View source for Us Placers

{{Fanpov|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox song|
| name     = Us Placers
| cover    =
| alt      =
| type     =
| artist   = [[Child Rebel Soldier]]
| album    = [[Can't Tell Me Nothing (mixtape)|Can't Tell Me Nothing]]
| released = May 27, 2007
| format   =
| recorded = 2007
| studio   =
| venue    =
| genre    = [[Hip hop music|Hip hop]]
| length   = 3:53
| label    = [[1st & 15th Entertainment|1st & 15th]], [[GOOD Music|GOOD]], [[Star Trak Entertainment|Star Trak]]
| writer   = [[Lupe Fiasco|Wasalu Muhammad Jaco]], [[Kanye West]], [[Pharrell Williams]], [[Thom Yorke]]
| producer = [[Lupe Fiasco]]
| misc     = 
}}

"'''Us Placers'''" is the debut song by American supergroup [[Child Rebel Soldier]], a musical collaboration consisting of American [[hip hop music|hip-hop]] artists [[Lupe Fiasco]], [[Kanye West]], and [[Pharrell Williams]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Can't Tell Me Nothing | url=https://www.amazon.com/dp/images/B0012IV6MK/?img=1| work=[[Amazon.com|Amazon]] | publisher=Amazon.com, Inc | year=2008 | access-date=2008-04-12}}</ref> It was released as the third song on the track-listing of West's 2007 mixtape ''[[Can't Tell Me Nothing (mixtape)|Can't Tell Me Nothing]]''. The song was produced by Fiasco and [[sampling (music)|sample]]s the 2006 song "[[The Eraser]]" by [[Thom Yorke]].<ref name=MusicBiz>{{cite web | author=Reid, Shaheem | title=Lupe Fiasco Wants To Quit Music Biz, But Promises More Collabos With Kanye, Pharrell; Fabolous Makes The Band: Mixtape Monday | url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1585310/20080411/fiasco__lupe.jhtml | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415235250/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1585310/20080411/fiasco__lupe.jhtml | url-status=dead | archive-date=April 15, 2008 | work=[[MTV]] | publisher=[[MTV Networks]] | date=2008-04-18 | access-date=2008-04-18}}</ref> In "Us Placers," the trio speaks on the entrapments of fame. Having been released on a free mixtape, the song did not enter the charts but became an online hit and received strong reviews from [[music critics]].<ref>{{cite magazine | author=Cohen, Jonathan| title=Kanye Touring With Rihanna, Lupe, N.E.R.D.| url= http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1046686/kanye-touring-with-rihanna-lupe-nerd| magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]| publisher=[[Nielsen Business Media|Nielson Business Media, Inc]]| date=2008-01-30 | access-date=2008-02-02}}</ref>

==Background==
"Us Placers" was produced by [[Lupe Fiasco]], who initially crafted the song for inclusion within his [[mixtape]]. He intended to create a [[Mashup (music)|mashup]] mixtape of the same name, a [[Hip hop music|hip-hop]] remake of English [[alternative rock]] musician [[Thom Yorke]]'s 2006 solo album ''[[The Eraser]]'', along with a few [[Radiohead]] songs. Fiasco originally wanted [[Kanye West]], who also deeply enjoyed Yorke's album, and [[England|English]] hip-hop group [[The Streets]] to appear on the track.<ref name=MusicBiz/><ref>{{cite magazine |author=Scaggs, Austin|title=Kanye West: A Genius In Praise of Himself |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/16257550/kanye_west_a_genius_in_praise_of_himself/print|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090309060656/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/16257550/kanye_west_a_genius_in_praise_of_himself/print|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 9, 2009|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |publisher=[[RealNetworks|RealNetworks, Inc]] |date=2007-09-20 |access-date=2007-09-26}}</ref> However, the Streets failed to respond while West sent the song over to [[Pharrell Williams]] after laying down a verse. The three enjoyed the collaboration so much that they decided to form their very own group. It was Williams who came up with their name, [[Child Rebel Soldier]].<ref name=MusicBiz/><ref>{{cite web |author=Collins, Hattie |title=Lupe Dreams|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/apr/12/urbanmusic.culture|work=[[The Guardian]] |publisher=[[Guardian News and Media Limited]] |date=2008-04-12 |access-date=2008-08-03}}</ref> According to Fiasco, "It was Pharrell's idea one day in the studio 'cause we're all similar, same likes and same dislikes, same goals and aspirations."<ref>{{cite web |author=Geoghegan, Kev|title=Lupe Fiasco 'Ready to Quit Albums'|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/hi/music/newsid_7329000/7329261.stm|work=[[BBC Music]] |publisher=[[BBC]] |date=2008-04-04 |access-date=2008-06-08}}</ref> Early track listings for West's third studio album ''[[Graduation (album)|Graduation]]'' indicated that he intended to feature the group's song on his album, but it was subsequently not included.<ref>{{cite web|author=Spin Staff |url=https://www.spin.com/2007/08/kanye-unveils-tracklisting-mtvs-vma-noms-announced/|title= Kanye Unveils Tracklisting; MTV's VMA Noms Announced |work=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]| publisher=Spin Media, LLC|date=2007-08-08|access-date=2007-08-14}}</ref>

