I'm in It: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 21:18, 12 August 2024

Revision as of 21:21, 12 August 2024

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==Background and recording==

[[File:Justin Vernon at Jazz Fest 2012.jpg|thumb|left|"I'm in It" features a guest appearance from [[Justin Vernon]], who worked on different tracks for ''Yeezus'' and started writing for the song after a [[power outage]] by a campfire.|alt=[[Justin Vernon]] performing at the Jazz Fest 2012]]

Jamaican deejay [[Assassin (deejay)|Assassin]] commented that West decided to go in the direction of Jamaican culture on the album as he incorporated [[dancehall]] elements, benefitting the genre for continuing its combination with [[Hip hop music|hip hop]]. He felt that West's usage of dancehall and reggae influenced different artists of his styles, making front page headlines across continents for working with him.<ref name="Rob"/> Assassin was recruited by West's team at Gee Jam Studios in Jamaica's [[Portland Parish]], finding the initial sessions to resemble his posse cut "[[Mercy (Kanye West song)|Mercy]]" (2012) and he delivered different verses to instrumentals with no other vocals. West enjoyed listening to Assassin's recordings and he contacted him to use one of the verses without disclosing it was for ''Yeezus'' at the time; the deejay excitedly learnt he was on the album when at a club.<ref name="Rob">{{cite magazine | url=https://www.complex.com/music/a/rob-kenner/assassin-speaks-on-his-yeezus-feature | title=Interview: Assassin Speaks on His 'Yeezus' Feature Project, Volcano Choir | magazine=[[Complex (magazine)|Complex]] | date=June 18, 2013 | access-date=August 5, 2024 | last=Kenner | first=Rob | archive-date=August 5, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240805200626/https://www.complex.com/music/a/rob-kenner/assassin-speaks-on-his-yeezus-feature | url-status=live }}</ref> The two did not communicate directly during the recording process and first met each other in December 2014, being introduced by [[Rodney Jerkins|Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins]].<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.thefader.com/2015/03/10/interview-why-kanye-and-kendrick-keep-putting-assassin-on-their-songs | title=Why Kanye West And Kendrick Lamar Keep Putting Assassin On Their Songs | magazine=[[The Fader]] | date=March 10, 2015 | access-date=August 5, 2024 | last=Serwer | first=Jesse | archive-date=August 5, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240805200625/https://www.thefader.com/2015/03/10/interview-why-kanye-and-kendrick-keep-putting-assassin-on-their-songs | url-status=live }}</ref> Around a year later, Assassin recalled that receiving recognition from someone like West proved he was "doing a lot right".<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.factmag.com/2015/11/10/assassin-interview-kanye-west-kendrick-lamar-buju-banton/ | title=Interview: Assassin | magazine=[[Fact (UK magazine)|Fact]] | date=November 10, 2015 | access-date=August 5, 2024 | last=Taylor | first=Angus }}</ref>

After [[Bon Iver]] singer [[Justin Vernon]] collaborated with West on his fifth studio album ''[[My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy]]'' in 2010, he developed a bond with the rapper and 3 of the 10 songs he worked on for ''Yeezus'' were included. Vernon was playing guitar around a campfire and drinking beer with a band of his at a barn when there was a sudden [[power outage]], leading to him starting to write for "I'm in It".<ref name="Vulture">{{cite web | url=https://www.vulture.com/2013/08/bon-iver-justin-vernon-volcano-choir-kanye-west.html | title=Bon Iver's Justin Vernon on Inappropriate Wedding Songs, Kanye West, and His Side Project, Volcano Choir | website=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]] | date=August 28, 2013 | access-date=August 5, 2024 | last=Dobbins | first=Amanda | url-access=limited }}</ref> Record producer [[Mike Dean (record producer)|Mike Dean]] cited Vernon as an artist West would always collaborate with and did not pinpoint him as any musical genre, not knowing if he would sing like the [[Bee Gees]] or perform in [[Distortion (music)|distortion]] and comparing his focus on emotion to [[Michael McDonald (musician)|Michael McDonald]]. Vernon looked back with a lack of awareness of his lyrics on the song and described West as discussing "really violently and stunningly visual sex shit", which came from the "intelligent conversations" about the state of women held in the studio rather than how the rapper talked to his friends.<ref name="sessions"/> The singer also compared the imagery to the 2000 film ''[[American Psycho (film)|American Psycho]]'', through West resembling a director as not everything he discusses is "actually him saying it every time".<ref name="sessions"/> Vernon felt that he played a character on the song that would be defined by West's editing and used his section of singing "star fucker" for "calling somebody out", while he had no idea of what Assassin was saying.<ref name="sessions"/>

