Man of the Year (song)

This article is about the 2013 Schoolboy Q song. For other songs of this title, see Man of the Year (disambiguation).
"Man of the Year"
Single by Schoolboy Q
from the album Oxymoron
ReleasedNovember 23, 2013
Recorded2013
Genre
Length3:36
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Schoolboy Q singles chronology
"White Walls"
(2013) 		"Man of the Year"
(2013) 		"Break the Bank"
(2014)
Music video
"Man of the Year" on YouTube

"Man of the Year" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Schoolboy Q. The song was released as the second official single from his major-label debut album Oxymoron, on November 23, 2013, by Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) and Interscope Records. The song, produced by frequent collaborators Nez & Rio, first appeared on the soundtrack to the 2013 video game NBA Live 14. The song samples "Cherry", as performed by American electronic band Chromatics, from the 2013 compilation album After Dark 2.[1][2][3] The song debuted at number 81 and later peaked at 62 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Background and release

[edit]

On May 13, 2013, the music video for Top Dawg label-mate Kendrick Lamar's single "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe", was released. Later that day, the director's cut of the video was released, which included a bonus clip featuring a snippet of a new song by Schoolboy Q.[4][5] Shortly after the video was released, American production duo Nez & Rio, who previously contributed production on Schoolboy Q's 2012 project Habits & Contradictions, revealed on Twitter that they had also produced the song at the end of the video.[6] Also in May, Schoolboy Q tweeted: "Nez & rio all ova #OXYMORON"[7] On November 5, 2013, it was revealed Schoolboy Q would appear on the soundtrack to the 2013 video game NBA Live 14.[8][9]

"Man of the Year" was released as a single via digital distribution on November 23, 2013.[10] On January 28, 2014, "Man of the Year" was serviced to rhythmic contemporary radio in the United States.[11]

Critical reception

[edit]

"Man of the Year" was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. Brandon Soderberg of Spin called it one of the album's highlights.[12] David Jeffries of AllMusic said it is an accessible highlight of the album.[13] Lizzie Plaugic of CMJ referred to the song as one of the album's essential tracks.[14] Craig Jenkins of Pitchfork Media said the song, "follows suit in affixing the happy ending to Oxymoron’s war stories while serving up the album’s most memorable hooks."[15] Michael Madden of Consequence of Sound said it had one of the album's standout productions.[16] Jason Lipshutz of Billboard said, ""Man of the Year" is not a lyrical masterpiece, but it slays: with a beat from Nez & Rio that nicks an obscure Chromatics track, the track explodes every time Q spits the refrain "Man of the year, ma-man of the BOUNCE," which is nonsensical but feels oh so right."[17] Maya Kalev of Fact praised the endlessly catchy refrain of the song.[18]

Joe Sweeney of Slant Magazine called the song a "languid dance-crossover" that drags the album down.[19] Omar Burgess of HipHopDX referred to the song as an album filler.[20] Aziz of Sputnikmusic said the song is "too obsessed with pampering clubgoers to be at all interesting."[21]

Live performances

[edit]

On January 24, 2014, Schoolboy Q made his network television debut, performing "Man of the Year" on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.[22] On January 28, 2014, Schoolboy Q performed the song, along with "Collard Greens" and "Break the Bank" on the season finale of DJ Skee's SKEE Live.[23] Then on February 26, 2014, Schoolboy Q performed "Man of the Year" on the Arsenio Hall Show.[24]

Music video

[edit]

On January 17, 2014, the music video for "Man of the Year", which was directed by Dave Free, Fredo Tovar and Scott Fleishman, was released.[25]

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[33] Gold 45,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[34] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[35] 3× Platinum 3,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

