Famous (Kanye West song)
From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
"Famous" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Kanye West | ||||
from the album The Life of Pablo | ||||
Released | April 1, 2016 | |||
Recorded | 2014–2015 | |||
Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length | 3:14 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Kanye West singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Famous" on YouTube |
"Famous" is a song by American rapper Kanye West, produced and co-written by fellow American hip hop artist/producer Havoc. It serves as the lead single from his seventh studio album The Life of Pablo (2016). The song features vocals from Barbadian singer Rihanna and ad-libs from American hip hop artist Swizz Beatz, and enlists samples of Jamaican singer Sister Nancy's song "Bam Bam" and "Do What You Gotta Do" by American singer Nina Simone. The single was serviced to US urban and rhythmic contemporary radio stations on March 28, 2016, and was confirmed for release three days before.[2] It was sent to Italian contemporary hit radio stations on April 15 by Universal.
Upon its release, "Famous" was met with both critical acclaim and scrutiny for a controversial lyrical reference to American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, partially in relation to West's interruption of her 2009 VMA acceptance speech. After West claimed to have obtained Swift's approval over the criticized lyric, Swift denied the claim, criticizing West and denouncing the lyric as "misogynistic" in a statement. Several months later, West's then-wife Kim Kardashian released a three-minute video capturing parts of a conversation between Swift and West in which Swift appears to approve a portion of the lyric.[3][4] In 2020, a 25-minute uncut version of the video surfaced, establishing that West did not appear to tell Swift about the specific line ("I made that bitch famous") which she had objected to.[5][6]
In June 2016, West released a music video for "Famous" depicting wax figures of himself, Taylor Swift, Kim Kardashian, George W. Bush, Donald Trump, Anna Wintour, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Ray J, Amber Rose, Caitlyn Jenner and Bill Cosby all sleeping naked in a shared bed. It was released to a polarized response. The wax figures used in the video were later exhibited as a sculpture. The song was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Performance and Best Rap Song at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.
Background and composition
[edit]In May 2016, Chance the Rapper shared a snippet of a demo version of the song during an interview with Zane Lowe of Beats 1 that featured a verse from him.[7] "Famous" was originally slated to be released under the title of "Nina Chop", as it was called in West's handwritten notes, and include vocals from American musician Young Thug.[8][9] In October 2016, another demo version leaked online, featuring two verses from Young Thug and him singing alongside the Nina Simone sample.[10][8] Ab-libs were also provided by Young Thug for West's vocals, with the demo revealing more explicit lyrics about Taylor Swift from West and him insulting his ex-girlfriend in American model and actress Amber Rose.[10][8] "Famous" features a segue from "braggadocious, bell-ringing hip-hop" into samples of Sister Nancy's dancehall song "Bam Bam" chopped up over the chord progression featured in Nina Simone's "Do What You Gotta Do".[11] After the initial release of The Life of Pablo, "Famous" was among the several tracks to receive alterations in West's March 2016 update of the album; changes included a different mix and slightly altered lyrics.[12] On August 6, 2020, rapper Rick Ross played a version with an unreleased verse from him in the song during his Verzuz battle with 2 Chainz.[13]
Reception
[edit]Critical response
[edit]Chicago Tribune critic Greg Kot called the song "an example of just how brilliant and infuriating West can be at the same time", noting its controversial Swift-referencing lyric while going on to praise the production and Rihanna's guest vocals.[14] Jayson Greene of Pitchfork wrote that the controversial lyric "feels like a piece of bathroom graffiti made to purposefully reignite the most racially-charged rivalry in 21st-century pop".[15] The Guardian's Alexis Petridis described the song's position on The Life of Pablo as being "a flatly fantastic piece of music that may be the best thing on the album".[16]
Time staff named "Famous" one of the best songs of the year 2016 and wrote of it that:
Kanye West is a genius musician and a world-class provocateur, and "Famous" is yet another piece of proof those two qualities are inextricably intertwined. He weaves The Life of Pablo's hardest-knocking beat, chords cribbed from Nina Simone, and Sister Nancy's reggae classic "Bam Bam" into a vibrant tapestry, and he uses all of that beauty to crack open his long-simmering spat with the biggest pop star on the planet. The court of public opinion won't ever reach a verdict on Taylor [Swift] v. Kanye — did she consent to being mentioned? Did she double-cross Kanye? At least we can all agree that "Famous" captures West in all of his complicated, vital glory.[17]
Accolades
[edit]The track was positioned at number 10 on Time's list of 2016's best songs.[17] Slant named it the second best single of 2016.[18] German magazine Juice named it the seventh best international rap song of 2016.[19]
The song received Grammy nominations for Best Rap/Sung Performance and Best Rap Song at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards in 2017, but ended up losing both to "Hotline Bling" by Canadian rapper and singer Drake.[20]
Controversy
[edit]The song includes a controversial lyric in reference to West's interruption of Taylor Swift's 2009 VMA acceptance speech and its aftermath:
For all my South Side niggas that know me best
I feel like me and Taylor might still have sex
Why? I made that bitch famous
(Goddamn!)
