We Dem Boyz

"We Dem Boyz" is a song by American rapper Wiz Khalifa from his fifth studio album Blacc Hollywood (2014). On February 11, 2014, it was released by Rostrum Records and Atlantic Records as the album's first single. It was produced by Detail and Choppa Boi. The song peaked at number 43 of the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

"We Dem Boyz"
Single by Wiz Khalifa
from the album Blacc Hollywood
ReleasedFebruary 11, 2014 (2014-02-11)
Recorded2013
GenreTrap
Length3:46
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Wiz Khalifa singles chronology
"Party Girls"
(2014)		 "We Dem Boyz"
(2014)		 "Bigroom Blitz"
(2014)
Music video
"We Dem Boyz" on YouTube

Background and composition

On February 6, 2014, Wiz Khalifa released a 15-second preview of "We Dem Boyz", announcing its full release to come in a few days.[1][2] Wiz Khalifa commented on his reasoning for releasing it as a single saying, "I like 'We Dem Boyz' as the first single because of the energy. It reaches so many audiences other than just a rap audience. It's kind of like how "Black and Yellow" was – a big sports song to get everybody riled. It's more of an anthem."[3]

The song features a boisterous, trap influenced instrumental driven by "thunderous" drums. On top of the production, Wiz Khalifa raps with a subtly autotuned flow.[4]

Release and promotion

On February 10, 2014, the song was premiered through a partnership with music identifying app Shazam.[5] When the preview video was "Shazamed", the song's full audio was unlocked on the app's feed.[6] It was the first song to be premiered by Shazam in history.[7] Then the following day, it was officially released as a digital download.[8]

On February 12, 2014, Wiz Khalifa held a release party for the single in Los Angeles, California. An official video released of the party featured prominent appearances from the song's producer Detail and Taylor Gang Records artist Ty Dolla Sign.[9] On February 19, 2014, Khalifa performed the song live during his appearance on DJ Kay Slay's Streetsweeper Radio show.[10] His first live show performance was on February 13, 2014 on 106 &Park. Then on March 15, 2014, Khalifa performed the song during Taylor Gang's set at SXSW.[11] His next performance of the song was on March 31, on The Arsenio Hall Show.[12]

"We Dem Boyz" was featured in an episode of the TV series Selfie in which Karen Gillan's character twerked to it.

Critical reception

"We Dem Boyz" was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. Complex named it the third best song of the first half of 2014. Writer Insanul Ahmed commented saying, "Driven by a distinctly trap sound and Wiz's Auto-tuned vocals, the song isn't a total overhaul of his style but it is a creative departure for Wiz. It owes more to songs like Lil Reese's "Us," Drake's "Started From the Bottom," and any number of Atlanta's warblers than the stoner raps and pop anthems that have made up much of Wiz's output. Despite the soft start, the song is a club staple now and the biggest street-oriented song Wiz has gotten to pop in years."[13] The song was placed at number eight on Billboard's 10 Best Rap Songs of 2014 list.[14]

Music video

The music video for "We Dem Boyz" was filmed in Atlanta, Georgia on March 11, 2014.[15] The video was then released on April 14, 2014. It features cameo appearances by B.o.B, Big K.R.I.T., Ty Dolla Sign, Young Thug, Chevy Woods, Ty Glascoe, and Rich Homie Quan.[15] The music video was nominated at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards' Best Hip-Hop Video category, but lost to Drake's R&B song "Hold On, We're Going Home".[16]

Remixes

The official remix of "We Dem Boyz" features Rick Ross, Schoolboy Q, and Nas. It was released on July 3, 2014.[17] On February 18, 2014, American rapper Tyga released a remix to "We Dem Boyz".[18][19] Then rapper T.I. released his own remix on April 13, 2014.[20] Busta Rhymes and his Conglomerate Records artists O.T. Genasis and J-Doe followed that by releasing a remix on May 5, 2014.[21] Puff Daddy, Meek Mill and French Montana released their own remix on June 18, 2014.[22] On September 11, 2014 the French rapper Rohff release his own Remix "Où est Rohff?". On June 19, 2015 Rapper Plies released his own version of the Track titled "We Dem Boyz P-mix" which actually featured the rapper.

Usage in media

The song was featured on the television shows Selfie, Black-ish, Empire, Ballers, Hawaii Five-O, The Mindy Project and Superstore. It was also featured in the 2015 film Southpaw. This song faced strong resurgence in late 2016, where YouTube's successful content creator EWNetwork falsely leaked the Nintendo Switch while exclaiming "JOY CON BOYZ". He has since made multiple references to this incident, connecting it to this song. It has then spawned types of merchandise related to this event and song, and a new online meme. The song is featured in video games WWE 2K15 and NBA 2K16.