[edit]
Country Date Format Label
United States November 23, 2013 Digital download[10]
January 28, 2014 Rhythmic contemporary radio[11]
United Kingdom March 3, 2014 Urban contemporary radio[36]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Listen: Schoolboy Q's "Man of the Year" Featuring Chromatics Sample | News". Pitchfork. 2013-11-19. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
  2. ^ Taylor, Katie (2013-11-19). "Schoolboy Q samples Chromatics on new track, 'Man Of The Year' [Track Of The Day]". Thefourohfive.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-02. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
  3. ^ "ScHoolboy Q Man of the Year sample of Chromatics's Cherry". WhoSampled. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
  4. ^ "Watch the Extended Cut of Kendrick Lamar's "B**** Don't Kill My Vibe" Video". Complex. 2013-05-13. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
  5. ^ "Watch The Director's Cut Of Kendrick Lamar's "B*tch, Don't Kill My Vibe" - XXL". Xxlmag.com. 2013-05-13. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
  6. ^ "Twitter / NEZandRIO: Y'all seen that new video". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2013-10-26.
  7. ^ "Twitter / ScHoolBoyQ: Nez & rio all ova #OXYMORON". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2013-08-25.
  8. ^ "NBA LIVE 14 Mixtape: New Music, New Features | NBA Live". Ea Sports. 2013-11-16. Archived from the original on 2014-01-22. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
  9. ^ Gotty™ (2013-11-19). "ScHoolBoy Q - "Man Of The Year" | The Smoking Section". Smokingsection.uproxx.com. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
  10. ^ a b "iTunes - Music - Man of the Year - Single by Schoolboy Q". Itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 2013-11-25.
  11. ^ a b "Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Nielsen Ratings, Music News and more!". FMQB. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
  12. ^ Soderberg, Brandon. "ScHoolboy Q, 'Oxymoron' Review". Spin.com. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
  13. ^ David Jeffries (2014-02-25). "Oxymoron - ScHoolboy Q | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
  14. ^ Lizzie Plaugic. "Schoolboy Q - Oxymoron | Album Reviews". CMJ. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
  15. ^ "Schoolboy Q: Oxymoron | Album Reviews". Pitchfork. 2014-02-28. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
  16. ^ Madden, Michael (2014-02-26). "Album Review: ScHoolboy Q – Oxymoron". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
  17. ^ "ScHoolboy Q, 'Oxymoron': Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
  18. ^ "Oxymoron – FACT Magazine: Music News, New Music". Factmag.com. 2014-03-13. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
  19. ^ "Schoolboy Q: Oxymoron | Music Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2014-03-17.
  20. ^ Burgess, Omar (2014-02-25). "ScHoolboy Q - Oxymoron | Read Hip Hop Reviews, Rap Reviews & Hip Hop Album Reviews". HipHop DX. Archived from the original on 2014-03-01. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
  21. ^ "Review: ScHoolboy Q - Oxymoron". Sputnikmusic. 2014-02-25. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
  22. ^ C. Vernon Coleman (2014-01-25). "ScHoolboy Q Performs "Man Of The Year" On Jimmy Fallon - XXL". Xxlmag.com. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
  23. ^ timsanchez818 (29 January 2014). "Ice Cube and Schoolboy Q Stop By For The Season Finale' Of SkeeLive". AllHipHop.com. Retrieved 2014-01-31.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  24. ^ Emmanuel C.M. (2014-02-27). "ScHoolboy Q Performs On 'Arsenio' - XXL". Xxlmag.com. Retrieved 2014-04-03.
  25. ^ Diep, Eric (January 17, 2014). "ScHoolboy Q Is Surrounded By Pretty Women In "Man Of The Year" Video". XXL. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
  26. ^ "Schoolboy Q – Man of the Year" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  27. ^ "Schoolboy Q – Man of the Year" (in Dutch). Ultratop Urban. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  28. ^ "Schoolboy Q Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  29. ^ "Schoolboy Q Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  30. ^ "Schoolboy Q Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2014.
  31. ^ "Schoolboy Q Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  32. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved December 28, 2019.
  33. ^ "Danish single certifications – Schoolboy Q – Man of the Year". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  34. ^ "British single certifications – Schoolboy Q – Man of the Year". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
  35. ^ "American single certifications – Schoolboy Q – Man of the Year". Recording Industry Association of America.
  36. ^ "BBC Radio 1Xtra". BBC. Archived from the original on March 2, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
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