I made that bitch famous.[22]
Upon the song's release, the lyric was heavily publicized and criticized by media outlets,[22][23] though West defended the line,[24] saying, "I called Taylor and had an hour long convo with her about the line and she thought it was funny and gave her blessings."[25][26][27] In response, Swift's spokesperson adamantly denied that West asked for her approval for the controversial lyric,[28] with an official statement claiming that Swift had only been asked to release West's song on her Twitter page, and had instead warned him not to release a track "with such a strong misogynistic message".[22] In Swift's 2016 Grammy Awards victory speech for Album of the Year, she seemingly made a veiled reference to West's lyric, referring to "those people along the way who are going to try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame".[29]
In a June 2016 interview with GQ, West's then-wife Kim Kardashian claimed the couple possessed a video recording of West's phone call with Swift, in which Swift could be heard amiably discussing and approving the lyrics.[30] She clarified that Swift's camp had threatened legal action should the video be released, and argued that "I swear, my husband gets so much shit for things [when] he really was doing proper protocol and even called to get it approved."[30] In July 2016, Kardashian posted a 3-minute recording of the phone conversation online, in which Swift can allegedly be heard approving West's lyric, describing it as a "compliment" and a show of friendship.[31][32] Due to the release of this video, Swift has been accused of lying about approving the lyric. In the edited video, Swift appears to say:
Yeah, go with whatever line makes you feel better, it's obviously very tongue-in-cheek either way. And I really appreciate you telling me about it, that's really nice [...] I don't think anyone would listen to that and be like 'that's a real diss, she must be crying.' You've gotta tell the story the way that it happened to you and the way that you experienced it. You honestly didn't know who I was before that. It doesn't matter that I sold 7 million of that album before you did that which is what happened, you didn't know who I was before that. It's fine. [...] If people ask me about it, I think it would be great for me to be like, 'Look, he called me and told me about the line.'[22]
West can be heard telling Swift, "I just had a responsibility to you as a friend, you know, and thanks for being so cool about it."[22] The recording of the call without Swift's consent was illegal and broke Californian telephone call recording law.[33] Following the video's release, Swift released a statement stating "being falsely painted as a liar when I was never given the full story or played any part of the song is character assassination", claiming West did not tell her she would be referred to as "that bitch".[22]
On the same day as the video's release, Kardashian tweeted about National Snake Day, saying "They have holidays for everybody, I mean everything these days! 🐍". This tweet was interpreted as being aimed at Swift, and the hashtag #TaylorSwiftIsASnake became trending. In September 2016, Swift started using a filter created by Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom to automatically delete comments using the snake emoji on her profile.
