Everybody (¥$ song)

"Everybody"
Song by ¥$ featuring Charlie Wilson and Lil Baby
Recorded2023
Genre
Songwriters
Producers

"Everybody" is an unreleased song by American hip-hop superduo ¥$, composed of rapper Kanye West and singer Ty Dolla Sign, featuring American singer Charlie Wilson and American rapper Lil Baby.[1] West produced the track with Evian Christ,[2] London on da Track, Timbaland, and will.i.am. With the exception of Wilson, all vocalists and producers wrote the song together. The song, a hip-hop and dirty rap record, primarily uses a sample of the Backstreet Boys' 1997 single, "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)".

It was intended to be the second single[a] from the duo's debut studio album, Vultures 1 (2024),[4] being previewed during several listening events for the album and featured in its promotional material. Ultimately, the song was scrapped, due to West being unable to clear its chorus, due to the "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)" sample. West and Ty Dolla Sign continued to perform it at listening events for the album.

Background and promotion

Prior to creating "Everybody", both Charlie Wilson and Lil Baby had collaborated with Kanye West. Wilson provided additional vocals for songs from West's albums My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) and Ye (2018), and was prominently featured on "Bound 2" from West's sixth studio album, Yeezus (2013).[5] Lil Baby made a guest appearance on West and Canadian singer the Weeknd's single "Hurricane", from the former's tenth studio album, Donda (2021).[6] While recording Vultures 1 in Saudi Arabia during November 2023, videos of the duo recording with Lil Baby surfaced online.[7]

West teased "Everybody" through an Instagram post on December 9, depicting him overlooking a skyline with his back turned to the camera as the song played in the background. West wore an all-white outfit, with an altered version of the German Coat of Arms and the text "Vultures" printed on the back of his shirt.[8] Later that day, Ty Dolla Sign posted a tracklist for Vultures 1 to his account, featuring "Everybody" as the album's opening track.[8] West and Ty Dolla Sign previewed the track in full during their Vultures Rave event in Miami, Flordia on December 12. After the event, TMZ reported that West had failed to clear its interpolation of "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)", alleging that the members of Backstreet Boys disapproved of West using the song.[9] Since West had interpolated the song rather than sampling it, he would only need approval from its songwriters, being Max Martin and the estate of Denniz Pop, to use it.[9][10] Though it was never confirmed if West sought out their approval, with Martin's publisher refusing to discuss any "legal matters",[11] it is likely that West was denied, as Vultures 1 released on February 10, 2024, without "Everybody" on its track listing.[9]

Though it was never released, West and Ty Dolla Sign have played "Everybody" during most of their live performances as ¥$. As noted by Variety, performing the song in public would not constitute a copyright violation, as opposed to releasing it on music streaming services.[11] It was played during the Vultures 1 release party at UBS Arena on February 10 despite being cut from the album.[12] On February 24, the duo performed it at the Mediolanum Forum in Milan, where the crowd sang along as West's wife Bianca Censori recorded the event on her phone.[13] At their September 15 show in Haikou's Wuyuan River Stadium, West performed the track while accompanied by his children and Censori.[14]

Composition

"Everybody" prominently interpolates "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)", featuring a rendition sung by Wilson as its chorus, where the line "Backstreet's back, alright!" is changed to "Yeezy's back, alright!".[15] The song also interpolates its bass line, which is used during the verses.[16] West raps about feeling ostracized by the music industry, saying they want to kill and "MeToo" him, adding that they're waiting for him to "say the wrong thing".[15] Ty Dolla Sign and Lil Baby also perform verses.[15]

Notes

  1. ^ Certain sources refer to "Everybody" as the album's lead single despite its title track being released as a single on November 22, 2023,[3] more than two weeks before West first previewed the song.

References

  1. ^ Jones, Damian (December 13, 2023). "Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign debut joint album 'Vultures' at listening party in Miami". NME. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  2. ^ Renshaw, David (December 11, 2023). "Kanye West says his album with Ty Dolla $ign is coming out this week". The Fader. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
  3. ^ Peters, Mitchell (November 18, 2023). "Kanye West Asks 'How I'm Antisemetic?' on New Song 'Vultures' Featuring Ty Dolla $ign, Lil Durk & Bump J". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 19, 2023. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  4. ^ McNair, Sharelle B. (December 15, 2023). "Ye Allegedly Never Received Clearance From Backstreet Boys For 'Everybody' Sample". Black Enterprise. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
  5. ^ Bishop, Joe (November 19, 2013). "We Know Exactly What Kanye West's "Bound 2" Video Is About". VICE. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  6. ^ Strauss, Matthew (March 8, 2022). "Kanye West Shares New "Hurricane" Video". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  7. ^ Elibert, Mark (November 12, 2023). "Ty Dolla Sign Gives Update on New Album with Kanye West, Says it's 'Coming Real Soon'". Complex. Archived from the original on November 23, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  8. ^ a b Fitzgerald, Trent (December 9, 2023). "Kanye West Teases New Song With Surprising Backstreet Boys Sample". XXL. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  9. ^ a b c Blistein, Jon (February 16, 2024). "Everything That's Gone Wrong for Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign's 'Vultures 1' Rollout". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 16, 2024. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  10. ^ "Kanye West used a Backstreet Boys sample on new album without permission – and they might not be able to stop him". NME. December 13, 2023.
  11. ^ a b Aswad, Jem (December 12, 2023). "Kanye West Used a Backstreet Boys Song on His New Album — Here's Why They Wouldn't Be Able to Stop Him". Variety. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  12. ^ Jacobs, Julia (February 10, 2024). "Ye's New LP Debuts at a New York Arena. Why Do His Fans Stay Loyal?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 10, 2024. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  13. ^ Price, Joe (February 23, 2024). "Bianca Censori Debuts New Look at Kanye Event in Milan". Complex. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  14. ^ Gee, Andre (September 16, 2024). "Watch Kanye West Perform 'Everybody' With His 4 Children". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 16, 2024. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  15. ^ a b c d Coscarelli, Joe (December 12, 2023). "Ye, Formerly Kanye West, Previews New Music With Ty Dolla Sign". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
  16. ^ Centeno, Tony M. (December 13, 2023). "Kanye West Reportedly Didn't Seek Backstreet Boys' Approval For 'Everybody'". iHeart. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.