| "Lighters" | ||||
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| Single by Bad Meets Evil featuring Bruno Mars | ||||
| from the album Hell: The Sequel | ||||
| Released | June 14, 2011 | |||
| Studio | Various
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| Genre | Alternative hip hop | |||
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| Bad Meets Evil singles chronology | ||||
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| Bruno Mars singles chronology | ||||
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| "Lighters" on YouTube | ||||
"Lighters" is a song by American hip hop duo Bad Meets Evil, a group composed of Royce da 5'9 and Eminem, from their first EP, Hell: The Sequel (2011). The track features American singer-songwriter Bruno Mars. It was written by Bad Meets Evil, along with Mars, Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine of the Smeezingtons, and Roy Battle. The production was handled by all aforementioned names, except Royce. It was released on June 14, 2011, by Shady and Interscope Records, being later serviced to mainstream radio in the United States by the two latter labels along with Aftermath Entertainment as the second single from the EP. After writing and recording their own verses for the song, Eminem and Royce da 5'9" met Mars in Los Angeles, and the singer's vocals were added after minor adjustments were done by him and Eminem to the original cut.
"Lighters" is an alternative hip hop song with elements of soul and synthpop music. Music critics noted it for being musically different among other tracks on Hell: The Sequel, with some praising and others criticizing the change in style. Mars' performance on the chorus was praised, while the duo was met with criticism for their lyrics, which regard one's downfalls, comebacks while dismissing the "haters" and conveying a message of genuine support and celebration by the accomplishment of dreams. The song reached the top ten of several countries, including number two in New Zealand, number four in Canada and the United States, and number ten in Switzerland and the United Kingdom. It has been certified two times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and three times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA).
The accompanying music video was filmed in Los Angeles, California, in July 2011 and it was directed by Rich Lee. It features both Royce and Eminem, the former in a prison cell, finding a way to escape by discovering a way through a door compartment and a trap door on the floor of a living room, respectively. Throughout the entire visual, Mars is singing while playing an upright piano. "Lighters" was performed at several music festivals, including the 2011 Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival and Lollapalooza. The performances were met with positive reviews from music critics. "Lighters" was nominated for International Video of the Year – Group at the 2012 MuchMusic Video Awards and was one of the winners of Most Performed Song at the 2012 ASCAP Pop Music Awards. In 2022, the song was included on Eminem's second greatest hits album Curtain Call 2.