The Dallas Cowboys often use the song for promotional purposes, as well as after big plays during home games.[23][24]

Awards and nominations
Year Ceremony Award Result
2014 2014 BET Hip Hop Awards[25] Best Hip Hop Video Nominated
Best Club Banger
People's Champ Award
2015 2015 Grammy Awards[26] Best Rap Song Nominated

Commercial performance

The song only achieved moderate commercial success and failed to outperform the lead singles from Khalifa's previous albums: in the United States, Rolling Papers' lead single "Black and Yellow" peaked at number one and was certified triple Platinum, while O.N.I.F.C.'s "Work Hard, Play Hard" peaked at number 17 and was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[39] Platinum 80,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[40] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[41] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Country Date Format Label
United States February 11, 2014[8] Digital download
February 13, 2014[42] Mainstream urban radio
June 3, 2014[43] Rhythmic contemporary radio
United Kingdom July 28, 2014[44] Urban contemporary radio

References
  1. "New Music: Wiz Khalifa – 'We Dem Boyz' [Snippet]". Rap-Up.com. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  2. Stacy-Ann Ellis (February 6, 2014). "Listen: Wiz Khalifa Shares A Snippet Of New Single 'We Dem Boyz'". Vibe. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  3. Chris Payne. "Wiz Khalifa Talks 'Blacc Hollywood' & Hanging with Miley Cyrus: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  4. "Wiz Khalifa – We Dem Boyz (Hol Up) | Stream". DJBooth.net. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  5. John Kennedy (February 10, 2014). "Wiz Khalifa To Drop Full 'We Dem Boyz' Single Today Via Shazam". Vibe. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  6. Tom Eames (February 10, 2014). "Wiz Khalifa to debut new single 'We Dem Boyz' on Shazam – Music News". Digital Spy. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  7. Emmanuel C.M. (February 10, 2014). "Wiz Khalifa "We Dem Boyz" – XXL". Xxlmag.com. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  8. "iTunes – Music – We Dem Boyz – Single by Wiz Khalifa". Itunes.apple.com. February 11, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  9. Diep, Eric (February 13, 2014). "Wiz Khalifa, Detail, Ty Dolla $ign And More Wild Out In "We Dem Boyz" Release Party – XXL". Xxlmag.com. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  10. James, Jesse. "Wiz Khalifa Performs 'We Dem Boyz' Live On Streetsweeper Radio | Video –". Stupiddope.com. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  11. Rys, Dan (March 5, 2014). "5 Biggest Moments From SXSW Friday – Page 4 of 6 – XXL". Xxlmag.com. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  12. Emmanuel C.M. (April 1, 2014). "Wiz Khalifa Performs On 'Arsenio' – XXL". Xxlmag.com. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  13. "3. Wiz Khalifa "We Dem Boyz" — The Best Songs of 2014 (So Far)". Complex. June 30, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  14. "The 10 Best Rap Songs of 2014". Billboard. December 11, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
  15. Emmanuel C.M. (March 12, 2014). "Young Thug And RIch Homie Quan Are Putting Out A Joint Mixtape – XXL". Xxlmag.com. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  16. "MTV VMAs 2014 Winners List: Miley Cyrus, Katy Perry, Lorde, and More - SPIN".
  17. "Wiz Khalifa f. Rick Ross, ScHoolboy Q & Nas – We Dem Boyz (Remix)". HipHop DX. July 3, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  18. Diep, Eric. "Tyga "We Dem Boyz (Remix)" – XXL". Xxlmag.com. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  19. "New Music: Wiz Khalifa f/ Tyga – 'We Dem Boyz (Remix)'". Rap-Up.com. February 17, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2014.
  20. "Listen to T.I.'s "We Dem Boyz (Hol Up)" Remix". Complex. April 13, 2014. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  21. Diep, Eric (May 6, 2014). "Busta Rhymes, O.T. Genasis And J-Doe "We Dem Boyz" (Remix)". XXL Magazine. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  22. "New Music: Puff Daddy Feat. Meek Mill & French Montana 'We Dem Boyz (Remix)'". Vibe. June 18, 2014. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  23. Oct 13, foxsports; ET, 2014 at 11:43a (2014-10-13). "Cowboys all business in 'We Dem Boyz' win over Seahawks". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  24. "Packers add insult to Cowboys' injury by playing 'We Dem Boyz' in locker room after dramatic playoff victory". Dallas News. 2017-01-16. Retrieved 2019-12-10.
  25. Nostro, Lauren. "Here Are the 2014 BET Hip-Hop Award Nominees". Complex. Complex Media. Retrieved 5 September 2014.
  26. "Awards Nominations & Winners". 30 April 2017.
  27. "Wiz Khalifa – We Dem Boyz" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved July 18, 2014.
  28. "Wiz Khalifa – We Dem Boyz" (in Dutch). Ultratop Urban. Retrieved July 11, 2014.
  29. "Wiz Khalifa – We Dem Boyz" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved July 22, 2014.
  30. "Deutsche Black Charts". Trendcharts. Media Control. Retrieved August 30, 2014.
  31. Zywietz, Tobias. "CHART: CLUK Update 14.08.2014 (wk34)". Zobbel. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  32. "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  33. "Wiz Khalifa Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  34. "Wiz Khalifa Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  35. "Wiz Khalifa Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard.
  36. "Wiz Khalifa Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard.
  37. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  38. "Rap Songs – Year-End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
  39. "Canadian single certifications – Wiz Khalifa – We Dem Boyz". Music Canada. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  40. "British single certifications – Wiz Khalifa – We Dem Boyz". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  41. "American single certifications – Wiz Khalifa – We Dem Boyz". Recording Industry Association of America.
  42. "Frequency News". Frequency News. February 13, 2014. Retrieved April 23, 2014.
  43. "Top 40/Rhythmic-Crossover Future Releases". Archived from the original on October 8, 2009. Retrieved May 29, 2014.
  44. "BBC 1xtra Playlist". Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
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