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Check It Out (song)
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox song
| name = Check It Out
| cover = Nicki minaj hceck it out.jpg
| alt =
| border = yes
| type = single
| artist = will.i.am and Nicki Minaj
| album = Pink Friday
| released =
| recorded = 2010
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = *Pop-rap
* electropop
| length = * 4:11
* 3:58 (Radio Edit)
| label = Interscope
| writer =
| producer = will.i.am
| chronology = will.i.am
| prev_title = I'm in the House
| prev_year = 2010
| next_title = Free
| next_year = 2011
| misc =
}}
"'Check It Out'" is a song performed by American rapper will.i.am and Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj. The hip hop and electropop song, written by will.i.am and Minaj, samples the 1979 hit single "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles. After release, it debuted on the US 'Billboard' Hot 100 at #78 and on the Canadian Hot 100 at #48. It appears on Minaj's debut album, 'Pink Friday', though it was not released in promotion of the album. The special remix released in the UK also features British recording artist Cheryl Cole.James Barr. (2010-10-12). 'The James Barr Show.' Galaxy FM (The Galaxy Network). Aired 2010-10-12 The song peaked at #24 on the 'Billboard' Hot 100; as of December 2013, the song has sold 780,000 digital downloads.
Background
The song samples "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles. Minaj stated in a past interview with 'Entertainment Weekly' that she was working with producer will.i.am on her latest album, not hinting at whether it was a production or a featured help, stating; "Just something for my album that Im really excited about. An unofficial mix of the song ended up leaking onto the internet August 27, 2010, two weeks before its official release.
In an interview with 'MTV News' Minaj commented on her collaboration with the producer will.i.am stating; "I worked with tons of producers on my album, shout out to all of them. Wills the only producer that produced 'me'. He really sat there and got this weird sound, and I was like, What? It was so simple. He was sitting there and he made the beat on the spot." She continued on saying that "I was sitting there, and it was like five minutes later, he finished the beat!" The Buggles, the British band behind the original, performed the updated record "Check It Out" at shows at Londons Supperclub and The British Music Experience at the O2.
Lead singer Trevor Horn commented on his song being sampled by the duo by stating Were very happy because it means we made a little bit of money for it.
Composition and critical reception
was featured on the song's Special mix.
"Check It Out" features the nearly constant repetition of the piano and vocal hook from The Buggles' 1979 classic 'Video Killed the Radio Star,' which is famous for being the first video ever played on MTV in 1981. Matthew Wilkening of 'AOL Radio Blog' states that the "Incessant 'Oh-a oh's' pretty much bore a hole in your head, the duo verbally flip the bird to their haters while on their way into the hottest dance club in town." Wilkening gave the song's lyrics a negative review stating "If you're looking for deep lyrical insights, jeez, are you at the wrong party." Becky Bain of 'Idolator' gave the song a positive review stating, "We almost want to cry foul for taking an extremely beloved 80s song (okay, the song was released in 1979 but the video debuted in 1981) and appropriating it for a modern-day hip-hop song, just because thats become so commonplace its an uncreative, predictable way to get attention for your song. But but but we cant hate. We love this. We have no taste. Its just too much funwe can easily see this getting massive radio play like her other lets-sample-another-popular-song-from-another-decade hit and make people's ears bleed, Your Love. What say you?" 'Entertainment Weekly' put the single as their #2 of "The Must List" stating, "The Black Eyed Peas front-man and hip-hop's reigning femme fatale make ingenious use of those famous coos from the 1979 Buggles hit "Video Killed the Radio Star" to create an irresistible party-starter."Entertainment Weekly #1122 October 1, 2010 Page 15
The special remix also features British singer Cheryl Cole, but both versions of the song were released in the UK for digital download on October 31, 2010 and CD on November 1, 2010. The music video for the UK special mix was released on 11 November 2010. It is mostly the same as the original with added clips that include Cole.
Music video
The music video for the single was shot over the weekend of September 26 in a studio in Los Angeles director Rich Lee. In an interview with 'MTV News' Will.i.am stated "You can expect to see a bunch of flyness as far as the outfits. When I say flyness, Im talking about Nickis outfits. Shes looking super-duper fly and whatnot." The video is a tribute to Japanese anime. Minaj also commented on the video shoot and its theme, stating "Were doing almost like an ode to Japanese culture and Japanese anime. Im obviously a big fan and Ive joined forces with like the only boy that I know thats also able to capture that culture." A behind the scenes video was released along with the interview. This is however in contrast to both the spoken introduction of the video and the words popping up during the video; the words are written in hangul, the Korean alphabet, and the intro is spoken in Korean.
The music video for the single was released October 25, 2010.