Later developments
[edit]By August 2017, Swift was using images of snakes in the promotional material of her sixth studio album, Reputation (2017). They were worked into merchandise, the music video for its lead single "Look What You Made Me Do", and her 2018 Reputation Stadium Tour.[21][34]
In June 2019, on her Tumblr post about the acquisition of the masters of her back catalog by American media proprietor Scooter Braun—West's former manager—Swift described the video as "a revenge porn music video which strips my body naked".[35] During an interview with Rolling Stone in its October 2019 issue, Swift said that the world "didn't understand the context and events" preceding West's diss towards her.[36][37] Swift also said that the drama was the last straw between her and West, stating: "When I heard the song, I was like, 'I'm done with this.'"[36][37] She elaborated on her opinion of the two's relationship, saying: "I really don't want to talk about it anymore because I get worked up, and I don't want to just talk about negative shit all day."[36][37]
In March 2020, a 25-minute leaked video of the same telephone conversation between West and Swift surfaced, in which West tells Swift about the line "I feel like Taylor Swift might owe me sex" and asks, "What if later in the song I was also to have said, uh… 'I made her famous'?" Swift objects to that lyric, telling West she "pulled 7 million off Fearless" before the 2009 VMA incident. After West reveals the "owe me sex" line, Swift appears to be relieved that West did not call her a bitch, saying, "I'm glad it's not mean, though [...] I thought it was going to be like, 'That stupid, dumb bitch.' But it's not. So I don't know."[6] West does not mention the "I made that bitch famous" line, confirming Swift's previous claim that she did not consent to being called "that bitch."[6] The video was widely shared on social media, and the hashtag #KanyeWestIsOverParty and #TaylorToldTheTruth became trending on Twitter.[6] In an Instagram story, Swift did not address the leak in detail, instead urging her followers to donate to relief efforts for the COVID-19 pandemic.[38] In response, Kardashian posted a series of tweets accusing Swift of lying and denied editing the video, saying "I never edited the footage (another lie) – I only posted a few clips on Snapchat to make my point and the full video that recently leaked doesn't change the narrative."[39] Swift's publicist Tree Paine responded to Kardashian with a tweet of the original statement and captioned it "when you take parts out, that's editing."[40]
In August 2020, West went on a Twitter rant and in one of the tweets, he may have referenced his old feud with Swift with the caption "Not gonna use a snake emoji cause you know why... I'm not sure if Christians are allowed to use snake emoji". The snake emoji was previously used by Kardashian when she indirectly called Swift a "snake".[41]
Swift addressed the controversy in an interview with Time in December 2023, calling it "a fully manufactured frame job, in an illegally recorded phone call, which Kim Kardashian edited and then put out to say to everyone that I was a liar." She added: "that took me down psychologically to a place I've never been before... I went down really, really hard."[42]
Music video
[edit]The song's music video premiered at a Tidal exclusive event at The Forum in Inglewood, California on June 24, 2016. The video begins with a camera passing slowly over the naked, lookalike sleeping bodies of famous personalities. The bodies of all of the celebrities are synthetic.[44] At the end of the video, the camera pans out to show all of the sleeping bodies at the same time as West wakes up from his slumber.[44] Vincent Desiderio's painting Sleep is the visual inspiration for the video.[45]
Two days prior to the video's release, West showed the video to Dirk Standen of Vanity Fair over Skype while the video was still in its final editing stages. The video was filmed over a period of three months and went through four different versions prior to the finalized version. West did not reveal which of the celebrities' bodies in the video were real and which ones were prosthetic; however, he stated that the video was "not in support or [against] any of [the people in the video]" and was merely "a comment on fame". He also stated that he had received his wife's permission.[46] Days after its release, E! Online editor Corinne Heller commented, "Swift is the main reason the 'Famous' video was so anticipated." However, it received "almost no reactions" from the celebrities portrayed.[47] Audience response to the video was polarized.[48] The video of the song was uploaded to YouTube on July 1, 2016. West's song "Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1" is also featured in the video.[49] It was negatively received on YouTube, gathering nearly 100,000 dislikes three days after being uploaded, which outweighed the number of likes.[50] German director Werner Herzog expressed admiration for the video, describing it as "very good stuff" and admitting he had "never seen anything like this".[51] The sculptures depicted in the music video are on a gallery tour, whose sale value estimates go as high as $4 million.[52]
The video earned nominations for Best Male Video and Video of the Year at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards,[53] along with Best Hip-Hop Video at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards Japan,[54] and Best Video at the 2016 MTV Europe Music Awards,[55] also the video got a nomination for Best Video at the 2017 NME Awards.[56]
Credits and personnel
[edit]Credits adapted from West's official website.[57]
- Production – Kanye West & Havoc
- Co-production – Noah Goldstein for Ark Productions, Inc., Charlie Heat for Very Good Beats, Inc. & Andrew Dawson
- Additional production – Hudson Mohawke, Mike Dean #MWA for Dean's List Productions & Plain Pat
- Engineering – Noah Goldstein, Andrew Dawson, Anthony Kilhoffer & Mike Dean
- Rihanna vocals recording – Marcos Tovar
- Rihanna vocals assistance – Jose Balaguer
- Rihanna vocal production – Kuk Harrell
- Swizz vocals recording – Zeke Mishanec
- Mix – Manny Marroquin at Larrabee Studios, North Hollywood, CA
- Mix assisted – Chris Galland, Ike Schultz & Jeff Jackson
- Vocals – Rihanna and Swizz Beatz
Charts
[edit] Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
Certifications
[edit]Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[85] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
Canada (Music Canada)[86] | Platinum | 80,000‡ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[87] | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
France (SNEP)[88] | Gold | 100,000‡ |
Germany (BVMI)[89] | Gold | 200,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI)[90] | Gold | 25,000‡ |
Sweden (GLF)[91] | Platinum | 40,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[92] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[93] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Release history
[edit]Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom | March 28, 2016 | Digital download | [94] | |
United States | Rhythmic contemporary radio | [95] | ||
Urban contemporary radio | ||||
Italy | April 15, 2016 | Contemporary hit radio | Universal | [96] |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Lyrics for "Famous" by Kanye West, as seen on Google Search, sourced from LyricFind. Click "More" to open authors list.
