"Fire"
Song by Kids See Ghosts
from the album Kids See Ghosts
ReleasedJune 8, 2018 (2018-06-08)
StudioWest Lake Ranch, Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Length2:21
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Kids See Ghosts track listing
7 tracks
  1. "Feel the Love"
  2. "Fire"
  3. "4th Dimension"
  4. "Freeee (Ghost Town, Pt. 2)"
  5. "Reborn"
  6. "Kids See Ghosts"
  7. "Cudi Montage"

"Fire" is a song by American hip hop duo Kids See Ghosts, composed of the rappers Kanye West and Kid Cudi, from their only studio album (2018). West, Kid Cudi, BoogzDaBeast, and André 3000 produced the song, while additional production was handled by Evan Mast. Written by the producers with the exception of BoogzDaBeast, it is a rock-influenced track that includes a sample of Napoleon XIV's "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!". In the lyrics, Kids See Ghosts refuse to let haunting demons define them.

"Fire" received generally positive reviews from music critics, with several of them praising the production. Some were complementary towards the lyrical content, while numerous critics positively compared the song to Kid Cudi's earlier works. It peaked at number 67 on the US Billboard Hot 100, alongside reaching the charts in Australia, Canada, Ireland, and Slovakia. In 2018, Kids See Ghosts performed the song at the Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival.

Background

André 3000 performing at the Best Buy Theater in Times Square New York for the Advertising Week party.
After having worked with both members of Kids See Ghosts separately in the past, American rapper André 3000 contributed to the song's writing and production.

On April 19, 2018, Kanye West announced a collaborative album with Kid Cudi under the title of Kids See Ghosts, with him setting the release date of June 8, 2018 for it.[1] Kid Cudi had been featured on a number of tracks by West prior to the announcement, including "Welcome to Heartbreak" (2008) and "Gorgeous" (2010).[1] West released his eighth studio album Ye on June 1, 2018, with the tracks "No Mistakes" and "Ghost Town" including vocals from Kid Cudi.[2][3]

"Fire" was produced by West, Kid Cudi, BoogzDaBeast, and André 3000, with additional production from Evan Mast.[4] With the exception of BoogzDaBeast, the producers wrote the song.[4] Prior to working with Kids See Ghosts on the song, André 3000 provided vocals for "30 Hours" from West's seventh studio album The Life of Pablo in 2016.[5] That same year, André 3000 was featured on the tracks "By Design" and "The Guide" from Kid Cudi's sixth studio album Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin'.[6] BoogzDaBeast contributed production to the compilation album Cruel Summer (2012), which was released under West and Kid Cudi's record label GOOD Music.[5] "Fire" was recorded at West Lake Ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, with it being engineered by Zack Djurich, Mike Malchicoff, and William J. Sullivan.[4][7][8] The song was mixed by Mike Dean and Jess Jackson, while Sean Solymar assisted in the mix.[4]

Composition and lyrics

Musically, "Fire" was described in press reviews as a rock influenced track.[5][7][9] The song contains a sample of "They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!" (1966) by Napoleon XIV.[4] From the recording, the drums and a rhythmic excerpt are sampled.[10][11][12] The song combines the drums with a guitar, the latter of which is looped at the beginning, and a tambourine is played throughout.[13][14][15] After the loop, Kid Cudi hums.[14] West raps first on the song with an angry flow, being followed by Kid Cudi.[13][16]

Lyrically, "Fire" sees Kids See Ghosts refuse to let themselves be defined by the demons that haunt them.[16] West also uses the lyrics to lash out at his haters.[13] Kid Cudi's performance has a spiritual message, starting with him rapping: "It's so many days I prayed to God."[16] He also dismisses judgement and raps reflectively.[16][17] For the song's outro, Kid Cudi offers, "Heaven lift me up."[13][16]

Release and promotion

"Fire" was released on June 8, 2018, as the second track on Kids See Ghosts' eponymous debut studio album.[18] The song was not included on the track list originally shared by West on May 15 of that year, though the position of the second track was initially set to be taken up by "Kids See Ghosts".[19] On the day of the album's release, multiple tracks were mislabeled on streaming services as a result of a technical error, including "Fire" being mislabeled as the sixth track on Kids See Ghosts, "Kids See Ghosts".[14][20] For their first show billed as Kids See Ghosts, the duo performed the song at the 2018 Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival.[21] Though it was the third track of their set, the song stood as the second track to be performed that was released by them under the moniker of Kids See Ghosts.[22] For the performance, Kids See Ghosts were inside a transparent box, which they danced inside. As the duo performed, jets of flame shot up from the stage below that illuminated the box.[23]