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Musically, "I'm in It" is a hip hop,<ref name="sessions"/> dancehall,<ref name="Rob"/><ref name="Billboard"/><ref name="Dombal"/> [[Industrial music|industrial]], and [[Trap music|trap]] track, with elements of reggae,<ref name="HipHopDx">{{cite magazine |last1=Hunte |first1=Justin |title=Kanye West – ''Yeezus'' |url=https://hiphopdx.com/reviews/id.2095/title.kanye-west-yeezus |magazine=[[HipHopDX]] |access-date=August 6, 2024 |date=June 17, 2013 |archive-date=May 11, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190511132617/https://hiphopdx.com/reviews/id.2095/title.kanye-west-yeezus |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Fly">{{cite magazine | url=https://mamacolive.com/thefly/reviews/album/1019299/kanye-west-yeezus/ | title=Kanye West – 'Yeezus' | magazine=[[The Fly (magazine)|The Fly]] | date=June 18, 2013 | access-date=August 6, 2024 | last=Denney | first=Alex | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130622030756/https://mamacolive.com/thefly/reviews/album/1019299/kanye-west-yeezus/ | archive-date=June 22, 2013 | url-status=dead }}</ref> [[techno]],<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Aaron, Charles|date=June 15, 2013|url=https://www.spin.com/2013/06/kanye-west-yeezus-first-review/|title=Kanye West's 'Yeezus': Our Impulsive Reviews|magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|___location=New York|access-date=August 6, 2024|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130618183905/https://www.spin.com/2013/06/kanye-west-yeezus-first-review/|archive-date=June 18, 2013}}</ref> and [[punk rock]].<ref name="allmusic"/> It features a sample of Lattimore's "Lately".<ref name="linernotes"/> The song contains screeching [[synthesizer]]s, percussion, and fast-paced snare drums.<ref name="outline"/><ref name="Paste">{{cite magazine |last1=Reed |first1=Ryan |title=Kanye West: ''Yeezus'' |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/kanye-west/kanye-west-yeezus |magazine=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]] |access-date=August 7, 2024 |date=June 18, 2013 |archive-date=February 23, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223233113/https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/kanye-west/kanye-west-yeezus |url-status=live }}</ref> It features dog bark sounds, which are incorporated low into the mix.<ref>{{cite web|last=Sawdey|first=Evan|url=http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/172614-kanye-west-yeezus/|title=Kanye West: ''Yeezus''|website=[[PopMatters]]|date=June 17, 2013|access-date=August 7, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130626214932/http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/172614-kanye-west-yeezus/|archive-date=June 26, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The song also includes "Oh" vocals, as crafted by Tammy Infusino and [[Ken Lewis (musician)|Ken Lewis]].<ref name="linernotes"/> It features a [[Pulse (music)|pulse]] as the beat drops following the chorus, with a [[tempo]] of around 70 beats per minute.<ref name="Mic"/> West raps in a [[Melancholia|melancholy]] voice that is [[chopped and screwed]], being distorted to an aggressive tone.<ref name="Billboard"/><ref name="allmusic"/><ref name="Mic">{{cite web | url=https://mic.com/articles/49321/kanye-west-yeezus-review-song-i-m-in-it-unsurprisingly-vulgar-video | title=Kanye West 'Yeezus' Review: Song 'I'm In It' Unsurprisingly Vulgar (Video) | publisher=[[Mic (media company)|Mic]] | date=June 18, 2013 | access-date=September 20, 2018 | last=Brounstein | first=Sam | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160515091315/http://mic.com/articles/49321/kanye-west-yeezus-review-song-i-m-in-it-unsurprisingly-vulgar-video | archive-date=May 15, 2016 | url-status=live }}</ref> A verse is contributed from Assassin,<ref name="Rob"/> who also delivers lines next to West's verses and [[Crooner|crooning]] is contributed from Vernon;<ref name="Paste"/><ref name="Pm">{{cite web|last=Amidon|first=David|url=https://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/172739-kanye-west-yeezus/|title=Kanye West: ''Yeezus'' (take two)|website=PopMatters|date=June 28, 2013|access-date=August 7, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130705003319/https://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/172739-kanye-west-yeezus/|archive-date=July 5, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> he sings the [[Refrain|chorus]] with West.<ref name="Mic"/>

