| "Touch the Sky" | ||||
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| Single by Kanye West featuring Lupe Fiasco | ||||
| from the album Late Registration | ||||
| Released | January 1, 2006 | |||
| Recorded | 2005 | |||
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| Length | 3:56 | |||
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| Kanye West singles chronology | ||||
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| Lupe Fiasco singles chronology | ||||
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| "Touch The Sky (MTV Version) " on YouTube | ||||
"Touch the Sky" is a song recorded by American hip hop artist Kanye West for his second studio album, Late Registration (2005). The song features Lupe Fiasco on his career debut. It was produced by Just Blaze, standing as the album's only track to not include production from West. The song was released in the United Kingdom as a digital EP through Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam on January 1, 2006. On February 14, the aforementioned labels serviced the song to US mainstream radio stations as the album's fourth single. The next month, it was released in various countries for digital download by Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam and as a CD single through Universal Music, respectively.
After Just Blaze played West multiple beats, "Touch the Sky" was the one that he felt most passionate about. It is a hip hop track that includes a slowed sample from the Curtis Mayfield song "Move On Up" (1971). The song's lyrics center around West encouraging others to have as much confidence in themselves as he does. It was met with universal acclaim from music critics, with Lupe Fiasco's appearance gathering praise from the majority of them, though some critics were complimentary towards the production. The accompanying music video was released in February 2006 and directed by Chris Milk. Within it, West portrays the daredevil Evel Kanyevel in homage to Evel Knievel's unsuccessful jump across the Snake River Canyon. Evel Knievel sued West over the video in December 2006, though the two ultimately settled the lawsuit in November 2007. The visual received multiple nominations at award shows.
"Touch the Sky" peaked at number 42 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2006, while reaching the top 10 of the charts in Australia, Scotland and the UK. That same year, the song attained top 20 positions in Finland, Ireland, and New Zealand. It has since been certified platinum in the United States, the UK, and Australia by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), respectively. West performed the song live at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards, 2006 Brit Awards and Saturday Night Live. The Milwaukee Brewers use this song for their home runs.