KMT (song)

"KMT" (acronym for "Kiss My Teeth") is a song by Canadian rapper Drake from his album, More Life (2017).[2] The song features a guest appearance from British rapper Giggs and was written by Drake, Giggs, Courtney Clyburn, and Cameron Shaikh. It was produced by Ness and Chef Pasquale.[3]

"KMT"
Song by Drake featuring Giggs
from the album More Life
Recorded2017
StudioSOTA Studios, Studio 306 and Four Seasons, Toronto[1]
Genre
Length2:42
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Ness
  • Chef Pasquale

The song saw commercial and critical success in the United Kingdom where it peaked at number nine on the UK Singles Chart and was later nominated for "Best Track" at the 2017 GRM Daily Rated Awards.[4] "KMT" was additionally certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry in the United Kingdom.

Background

Controversy
"KMT" drew comparisons to XXXTentacion's "Look at Me"

On January 28, 2017, "KMT" was previewed on stage by Drake during a concert in Amsterdam.[5] The song was compared by users on social media to American rapper XXXTentacion's song "Look at Me" due to the similarity in flows, resulting in significant online controversy.[6] While these events were taking place, XXXTentacion was incarcerated for home invasion and battery charges.[7]

After being granted probation, XXXTentacion was released from jail on March 26, 2017. Before appearing for an interview on Miami radio station 103.5 The Beat, he spoke with fans using the live video streaming app Periscope. During the interview with 103.5 The Beat, XXXTentacion claimed that Drake contacted a DJ that he had been associated with. According to the DJ, Drake was supposed to contact XXXTentacion's manager, but that did not occur. XXXTentacion also claimed that shortly after these exchanges took place, one of his friends contacted him during his incarceration and had shown him a live performance of "KMT" following comparisons to the similarity in flow from fans.[8] XXXTentacion later joined his fans in accusing Drake of taking his style from "Look at Me".[7]

Drake later appeared on an interview with DJ Semtex, where he addressed the controversy. Drake claimed that a few days after performing the track with Giggs he saw comments on Instagram accusing him of stealing XXXTentacion's flow. Drake maintained that he had never heard of XXXTentacion or his track, "Look at Me" prior to the controversy. He then goes on to explain that he searched for the song that was being referenced, and that he could see where people could draw the comparison.[9]

Samples

"KMT" has two credited samples. One of the samples, "His World", was composed by Tomoya Ohtani and was performed by Ali Tabatabaee and Matty Lewis of the band Zebrahead. "His World" is best known as the theme song from the 2006 video game, Sonic the Hedgehog.[10][11] When asked about the sample on Twitter, Ohtani said he was surprised and honoured that the song was sampled.[12]

The other sample was taken from a live version of "Shutdown" by English rapper and fellow album collaborator, Skepta.[13]

Reception

Vice magazine interviewed American listeners to see how they felt Giggs fit into the song. Interviewees said that a distinction between rappers from the United Kingdom as opposed to North America is that rappers from the UK focus more on the lyrics whereas North American rappers focus more on the flow. Multiple respondents said that Giggs' contribution did not work well with the track.[14]

In another piece Vice claimed that Drake had to conform to American standards during his rise to fame and it was only recently that he had been able to incorporate Torontonian culture into his music.[15] In GQ, it was further elaborated that the branding of the album as a "playlist" could be explained by Drake wanting to produce a project that was an incorporation of his favourite international artists. GQ went on to say that Drake's role in "KMT" was to introduce the song, and to let Giggs make it his own.[16]

Commercial performance

North America

On April 8, 2017, "KMT" entered the charts at number 25 on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 and remained in the top 100 until May 6, 2017.[17] The song spent two weeks on the US Billboard Hot 100, entering the chart at number 48, its immediate peak, on April 8, 2017.[18]

Europe

On March 24, 2017, "KMT" entered at number 9 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Drake's second-highest charting song from More Life, after "Passionfruit" which peaked at number 3. "KMT" became Giggs' first top-ten entry on the UK Singles Chart.[19] "KMT" also appeared on the UK R&B Charts and spent a total of 21 weeks on the chart, peaking at number 2.[20]

Charts
Chart (2017) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[17] 25
France (SNEP)[21] 183
Ireland (IRMA)[22] 44
Portugal (AFP)[23] 94
Scotland (OCC)[24] 70
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)[25] 7
UK Singles (OCC)[19] 9
UK R&B (OCC)[20] 2
US Billboard Hot 100[26] 48
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[27] 26

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[28] Platinum 600,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Here Are the Credits for Drake's 'More Life'". XXL. Retrieved October 25, 2017.
  2. "More Life by Drake". Apple Music. March 18, 2017. Retrieved March 20, 2017.
  3. "Here Are the Credits for Drake's 'More Life'". XXL. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  4. "Rated Awards: Best Track nominees revealed". GRM Daily – Grime, Rap music and Culture. Retrieved 2017-09-23.
  5. "Drake Previews New Song At Amsterdam Show". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2017-08-08.
  6. "The Internet Thinks Drake Is Biting XXXTENTACION's Flow On His New Track". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2017-08-08.
  7. Centeno, Tony. "Florida Rapper XXXTentacion Calls Out Drake After Being Released From Jail". Billboard. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  8. "Here's the Rapper Who Just Called Drake a B***h". BET.com. 2017-03-30. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  9. "XXXTentacion Responds to Drake Denying He Bit the Flow From 'Look At Me' – XXL". XXL Mag. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  10. Carter, Chris (2017-03-17). "How does Sonic Forces' main theme measure up to past games?". Destructoid. Enthusiast Gaming. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  11. Sonic Team (2006-11-14). Sonic the Hedgehog. Sega. Level/area: Credits.
  12. Ohtani, 大谷 智哉 Tomoya (2018-09-05). "I was very surprised. I feel honored". @Ohtanitter. Retrieved 2019-01-08.
  13. Bychawski, Adam (18 March 2017). "See all the producers and samples on Drake's More Life". FACT Magazine. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  14. Jones, Daisy (22 March 2017). "We Asked a Load of Americans Why They Think Giggs Sucks". VICE. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  15. Bassil, Ryan (20 March 2017). "#MoreLife, More Americans Have to Wake Up to a Rap Culture That's Not Just Theirs". VICE. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  16. Halls, Eleanor (19 March 2017). "Drake's More Life really is a playlist of his favourite artists". GQ Magazine. Retrieved 5 October 2017.
  17. "Drake Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
  18. "The Hot 100". Billboard. April 8, 2017. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  19. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
  20. "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  21. "Lescharts.com – Drake feat. Giggs – KMT" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  22. "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved March 25, 2017.
  23. "Portuguesecharts.com – Drake – Blem". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
  24. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 1, 2017.
  25. "Swedish Heatseekers Chart – 17 March 2017". Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  26. "Drake Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  27. "Drake Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 28, 2017.
  28. "British single certifications – Drake – KMT". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 30, 2020. Select singles in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type KMT in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
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