"2 On" is a song by American singer-songwriter

Tinashe Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe ( ; born February 6, 1993), known mononymously as Tinashe, is an American singer, dancer, and actress. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, Tinashe moved to Pasadena as a child to pursue a career in entertainment. Her notab ...

for her debut studio album ''

Aquarius Aquarius may refer to: Astrology * Aquarius (astrology), an astrological sign * Age of Aquarius, a time period in the cycle of astrological ages Astronomy * Aquarius (constellation) * Aquarius in Chinese astronomy Arts and entertainment ...

'' (2014). The song, which features a rap verse from American rapper

SchoolBoy Q Quincy Matthew Hanley (born October 26, 1986), better known by his stage name Schoolboy Q (stylized as ScHoolboy Q), is an American rapper. In 2009, Hanley signed to Carson-based independent record label Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) and in late ...

, was written by Tinashe, Schoolboy Q,

Bobby Brackins Robert Clifton Brackins III (born September 14, 1988) is an American rapper, record producer, and songwriter. Brackins was born in Berkeley, California, but was primarily raised in East Oakland, California. Brackins is perhaps best known as song ...

DJ Mustard Dijon Isaiah McFarlane (born June 5, 1990), known professionally as Mustard (also known as DJ Mustard), is an American record producer and beatmaker. He is a frequent collaborator of fellow California-bred artists YG and Ty Dolla Sign; among var ...

Jon Redwine Jon Redwine (born Oak Cliff, Texas) is an American hip hop, R&B, and pop music producer. Active since 2006, he's worked with musicians such as Tinashe, Chris Brown, Bobby Brackins, G-eazy, Zendaya, REDi, Waka Flocka Flame, Mario, Ludacri ...

, and Marley Waters. It features a

sample Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of so ...

from the 2005 single "

We Be Burnin' "We Be Burnin'" is the first single from Jamaican musician Sean Paul's third studio album, ''The Trinity'' (2005). It achieved success worldwide, becoming a top-10 hit on at least 10 national music charts, including those of Germany, Italy, the ...

" by Jamaican recording artist

Sean Paul Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques OD (born 9 January 1973) is a Jamaican rapper and singer who is regarded as one of dancehall's most prolific artists. Paul's singles " Get Busy" and "Temperature" topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in the ...

, resulting in writing credits for Cezar Cunningham, Sean Paul,

Steven Marsden Steven "Lenky" Marsden is a Jamaican-born music producer and musician who specializes primarily in dancehall reggae music. He also arranges and remixes pop and hip hop songs. Marsden is the founder of the Jamaica-based label, 40/40 Records and ...

, Delano Thomas, Michael Jarrett, and Craig Serani Marsh. "2 On" was released as Tinashe's commercial debut single from ''Aquarius'' on January 21, 2014 and was sent to US

rhythmic contemporary Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip hop and upbeat R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary never uses ...

urban contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, hip hop, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban conte ...

on March 18, 2014, and to

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...

on July 30, 2014. "2 On" is an R&B song that contains elements of trap production. Lyrically, the song is a party song about living life to the fullest. Music critics mostly praised the song for its sound and carefree lyrics, and "2 On" was also noted by critics as a departure from Tinashe's murky alternative R&B that was part of her previous songs. The single peaked at number 24 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number one on US rhythmic radio, was the second-most played song of 2014 on the format, and was

certified platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

. The song also reached the top forty in Australia and Flanders (

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

). The accompanying music video for the track was directed by

Hannah Lux Davis Hannah Lux Davis (born May 17, 1986) is an American music video, commercial and film director. She's known for her work especially with female artists, such as Ariana Grande, Katy Perry, Demi Lovato, Nicki Minaj, Miley Cyrus, Avril Lavigne, Christ ...

and was released on March 24, 2014, with Tinashe dancing in several different scenes. To further promote the song, Tinashe made various live performances, including the

SXSW Festival South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, T ...

, the

Power 106 KPWR (105.9 FM) – branded as ''Power 106'' – is a commercial radio station in Los Angeles, California, broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles area. KPWR is owned and operated by Meruelo Group and airs a Rhythmic Hot AC format. KPWR's studi ...

LA concert,

Capital Xtra Capital XTRA (formerly Choice FM) is a Global-owned radio station that broadcasts on 96.9 FM and 107.1 FM in Greater London. Nationally, it is heard on DAB Digital Radio, Freesat, Sky, Virgin Media and Global Player. It specialises in hi ...

Rinse FM Rinse FM is a London-based community radio station, licensed for "young people living and/or working within the central, east and south London areas". It plays garage, grime, dubstep, house, jungle, UK funky and other dance music genres pop ...

, V100.7/Milwaukee's Family Affair and ''

The Wendy Williams Show ''The Wendy Williams Show'' (often shortened to ''Wendy'') is an American syndicated talk show created and hosted by Wendy Williams, and produced by Wendy Williams Productions, along with Perler Productions. The show is distributed by Debmar-Me ...

