Ayo Technology

Background

HipHopDX reported that the song was renamed three times. It was first titled "Ayo Pornography" when it first leaked in May 2007, then "Ayo Technology" in June, and then "She Wants It" by July. Finally, the song title was reverted to "Ayo Technology." The song features Justin Timberlake and Timbaland, but most sources don't credit Timbaland for being on the song. In 2008, it was nominated for a Grammy for Best Rap Song. As revealed within its lyrics, "Ayo Technology" puts a strong emphasis on hot-blooded sexual fantasies, explicit body movements (such as when Timberlake utters the line "Why don't you sit down on top of me") and wild festivities at nightclubs. The intro and lead synth were created using an emulated version of the MOS SID Synthesizer microchip used in the Commodore 64 8-bit Home Computer, on the Open Labs Neko Digital Audio Workstation that Timbaland was famous for using around this period.. Because of this, it is remarkably similar-sounding to the electronic music duo Crystal Castles' "Courtship Dating" from their self-titled album, released the following year although performed live since December 2006. Despite the album itself not being out until nearly a year after the public debut of "Ayo Technology," there was still minor controversy over the alleged "sampling" of this song on "Ayo Technology", perhaps because of the negative reputation Timbaland has garnered over sampling uncredited 8-bit musicians.

Critical response

Rob Sheffield from Rolling Stone gave the song a mixed review: "The I-need-love pop tunes are not getting any better, even with Timbaland and Justin Timberlake in the stripper ditty 'Ayo Technology.'" Pitchfork also gave a mixed review: "The album's only concession to modern pop trends— the Timbaland-produced, Timberlake-hooked "Ayo Technology"—flies off the rails as 50, ripped from his comfort zone, falls behind the gurgling, video-game-blipping beat. Though he tries to force the track into more familiar territory with a cyborg-stripper theme, Justin nabs the spotlight without even trying." David Jeffries from AllMusic highlighted and wrote: "At ease is the Timbaland production "Ayo Technology" featuring Justin Timberlake, an obvious single that's "been there, done that" for all parties involved. This doesn't mean it's bland, just safe." The A.V. Club was also positive: "Ayo Technology" follows the sexed-up template of "Candy Shop" and "Just A Lil Bit" in providing strip clubs with the most perfunctory soundtrack possible."

Remixes and covers

The official remix features hip hop and R&B artist Casely. Rapper Krayzie Bone created a remix called "Perfect Execution" off his 2008 mixtape The Fixtape: Smoke on This. An acoustic cover of "Ayo Technology" performed by Belgian singer Milow was released in a number of European countries, topping the charts in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, and also charting well in countries such as Germany, where the song was certified Platinum for shipping 300,000 copies, as well as in Romania. In September 2009, British singer Skyla released a cover version of the song. Earlier in 2009, Katerine Avgoustakis also made a cover of the song which became her first international single and underwent great success. It was number one for one week in Poland on the country's Official Airplay Chart, ranked by Nielsen SoundScan. Rockabilly band The Baseballs include "Ayo Technology" as part of a medley including covers of "Poker Face" and "Jungle Drum" whilst on tour. British duo Jaqobi also recorded their own version of the song for their 2010 EP Two Brothers, A Guitar & A Bar. British recording artist Craig David also used the song to remix his own song "Hot Stuff (Let's Dance)".

Music video

The music video was premiered by BET on August 2, 2007, and was filmed in North London. 50 Cent described the music video to MTV. He said:

"You can see this is not my normal uniform, or get-up, when I'm in a music video. But it's time for me to do something a little different, and this is the perfect time for me to actually change my look. You might see this on the red carpet, but not in an actual music video. The biggest challenges for the video are giving off a natural vibe and not seeming contrived at any moment. For you to actually be comfortable when you're actually doing it is a task. At some points you've got a room full of people looking at you at one time, just watching you to see what you're going to do. You've got to relax and just do it."

Timbaland's appearance in the music video uses features from the movie Minority Report such as moving computer interfaces with hands. Justin Timberlake's appearance is similar to that of his role in his music video "SexyBack".

Chart performance

In the United States, "Ayo Technology" became 50 Cent's second highest debut on the Billboard Hot 100, entering at #22. The following week, it rose to #18, before falling to #21. One week after, "Ayo Technology" rose to #19. One week later, during the release of 50 Cent's Curtis and Kanye West's Graduation, the song skyrocketed to a peak of #5, becoming 50 Cent's eighth top-ten single as a lead artist, and eleventh overall. In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at #10 on the UK Singles Chart on downloads alone, becoming his eighth top ten single on the chart. It peaked at number two, becoming 50 Cent's highest charting single in Britain, beating out "In Da Club" and "Candy Shop", which both peaked at number three in March 2003 and March 2005 respectively. In New Zealand, the song debuted at number eight on the New Zealand Singles Chart, jumping to number one the following week where it stayed for three consecutive weeks. It stayed on the chart for 22 weeks and was certified Gold, selling over 7,500 copies.

Track listing

1. "Ayo Technology" – 4:07
2. "I Get Money [Straight to the Bank Pt. 2]" – 4:00

1. "Ayo Technology" – 4:07
2. "I Get Money [Straight to the Bank Pt. 2]" – 4:00
3. "Ayo Technology" (instrumental) – 4:07
4. "Ayo Technology" (CD-rom video) – 4:07