Kids See Ghosts (song)

"Kids See Ghosts" is a song by American hip hop duo Kids See Ghosts, composed of Kanye West and Kid Cudi, released as the sixth track off their eponymous debut album Kids See Ghosts (2018). The song includes a feature from American rapper Mos Def, who is credited under his real name Yasiin Bey.[1]

"Kids See Ghosts"
Song by Kids See Ghosts featuring Yasiin Bey
from the album Kids See Ghosts
ReleasedJune 8, 2018 (2018-06-08)
Recorded2018
StudioKanye West's ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Genre
Length4:05
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"

Composition

"Kids See Ghosts" includes whirring synths and hand drums alongside personal verses by West and Cudi, with Cudi referencing the private fight for his mental health and West referencing the public fight for his soul.[2] Yasiin Bey's vocals are covered in electronics.[3] The pace and aggression showed by West when rapping hasn't been seen by him since 2011, as interpreted by Mitch Ley of Medium.[4]

Release

The song was released on June 8, 2018 as part of Kids See Ghosts.[5] On the day of the album's release, multiple tracks were mislabeled on streaming services, including "Kids See Ghosts", which was mislabeled as the second track on the album, "Fire".[6][7]

Reception

"Kids See Ghosts" was met with positive reviews from music critics, with Yasiin Bey's performance attracting praise. Pitchfork awarded it Best New Track, with writer Sheldon Pearce complimenting the duo's chemistry and applauding West's rapping in addition to Cudi's "awe-inspiring hums."[2] Narsimha Chintaluri of HipHopDX called Bey's verse a "hypnotic hook,"[8] while Robert Christgau named it the album's "closest brush with wisdom."[9] XXL wrote that "youthful energy is [the song's] driving force," adding that it "also completes Kids See Ghosts' strongest sequence."[10] The Guardian's Dean Van Nguyen considered that "hearing [West] artfully fold the orchestration into the voices of his collaborators shows that his almighty ear for music is back."[3] It was listed by Eric Renner Brown of Billboard as the nineteenth best song from the five albums produced by West in 2018.[lower-alpha 2][11]

Tyler, the Creator remix

Tyler, the Creator released a remix of "Kids See Ghosts" titled "Crust in Their Eyes" to SoundCloud on June 15, 2018.[12] Within the remix, the chorus of the original was kept and Tyler revealed via Twitter that he wrote to the song the same hour that he heard it.[13]

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[5]

  • Producers – Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Plain Pat
  • Additional producers – Andrew Dawson, Justin Vernon, Noah Goldstein
  • Composers and lyricists – Kanye West, Scott Mescudi, Yasiin Bey, Andrew Dawson, Justin Vernon
  • Mixers – Mike Dean, Jess Jackson
  • Assistant Mixer – Sean Solymar
  • Engineer – Zack Djurich, Mike Malchicoff, William J. Sullivan, Andrew Dawson, Noah Goldstein

Charts
Chart (2018) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[14] 84
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[15] 53
Ireland (IRMA)[16] 64
UK R&B (Official Charts Company)[17] 39
UK Streaming (Official Charts Company)[18] 79
US Billboard Hot 100[19] 73
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[20] 37

Notes
  1. Credited as additional producer
  2. Pusha T's Daytona, West's Ye, Kids See Ghosts, Nas' Nasir, and Teyana Taylor's K.T.S.E.

References
  1. Setaro, Shawn (June 11, 2018). "Who's Who on 'Kids See Ghosts'". Complex. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  2. Pearce, Sheldon (June 8, 2018). "'Kids See Ghosts' by Kanye West / Kid Cudi Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  3. Nguyen, Dean Van (June 9, 2018). "Kanye West & Kid Cudi: Kids See Ghosts review – a psychedelic return to godlike power". The Guardian. Retrieved May 17, 2019.
  4. Ley, Mitch (June 8, 2018). "Despite technical issues, Kids See Ghosts is a musical marvel". Medium. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  5. "KIDS SEE GHOSTS / KIDS SEE GHOSTS". Tidal. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  6. Klinkenberg, Brendan (June 8, 2018). "A Brief Guide to the 'Kids See Ghosts' Tracklist". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  7. Cush, Andy (June 8, 2018). "The Kids See Ghosts Track Lists and Credits Are Full of Errors". Spin. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  8. Chintaluri, Narsimha (August 3, 2018). "Review: "Kids See Ghosts" Is Kid Cudi's Redemption & Much Better Than "ye"". Vice. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  9. Christgau, Robert (August 3, 2018). "Robert Christgau on G.O.O.D Music's Good (and Less Good) Music". Vice. Retrieved July 13, 2019.
  10. "Kanye West and Kid Cudi Trade Places on 'Kids See Ghosts' Album". XXL. August 3, 2018. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  11. Brown, Eric Renner (June 25, 2018). "Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Summer Album 2018 Series: Every Song Ranked". Billboard. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
  12. Sawyer, Jonathan (June 15, 2018). "Tyler, the Creator Remixes Kanye West & Kid Cudi on "Crust in Their Eyes"". Highsnobiety. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
  13. Kaye, Ben (June 15, 2018). "Stream Tyler, the Creator's "Kids See Ghosts" Freestyle". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
  14. "Australian-charts.com – Kids See Ghosts – Kids See Ghosts". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  15. "Canadian Music: Top 100 Songs – June 23, 2018". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  16. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Kids See Ghosts". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  17. "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  18. "Official Audio Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
  19. "Music: Top 100 Songs – June 23, 2018". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  20. "Top Hip-Hop Songs / R&B Songs Chart – June 23, 2018". Billboard. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
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