"Temptation" is a song by American rapper Joey Badass, sent to urban contemporary radio on June 13, 2017, as the third single from his second studio album All-Amerikkkan Badass (2017).[1] It was produced by 1-900 and Kirk Knight.
| "Temptation" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Joey Badass | ||||
| from the album All-Amerikkkan Badass | ||||
| Released | June 13, 2017 | |||
| Genre | Conscious hip hop | |||
| Length | 4:04 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | ||||
| Joey Badass singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Temptation" on YouTube | ||||
Background and composition edit
In an interview with GQ, Joey Badass chose "Temptation" as a track from All-Amerikkkan Badass that he was particularly proud of, saying "When I made that song, instantly it was my favorite song ever. Not just out of songs that I have made, literally my favorite song ever."[2]
The song features excerpts of nine-year-old girl Zianna Oliphant's tearful speech on police brutality to the Charlotte City Council following the killing of Keith Lamont Scott and subsequent protests.[3][4][5] Joey stated he saw a video of the speech on Instagram and it "just really struck a chord in my heart." He added, "When I first saw it I didn't even think I was going to use it in a song, but then when 'TEMPTATION' got near the final stages I just had an idea that the video would go perfectly. I literally put it in GarageBand and mashed it up myself, and it turned out perfect."[2]
Joey Badass includes sung vocals in the song.[6] Lyrically, he describes feeling helpless and being tempted to engage in bad behavior due to the injustices on Black people,[4] also begging "Tell me Lord can you help me / I said Lord can you help me?"[7] He addresses his own experiences of being racially discriminated against,[8] advocates for his people to improve themselves through taking action,[9] and chides people who are "complaining all day but in the same condition" and mentally "enslaved by their religion."[5][10]
Music video edit
An official music video was released on August 14, 2017. Directed by Joey Badass himself and Nathan Smith, it sees Joey visiting his hometown of Brooklyn, opening with a grainy clip of the city from the Brooklyn Bridge.[8] It then shows the rapper walking through a church and a group of children running home and playing with each other while the police conduct a stop-and-frisk search outside of their brownstone apartment and harass Black men on sidewalks.[8][11][12] Badass begins rapping on the stairs of the home as his lyrics depict the lives of people in the household;[11][13] he watches a mother laying down and a man in another room packing his gun with him before heading to work.[11] Badass accompanies a little girl, taking a stroll through the neighborhood with her as they meet a group of men on the sidewalk who start dancing to the song. After dropping off the girl with her mother,[11][13] Badass gives an outdoor performance with a band that is shut down by police,[11][12] and joins others inside a church.[13]
Charts edit
| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| New Zealand Heatseeker Singles (RMNZ)[14] | 5 |
Certifications edit
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[15] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
References edit
- ^ "Urban/UAC Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on June 12, 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ a b Greeley, Shakeil (April 13, 2017). "Joey Bada$$ Is Still All-American". GQ. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ Harmony, A. (April 5, 2017). "Joey Bada$$: All-Amerikkkan Bada$$". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on April 11, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
- ^ a b Whitt, Greg (April 6, 2017). "Joey Bada$$ – All-Amerikkkan Bada$$". Consequence. Archived from the original on April 13, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert (January 19, 2018). "Robert Christgau on Joey Bada$$'s Timely Consciousness". Vice. Archived from the original on October 24, 2018. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
- ^ Hatchman, Jonathan (April 7, 2017). "Joey Bada$$ – ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$". Clash. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ Yeung, Neil Z. "All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ – Joey Bada$$". AllMusic. Archived from the original on April 27, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- ^ a b c Gore, Sydney (August 14, 2017). "Joey Bada$$ Takes On Police Misconduct In His New Video For "Temptation"". Genius. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ Glaysher, Scott (April 14, 2017). "Joey Badass Empowers the People on 'All-Amerikkkan Badass'". XXL. Archived from the original on April 15, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
- ^ Strauss, Matthew (April 10, 2017). "Joey Bada$$: All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on April 12, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Penrose, Nerisha (August 14, 2017). "Joey Bada$$ Journeys Back to His Hometown of Brooklyn in 'Temptation' Video: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ a b "Video: Joey Bada$$ - 'Temptation'". Rap-Up. August 14, 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ a b c India, Lindsey (August 14, 2017). "Joey Badass Returns to His Brooklyn Roots in "Temptation" Video". XXL. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ^ "NZ Heatseeker Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 17, 2017. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
- ^ "American single certifications – Joey Bada$$ – Temptation". Recording Industry Association of America.