- ^ "Kanye West & Rihanna's "Famous" Will Be the First Single Off 'The Life of Pablo'". Idolater. March 27, 2016. Archived from the original on March 28, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ^ Abad-Santos, Alex (July 18, 2016). "Kim Kardashian's Taylor Swift-Kanye West Snapchat story, explained". Vox. Archived from the original on July 19, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
- ^ Jamieson Cox and Matthew Davis (July 17, 2016). "Kim Kardashian used Snapchat to prove Taylor Swift was lying about Kanye West's Famous". The Verge. Archived from the original on July 19, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
- ^ Grady, Constance (March 21, 2020). "Newly leaked footage shows Taylor Swift and Kanye West talking "Famous"". Vox. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e Willman, Chris (March 21, 2020). "Taylor Swift and Kanye West's 2016 Phone Call Leaks: Read the Full Transcript". Variety. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
- ^ Ramirez, Erika (May 24, 2016). "Chance The Rapper's 'Waves' Is Better Than Kanye's". Inverse. Archived from the original on September 23, 2019. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- ^ a b c Price, Joe (October 6, 2016). "Young Thug Duets with Nina Simone on Leaked Version of Kanye's "Nina Chop"". Complex. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- ^ Gamp, Joe (March 16, 2016). "Kanye West has now changed three 'The Life Of Pablo' tracks on TIDAL". NME. Archived from the original on October 3, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- ^ a b Dionne, Zach (October 6, 2016). "'I Feel Like Taylor Swift Still Owe Me Sex': Kanye West & Young Thug's Old 'Famous' Leaks". Fuse. Archived from the original on October 2, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- ^ Raymer, Miles (February 17, 2016). "The Life of Pablo: Kanye West's Opus of Chaos". GQ. Archived from the original on May 31, 2016. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
- ^ Helman, Peter (March 30, 2016). "Kanye West's Updated The Life Of Pablo Is Now On Apple Music And Spotify". Stereogum. Archived from the original on July 1, 2016. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
- ^ "Rick Ross plays unreleased verse from Kanye West's "Famous" during Verzuz battle". NME. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
- ^ Kot, Greg (2016). "Kanye West's bewildering, frustrating 'Pablo'". Chicago Tribune. No. February 16. Archived from the original on April 5, 2016. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
- ^ Greene, Jayson (February 15, 2016). "Kanye West: The Life of Pablo". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on February 15, 2016. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
- ^ Petridis, Alexis (February 14, 2016). "Kanye West: The Life of Pablo review – 'You can see why his immodesty rubs people up the wrong way'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 19, 2018. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
- ^ a b Cox, Jamieson. "The Top 10 Best Songs". Time. Archived from the original on December 19, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
- ^ "The 25 Best Singles of 2016". Slant Magazine. December 7, 2016. Archived from the original on December 21, 2018. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
- ^ "Die internationalen Raptracks des Jahres 2016". Juice (in German). December 25, 2016. Archived from the original on February 18, 2017. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
- ^ "Grammy Awards 2017: See the Full Winners List". Billboard. February 12, 2017. Archived from the original on February 2, 2018. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
- ^ a b Lisa Respers France (August 22, 2017). "Taylor Swift and snakes: The backstory". CNN. Archived from the original on March 1, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f Yoo, Noah (July 18, 2016). "Kim Kardashian Leaks Video Confirming Taylor Swift Signed Off on Kanye's Infamous "Famous" Line". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on June 30, 2019. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
- ^ Kreps, Daniel (February 12, 2016). "Kanye West Defends Controversial Taylor Swift 'Famous' Lyric". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
- ^ Evan Minsker (February 11, 2016). "Kanye on Taylor Swift Controversy: "It's Actually Something Taylor Came Up With"". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on April 15, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
- ^ Renner, Eric (April 11, 2016). "Kanye West addresses Taylor Swift controversy". EW.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
- ^ Chris Payne (February 12, 2016). "Kanye West Defends Controversial Taylor Swift Lyric in Twitter Spree". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 24, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
- ^ Mark Molloy (February 12, 2016). "Kanye West defends controversial lyrics about Taylor Swift in Twitter rant". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on April 15, 2016. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
- ^ "Taylor Swift Cautioned Kanye West About 'Famous' and its 'Strong Misogynistic Message'". Billboard. February 12, 2016.
