| "H•A•M" | ||||
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| Single by Jay-Z and Kanye West | ||||
| from the album Watch the Throne | ||||
| Released | January 11, 2011 | |||
| Recorded | 2010–2011 | |||
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| Length | 4:38 | |||
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| Producer(s) | Lex Luger | |||
| Jay-Z singles chronology | ||||
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| Kanye West singles chronology | ||||
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"H•A•M" is a song by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West from their collaborative studio album, Watch the Throne (2011). The song features additional vocals from Aude Cardona and Jacob Lewis Smith. It was produced by Lex Luger and co-produced by West, with additional production from Mike Dean and the three of them served as co-writers with Jay-Z. The song's beat was first provided to West by Lex Luger during the recording sessions for his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010). West then added his production work up until the release and would not preview it to Lex Luger, who considered this was due to his perfectionist approach. The song was released for digital download in the United States as the album's lead single on January 11, 2011, through Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam.
A hip hop, electro, and orchestral number with techno elements, the song includes drums and an electro-opera coda. In the lyrics of the song, Jay-Z presents himself as above his critics and West sexualizes white girls. Jay-Z also addresses Birdman's previous comments that he is not a better rapper nor richer than Lil Wayne, who responded to him in "It's Good". "H•A•M" received mixed reviews from music critics, who were divided towards Jay-Z and West's performance styles. Some highlighted their innovation and others found the music to be unsuitable for the two, while a few critics praised its elaborate production.
In the US, the song charted at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 24 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It attained top-50 positions in five other countries, including Denmark and the United Kingdom. The song was certified gold in the US by the Recording Industry Association of America. Jay-Z and West performed the song for VEVO's South by Southwest show in March 2011, two months before performing it at the Museum of Modern Art's annual party. West used it as his introductory song at festivals during 2011, including Coachella, Splendour in the Grass, and The Big Chill. In early 2011, Busta Rhymes shared a remix of "H•A•M" and Lupe Fiasco delivered a freestyle over the song. The song was used in the teen comedy film Project X (2012).