H•A•M

"H•A•M"
Single by Kanye West and Jay-Z
from the album Watch the Throne
Released January 11, 2011 (2011-01-11)
Format Digital download
Recorded 2010
Genre
Length 4:38
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Jay-Z singles chronology
"Monster"
(2010)		 "H•A•M"
(2011)		 "Otis"
(2011)

"Monster"
(2010)		 "H•A•M"
(2011)		 "Otis"
(2011)
Kanye West singles chronology
"Christmas in Harlem"
(2010) Christmas in Harlem2010		 "H•A•M"
(2011) H•A•M2011		 "E.T."
(2011) E.T.2011

"H•A•M" is a song by American rappers Kanye West and Jay-Z. 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]

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]

Chart 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]

Credits and 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

Charts

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

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
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. ↑ "Jay-Z & Kanye West. The letters H•A•M stand for Hard As a Motherfucker. – H.A.M." Real Talk NY.
  2. ↑ Mawuse Ziegbe (Jan 12, 2011). "Swizz Beatz Says Jay-Z And Kanye West's 'H.A.M. Is 'Super Positive'". MTV.
  3. ↑ Jody Rosen (January 11, 2011). "Kanye West and Jay-Z". Rolling Stone.
  4. ↑ O'Donnell, Kevin (January 11, 2011). "HEAR IT: Kanye and Jay-Z Leak First Collabo Song". Spin.
  5. ↑ "New Music – HAM Busta Rhymes Remix". Rap Radar. January 18, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Audio: Lupe Fiasco – H.A.M. Freestyle (On Westwood)".
  7. ↑ "New Music – Lil Kim HAM Remix". Rap Radar. January 27, 2011.
  8. ↑ Langley, JT (Jan 27, 2011). "Listen Up: "H.A.M. (Heroes Amongst Men)" by XV". Ology. Archived from the original on 2011-01-30. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
  9. ↑ Trust, Gary (January 19, 2011). "Britney Spears' 'Hold It Against Me' Debuts Atop Hot 100". Billboard.
  10. ↑ "The ARIA Report: Issue 1091 (Week Commencing 24 January 2011)" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. p. 2. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
  11. ↑ "Kanye West & Jay-Z – H•A•M – Austriancharts.at" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Kanye West Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Kanye West & Jay-Z – H•A•M". Tracklisten. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  14. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 03, 2011". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 2011-01-21.
  15. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Kanye West & Jay-Z – H•A•M" (in Dutch). Mega Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  16. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  17. ↑ "South Korea Gaon International Chart (2011.01.16 – 2011.01.22)". Gaon Chart. Archived from the original on March 28, 2013. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  18. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Kanye West Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  20. ↑ "Kanye West Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  21. ↑ "Kanye West Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  22. ↑ "American single certifications – Kanye West – HAM". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  23. ↑ "H•A•M – Single by Jay Z & Kanye West". iTunes Store. Apple. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  24. ↑ "H•A•M (Edited Version) – Single by Jay Z & Kanye West". iTunes Store. Apple. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
  25. ↑ "Kanye West & Jay-Z – H*A*M – Issue 819". The Music Network. Surry Hills (819). January 17, 2011. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
  26. ↑ "Urban/UAC Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on January 25, 2011. Retrieved May 20, 2013.
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