Apeshit

"Apeshit" (stylized in all caps) is a 2018 trap song by American musical duo the Carters, composed of Beyoncé and Jay-Z. The song was co-written and co-produced by Pharrell Williams with the duo. It features additional ad-libs by Quavo and Offset from the hip hop trio Migos, who are credited as a co-writers. It was released on June 16, 2018, as the lead single from the duo's collaborative studio album Everything Is Love, along with a music video filmed at the Louvre in Paris.[2] The video received eight nominations at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards, including for Video of the Year,[3] and a Grammy nomination for Best Music Video.[4]

For a definition of the word "apeshit", see the Wiktionary entry apeshit.
"Apeshit"
Single by the Carters
from the album Everything Is Love
ReleasedJune 16, 2018 (2018-06-16)
Format
Recorded2017–2018
GenreTrap[1]
Length4:25
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Pharrell Williams
Beyoncé singles chronology
"Top Off"
(2018)		 "Apeshit"
(2018)		 "Spirit"
(2019)
Jay-Z singles chronology
"Top Off"
(2018)		 "Apeshit"
(2018)		 "Summer"
(2018)
The Carters singles chronology
"Apeshit"
(2018)		 "Summer"
(2018)
Music video
"Apeshit" on YouTube

Critical reception

Otir Hard of NPR dubbed the song one of the catchiest to be released in 2018, adding that it "lives up to the grandeur on first listen".[5] Kory Grow writing for the Rolling Stone described the beat as "hard-hitting".[6] Simon Reynolds cited "Apeshit" as an example for the continuing "triumph" of Auto-Tune in contemporary music, with Beyoncé "jump[ing] on the trap bandwagon [in] a transparent attempt to compete on urban radio by adopting the prevailing template of commercial-yet-street rap".[7]

In December 2018, Billboard ranked "Apeshit" as the 27th best song of the year.[8] For Pitchfork, it was the 85th,[9] while Rolling Stone named the song as the 24th best one of 2018.[10] The Guardian listed "Apeshit" at number 21 on their year end ranking,[11], while Q[12] at number 19, and The Village Voice at number 14.[13]

Awards and nominations
Year Ceremony Work Nomination Result
2018 BET Hip Hop Awards[14]
"Apeshit" Song of the Year Won
Best Collaboration Won
Clio Awards[15] Best Music Video Won
Camerimage Awards[16] Best Music Video Nominated
Best Cinematography in a Music Video Nominated
iHeartRadio MMVAs[17] Fan Fave Video Nominated
Best Direction Nominated
Los 40 Music Awards[18] International Video of the Year Nominated
MTV Europe Music Awards[19] Best Video Nominated
MTV Video Music Awards[20] Video of the Year Nominated
Best Collaboration Nominated
Best Hip-Hop Video Nominated
Best Art Direction Won
Best Choreography Nominated
Best Cinematography Won
Best Direction Nominated
Best Editing Nominated
Soul Train Music Awards[21] Rhythm & Bars Award Nominated
UK Music Video Awards[22] Best International Urban Video Nominated
2019 Grammy Awards Best Music Video Nominated
NAACP Image Awards[23] Outstanding Music Video/Visual Album Nominated

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Ricky Saiz, produced by Iconoclast, and filmed in Louvre in Paris and Los Angeles, California in May 2018. It was premiered on the second night of the London show during their On the Run II Tour at the London Stadium. The clip lasts for six minutes. It opens with a man who has wings, seen crouching as bells and sirens are prominent in the background, and features visual imagery suggesting comparisons and linkages between wealth, status, and royalty in the Renaissance-era artwork and the eventual evolution of these characteristics into the Carters.[2][24] The visual narrative moves on to reveal the empty halls at the Louvre and the pair posing in front of Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece the Mona Lisa.[24] Once the song starts playing, the scene cuts to the duo poised atop a marble staircase while dancers lay across the descending steps contracting and releasing their torsos to the rhythmic flow of the song. Statues and paintings such as Winged Victory of Samothrace, Venus de Milo, and The Coronation of Napoleon are featured throughout the video as the duo lip-sync the lyrics to the track.[6]

Otir Hard of NPR called the video "extravagantly produced six minutes, filled with high art, pastel suits and turnt up museum parties".[5] Kory Grow writing for Rolling Stone deemed the clip "stunning" and noticed how the duo looked "serene" in it resembling "works of arts themselves".[6]. Later in the year, the same magazine would declare the video the best one of 2018.[25]

The music video received 8 nominations at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards, in categories Video of the Year, Best Collaboration, Best Hip-Hop Video, Best Cinematography, Best Direction, Best Art Direction, Best Choreography and Best Editing, winning Best Cinematography and Best Art Direction. The music video was nominated for Best Music Video at the 61st Grammy Awards.

