"Let It Rock"
Single by Kevin Rudolf featuring Lil Wayne
from the album In the City
ReleasedJuly 29, 2008
Recorded2007
StudioElectric Lady (New York City)
Genre
Length3:56
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Kevin Rudolf
  • Dwayne Carter
Producer(s)Kevin Rudolf
Kevin Rudolf singles chronology
"Let It Rock"
(2008) 		"Welcome to the World"
(2009)
Lil Wayne singles chronology
"My Life"
(2008) 		"Let It Rock"
(2008) 		"Shawty Say"
(2008)
Alternative cover
Digital cover

"Let It Rock" is the debut single by American musician Kevin Rudolf. It was produced by Rudolf for his debut album, In the City, and features two verses from American rapper Lil Wayne.

In the U.S. and Canada, the song reached No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, number No. 6 on the Pop 100 and No. 2 on the Canadian Hot 100. The first week, the song debuted at No. 45 on the Australian Singles Chart and eventually reached No. 3. In the United Kingdom, the song climbed to No. 40 on physical release but due to an increase in airplay, due to BBC Radio 1 adding it to their A-list, the song climbed thirty places to No. 10 in the song's second week on the chart; then it rose to No. 5 the following week. "Let It Rock" was number 28 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2008.[1]

The single was also the official theme song for WWE's 2009 Royal Rumble. It is also featured in the video games Madden NFL 11 and Guitar Hero Live. According to in-game files, the song was also originally meant to appear on Grand Theft Auto V's Non-Stop Pop FM radio station, but it was not included in the final release of the game for unknown reasons. "Let It Rock" was featured in tourism ads for Atlantic City, New Jersey in 2013.

"Let It Rock" was certified triple platinum by the RIAA on May 5, 2009.[2] As of July 2011, the song has sold 4,000,000 digital downloads, making it Lil Wayne's third 4-million-seller.[3]

Meaning

"Let It Rock"
"Let It Rock" was the first single from In the City (2008).
Problems playing this file? See media help.

Rudolf explained what "Let It Rock" is about, saying: "'Let It Rock' was written from a place of anger and dissatisfaction with the world. It's a song about hypocrisy. It contains biblical references - and yet people still think it's a party song. Whatever works."[4] Rudolf said about "Let It Rock": "It's a song about the hypocrisy in the world, and I'm saying that when I come through, I'm bringing the truth," Rudolf explained. Rudolf then said: "I use the Parable of the Prodigal Son, because I want to expose all the fakes out there — in the music industry, in the world, anywhere. A lot of people think it's a party record, but it's not."[5]

Track listing

Digital download
  1. "Let It Rock" (featuring Lil Wayne) - 3:56
U.S. digital CD single
  1. "Let It Rock" (clean) (featuring Lil Wayne) - 3:56
  2. "Let It Rock" (explicit) (featuring Lil Wayne) - 3:56
  3. "Let It Rock" (instrumental) - 3:50
  4. "Let It Rock" (explicit a cappella) (featuring Lil Wayne) - 3:50
UK digital CD single
  1. "Let It Rock" (album version) (featuring Lil Wayne) - 3:56
  2. "Let It Rock" (Filthy Dukes remix) (featuring Lil Wayne) - 6:35
  3. "Let It Rock" (Cahill remix) (featuring Lil Wayne) - 6:11
  4. "Let It Rock" (radio edit) (featuring Lil Wayne) - 3:54
  5. "Let It Rock" (solo version) - 2:48

Music video

The music video for "Let It Rock" features Kevin Rudolf and Lil Wayne performing in front of both a crowd and a dark background, sometimes lit with various effects such as strobe and laser lights. The video debuted October 1, 2008 on The N.

Samples

The song's chorus is also featured in the Iyaz song "Damn They Hot", which features Rudolf himself. The song is also sampled and incorporated into Natasha Bedingfield's song "All I Need" from her album Strip Me, which also features Rudolf.

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[34] Platinum 70,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[35] Gold 7,500*
United Kingdom (BPI)[36] Silver 200,000^
United States (RIAA)[37] 4× Platinum 4,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "The 100 Best Songs of 2008". Rolling Stone (December 25, 2008). Retrieved 2008-12-25
  2. ^ RIAA Searchable Database, search for Kevin Rudolf. Retrieved 20 January 2009.
  3. ^ Grein, Paul (July 20, 2011). "Week Ending July 17, 2011. Songs: Demi's Breakthrough". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011.
  4. ^ K, Matty (June 3, 2010). "Kevin Rudolf Jumps "In the Mix"". DJBooth. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  5. ^ Montgomery, James (January 12, 2009). "Our 2009 Rock Rookies: Lil Wayne's Favorite Singer, Pharrell's Dynamic Duo". MTV. Retrieved April 12, 2018.
  6. ^ "Kevin Rudolf feat. Lil Wayne – Let It Rock". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  7. ^ "Kevin Rudolf feat. Lil Wayne – Let It Rock" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  8. ^ "Kevin Rudolf feat. Lil Wayne – Let It Rock" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  9. ^ "Kevin Rudolf feat. Lil Wayne – Let It Rock" (in French). Ultratip.
  10. ^ "Kevin Rudolf Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  11. ^ "Kevin Rudolf feat. Lil Wayne – Let It Rock" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  12. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Let It Rock". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 22, 2020.
  13. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Kevin Rudolf feat. Lil Wayne" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  14. ^ "Kevin Rudolf feat. Lil Wayne – Let It Rock" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  15. ^ "Kevin Rudolf feat. Lil Wayne – Let It Rock". Top 40 Singles.
  16. ^ "Kevin Rudolf feat. Lil Wayne – Let It Rock". Swiss Singles Chart.
  17. ^ "Billboard Türkiye Top 20" Archived March 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Billboard Türkiye. Retrieved on February 9, 2009.
  18. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  19. ^ "Kevin Rudolf Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  20. ^ "Kevin Rudolf Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  21. ^ "Kevin Rudolf Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  22. ^ "Kevin Rudolf Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard.
  23. ^ "ARIA End of Year Singles Chart 2008". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  24. ^ "Canadian Hot 100 – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  25. ^ "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  26. ^ "ARIA End of Year Singles Chart 2009". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  27. ^ "Canadian Hot 100 Year-End 2009". Billboard. 2009. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  28. ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  29. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2009". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved February 10, 2020.
  30. ^ "Charts Plus Year end 2009" (PDF). Charts Plus. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
  31. ^ "Year End Charts - Year-end songs - The Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
  32. ^ "Adult Pop Songs – Year-End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  33. ^ "Pop Songs - Year End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2019.
  34. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2009 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  35. ^ "Latest Gold / Platinum Singles". Radioscope. 21 August 2011. Archived from the original on 2011-08-31. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  36. ^ "British single certifications – Kevin Rudolf – Let It Rock". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  37. ^ "American single certifications – Kevin Rudolf – Let It Rock". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 7, 2021.

External links

Kevin Rudolf
Lil Wayne singles
Authority control databases
Categories