"Yikes" | ||||
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Single by Kanye West | ||||
from the album Ye | ||||
Released | June 8, 2018 | |||
Recorded | 2018 | |||
Studio | West Lake Ranch, Jackson Hole, Wyoming | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:08 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) | Kanye West | |||
Kanye West singles chronology | ||||
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"Yikes" is a song by American rapper Kanye West from his eighth studio album, Ye (2018). The song includes echoing voices and a chilling bass in its composition, and was produced by West, while co-produced by Mike Dean, with additional production from Pi'erre Bourne and Apex Martin. The song was written by its producers along with eight additional songwriters, which included Aubrey Graham, known professionally as Drake, and as it samples work by Black Savage, songwriting credits were added for James Mbarack Achieng and Ayub Ogada.
"Yikes" was serviced to UK mainstream radio and US radio stations as the lead single from Ye on June 8 and June 11, 2018, respectively, with both releases being through GOOD Music and Def Jam. Despite debuting the album without a single, West decided on the song being released as the lead single in the United States due to him having to choose one for promotion. An aggressive track that resembles "Wolves" by West, the song contains samples of "Kothbiro", performed by Black Savage. The lyrics of the song include West rapping about tweaking on drugs and publicity in light of his 2016 breakdown that forced him to cut his Saint Pablo Tour short, and the outro sees West deliver spoken word in reference to his bipolar disorder.
Since being released, "Yikes" has received generally positive reviews from music critics. The majority of them commended its production, with some critics drawing comparisons between the song and West's previous works, while others praised the honesty of the lyrical content. The song attained a peak position of number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100, marking the first time that West had reached the top 10 of the chart with a solo track since 2008, while it also obtained top 10 positions on the Canadian Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. The song charted in numerous other countries in 2018, and was certified platinum in the US by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).