==Composition ==
{{Listen
 | type = music
 | filename = Us Placers.ogg
 | title = "Us Placers"
}}
"Us Placers" is an up-tempo [[hip-hop music|hip-hop]] song. It is set in the [[time signature]] of [[common time]] with a moderate [[tempo]] of 120 [[beats per minute]].{{citation needed|date=August 2010}} The song contains samples of [[Thom Yorke]]'s 2006 song "[[The Eraser]]", incorporating its [[piano]] loops and a portion of Yorke's vocals for its [[refrain|chorus]]. It begins with a medium tempo followed by a hesitant piano melody, with Fiasco uttering, "Yeah, just a lil' bit, just a lil' bit. And it goes..." Fiasco, West and Williams, listed in order of appearance, then rap the song's three [[Verse (popular music)|verse]]s over a sparse, pulsating beat.<ref name=GoWest>{{cite magazine | author=Levy, Joe | title=Alternate Takes: Go West to the Future | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/07/27/alternate-takes-go-west-to-the-future/| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080307022218/http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/07/27/alternate-takes-go-west-to-the-future/| url-status=dead| archive-date=March 7, 2008| magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]| publisher=RealNetworks| date=2007-07-27 | access-date=2007-07-27}}</ref> Each verse is organized around a chorus that is provided by the melodic vocal sample.<ref name=Kot/> The chorus is coupled with a harmonic [[hook (music)|hook]] delivered by Fiasco, whose vocals implement [[overdubbing]]. During the chorus, the song's chord progression changes to and takes on a more moody, atmospheric sound.<ref name=Lewis/> The song ends with an echoing reiteration of its piano keys.

Lyrically, "Us Placers" is a meditation on the perils of fame.<ref name=Kot>{{cite web |author=[[Greg Kot|Kot, Greg]] |title=Kanye, Lupe, Pharrell Collaborate on Thom Yorke Track|url=http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/turn_it_up/2007/06/kanye_lupe_phar.html|work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |publisher=[[Tribune Company]]|date=2007-06-01 |access-date=2008-05-28}}</ref><ref name=Power>{{cite web | author=Louis, Justin | title=The Power of Three| url=http://thehoot.net/articles/2173 | work=The Brandeis Hoot | date=2008-02-08 | access-date=2008-02-08}}</ref> Fiasco's verse depicts the over-indulgent lifestyles of rich and famous celebrities.<ref name=Power/> In a stoic voice, he rapidly raps an extensive list of materialistic possessions, including a large mansion, a wardrobe full of exorbitant clothes, [[Mexico|Mexican]] floral arrangers, a big-screen television, and a fifty-foot [[yacht]].<ref name=Power/> Fiasco brings his verse to a close by making a declaration regarding the emptiness of opulence.<ref name=Kot/> West uses his verse to expound the ephemerality of fame.<ref>{{cite web |author=Sakamoto, John |title=The Anti-Hit List Top 10|url=https://www.thestar.com/article/288583|work=Toronto Star |date=2007-12-29 |access-date=2007-12-29}}</ref> Citing aspiring participants of [[reality television]] programs such as ''[[The Real World (TV series)|The Real World]]'' and ''[[American Idol]]'' and [[internet celebrities]] as examples, he implies the fate of those who become instantly famous if only for a short time, in that once their [[15 minutes of fame|fifteen minutes of fame]] are over, they then fade away into obscurity, possibly never to enter the public eye ever again.<ref name=Power/> Williams takes a more [[Stream of consciousness (narrative mode)|stream-of-consciousness]] approach to his verse. He swiftly touches on a series of social issues ranging from [[greenhouse gases]], [[drug dealers]], the will [[God]] and troubled youth.<ref name="GoWest"/> Williams concludes his verse by exposing the motive behind the [[Virginia Tech shooting]]. He states the irony of [[Seung-Hui Cho|the suicidal shooter]], in that he finally achieved the fame and recognition he sought in life, but is not alive to see it.<ref name=Power/> After each verse, Yorke's melodious vocals sing a mournful yet defiant chorus that complements the song's concept of the [[Sisyphus|sisyphean]] pursuit of fame: "The more you try to erase me, the more that I appear."<ref name=GoWest/>

