"We Made You" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his sixth studio albumRelapse (2009). It was released as the second single from the album on April 7, 2009. "We Made You" was written by Eminem, Dr. Dre, Dawaun Parker, Mark Batson, Trevor Lawrence Jr. and Walter Egan. Production was handled by Dr. Dre, with Eminem and Doc Ish serving as additional co-producers.
"We Made You" received generally positive reviews from music critics, and became a success, peaking inside the Top 10 in fourteen countries and at number nine on the BillboardHot 100. Just like "Shake That", this single is known for being a departure from the serious tone of his second released singles from his previous albums such as "Cleanin' Out My Closet", "The Way I Am" and "Like Toy Soldiers", instead having a more comedic tone.
Background
It features chorus vocals by Charmagne Tripp.[1][2][3] Produced by Dr. Dre and co-produced by Doc Ish and Eminem himself, the song samples "Hot Summer Nights" by Walter Egan.[4] The official cover for the single is a picture of the music video, with Eminem, Oxen, Lisa Ann and Bobby Lee.
Critical reception
"We Made You" has generally positive reviews from music critics. Daniel Kreps of Rolling Stone magazine gave it a positive review stating, "It's nice to see Eminem goofing around again after a few years out of the spotlight during which he grappled with serious issues like the death of his friend Proof, and 'We Made You' with its damnation of current celebrities will likely prove to be a solid pop cultural time capsule of this weird 2009 moment we're experiencing now."[5]Billboard said, "Atop Dr. Dre's marching beat is primarily piano instrumentation, which amid drums and tubas give the track a carnival feel... And in case his word play was too fast and strange accent too difficult to decipher, Charmagne Tripp sings the chorus."[6] Tim Jonze of The Guardian however, reported, "'We Made You' is not Eminem doing what he does best."[7]
Chart performance
"We Made You" sold 167,000 downloads in its first week to enter the Hot Digital Songs chart in Billboard Magazine at number three. The song also debuted at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Eminem's second top-ten in a row on the chart, following "Crack a Bottle", a collaboration with Dr. Dre and 50 Cent. This marks the first time that Eminem has had back-to-back top-ten hits on the Hot 100 as a lead artist since 2002, when he scored with "Without Me", "Cleanin' Out My Closet" and "Lose Yourself".[8] "We Made You" has reached the top ten in twelve countries, including number one in Ireland, New Zealand, and Australia.
There is an R-Rated Director's Cut version of the video that premiered in a live show of Eminem's Concert in 2009.[9] It features Lisa Ann fully nude as well as various shots of Eminem touching her breasts. In 2022, a high resolution version was leaked onto Reddit and made publicly available for the first time.[10]
The music video won the award at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards for Best Hip-Hop Video and was nominated for Best Male Video as well as Video of the Year. The video also ranked at #81 on BET's Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2009 countdown.[14] The music video also features Beats by Dr. Dre Monster headphones.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 31. týden 2009 in the date selector. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