Synopsis
Because the video features the Korean language rather than Japanese, her "tribute to Japanese anime" and her claim to be an "obvious big fan" is made questionable. The Korean language was possibly used because it takes fewer characters to write and would take less space on the screen. The video starts on a simple soundstage. A gentleman (who is Korean) introduces the pair to an audience of women similarly dressed in black and donning squared sunglasses. As the song begins playing from a boombox, Minaj wearing a creatively shaped teal, cream and mauve hat, blonde wig and beige outfit raps to the camera that she's a "savage/ Haters you can kill yourself." When the chorus arrives, so do the clones of will.i.am dressed in white jackets. Cape is wearing striped shirts and black pants. Then two dancers, clad in futuristic clothing and goggles, begin grooving and suddenly multiply into five more clones all executing the same moves. The scene flips back to the camera featuring Nicki, and there's now only one will.i.am and two Nicksters. When the beat slows down for the song's bridge, Minaj is in a new outfit, a pink and white bodysuit with a black wig. Then will.i.am, who received flack for performing during the MTV Video Music Awards in what many described as black face, appears in what one could call "white face." He becomes a black and white cartoon, whose face is white but hair is black, as he rhymes "step up to my level need to grow a little taller." The video ends with Minaj and Will striking poses.
Live performances
Minaj and will.i.am appeared together at the 2010 VMAs pre-show, where the duo performed "Check It Out" as well as Minaj appearing solo to perform her single "Your Love". 'Rap-Up' magazine said the performance had eccentric dancing and pink escapades. However a Chris Ryan from 'MTV Buzzworthy' was less impressed with the duo appearing as The Jetsons. He said "The WTF? ... Look, we LOVE Nicki Minaj. We would fake-marry her if Drake hadn't already fake-married her. And one thing we really, really love about Nicki Minaj is the wild and crazy looks she breaks out. But given the flack he's taken in the last few days over his, um, unique choice in attire, she might have wanted to pregame with Will.i.am a little harder, regarding his stage fashion." He later went on to say that Minaj's performance lived up to expectations. "And of course, Nicki more than delivered. Harajuku Barbie really brought the house down with "Check It Out", You have to see it to believe it."
However will.i.am attracted negative media criticism for his choice of outfit, consisting of: "an all black leather outfit with matching all black make-up". Sean Michaels of 'The Guardian' said "It was a look more Max Headroom than Al Jolson, but never underestimate the Internet's capacity for righteous indignation", while fans "comparing his makeup to the racist 19th century blackface minstrel shows." "1st. just because I where all black including head mask as expression and emphasize my outfit, it shouldnt be looked at as racial, let go of the past. there are far more important things 2 bark about. (Jobs, health, education) not a black man wearing all black everything. Are you guys serious? my outfit set black people back 100 yrs choose your twits wisely. no education sets people back, no jobs, bad health." Minaj agreed with Will.i.am's decision and attire in an interview with Hot 97s Funkmaster Flex stating "You cant expect him to make common folk happy."
The duo also appeared on the 'Late Show with David Letterman' on October 4, 2010. The performance recalled some of the elements of their 'VMA' performance, including the two female back-up dancers and Minaj's hype man S.B. wearing a 'Pink Friday' t-shirt. Both later performed the single on the 'Live with Regis & Kelly' show on October 11, 2010. Minaj performed in a blonde wig, kaleidoscopic Marc Bouwer couture dress, and Christian Louboutin ankle boots.
Personnel
*Chris Bellman - mastering
*Dylan "3D" Dresdow - mixing
*will.i.am - production, recording, synths, vocals, writing
*Padriac Kerin - recording
*DJ Ammo - synths
*Ariel Chobaz - recording
*Nicki Minaj - vocals, writing
*Bruce Woolley - writing
*Geoff Downes - writing
*Trevor Horn - writing
*Cheryl Cole - vocals (Special mix and backing vocals on original mix)
:Source:
Track listing
*'Canada, US Digital Download'
# "Check It Out" - 4:11
*'International Digital Download'
# "Check It Out" (Radio Mix) - 3:58
*'UK Digital and CD single'
# "Check It Out" (Main) 4:11
# "Check It Out" (Special Mix) (with Cheryl Cole) 4:11
*'Canada, US Digital The Remixes single'
# "Check It Out" (Benny Benassi Remix) 5:55
# "Check It Out" (Shameboy Remix) 5:11
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
{| class="wikitable sortable"|-
!Chart (2010–11)
!Peak
position
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|Denmark (IFPI Dance)
| style="text-align:center;"|40
|-
|-
|-
|Japan (Japan Hot 100)
|align="center"|5
|-
|Japan Hot Overseas ('Billboard')
|align="center"|1
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|}
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
Category:2010 singles
Category:Nicki Minaj songs
Category:Songs written by Nicki Minaj
Category:Will.i.am songs
Category:Song recordings produced by will.i.am
Category:Songs written by will.i.am
Category:Songs written by Geoff Downes
Category:Songs written by Trevor Horn
Category:Songs written by Bruce Woolley
Category:Interscope Records singles
Category:Cheryl (singer) songs
Category:2010 songs
Category:Music videos directed by Rich Lee
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