Reception

"Fire" was met with generally positive reviews from music critics, who mostly praised the production. Writing for AllMusic, Neil Z. Yeung called the production of the song a "Gorillaz-esque stomp."[18] Vulture's Craig Jenkins wrote that the song sees West "blasting rails and lashing out at haters," stating his performance is followed by Kid Cudi offering "an earnest invocation."[13] Jenkins elaborated, pointing out how "music that can turn from bliss to rage on a dime" aids "good-cop, bad-cop approach" on the song and concluded by branding it "a devilish drum-and-guitar stomp" that sounds like "Revofev" from Kid Cudi's second studio album Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager (2010) "descending into a riot."[13] On a similar note, Micah Peters of The Ringer analyzed that the song's production "recalls the same one horse town on Mars vibes" of "Revofev" and the rapper's collaboration "She Came Along" with Sharam.[24] Stereogum critic Tom Breihan noted that the song is an example of Kid Cudi speaking "in self-improvement aphorisms" on Kids See Ghosts, while asserting he "uses the bluesy croak in his voice to its maximum effect."[10] Breihan continued, opining that the song sounds like a version of West's single "Black Skinhead" (2013) with Kid Cudi "rapping over the martial lockstep drums from Napoleon XIV's 'They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!'."[10] Chuck Arnold from Entertainment Weekly cited the lyrical content as giving him hope that Kids See Ghosts "have rid themselves of enough ghosts to bust out more of" the type of artistry demonstrated on the album.[25] In a less enthusiastic review for musicOMH, Ben Devlin noted that the song's "proggy beat" shows the rock influence of Kid Cudi's recent projects.[9] He criticized the song for "[stumbling] into a verse that ends before it really begins" and "[breaking] into a completely unrelated outro" following one chorus, while complaining that it "deserved more" with "production as nice as it is" and adding "such a scattershot approach seems to be West's new modus operandi."[9] Billboard writer Eric Renner Brown criticized "Fire" for not going "anywhere interesting" despite calling it "solid, hinting at the longstanding rock aspirations Cudi explored on 2012's WZRD and 2015's Speedin' Bullet 2 Heaven," with him deriding how "the bland, brief verses" lead to the song sounding "more like a rough draft than a finished product."[7]

Following the release of Kids See Ghosts, "Fire" opened at number 67 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[26] Simultaneously, the track charted at number 32 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[27] It performed best in Canada, entering the Canadian Hot 100 at number 49.[28] In Australia, the song debuted at number 69 on the ARIA Singles Chart.[29] The track reached number 58 and 83 on the Irish Singles Chart and Slovakia's Singles Digitál Top 100, respectively.[30][31] "Fire" further charted at number 36 on the UK R&B Chart.[32]

Credits and personnel

Recording

Personnel

  • Kanye West – songwriter, production
  • Kid Cudi – songwriter, production
  • André 3000 – songwriter, production
  • Evan Mast – songwriter, additional production
  • BoogzDaBeast – production
  • Zack Djurich – engineer
  • Mike Malchicoff – engineer
  • William J. Sullivan – engineer
  • Jenna Felsenthal – assistant engineer
  • Mike Dean – mixer
  • Jess Jackson – mixer
  • Sean Solymar – assistant mixer

Information taken from the Kids See Ghosts liner notes and Tidal.[4][33]

Charts

Chart performance for "Fire"
Chart (2018) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[29] 69
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[28] 49
Ireland (IRMA)[30] 58
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[31] 83
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[32] 36
UK Audio Streaming (OCC)[34] 77
US Billboard Hot 100[35] 67
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[27] 32