''. Canadian rapper

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...

released an unofficial rework of the song to his

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming s ...

account; the song consisted of two parts, the new version of "2 On" and "Thotful". An official Spanish

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

featuring

reggaeton Reggaeton (, ), also known as reggaetón and reguetón (), is a music style that originated in Panama during the late 1980s. It was later popularized in Puerto Rico. It has evolved from dancehall and has been influenced by American hip hop, ...

singer

Randy Randy is a given name, popular in the United States and Canada. It is primarily a masculine name. It was originally derived from the names Randall, Randolf, Randolph, as well as Bertrand and Andrew, and may be a short form (hypocorism) of th ...

was released on November 18, 2014, and later included on his mixtape ''Under Doxis''.

Background

"2 On" was written by Tinashe, Schoolboy Q and Bobby Brackins and produced by

and DJ Marley Waters. It is

nightclub A nightclub (music club, discothèque, disco club, or simply club) is an entertainment venue during nighttime comprising a dance floor, lightshow, and a stage for live music or a disc jockey (DJ) who plays recorded music. Nightclubs gener ...

-oriented, which contrasts with Tinashe's previous work such as her 2013 mixtape ''Black Water''. She stated: "I wanted '2 On' to be transitional, so people get used to the idea of, 'She can make songs that can play on the radio, and she can still make songs that I can vibe out to in my car.'" "2 On" was released worldwide as a

music download A music download (commonly referred to as a digital download) is the digital transfer of music via the Internet into a device capable of decoding and playing it, such as a personal computer, portable media player, MP3 player or smartphone. Thi ...

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also ...

on January 21, 2014. It impacted US

on March 18, 2014, and

on July 30, 2014.

Composition

"2 On" is an R&B song, marking a slight departure from the murky alternative R&B from her mixtapes. The song features "effervescent

keys Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (ma ...

", " synth-string accents", finger snaps,

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

hi-hat A hi-hat (hihat, high-hat, etc.) is a combination of two cymbals and a pedal, all mounted on a metal stand. It is a part of the standard drum kit used by drummers in many styles of music including rock, pop, jazz, and blues. Hi-hats consist ...

s, electro beats and distant chilly sighs, the latter which Bradley Stern of ''MuuMuse'' described as more reminiscent of her mixtape releases. The song features a sample of Sean Paul's 2005 single "

", with the line "Just give me the trees and we can smoke it ya/Just give me the drink and we can pour it ya" featured in the middle eight. As a result, the song's writers (Cezar Cunningham, Sean Paul Henriques, Steven Marsden, Delano Thomas, Michael Jarrett, and Craig Serani Marsh) are credited. Lyrically, the song is a carpe-diem anthem about being "super hyped up, super extra out on whatever emotion that it is." Although the song became her first hit and got a lot of people buzzing about the song, some listeners didn't really understand the concept of the meaning of "2 On." She spoke with VladTV to address this by saying "2 On is basically a new way of saying turn up. Being super hyped up with your friends when going out. I just wanted to come up with a fresh phrase that people can catch on to."

Reception

J. Leeds of the online publication

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...

praised the song's production calling it a "club thumper" and comparing the music video choreography to

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...

and

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreog ...

Tom Breihan of ''

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awa ...

'' commented on the throwback feel from the track saying "2 On recreates some of the tropes of the late-’90s/early-’00s teenpop/R&B crossover era, but it does it within quotes" and also comparing the video having an

Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton (; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer and actress. She has been credited for helping to redefine contemporary R&B, pop and hip hop, earning her the nicknames the "Princess of R&B" and "Q ...

vibe on it. Gotty, a writer for ''The Smoking Section'', commented that "made me want to rollerskate. Maybe not as rhythmic and polished as Tip and them did in ATL but I could definitely hit the rink, do a little bop once I get some speed and cut the corners." Gotty also commended DJ Mustard's production, writing "it’s not necessarily what we’ve come to expect as his signature sound and that’s a good thing here." Bradley Stern of MuuMuse classified the song as a "female version of Tyga‘s “Rack City" and 2 Chainz‘ "I’m Different" (both also produced by Mustard) mixed with the icy flow of Cassie's "Me & U," blending #TurnUp club culture (TURN DOWN FOR WHAT?!) with hypnotic minimal beats – it's all sorts of sexy." Jon Ali, in his blog, appraised the song as "a hot slow-burning R&B number packed with an icy electro beat and a infectious chorus loaded with plenty of memorable sexual come-ons. The song works so well in its simplicity" and the sample used as "all sorts of perfect." A writer for ''

Fact Magazine A fact is a datum about one or more aspects of a circumstance, which, if accepted as true and proven true, allows a logical conclusion to be reached on a true–false evaluation. Standard reference works are often used to check facts. Scie ...