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[26]

  • Pharrell Williams – production
  • Beyoncé – co-production
  • Jay-Z – co-production
  • Stuart White – additional production, mixing, recording
  • Offset – additional vocals
  • Quavo – additional vocals
  • Young Guru – recording
  • Mike Larson – recording
  • DJ Durel – recording
  • Dan Ewins – mix engineering assistance
  • Adrien Crapanzano – engineering assistance
  • Colin Leonard – mastering

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[49] Platinum 80,000
Poland (ZPAV)[50] Gold 10,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[51] Silver 200,000
United States (RIAA)[52] Platinum 1,000,000

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References
  1. Younger, Briana (June 19, 2018). "Beyoncé / JAY-Z: Everything Is Love Album Review". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  2. "Visitor Trail : JAY-Z and Beyonce at the Louvre | Louvre Museum | Paris". 2018-06-21. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
  3. Staff, Variety (2018-07-16). "Cardi B, Beyonce, Jay-Z Lead 2018 MTV VMA Nominations". Variety. Retrieved 2018-07-16.
  4. Staff, Grammys (2019-02-11). "2019 GRAMMY Awards: Complete Nominees And Winners List". Grammys. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  5. Hard, Otir (June 16, 2018). "Beyonce And Jay-Z Are The Carters in 'APES**T' Video". Npr.org. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  6. Grow, Kory (June 16, 2018). "Beyonce, Jay-Z Drop New Album 'Everything Is Love' During OTRII Tour". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  7. Reynolds, Simon (2018-09-17). "How Auto-Tune Revolutionized the Sound of Popular Music". Pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2018-10-05.
  8. "Billboard's 100 Best Songs of 2018: Critics' Picks". Billboard. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  9. "The 100 Best Songs of 2018". Pitchfork. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  10. Dolan, Brittany Spanos, Rob Sheffield, Will Hermes, Maura Johnston, Suzy Exposito, Simon Vozick-Levinson, Elias Leight, Charles Holmes, Mosi Reeves, Jonathan Bernstein, Christian Hoard, Jon; Spanos, Brittany (14 December 2018). "50 Best Songs of 2018". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  11. Beaumont-Thomas, Ben; Snapes, Laura (3 December 2018). "The top 100 songs of 2018". Theguardian.com. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  12. "Rocklist.net...Q magazine Recordings Of The Year". Rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  13. "Pazz & Jop: The Top 50 Singles of 2018". Villagevoice.com. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  14. "Hip Hop Awards 18 Nominees". Bet.com. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  15. Murphy, Sarah. "The Carters Won Clio Awards 2018". Clios.com. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  16. "2018 MUSIC VIDEO NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED!". Camerimage.pl. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
  17. Murphy, Sarah. "Here's the Full List of 2018 iHeartRadio MMVA Nominees". Exclaim!. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  18. "LOS40 Music Awards 2018: artistas nominados". Los40.com. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  19. "The 2018 MTV EMA Nominees Are Here!". Mtvema.com. Archived from the original on 4 October 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  20. "Cardi B & The Carters Lead 2018 MTV Video Music Awards Nominations". Billboard. July 16, 2018. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  21. "Full List of Soul Train Awards '18 Nominees". Bet.com. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  22. "video genre categories - ukmva 2019". Ukmva.com. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  23. "50th NAACP Image Awards: Nominations". Hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
  24. "Beyonce and Jay Z release surprise album Everything Is Love". The Daily Telegraph. June 17, 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  25. Ducker, Eric (December 19, 2018). "10 Best Music Videos of 2018". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  26. "EVERYTHING IS LOVE / Beyoncé TIDAL". Listen.tidal.com. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  27. "ARIA Chart Watch #482". Auspop.com.au. July 21, 2018. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  28. "Ultratop.be – The Carters – Apeshit" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  29. "Ultratop.be – The Carters – Apeshit" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  30. "Canadian Hot 100: June 30, 2018". Billboard. Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  31. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – SINGLES DIGITAL – TOP 100 and insert 201827 into search. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  32. "Lescharts.com – The Carters – Apeshit" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved July 20, 2019.
  33. "Greece Digital Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. June 30, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
  34. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  35. "Irish-charts.com – Discography The Carters". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 21, 2018.
  36. "Italiancharts.com – The Carters – Apeshit". Top Digital Download. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  37. "Dutchcharts.nl – The Carters – Apeshit" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  38. "NZ Heatseeker Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. July 2, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  39. "Portuguesecharts.com – The Carters – Apeshit". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved July 27, 2018.
  40. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  41. "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201827 into search. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
  42. "Swedishcharts.com – The Carters – Apeshit". Singles Top 100. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  43. "Swisscharts.com – The Carters – Apeshit". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  44. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
  45. "XXXTentacion's 'Sad!' Vaults From No. 52 to No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 Following Rapper/Singer's Death". Billboard.
  46. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: June 30, 2018". Billboard. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  47. "Rhythmic: August 11, 2018". Billboard. Retrieved August 7, 2018.
  48. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2018". Billboard. Retrieved November 18, 2019.
  49. "Canadian single certifications – The Carters – Apeshit". Music Canada. Retrieved December 24, 2019.
  50. "Polish single certifications – The Carters – Apeshit" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
  51. "British single certifications – The Carters – Apeshit". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Type Apeshit in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  52. "American single certifications – The Carters – Apeshit". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved June 11, 2019. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
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