10, 2019. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
- ^ Espinoza, Joshua (January 17, 2017). "Young Thug's Video for "Wyclef Jean" Isn't What You'd Expect". Complex. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
- Young Thug ひ (August 28, 2017). "So no one was going to tell me that I won an award??" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Lamarre, Carl (January 17, 2017). "Here's Young Thug's 'Wyclef Jean' Video, The One He Never Showed Up to Shoot". Billboard. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
- Britton, Luke Morgan (January 19, 2017). "Director of Young Thug 'Wyclef Jean' viral video responds to speculation that clip is a hoax". NME. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
- Kim, Michelle Hyun (August 28, 2017). "MTV VMA 2017: Young Thug Wins First VMA". Pitchfork. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
- Lamarre, Carl (August 29, 2017). "Young Thug Had No Idea He Won a VMA Award". Billboard. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
- Bundy, Will (January 16, 2017). "Watch The $100,000 "Wyclef Jean" Video Young Thug Never Actually Showed Up For". The Fader. Retrieved December 24, 2024.
- "Young Thug Chart History: Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
- "Young Thug Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
- "Young Thug Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
- "Canadian single certifications – Young Thug – Wyclef Jean". Music Canada. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
- "American single certifications – Young Thug – Wyclef Jean". Recording Industry Association of America.