No More Parties in LA

"No More Parties in LA" (often stylized as "No More Parties in L.A.")[1] is a song by American rap musician Kanye West, featuring fellow rapper Kendrick Lamar, from West's seventh studio album The Life of Pablo (2016). The track was released as a promotional single for the album as part of his GOOD Fridays program, but was released on a Monday instead as a one-off. The song samples four tracks in its composition. The song received praise from music critics, with Genius listing it as the twenty-eighth best song of 2016. It was certified Gold in the United States.

"No More Parties in LA"
Promotional single by Kanye West
from the album The Life of Pablo
ReleasedJanuary 18, 2016
FormatStreaming
Recorded2010–2016
GenreHip hop
Length6:14
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)

Composition and lyrics
The song features vocals from rapper Kendrick Lamar.

The track includes samples of four songs in total. The four songs sampled are: "Suzie Thundertussy" by Walter "Junie" Morrison, "Give Me My Love" by Johnny "Guitar" Watson, "Stand Up and Shout About Love" by Larry Graham, "Mighty Healthy" by Ghostface Killah, and the track nods to West's soul sample past.[2] This wasn't the first time West had sampled Ghostface's track "Mighty Healthy", since he sampled it back in 2012 prominently in the single "New God Flow" with Pusha T.[3] West sampling Graham meant that he had sampled the music of Drake's uncle, which was referenced by Drake on Instagram.[4]

Despite several updates to The Life of Pablo by June 2016, the song remained in its original released form.[5]

West reflects on a large amount of different aspects related to Hollywood culture and the fame game within "No More Parties in LA".[6] References to various products, names and locations are dropped by West and Lamar throughout it.[7]

Recording and writing

As part of a special featurette included on the DVD version of 2014 Stones Throw Records documentary Our Vinyl Weighs a Ton, West discussed working with producer Madlib and rapped lyrics that turned out to be used for "No More Parties in LA".[8] On January 8, 2016, before the song had even been released, it was revealed that West had started to record it in 2010 during the sessions for his fifth studio album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.[9] Around four months after the track was released as a promotional single, Madlib revealed that he actually made the beat to it on an iPad.[10] Kim revealed via Twitter that West had finished recording the track in the studio one day prior to its release and he wrote 90 of the lines on a plane.[11]

Release

More than a week before the release of the song, Kanye had released the promotional single "Real Friends" on an actual Friday as part of the GOOD Fridays program – he also released "30 Hours" at a later date that was an actual Friday as part of it. Earlier on in the same day as its release, West shared the artwork and revealed for the song to be released "very very extremely soon" via Twitter.[12] "No More Parties in LA" was released as a promotional single on a Monday as a one off by West for the program, so it was only made available by him for free streaming on SoundCloud rather than on any sites like iTunes or Amazon Music where it had to be paid for.[13] On the same date that "Real Friends" was released, a snippet was shared by him online of the track.[14] The reason for West not releasing it on a Friday was revealed by Kim Kardashian on Twitter as being because of a Yeezy Season 3 fitting in Italy.[13] On the album's track list, Kendrick Lamar is not listed as a featuring artist on the song, much like the other features on the album.[15]

Critical reception

"No More Parties in LA" received rave reviews from music critics. Matthew Ramirez of Pitchfork described the track as being "an air of the unfiltered rawness of "old Kanye"".[16] NME blogger Leonie Cooper gave a similar reception towards it, describing "No More Parties in LA" as what is "doused with an old school soul vibe" and "vintage class".[17] She also had praise for West's parts of the song over Lamar's, blogging: "Despite a strong opening from Kendrick, who eloquently airs some impressively mucky musings, it’s Kanye who shines here – unsurprisingly seeing as it’s his track first and foremost."[17]

