Kanye West Presents: GOOD Music – Cruel Summer,[2][3][4] usually called Cruel Summer, is a compilation album[5] by artists working for the American record label GOOD Music. It was released on September 14, 2012, by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings. The American rapper Kanye West, the leader of GOOD Music, first discussed plans for an album in October 2011. The album produced four singles—"Mercy", "Cold", "New God Flow", and "Clique"—that were put on the US Billboard Hot 100. The album features Kanye West, with the label's rappers, Pusha T, Big Sean, Teyana Taylor, Cyhi the Prynce, Kid Cudi, John Legend, Common, D'banj and Malik Yusef, as well as fellow rappers Jay-Z, 2 Chainz, Travis Scott, and Cyhi the Prynce. Work on the album was mostly made by members of GOOD Music's production side, Very GOOD Beats, which included Kanye West, Hit-Boy, Hudson Mohawke, Travis Scott and Lifted, with others.
"Mercy" contains samples of the recording "Dust a Sound Boy", written by Denzie Beagle and Winston Riley, and performed by Super Beagle; samples of the recording "Cu-Oonuh", written by Reggie Williams and Winston Riley, and performed by Reggie Stepper; portions of the recording "Lambo", performed by YB; and a sample of "Tony's Theme", composed by Giorgio Moroder.
"New God Flow" contains samples of the recording "Synthetic Substitution", written by Herb Rooney, and performed by Melvin Bliss; samples of the recording "Mighty Healthy", written by Herb Rooney, Ronald Bean, Highleigh Crizoe and Dennis Coles, and performed by Ghostface Killah; a sample of the Reverend G. I. Townsend recording "Sermon Fragment", written and performed by Townsend; and samples from the recording "Bôdas De Sangue", written and performed by Marcos Valle.
"The Morning" contains portions of "Get Me to the Church on Time", written and performed by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe.
"Cold" contains interpolations of "Illegal Search", written by James T. Smith and Marlon L. Williams, and performed by LL Cool J; and "Lookin' at Me" by Mase.
"The One" contains samples of the recording "Public Enemy No. 1", written by Carlton Ridenhour and James Boxley, and performed by Public Enemy; and samples of the recording "Double Barrel", written by Dave Barker, Winston Riley, and Ansell George Collins, and performed by Dave and Ansell Collins.
"Don't Like" contains elements of "Under Mi Sensi", written and performed by Barrington Levy and Paul Love.