In the lyrics of "I'm in It", West details a sexual fantasy of a night with his then-wife [[Kim Kardashian]].<ref name="outline">{{cite web | url=https://theoutline.com/post/6160/kanye-west-i-love-it-too-horny?zd=1&zi=2daxmlpq | title=Kanye West is too horny for his own good | publisher=[[The Outline (website)|The Outline]] | date=September 10, 2018 | access-date=December 16, 2018 | author=Gordon, Jeremy | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216163500/https://theoutline.com/post/6160/kanye-west-i-love-it-too-horny?zd=1&zi=2daxmlpq | archive-date=December 16, 2018 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Lat">{{cite news|last=Roberts|first=Randall|title=Review: Kanye West's wildly experimental, narcissistic 'Yeezus'|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-review-kanye-wests-wildly-experimental-narcissistic-yeezus-20130617-story.html|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=August 7, 2024|date=June 17, 2013|archive-date=November 3, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103150300/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/posts/la-et-ms-review-kanye-wests-wildly-experimental-narcissistic-yeezus-20130617-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The highly explicit content was noted by numerous publications,<ref name="rreviews">{{cite web| url=https://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2013_06F_yeezus.html| title=Feature for June 18, 2013 - Kanye West's 'Yeezus'| website=RapReviews| date=June 18, 2013| access-date=August 7, 2024| last=Padania| first=Jesal "Jay Soul"| archive-date=August 7, 2024| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240807205632/https://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2013_06F_yeezus.html| url-status=live}}</ref> with ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' and ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' seeing it as [[XXX rating|XXX-rated]].<ref name="Dombal"/><ref name="DT">{{cite news|last=Brown|first=Helen|date=June 19, 2013|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/cdreviews/10130246/Kanye-West-Yeezus-review.html|title=Kanye West, ''Yeezus'', review|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|___location=London|url-access=subscription|access-date=August 7, 2024|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140309111712/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/cdreviews/10130246/Kanye-West-Yeezus-review.html|archive-date=March 9, 2014}}</ref> West proclaims "Thank God almighty, free at last" in reference to Kardashian unveiling her breasts, alluding to [[Martin Luther King Jr.]]'s [[I Have a Dream|1963 speech]].<ref name="outline" /><ref name="Lat"/><ref name="av club">{{cite news |last1=Rytlewski |first1=Evan |title=Kanye West: ''Yeezus'' |url=https://music.avclub.com/kanye-west-yeezus-1798177119 |newspaper=[[The A.V. Club]] |access-date=June 16, 2019 |date=June 17, 2013 |archive-date=December 10, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181210202718/https://music.avclub.com/kanye-west-yeezus-1798177119 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/57475/Kanye-West-Yeezus/| title=Review: Kanye West - ''Yeezus''| website=[[Sputnikmusic]]| date=June 18, 2013| access-date=August 8, 2024| last=Freeman| first=Channing| archive-date=August 12, 2024| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240812212053/https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/57475/Kanye-West-Yeezus/| url-status=live}}</ref> He demands [[sweet and sour]] sauce as he raps about oral sex with an Asian women and also quirks about making a girl scream "AAAAAAH-a-a-a-a-a!",<ref name="outline"/><ref name=Quietus>{{cite magazine |last1=Suarez |first1=Gary |title=Kanye West — ''Yeezus'' |url=https://thequietus.com/quietus-reviews/kanye-west-yeezus-review/ |magazine=[[The Quietus]] |access-date=August 8, 2024 |date=June 18, 2013 |archive-date=August 12, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240812212100/https://thequietus.com/quietus-reviews/kanye-west-yeezus-review/ |url-status=live }}</ref> then repeatedly asserts "That's right, I'm in it"<ref name="Mic"/> as he is accompanied by Assassin every few lines.<ref name="Billboard"/> The deejay also mentions his "bad man ting", while Vernon calls out a "star fucker" during the bridge.<ref name="Vulture"/><ref name="sessions"/><ref name="Mic"/> In the final verse, West declares that he cannot abandon nightlife in spite of being married with children and admits to sleeping with his [[nightlight]] on,<ref name="Dombal"/><ref name="Pm"/><ref name="DT"/> concluding that he speaks "[[Swahili language|Swag-hili]]".<ref name="HipHopDx"/><ref name="rreviews"/>