==Critical reception==
"Us Placers" received overwhelmingly positive reviews from music critics and was widely regarded as the highlight of the ''[[Can't Tell Me Nothing (mixtape)|Can't Tell Me Nothing]]'' mixtape. ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' not only cited the song as the best track on the mixtape but also placed it at number forty-three on their list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007.<ref>{{cite magazine | title=The 100 Best Songs of 2007 | url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/17601363/the_100_best_songs_of_2007/print| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071216203125/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/17601363/the_100_best_songs_of_2007/print| url-status=dead| archive-date=December 16, 2007| magazine=Rolling Stone| publisher=RealNetworks, Inc | date=2007-12-27 | access-date=2007-12-21}}</ref> Complimenting the poignant use of the sample as well as the depth of the trio's individual verses, it wrote, "Each brings something wholly new to the other, trading self-effacement and self-possession back and forth until there's no difference between the two. For this 3:53, hip-hop isn't dead, and neither is [[rock music|rock]]. They're quietly invincible."<ref name=GoWest/> Thomas Inskeep of [[Stylus Magazine]] described "Us Placers" as being both deep and intelligent and praised the dexterity of Williams' verse in particular.<ref>{{cite web | author=Inskeep, Thomas| title= Kanye West Can't Tell Me Nothing – Music Review| url= http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/kanye-west/cant-tell-me-nothing-the-official-mixtape-mixed-by-plain-pat.htm | work=[[Stylus Magazine]] | publisher= stylusmagazine.com | date=2007-08-31 | access-date=2007-09-10}}</ref> ''[[Toronto Star]]'' columnist John Sakamoto wrote that the recording was a "stunning collaboration."<ref>{{cite web |author=Sakamoto, John |title=The Anti-Hit List for July 28 |url=https://www.thestar.com/article/240232|work=[[Toronto Star]] |publisher=Toronto Star |date=2007-07-28 |access-date=2007-12-29}}</ref> [[Greg Kot]] of ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' stated that the song was brilliant while ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' called it an "instant Internet classic."<ref>{{cite web | author=[[Greg Kot|Kot, Greg]] | title=Kanye West Takes a One-man Trip to Dark Side of the Moon | url=http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/turn_it_up/2008/05/kanye-west-take.html| work=Chicago Tribune| publisher=Tribune Company | date=2008-05-24 | access-date=2008-05-24}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | author=Vozick-Levinson, Simon | title=Meet 10-year-old Kanye, Lupe, and Pharrell | url=http://popwatch.ew.com/2007/12/20/us-placers-vide/| magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]| publisher=Entertainment Weekly Inc | date=2007-12-20 | access-date=2009-12-23}}</ref> Luke Lewis of [[Q (magazine)|''Q'' Magazine]] felt it was a shame that "Us Placers" would not be featured on Fiasco's then-forthcoming sophomore album, ''[[Lupe Fiasco's The Cool]]'', as he believed that the song's guest appearances and lyrical content "all adds up to the most atmospheric, and quietly enthralling, hip-hop track we've heard in a long time."<ref name=Lewis>{{cite web | author=Lewis, Luke | title=Thom Yorke Gets a Hip-hop Makeover | url=http://news.qthemusic.com/2007/07/track_of_the_day_43.html| work=[[Q Magazine]]
| publisher=[[Bauer Media Group|Bauer]]| date=2007-07-20 | access-date=2007-07-29}}</ref> Two years later, while reviewing his ''[[Enemy of the State: A Love Story]]'' mixtape, Allison Stewart from ''[[The Washington Post]]'' retrospectively referred to "Us Placers" as "the great '07 track" and commended Fiasco's production of the song."<ref>{{cite news | author=Stewart, Allison | title=Singles File | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/30/AR2009113003797.html| newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]| date=2009-12-09 | access-date=2009-12-09}}</ref> At [[About.com]], "Us Placers" was placed at number thirty-two on their list of the Top 100 Rap Songs of 2007 and later at number eighty-three on their 100 Best Rap Songs of the 2000s.<ref>{{cite web | author=Adaso, Henry | title=Top 100 Rap Songs of 2007 | url=http://rap.about.com/od/toppicks/tp/Top107RapSongsof2007.06.htm | work=[[About.com]]| publisher=About.com | year=2007 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | author=Adaso, Henry | title=100 Best Rap Songs of the 2000s | url=http://rap.about.com/od/songs/tp/Top100RapSongs2000s.01.htm | work=About.com}}</ref>

