Jump to content

Backstage Passes

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Backstage Passes"
Single by EST Gee featuring Jack Harlow
from the album I Never Felt Nun
ReleasedOctober 11, 2022
Length2:38
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Pooh Beatz
  • Nik Dean
EST Gee singles chronology
"On 10"
(2022)
"Backstage Passes"
(2022)
Jack Harlow singles chronology
"First Class"
(2022)
"Backstage Passes"
(2022)
"They Don't Love It"
(2023)
Music video
"Backstage Passes" on YouTube

"Backstage Passes" is a song by American rapper EST Gee featuring American rapper Jack Harlow, from the former's debut studio album I Never Felt Nun (2022). Produced by Pooh Beatz and Nik Dean, it was sent to rhythmic contemporary radio on October 11, 2022 as the fifth single from the album.

Composition

[edit]

The song sees EST Gee and Jack Harlow rapping about their prowess in their hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.[1] The latter also mentions traveling to Cincinnati in his verse.[2]

Critical reception

[edit]

Paul Attard of Slant Magazine wrote a favorable review of the song:

There's one guest spot on I Never Felt Nun that effectively offsets the album's relentless bravado: Jack Harlow, whose cheeky swagger on the minimal "Backstage Passes" serves as a nice foil to Gee's self-serious fulminating. The native Louisvillians trade off their accomplishments on the track's chorus—Gee made it famous for "turkey bags," while Harlow gave its residents a few Guinness-sized "big records"—with a laidback charisma, exhibiting a natural rapport that veers into boyish playfulness. It's not a terribly flashy collaboration, especially given how barebones the track's production remains, but it exemplifies I Never Felt Nun's workmanlike ethos. If only that approach had been applied to the album's editing.[3]

Music video

[edit]

A music video for the song was released on September 16, 2022, alongside I Never Felt Nun. Directed by Cole Bennett, it opens with EST Gee and Jack Harlow sitting in a waiting room dressed in blue denim. The room shifts into a backdrop for a fitting session, matching the colors of the outfits that the rappers try on: red and white. Wearing the white outfits, Gee and Harlow step through a curtain and perform in front of a raucous crowd. At the end of the video, they return to the waiting room and the time for their appointment arrives.[4]

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for "Backstage Passes"
Chart (2022–2023) Peak
position
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[5] 23
US Billboard Hot 100[6] 98
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[7] 28
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[8] 18

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Cummings-Grady, Mackenzie (September 17, 2022). "EST Gee & Jack Harlow Link For Ever-Evolving 'Backstage Passes' Video". HipHopDX. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  2. ^ Ogwude, Haadiza (September 19, 2022). "Jack Harlow name-drops Cincinnati in new song titled 'Backstage Passes'". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  3. ^ Attard, Paul (September 21, 2022). "EST Gee I Never Felt Nun Review: A Workmanlike but Redundant Rap Album". Slant Magazine. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  4. ^ Sadler, Armon (September 16, 2022). "EST Gee And Jack Harlow Try On Performance Outfits In The Cole Bennett-Directed 'Backstage Passes' Video". Uproxx. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  5. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. September 26, 2022. Retrieved December 2, 2022.
  6. ^ "Jack Harlow Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  7. ^ "Jack Harlow Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 12, 2024.
  8. ^ "Jack Harlow Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved February 12, 2024.