David Drake of Rolling Stone viewed the song as something that "suggests a return to the more tasteful and on-brand Kanye of the first G.O.O.D. Fridays era, with its autobiographical narrative and comfort-food soul sample".[18] It was looked at Turner Campbell of Medium as being "a thick and fuzzy wall of sound that [Kanye and Kendrick] playfully bounce their verses off of like a game of handball".[19] SPIN's Kyle McGovern referenced the track's delayed release for the content being "worth the wait" and branded it as "stunning".[20]

Accolades

On the Pitchfork Reader's Poll for the Top 50 Songs of 2016, "No More Parties in LA" ranked at number 16.[21] It was listed by HipHopDX as the 13th best song of the year.[22] West's verse was listed by Complex as being among the 20 best verses of 2016, with Ross Scarano describing West's performance as "a long verse that unwinds with the energy of Forrest Gump realizing he doesn't need those leg braces."[23] Jack O'Keeffe from Bustle claimed that if West was to win Best Rap Performance at the 2017 Grammy Awards, then the song may be "his best shot" at winning the award.[24] It was ultimately nominated in no categories whatsoever at the ceremony, which Sam Rullo of the publication viewed as a snub.[25]

Commercial performance

The track made its debut at number 3 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart upon the release of The Life of Pablo, went down to number 5 the following week and fell further to number 7 in its third week on the chart, before dropping out of it permanently.[26]

On August 15, 2018, "No More Parties in LA" was certified Gold in the US.[27]

The song was used in a video essay for American experimental drama film Knight of Cups.[28] West's sister-in-law Kendall Jenner named the track as her favourite song from The Life of Pablo in March 2016.[29] Erykah Badu responded to Lamar's name drop of her in it via Twitter in July 2016.[30] West released one of his The Life of Pablo inspired pieces of merchandise as a sweatshirt that read "LOS ANGELES" on the front and "NO MORE PARTIES IN LA" on the back.[31] Asher Roth freestyled over the song's beat in October 2017.[32]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from West's official website.[33]

  • Production – Kanye West & Madlib
  • Engineering – Noah Goldstein, Andrew Dawson, & Mixed by Ali
  • Mix – Manny Marroquin at Larrabee Studios, North Hollywood, CA
  • Mix assisted – Chris Galland, Ike Schultz & Jeff Jackson
  • Vocals – Kendrick Lamar

Charts
Chart (2016) Peak
position
Mexico Ingles Airplay (Billboard)[26] 45
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[34] 133
UK R&B (Official Charts Company)[35] 39
US Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles (Billboard)[36] 3

