H•A•M

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"H•A•M"
Single by Jay-Z and Kanye West
from the album Watch the Throne
Released January 11, 2011 (2011-01-11)
Format Digital download
Recorded 2010
Genre
Length 4:38
Label
Writer(s)
  • Shawn Carter
  • Kanye West
  • Lexus Lewis
Producer(s)
Jay-Z singles chronology
"Monster"
(2010)		 "H•A•M"
(2011)		 "Otis"
(2011)
Kanye West singles chronology
"Hurricane 2.0"
(2010)		 "H•A•M"
(2011)		 "All of the Lights"
(2011)

"H•A•M" is a song by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West. It was released as the first single from their collaborative studio album Watch the Throne on January 11, 2011. It was produced by Lexus "Lex Luger" Lewis and Kanye West.[1] "H•A•M" has also served as the opening track to the duo's North American and European Watch the Throne Tour.

Reception

Fellow rapper and producer, Swizz Beatz commented positively on the song, saying, "I think that those being both of my friends, and knowing that people can team up on such a high caliber level — as musicians, as rappers, as friends, as peers — I think it's super positive, and I think that if more of the industry did moves like this it would be a better place for everybody."[2] "H•A•M" has received mixed reviews from critics. The song received a three out of five star review from Rolling Stone.[3] Kevin O'Donnell of Spin praised the song by saying, "Kanye's latest, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, was the most epic album of 2010 — and the rapper's ambitions haven't eased up one bit here. The track morphs into the weirdest sounding opera ever, with a female singing window-shattering trills over a gospel piano progression and the song's hard-hitting beat."[4]

Personnel

  • Produced by Lex Luger
  • Co-produced by Kanye West
  • Additional production by Mike Dean
  • Recorded by Noah Goldstein (assisted by Matt Arnold) at Real World Studios and (The Mercer) Hotel
  • Mixed by Mike Dean at (The Mercer) Hotel
  • Cello: Christopher "Hitchcock" Chorney
  • Cello arrangement: Mike Dean
  • Additional vocals: Aude Cardona and Jacob Lewis Smith
  • Creative direction: Ricardo Tisci

Remixes

Busta Rhymes made a remix to the song. Roscoe Dash also did a freestyle to it for the intro to his "Dash Effect" Mixtape.[5] Also freestyles have been made by Lupe Fiasco,[6] Lil' Kim,[7] Chingy, 40 Cal, Papoose, Emilio Rojas, Ace Hood, Lil Wyte (who renamed it "Porter House") and XV (who renamed the song "Heroes Amongst Men").[8]

Commercial performance

On January 19, 2011, "H•A•M" made its debut on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 23 and on the US Billboard Hot Digital Songs at number 10, with digital sales of 125,000 units.[9]

Charts

Chart (2011) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[10] 78
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[11] 56
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[12] 47
Denmark (Tracklisten)[13] 35
Ireland (IRMA)[14] 40
Netherlands (Mega Single Top 100)[15] 53
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[16] 32
South Korea International Singles (Gaon)[17] 7
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[18] 30
US Billboard Hot 100[19] 23
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[20] 24
US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[21] 14

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
United States (RIAA)[22] Gold 500,000

^shipments figures based on certification alone

Radio and release history

Country Date Format Label
United States[23] January 11, 2011 Digital download
Ukraine[24] January 12, 2011 Roc-A-Fella Records
Australia[25] January 17, 2011 Contemporary hit radio
Alternative radio
United States[26] January 25, 2011 Urban contemporary radio Def Jam Recordings

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ "Kanye West – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for Kanye West. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 03, 2011". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 2011-01-21.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2011-01-22". Scottish Singles Top 40. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2011-01-22" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Kanye West – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Kanye West. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Kanye West – Chart history" Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for Kanye West. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  21. ↑ "Kanye West – Chart history" Billboard Hot Rap Songs for Kanye West. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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