==Release and reception==

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==Live performances and appearances in media==

West incorporated five spelled-out segments into [[The Yeezus Tour]] (2013–14), performance "I'm in It" during the third segment "Falling".<ref name="wtta">{{cite web|last=Polk|first=Leilani|url=https://www.cltampa.com/music/a-look-back-at-kanye-wests-yeezus-tour-avant-hop-extravaganza-at-tampa-bay-times-forum-12270955|title=A look back at Kanye West's 'Yeezus Tour' avant-hop extravaganza at Tampa Bay Times Forum|publisher=[[WTTA]]|access-date=August 12, 2024|date=December 5, 2013|archive-date=February 11, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230211170221/https://www.cltampa.com/music/a-look-back-at-kanye-wests-yeezus-tour-avant-hop-extravaganza-at-tampa-bay-times-forum-12270955|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.complex.com/music/a/foster-kamer/kanye-west-yeezus-concert-review-brooklyn-new-york | title=Live Review: Kanye West as Yeezus Christ Superstar in Brooklyn | magazine=Complex | date=November 20, 2013 | access-date=August 12, 2024 | last=Kamer | first=Foster | archive-date=February 27, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240227171650/https://www.complex.com/music/a/foster-kamer/kanye-west-yeezus-concert-review-brooklyn-new-york | url-status=live }}</ref> He wore a [[tunic]] made from spare green military material with a large number of pockets for the performance, while men in body suits walked around him.<ref name="wtta"/><ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.complex.com/pigeons-and-planes/a/pigeons/kanye-west-yeezus-concert | title=Yeezus in Concert: Watch Every Song From Kanye West's New Album Performed Live | magazine=Complex | date=October 29, 2013 | access-date=August 12, 2024 | archive-date=September 6, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230906034154/https://www.complex.com/pigeons-and-planes/a/pigeons/kanye-west-yeezus-concert | url-status=live }}</ref>

Within the same week of the album's release, a remix of the song was released by DMNDZ. A trap remix, it adds prominent [[Roland TR-808|808s]] and [[hi-hat]]s. Faceasaurus Rex also shared their "Swaghili Remix", based in the same genre with heavy bass.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.complex.com/music/2013/06/kanye-west-yeezus-remixes/ | title=The 'Yeezus' Remixes Are Here | magazine=Complex | date=June 16, 2013 | access-date=November 3, 2018 | author=Khal | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190415220659/https://www.complex.com/music/2013/06/kanye-west-yeezus-remixes/ | archive-date=April 15, 2019 | url-status=live }}</ref> [[Tinashe]] premiered her track "Vulnerable" in November 2013, featuring a verse from rapper [[Travis Scott]] that [[Interpolation (popular music)|interpolates]] "I'm in It".<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/6w4kmr/tinashe-travis-scott-vulnerable/ | title=Premiere: Tinashe f/ Travi$ Scott 'Vulnerable' | magazine=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] | date=November 20, 2013 | access-date=August 12, 2024 | last=Nostro | first=Lauren | archive-date=March 9, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240309225002/https://www.vice.com/en/article/6w4kmr/tinashe-travis-scott-vulnerable | url-status=live }}</ref> In spite of his admiration for West, Canadian musician [[Drake (musician)|Drake]] criticized his "Swaghili" line and said that even fellow rapper [[Fabolous]] "wouldn't say some shit like that" in a February 2014 interview.<ref>{{cite magazine | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/drake-high-times-at-the-yolo-estate-72518/ | title=Drake: High Times at the YOLO Estate | magazine=Rolling Stone | date=February 13, 2014 | access-date=August 6, 2024 | last=Weiner | first=Jonah | url-access=limited | archive-date=August 6, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240806195542/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/drake-high-times-at-the-yolo-estate-72518/ | url-status=live }}</ref>

==Credits and personnel==