- ^ Lee, Esther (February 16, 2016). "Taylor Swift Snipes Back at Kanye West in Grammys 2016 Album of the Year Speech: People Will Try to 'Take Credit for Your Fame'". Us Weekly. Archived from the original on July 25, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
- ^ a b Strauss, Matthew (June 16, 2016). "Kim Kardashian Says Taylor Swift "Totally Approved" Kanye's "Famous" (And They Have It on Video)". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on July 22, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
- ^ "Kim Kardashian Leaks Video Confirming Taylor Swift Signed off on Kanye's Infamous "Famous" Line". Pitchfork. July 18, 2016. Archived from the original on June 30, 2019. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
- ^ "Kim Kardashian West Has a Few Things to Get off Her Chest". June 16, 2016. Archived from the original on September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
- ^ Andrea Peterson (July 18, 2016). "Was that recording of Kanye West and Taylor Swift illegal?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 24, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- ^ Alexandra Holterman (August 21, 2017). "The History of Taylor Swift & the Snake". Billboard. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
- ^ Grady, Constance (July 1, 2019). "The Taylor Swift/Scooter Braun controversy, explained". Vox. Archived from the original on February 11, 2020. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- ^ a b c Hiatt, Brian (September 18, 2019). "Taylor Swift: The Rolling Stone Interview". Rolling Stone. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
- ^ a b c Bate, Ellie (September 18, 2019). "Taylor Swift Just Told The Entire Backstory Of Her Feud With Kanye West". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on May 23, 2022. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
- ^ Snapes, Laura (March 24, 2020). "Kim Kardashian West accuses Taylor Swift of lying over leaked tape". The Guardian. Archived from the original on March 18, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
- ^ Brandle, Lars (March 24, 2020). "Kim Kardashian Accuses Taylor Swift of 'Lying' About Kanye Call & Her Rep Fires Back". Billboard. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
- ^ "Taylor Swift's Publicist Takes Aim at Kim Kardashian in Kanye West Feud". Billboard. March 25, 2020. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
- ^ Adnan, Nashmia (August 15, 2020). "Kanye West May Have Shaded Taylor Swift in Twitter Rant". Dankanator. Archived from the original on January 25, 2021. Retrieved August 15, 2020.
- ^ Lansky, Sam (December 6, 2023). "Person of the Year 2023: Taylor Swift". Time. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
- ^ "A Who's Who Guide to Kanye's 'Famous' Video". June 25, 2016. Archived from the original on July 9, 2018. Retrieved July 9, 2018.
- ^ a b "Kanye West Nuzzles Naked Taylor Swift, Donald Trump & Bill Cosby in 'Famous' Video". Billboard. June 25, 2016. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
- ^ Coscarelli, Joe. "The Artist Providing the Canvas for Kanye West's 'Famous' Video." The New York Times. June 29, 2016
- ^ "Exclusive: Kanye West on His "Famous" Video, Which Might be His Most Thought-Provoking Work Yet". Vanity Fair. June 25, 2016. Archived from the original on July 25, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
- ^ "Kanye West Gets Almost No Reactions From Stars Depicted Naked in "Famous" Video". E! Online. June 26, 2016. Archived from the original on June 28, 2016. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
- ^ Robinson, Will (June 25, 2016). "Kanye West 'Famous' premiere: 4 things you missed". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
- ^ "Kanye West – Famous". VEVO. July 2016. Archived from the original on July 8, 2016. Retrieved July 3, 2016.
