"Suge"
Single by DaBaby
from the album Baby on Baby
ReleasedApril 23, 2019 (2019-04-23)
Recorded2018
Genre
Length2:43
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
DaBaby singles chronology
"Animal"
(2018) 		"Suge"
(2019) 		"Baby Shower"
(2019)
Music video
"Suge (Yea Yea)" on YouTube

"Suge" (also known as "Suge (Yea Yea)"[1]) is the breakthrough hit by American rapper DaBaby, released as the lead single from his debut studio album Baby on Baby on April 23, 2019.[2] It reached number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100.[3] The song's title is a reference to former music executive Suge Knight.[4] It was produced by JetsonMade and Pooh Beatz. The song was later nominated for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.[5] "Suge" was ranked as the 2nd best song of 2019 by Complex,[6] and the 12th best by Billboard.[7]

Composition and lyrics

"Suge" contains "throbbing production",[6] a beat that sounds like "ticking drums and a croaking synth-bass".[7] The chorus contains a "yeah, yeah" interjection,[7] hence the subtitle of the song. The song's lyrics have been described as "brazenly confident", with DaBaby rapping about keeping $32,000 in one of his pockets (and a Glock in the other), paired with "powerful vocal delivery, clever bars, and an oversize personality".[6]

Critical reception

The Washington Post said the song "showcases DaBaby's versatility" in sounding "suave" and then being able to "flip the switch".[4] Noisey called the track "one of the album's best singles and a restless mess of lines", adding that DaBaby "free associates in a way that feels like Young Thug".[8]

Commercial performance

"Suge" debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 at number 87 during the week of April 13, 2019, becoming DaBaby's first Hot 100 entry.[9] Suge continued to climb the Hot 100 over the next several weeks, and has since peaked at number seven on the chart and at number three on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[3] On June 23, 2019, the single was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over a million digital copies in the United States.[10]

Music video

The music video for "Suge" was released on March 4, 2019. It features DaBaby in a variety of roles, including a mailman, Suge Knight, and dancing in an office.[1] The video also features an excerpt from the intro song to his previous album, "Taking It Out".

Remix

On August 8, American rapper Joyner Lucas and Canadian rapper Tory Lanez ended their feud that started in 2018 by releasing a remix of the song together.[11]

Nicki Minaj also made a non-official remix of the song premiering on her show, Queen Radio and also a snippet of her verse in an Instagram page.[12]

In popular culture

In 2021, memes related to the song blew up on social media such as Twitter.[13][14][15] They included surrealist descriptions/depictions of DaBaby as a convertible, inspired by his lyrics in the song, where he stated: "I will turn a nigga into a convertible; Push me a lil' nigga top back (Vroom)." DaBaby was then noted for his apparent resemblance to a convertible.[16] The sound effects and producer tags used in the song, such as ‘No Cap’ and ‘Oh Lord, JetsonMade Another One’ also became very popular.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2019) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[17] 58
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[18] 36
Belgium Urban (Ultratop Flanders)[19] 23
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[20] 32
Ireland (IRMA)[21] 65
Lithuania (AGATA)[22] 36
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[23] 17
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[24] 19
US Billboard Hot 100[3] 7
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[25] 3
US R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (Billboard)[26] 1
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[27] 2
US Rolling Stone Top 100[28] 10

Year-end charts

Chart (2019) Position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[29] 75
US Billboard Hot 100[30] 24
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[31] 11
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[32] 24
US Rolling Stone Top 100[33] 12


Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[34] Platinum 70,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[35] Platinum 80,000‡
Portugal (AFP)[36] Gold 5,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[37] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[38] 4× Platinum 4,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b Zidel, Alex (March 4, 2019). "DaBaby Releases Hilarious New Video For 'Suge (Yea Yea)'". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  2. ^ "Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases". AllAccess. Archived from the original on April 21, 2019. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c "DaBaby Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Kimble, Julian (April 7, 2019). "DaBaby proves he's one of hip-hop's most intriguing figures at sold-out concert". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  5. ^ "2020 GRAMMY Awards: Complete Nominees List". The Recording Academy. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
  6. ^ a b c Skelton, Eric. "The Best Songs of 2019". Complex. Retrieved December 30, 2019.
  7. ^ a b c Billboard Staff (December 11, 2019). "The 100 Best Songs of 2019: Staff List". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
  8. ^ Schube, Will (April 10, 2019). "DaBaby Makes the Funniest Videos in Rap". Noisey. Retrieved April 23, 2019.
  9. ^ "Top 100 Songs | Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
  10. ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved May 20, 2019.
  11. ^ "Joyner Lucas and Tory Lanez Unite for 'Suge' Remix". Rap-Up. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
  12. ^ Bloom, Madison. "Nicki Minaj Remixes DaBaby's "Suge (Yea Yea)": Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2020-05-05.
  13. ^ Andriyashchuk, Yuriy (2021-03-24). "Random DaBaby Memes Have Been Flooding Twitter". THE BLAST. Retrieved 2021-06-20.
  14. ^ "DaBaby Memes Blow Up On Social Media". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2021-06-20.
  15. ^ Kabir, Ahsan (2021-05-23). "Twitch banned 'DaBaby' account for trolling Pokimane, Ninja & more". InsideSport. Retrieved 2021-06-20.
  16. ^ "DaBaby Was Intrigued By Young Students' 'Imaginary Stories' About Him". UPROXX. 2021-03-31. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  17. ^ "ARIA Chart Watch #526". auspOp. June 1, 2019. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  18. ^ "DaBaby – Suge" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  19. ^ "DaBaby – Suge" (in Dutch). Ultratop Urban. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  20. ^ "DaBaby Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
  21. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography DaBaby". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 1, 2019.
  22. ^ "Savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. May 31, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  23. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. June 3, 2019. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
  24. ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 22". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
  25. ^ "DaBaby Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  26. ^ "DaBaby Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  27. ^ "DaBaby Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  28. ^ "Top 100 Songs". Rolling Stone. July 2, 2019. Retrieved July 2, 2019.
  29. ^ "Canadian Hot 100 – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  30. ^ "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  31. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  32. ^ "Rhythmic Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  33. ^ "Top 100 Songs of 2019". Rolling Stone. January 10, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  34. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2020 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved September 2, 2022.
  35. ^ "Canadian single certifications – DaBaby – Suge". Music Canada. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  36. ^ "Portuguese single certifications – DaBaby – Suge" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved October 3, 2021.
  37. ^ "British single certifications – DaBaby – Suge". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  38. ^ "American single certifications – DaBaby – Suge". Recording Industry Association of America.
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