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[37] Gold 500,000

sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

References
  1. "NO MORE PARTIES IN L.A. FEAT. KENDRICK LAMAR by Kanye West". Free Listening on SoundCloud. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  2. Lobenfeld, Claire; Bowe, Miles (February 14, 2016). "A guide to the samples on Kanye West's The Life of Pablo". FACT. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  3. Cruel Summer (PDF digital booklet). GOOD Music. Def Jam Recordings. 2012.CS1 maint: others (link)
  4. Britton, Luke Morgan (January 20, 2016). "Drake responds to Kanye West sampling his uncle's music". NME. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  5. C.M., Emmanuel (June 17, 2016). "Every Change Kanye West Made to 'The Life of Pablo'". XXL. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  6. Griffiths, Kadeen (January 18, 2016). "Who Is Kanye West's "No More Parties In LA" About? It's One Of His Most Personal Songs". Bustle. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  7. Rhiannon, Alexis (January 18, 2016). "24 "No More Parties In LA" References Explained, So You Can Look Smart In Front Of Your Friends". Bustle. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  8. "Kanye West – "No More Parties in L.A." feat. Kendrick Lamar, prod. by Madlib". Stones Throw Records. January 18, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  9. Ortiz, Edwin (January 8, 2016). "Kanye West Recorded "No More Parties in LA" With Madlib During the 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' Sessions". Complex. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  10. Low, Carver (May 23, 2016). "Madlib Says He Made The "No More Parties In L.A." Beat On An iPad". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  11. Bristout, Ralph (January 19, 2016). "Kanye Wilds Out On Kendrick Lamar-Featured "No More Parties In L.A."". REVOLT. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
  12. Kujundzic, Peter (January 18, 2016). "Kanye West Unveils "No More Parties In LA" Artwork, Says It Drops "Very Very Extremely Soon"". HYPEBEAST. Retrieved November 30, 2018.
  13. Robertson, Iyana (January 18, 2016). "Kanye West Officially Returns To His Zone On "No More Parties In L.A." Feat. Kendrick Lamar". VIBE. Retrieved June 20, 2018.
  14. Rhiannon, Alexis (January 8, 2016). "Kanye West's "No More Parties In LA (Snippet)" Lyrics Are Incomplete, But We Can Still Analyze Their Meaning". Bustle. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  15. "The Life of Pablo – Kanye West". AllMusic. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  16. Ramirez, Matthew (January 18, 2016). ""No More Parties in LA" [ft. Kendrick Lamar] by Kanye West Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  17. Cooper, Leonie (January 18, 2016). "Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar's 'No More Parties In LA' Is A Long Overdue Team-Up – Track Review". NME. NME Blogs. Retrieved June 19, 2018.
  18. Drake, David (January 18, 2016). "Kanye West's Every Friday: 'No More Parties in L.A.'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  19. Campbell, Turner (February 12, 2017). "Review: "No More Parties In L.A." Kanye West & Kendrick Lamar (prod. by Madlib)". Medium. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  20. McGovern, Kyle (January 18, 2016). "Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar Swear 'No More Parties in L.A.' on New Track". SPIN. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  21. "Pitchfork Readers' Poll Results 2016". Pitchfork. Pitchfork Staff. December 19, 2016. Archived from the original on 29 August 2017. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  22. "Best Hip Hop & Rap Tracks, Singles & Songs of 2016". HipHopDX. DX Staff. December 31, 2016. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  23. Scarano, Ross; Tharpe, Frazier; Frydenlund, Zack; Ortiz, Edwin; Klinkenberg, Brendan; Diaz, Angel (December 30, 2016). "The Best Rap Verses of 2016". Complex. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  24. O'Keeffe, Jack (December 5, 2016). "How Many Grammy Nominations Does Kanye West Have? 2017 Could Increase The Already Staggering Total". Bustle. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  25. Rullo, Sam (December 6, 2016). "The 2017 Grammys Snub Kanye West For Album & Song Of The Year, Because They Still Don't Understand Pablo". Bustle. Archived from the original on August 14, 2019. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  26. "Chart Search – Kanye West – No More Parties in LA". Billboard. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
  27. "Gold & Platinum – Kanye West – No More Parties in LA". RIAA. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  28. Slaymaker, James; Gracie, Jack (December 12, 2016). "Video Essay. No More Parties in L.A.: The Modern City in Terrence Malick's "Knight of Cups"". Mubi. Retrieved June 24, 2018.
  29. Platon, Adelle (March 1, 2016). "Kim Kardashian Shares Favorite 'Pablo' Joints from Kanye West's Crew". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  30. Houston, Jack (July 5, 2016). "Erykah Badu clarifies Kendrick Lamar's 'No More Parties in L.A.' mention". AXS. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  31. Kim, Ashleigh (May 19, 2016). "Kanye West No More Parties In LA White Crewneck Sweatshirt". HYPEBEAST. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  32. A., Aron (October 5, 2017). "Asher Roth Goes In Over Kanye West's "No More Parties In L.A."". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  33. davidbaker.tv, builtbylane.com ×. "The Life of Pablo". The Life of Pablo – Kanye West. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  34. "CHART: CLUK Update 9.04.2016 (wk14)". Zobbel.de. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  35. "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  36. "Kanye West Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  37. "American single certifications – Kanye West – No More Parties in LA". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 24, 2018. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
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