- ^ Yemi, Frank (July 4, 2016). "Kanye West's 'Famous' Video Gets 100,000 Dislikes On YouTube In Three Days". Inquisitr. Archived from the original on February 7, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
- ^ Walsh, April Clare (August 12, 2016). "Werner Herzog analysing Kanye West's 'Famous' video is everything you want it to be and more". Fact. Archived from the original on August 14, 2016. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
- ^ Popescu, Adam (August 31, 2016). "Gallery Hopes to Sell Kanye West's 'Famous' Sculpture for $4 Million". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on September 1, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
- ^ "VMAs 2016". Billboard. August 28, 2016. Archived from the original on June 21, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
- ^ "VMAJ 2016: Best Hip-Hop Video". MTV Japan. Archived from the original on December 17, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
- ^ "justin bieber & beyoncé lead the 2016 mtv ema nominations – see the full list!". MTV UK. Archived from the original on September 28, 2016. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
- ^ Andrew Trendell (February 17, 2017). "VO5 NME Awards 2017 – see the full winners' list". NME. Archived from the original on February 18, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
- ^ davidbaker.tv, builtbylane.com ×. "The Life of Pablo". The Life of Pablo – Kanye West. Archived from the original on March 24, 2014. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ "Kanye West x Rick Ross x Rihanna x Swizz Beatz – Famous". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved July 9, 2016.
- ^ "Kanye West x Rick Ross x Rihanna x Swizz Beatz – Famous" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
- ^ "Kanye West x Rick Ross x Rihanna x Swizz Beatz – Famous" (in Dutch). Ultratop Urban. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
- ^ "Kanye West x Rick Ross x Rihanna x Swizz Beatz – Famous" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
- ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
- ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 14. týden 2016 in the date selector. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
- ^ "Kanye West x Rick Ross x Rihanna x Swizz Beatz – Famous". Tracklisten. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
- ^ "Kanye West x Rick Ross x Rihanna x Swizz Beatz: Famous" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved May 2, 2016.
- ^ "Kanye West x Rick Ross x Rihanna x Swizz Beatz – Famous" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved July 2, 2016.
- ^ "Chart Track: Week 15, 2016". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
- ^ "Classifiche (dal 08.04.2016 al 14.04.2016)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Archived from the original on November 15, 2019. Retrieved January 13, 2020.
- ^ "Tipparade-lijst van week 21, 2016" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 27, 2023.
- ^ "Kanye West x Rick Ross x Rihanna x Swizz Beatz – Famous" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
- ^ "Kanye West x Rick Ross x Rihanna x Swizz Beatz – Famous". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved April 15, 2016.
- ^ "Kanye West x Rick Ross x Rihanna x Swizz Beatz – Famous". VG-lista. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
- ^ "Kanye West x Rick Ross x Rihanna x Swizz Beatz – Famous". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
- ^ "Kanye West x Rick Ross x Rihanna x Swizz Beatz – Famous" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
- ^ "Kanye West x Rick Ross x Rihanna x Swizz Beatz – Famous". Singles Top 100. Retrieved April 16, 2016.
- ^ "Kanye West x Rick Ross x Rihanna x Swizz Beatz – Famous". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved April 11, 2016.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
- ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
- ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
- ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
- ^ "Kanye West Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
- ^ "JAAROVERZICHTEN 2016: Urban" (in Dutch). Ultratop Urban. Archived from the original on April 7, 2019. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
- ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2016". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2016 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
- ^ "Canadian single certifications – Kanye West – Famous". Music Canada. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
- ^ "Danish single certifications – Kanye West – Famous". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
- ^ "French single certifications – Kanye West – Famous" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Kanye West; 'Famous')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
- ^ "Italian single certifications" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved July 17, 2017. Select "2017" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
- ^ "Sverigetopplistan – Kanye West" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
- ^ "British single certifications – Kanye West – Famous". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
- ^ "American single certifications – Kanye West – Famous". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
- ^ "Famous – Single by Kanye West". iTunes Store. June 24, 2016.
- ^ "Kanye Releases 'Famous' Ft. Rihanna As 1st Single From 'The Life of Pablo'". HipHop-N-More. March 27, 2016. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ^ "Kanye West – Famous (feat. Rihanna) RadioDate". Radiodate.it. Archived from the original on October 2, 2020. Retrieved April 6, 2019.