==Music video==
Though no official [[music video]] for "Us Placers" was released, a non-commissioned video was produced by music video director [[Vashtie Kola|Va$htie]].<ref>{{cite web | author=Reid, Shaheem | title=Mixtape Monday: Lupe Fiasco Plans His Cool Viral Video; Joe Budden Compares Jay-Z To A 'Bully'| url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1585310/20080411/fiasco__lupe.jhtml | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080415235250/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1585310/20080411/fiasco__lupe.jhtml | url-status=dead | archive-date=April 15, 2008 | work=MTV | publisher=MTV Networks| date=2008-01-28 | access-date=2008-01-28}}</ref> The video features then-ten-year-old child impersonators standing in for Fiasco, West, Williams and Yorke. They lip-sync to and illustrate the song's lyrics and hold up cue cards in reference to [[Bob Dylan]]'s "[[Subterranean Homesick Blues]]".<ref>{{cite magazine | author=Kreps, Daniel | title=Video for Lupe/Kanye/Pharrell/Yorke Collabo Gets Unofficially Kidz-Bopped| url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/blogs/staff-blog/video-for-lupe-kanye-pharrell-yorke-collabo-gets-unofficially-kidz-bopped-20071220| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140720215006/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/blogs/staff-blog/video-for-lupe-kanye-pharrell-yorke-collabo-gets-unofficially-kidz-bopped-20071220| url-status=dead| archive-date=July 20, 2014| magazine=Rolling Stone| publisher=RealNetworks, Inc | date=2007-12-20 | access-date=2008-01-09}}</ref> Despite its "zero-budget," unofficial nature, the music video was very well received, garnering well over two million views on [[YouTube]] alone. It went on to catch the attention of West, who expressed his affinity for it by posting the video up on his official blog.<ref>{{cite web | author=West, Kanye | title=va$htie - "Us Placers" by Lupe, Kanye & Pharrell (CRS) | url=http://www.kanyeuniversecity.com/blog/?em3106=191804_-1__0_~-1_-1_05_2008_0_0&em3298=&em3282=&em3281=&em3161= | work= Kanye West Blog | publisher=Kanye West/Mascotte Holdings, LLC | date=2008-01-03 | access-date=2008-01-03}}</ref>

==Live performances==
Fiasco performed "Us Placers" on August 5, 2007 during his set at [[Lollapalooza]], to the delight of the largely alternative rock audience.<ref>{{cite web |author1=Harris, Chris |author2=Kaufman, Gil | title=Pearl Jam Electrify; Amy Winehouse, Lupe Fiasco, Kings Of Leon Also Help Cap Lollapalooza| url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1566369/20070805/winehouse_amy.jhtml| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070824065825/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1566369/20070805/winehouse_amy.jhtml| url-status=dead| archive-date=August 24, 2007| work=MTV | publisher=MTV Networks| date=2007-08-06| access-date=2007-08-12}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
*{{YouTube|-xz8FXgLpI4|"Us Placers" music video}}

{{Child Rebel Soldier}}
{{Lupe Fiasco singles}}
{{Kanye West songs}}
{{Pharrell}}{{Thom Yorke}}
[[Category:2007 songs]]
[[Category:Lupe Fiasco songs]]
[[Category:Kanye West songs]]
[[Category:Pharrell Williams songs]]
[[Category:Music videos directed by Vashtie Kola]]
[[Category:Songs written by Lupe Fiasco]]
[[Category:Songs written by Kanye West]]
[[Category:Songs written by Pharrell Williams]]
[[Category:Songs written by Thom Yorke]]