Released June 9, 2009 Genre Dirty rap | Recorded 2009 | |
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Format Digital download, CD single Studio Avex Honolulu Studios
(Honolulu, Hawaii) Length 3:36 (album version)
3:57 (single) | ||
"Make Her Say" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kid Cudi, released as the second single from his debut album Man on the Moon: The End of Day (2009). The single was digitally released to iTunes on June 9, 2009. It features fellow American rappers Common and Kanye West, the latter of whom also produced the song. The song is perhaps best known for its sample of "Poker Face", as performed by Lady Gaga. The song received a nomination for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group at the 52nd Grammy Awards.
Contents
Background and lyrical content
"Make Her Say" is performed by Kid Cudi, Kanye West, and Common. It was originally titled "I Poke Her Face", but was changed to make it more acceptable for radio. The song was written by all three artists, produced by West, and features scratches from DJ A-Trak. Lady Gaga (of whom West is a fan) and producer RedOne are credited as co-writers, because an acoustic version of Gaga's song "Poker Face" from The Cherrytree Sessions EP is sampled throughout the song. Gaga voiced approval of the track, saying that West "had so much insight into what the song was about." Incidentally, just a few weeks later, the two revealed plans to tour together; however, the tour was later canceled. In addition to the Lady Gaga sample, the song also makes references to T.I.'s "Whatever You Like" , Asher Roth's "I Love College", and Jamie Foxx's "Blame It".
Music video
The music video for "Make Her Say" was directed by Nez Khammal and released on July 20, 2009. The video carries a minimal aesthetic, with scenes taking place in empty, wide-open spaces. Although Kid Cudi, Kanye West, and Common all appear in the video, they never attended a film shoot together. The music video utilizes a split screen effect to create the illusion that the three artists were all filmed in the same location. In reality, they had shot their individual scenes on opposite coasts of the United States; Common and Kid Cudi were filmed in New York City while Kanye was filmed in Los Angeles. The group had wanted Lady Gaga to be included in the video, but she was too busy to make the appearance.
The "Make Her Say" video is also the first music video to feature the hardware from Activision's DJ Hero.
Live performances
Kid Cudi performed the song solo during his set at the 2009 Bamboozle music festival. Kid Cudi also performed the song on June 13 in Chicago at The B96 Pepsi Summer Bash and in London at the 2009 O2 Wireless Festival. He also performed his verse of the song at Lollapalooza 2009 in Chicago, IL. He performed the song with Lady Gaga on her Monster Ball tour in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Track listing
Man on the Moon CD: The End of Day
- "Make Her Say" - 3:36
Digital single
- "Make Her Say" – 3:57
Promotional CD single
- "Make Her Say" (Clean) – 3:58
- "Make Her Say" (Dirty) – 3:58
- "Make Her Say" (Instrumental) – 3:57
Promotional CD single 2nd Version
- "Make Her Say" – 3:58
- "Make Her Say" (Instrumental) – 3:57
- "Make Her Say" (Afrojack Remix) – 4:20
- "Make Her Say" (Nadastrom 88 Dub) – 6:10
U.S. CD single
- "Make Her Say" – 3:59
- "Day 'N' Night" – 3:42
- "Day 'N' Night" (Crookers Remix) – 4:41
Chart performance
In the United States, "Make Her Say" debuted at number fifty-one on the Billboard Hot 100 on June 18, 2009. That same week, it also entered the Canadian Hot 100 at number seventy-eight. The song entered the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart at number six for the issue date of July 4. The following week, it appeared on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number seventy-three.