References

  1. 1 2 Sargent, Jordan (April 19, 2018). "Kanye West Announces New Album With Kid Cudi". Spin. Archived from the original on April 20, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  2. ↑ Yeung, Neil Z. "Ye – Kanye West". AllMusic. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  3. ↑ "ye / Kanye West". Tidal. Archived from the original on February 20, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kids See Ghosts (booklet). Kids See Ghosts. GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings. 2018. B0028759-02.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. 1 2 3 Lockett, Dee (June 11, 2018). "Kanye and Kid Cudi's New Album: Breaking Down the Credits". Vulture. Archived from the original on July 1, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  6. ↑ Yeung, Neil Z. "Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin' – Kid Cudi". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 22, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Brown, Eric Renner (June 25, 2018). "Kanye West's GOOD Summer Album 2018 Series: Every Song Ranked". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 5, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  8. 1 2 Bromwich, Jonah Engel (February 23, 2020). "Kanye, Out West". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 24, 2020. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  9. 1 2 3 Devlin, Ben (June 8, 2018). "Kids See Ghosts – Kids See Ghosts | Album Reviews". musicOMH. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 Breihan, Tom (June 11, 2018). "Kanye West & Kid Cudi 'Kids See Ghosts' Album Review: A Work Of Murky Honesty". Stereogum. Archived from the original on December 1, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  11. ↑ Weingarten, Christopher R. (June 11, 2018). "Review: Kanye West and Kid Cudi Brood Bravely on 'Kids See Ghosts' LP". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  12. ↑ Li, Nicolaus (June 9, 2018). "Kid Cudi & Kanye West 'Kids See Ghosts' Samples". Hypebeast. Archived from the original on July 29, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jenkins, Craig (June 8, 2018). "Album Review: Kanye West and Kid Cudi, 'Kids See Ghosts'". Vulture. Archived from the original on June 10, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  14. 1 2 3 Klinkenberg, Brendan (June 8, 2018). "A Brief Guide to the 'Kids See Ghosts' Tracklist". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 4, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  15. ↑ Alston, Trey (June 8, 2018). "'Kids See Ghosts' proves Kanye West and Kid Cudi are the creative control that each other needs". Revolt. Archived from the original on June 10, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 Stuzin, Devin (June 21, 2018). "Kanye West & Kid Cudi Fly High Above Their Demons on 'Kids See Ghosts'". Atwood Magazine. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  17. ↑ Fitzgerald, Kiana (June 12, 2018). "'Kids See Ghosts' Is the Gospel Album 'The Life of Pablo' Tried to Be". Complex. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  18. 1 2 Yeung, Neil Z. "Kids See Ghosts – Kids See Ghosts". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 13, 2018. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  19. ↑ Lamarre, Carl (May 15, 2018). "Kanye West Reveals Track Lists for Kid Cudi Joint Album & Pusha T's 'King Push' Project". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  20. ↑ Cush, Andy (June 8, 2018). "The Kids See Ghosts Track Lists and Credits Are Full of Errors". Spin. Archived from the original on September 4, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  21. ↑ Krol, Charlotte (November 12, 2018). "Kanye West and Kid Cudi perform from suspended glass box in first public show as Kids See Ghosts". NME. Archived from the original on May 8, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  22. ↑ Young, Alex (November 12, 2018). "Kanye and Kid Cudi Make Live Debut as Kids See Ghosts: Video+ Setlist". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on November 12, 2018. Retrieved February 4, 2021.
  23. ↑ Larsen, Peter (November 12, 2018). "Camp Flog Gnaw 2018: Kids See Ghosts, the duo of Kanye West and Kid Cudi, makes its live debut on Sunday". Los Angeles Daily News. Archived from the original on December 18, 2018. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  24. ↑ Peters, Micah (June 9, 2018). "Kid Cudi and Kanye West Bring Out the Best in Each Other on 'Kids See Ghosts'". The Ringer. Archived from the original on November 9, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  25. ↑ Arnold, Chuck (June 11, 2018). "Kanye West and Kid Cudi's Kids See Ghosts: EW review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
  26. ↑ Trust, Gary (June 20, 2018). "Louis Prima Sets Record For Longest Break Between Hot 100 Hits, Debuting on Kids See Ghosts' '4th Dimension'". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
  27. 1 2 "Top Hip-Hop Songs / R&B Songs Chart – June 23, 2018". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  28. 1 2 "Canadian Music: Top 100 Songs – June 23, 2018". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 10, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  29. 1 2 "ARIA Chart Watch #477". auspOp. June 16, 2018. Archived from the original on May 11, 2019. Retrieved November 27, 2020.
  30. 1 2 "Irish-charts.com – Discography Kids See Ghosts". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  31. 1 2 "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201824 into search. Retrieved April 17, 2019.
  32. 1 2 "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  33. ↑ "Kids See Ghosts / Kids See Ghosts: Credits". Tidal. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  34. ↑ "Official Audio Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  35. ↑ "Music: Top 100 Songs – June 23, 2018". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 31, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
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