| "I Am the Best" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 South Korean digital cover | ||||
| Single by 2NE1 | ||||
| from the EP 2NE1 | ||||
| Released | June 24, 2011 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:28 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | Teddy Park | |||
| Producer(s) | Teddy Park | |||
| 2NE1 singles chronology | ||||
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| International digital cover | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "I Am the Best" on YouTube | ||||
"I Am the Best" (Korean: 내가 제일 잘 나가; RR: Naega jeil jal naga) is a song by South Korean girl group 2NE1. YG Entertainment released the song for digital download and streaming as the third single from the group's self-titled second extended play (EP) on June 24, 2011. Written and produced by Teddy Park, "I Am the Best" is an electro house and electropop track that integrates hip hop and Middle Eastern elements through its instrumentation. Its lyrics contain themes of self-confidence and narcissism.
Music journalists praised the production and 2NE1's performance and considered it a pioneer of the Korean wave and K-pop's "girl crush" concept, which denotes themes of ferocity and female empowerment. Many publications ranked it among the best K-pop songs of the decade and all time. It peaked at number one on the South Korean Gaon Digital Chart and was the fourth-best-selling single of 2011 in South Korea, with more than 3.4 million downloads sold. It won Song of the Year at the 2011 Mnet Asian Music Awards and Best Dance & Electronic Song at the 9th Korean Music Awards.
Seo Hyun-seung directed the music video for "I Am the Best", which features the members in glam punk fashion and won a MTV Video Music Award Japan for Best New Artist Video in 2012. The song received renewed attention after appearing in a 2014 commercial for Microsoft's Surface Pro 3; Capitol Records released it in the United States on December 10, 2014. The single peaked at number 61 on the French SNEP singles chart and made 2NE1 the first Korean group to have a number-one song on the Billboard US World Digital Songs chart.