'' opined that "Tinashe and Mustard are a surprisingly potent pairing, but we hoped rappers would leave the “beat the pussy up" schtick in the bin." John Kennedy of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' noted that "ScHoolboy Q's rambunctious bars give this feel-good smash just the right amount of scruffiness." "2 On" was labeled an album highlight by several critics. ''Pitchfork'' named "2 On" as one of the 200 best songs of the decade, praising the track as "widescreen and intricately sculpted: its curling, high-toned bassline seems to whir and chime, and its descending roll of pizzicato synth-drums are so ear-catching that they compete with the gorgeous vocal melody. ..Tinashe’s sensuous, slurred lingering over the chorus “''I luuuuu to get 2 on''" is joyous and life-affirming, a million miles from the deadened hedonism of so much trap. Dissolution has never sounded so delicious". Following its release the song has peaked at number 24 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number 53 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and stayed at number one for four weeks on the Billboard Rhythmic Charts. As of August 8, 2014, "2 On" has sold 473,000 downloads in the US. On November 24, 2014 the song was certified Platinum by RIAA for selling 1,000,000 copies.

Promotion

The song's official music video, directed by

, was released on March 24, 2014. One of the songwriters,

, makes a cameo. Speaking about the choreography, handled by JaQuel Knight, in the video, Tinashe listed

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

and

as her inspirations, "I was always super frustrated when people stopped dancing in their videos because I thought that was such a great part of it. I really want to bring that back." Tinashe first performed the song at SXSW Festival 2014. Also, at the

LA concert,

, V100.7/Milwaukee's Family Affair, The Vipor Room and

Hot 97 WQHT (97.1 FM, ''Hot 97'') is a commercial radio station, licensed to New York, New York, which broadcasts an urban contemporary music format. The station is owned by Mediaco Holding and operated by Emmis Communications under a shared service ...

's Who's Next. Drake also invited her on stage to perform the remix to the song in Houston. Tinashe performed the song on ''

'' on July 21, 2014.

Cover versions

On May 12, 2014, OB O'Brien posted an unofficial rework of the song to his

account, featuring vocals from

. The song consists of two parts, the new version of "2 On" and "Thotful". The song begins with O'Brien singing a verse before Drake takes over. The cover transitions into "Thotful", the second part of the song which according to a writer for ''

Rap-Up ''Rap-Up'' is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on th ...

'' magazine "toasts to the thots." The remix also features references to Wu-Tang and Flipmode and in regards to its production, J. Tinsley of ''The Smoking Section'' called it "an updated version of what a So Far Gone 2 would sound like." Reviews were positive towards Drake's take on the song. Chris DeVille of ''

'' called the track "an entertainingly moody passive-aggressive R&B/hip-hop mash the likes of which Drake patented sometime around late 2009." Jesse James of ''StupidDOPE'' lauded it as "dope showcasing of depth and lyrical prowess," adding that it "shall be heard in a number of rides, clubs, and much more very soon." Samantha Nelson of

Examiner.com Examiner.com was an American news website based in Denver, Colorado, that operated using a network of " pro-am contributors"' for content. It had various local editions with contributors posting city-based items tailored to 238 markets througho ...

called his verse "classic Drake", deeming it a "smart take on the title of the song but makes it more dramatic" and that it "will please all of his fans." Recording artist and rapper

Brooke Candy Brooke Dyan Candy (born July 20, 1989) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and tattoo artist. Raised in the suburbs of Los Angeles, daughter of Tom Candy, former CFO of ''Hustler Magazine'', Brooke rose to prominence after starring in Gr ...

released an unofficial remix on her

on June 17, 2015. It reached more than 8 million plays in the platform.

Credits and personnel

;Locations and sample * Mixed at Larrabee Sound Studios, North Hollywood, California * Contains elements of "

", performed by Sean Paul and written by Cezar Cunningham, Sean Paul, Steven Marsden, Delano Thomas, Michael Jarrett and Craig Serani Marsh. ;Personnel * Songwriting – Bobby Brackins,

Tinashe Kachingwe Tinashe Jorgensen Kachingwe ( ; born February 6, 1993), known mononymously as Tinashe, is an American singer, dancer, and actress. Born in Lexington, Kentucky, Tinashe moved to Pasadena as a child to pursue a career in entertainment. Her notab ...

, Dijon "DJ Mustard" McFarlane, Jon Redwine, Brendon Waters, Quincey "Schoolboy Q" Hanley, Cezar Cunningham, Sean Paul, Steven Marsden, Delano Thomas, Michael Jarrett and Craig Serani Marsh * Production – Dijon "DJ Mustard" McFarlane, Redwine, DJ Marley Waters * Mixing – Jaycen Joshua, Ryan Kaul (assistant)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

{{authority control Songs about cannabis 2013 songs 2014 debut singles Tinashe songs Schoolboy Q songs RCA Records singles Music videos directed by Hannah Lux Davis Song recordings produced by Mustard (record producer) Songs written by Mustard (record producer) Songs written by Schoolboy Q Songs written by Nate Walka Songs written by Tinashe Songs written by Bobby Brackins Songs written by Sean Paul Songs written by Steven "Lenky" Marsden