Bad (Wale Song)
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"Bad" is a song by American
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
recording artist Wale. It was released on February 5, 2013, as the first single from his third studio album '' The Gifted'' (2013). The song, produced by Kelson Camp, features a guest appearance from Tiara Thomas. "Bad" peaked at number 21 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, making it Wale's third top 40 entry after "
No Hands "No Hands" is a song recorded by American rapper Waka Flocka Flame featuring fellow American rappers Roscoe Dash and Wale (rapper), Wale from the former's debut studio album, ''Flockaveli'' (2010). It was written by the artists alongside producer ...
" and " Lotus Flower Bomb", and becoming his highest-charting single as a lead artist. It also became Thomas' first top 40 entry.


Background

The song was originally released on December 24, 2012, as track 6 on Wale's mixtape '' Folarin'', but would later appear on his album '' The Gifted''.


Music video

Wale spoke about the concept of the video in an interview saying, "It was an amazing experience because it felt like a real movie, The concept of the video is about a girl. She’s trying to find herself by means of intimacy. She hasn’t really discovered what she wants out of love or lust. It’s almost a true story about some of the girls I’ve been with or courted." It features a cameo from Rick Ross. The music video was directed by Alexandre Moors and premiered on March 20, 2013, on
106 & Park ''106 & Park'' is an American hip hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that was broadcast on weekdays at 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm CT on BET; it aired on a one-day delay on BET International. It was the network's highest- rated ...
.


Track listing


Release history


Remix

"Bad" was officially remixed with the inclusion of guest vocals of Barbadian recording artist
Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...
. The song was digitally released via the iTunes Store on June 3, 2013. It also appeared on Wale's third studio album, ''The Gifted''. On May 10, 2013, Rihanna posted a photo of herself and Wale working in a studio via
Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
. It was later confirmed that the pair had recorded a remix of the single.


Composition

As noted by
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
, the remix starts with moody synth keys before the familiar "bed springs" squeak, which appeared in the original track, lead to the infidelity-laced hook. Wale and Rihanna also trade rap bars: "Bad girls ain't no good and the good girls ain't no fun," he spits before she answers: "And the bad girls want a real nigga." Rihanna tweaks Tiara Thomas' original section into her own, adding a "touch of her seductive island accent". "Is it bad that, I never made love. I never did it, but I sure know how to fuck," she sings tragically. Wale and Rihanna play off one another on the track and voice their inner turmoil involving the opposite sex. Rihanna sings (also later raps) in response to Wale's laments about a difficult relationship and praises of hot sex on the "bed, floor, couch, more." It uses a whole new instrumental track that refers to Rihanna's song " Loveeeeeee Song". Rihanna raps with Wale with similar lyrics to the original song.


Critical reception

Rob Markman of
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
gave the remix a positive review saying, "These days, most rap remixes usually consists of a loose collection of MCs collaborating over pre-existing instrumentals, but for the remix to his hit single 'Bad', Wale had the good sense to do something different. Instead of rounding up a predictable cast of rap characters, Folarin retooled the beat and then added Rihanna to the remix."


Track listing

; Digital single


Release history


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


References

{{authority control 2012 songs 2013 singles Wale (rapper) songs Atlantic Records singles Maybach Music Group singles Songs written by Tiara Thomas Songs written by Wale (rapper) Rihanna songs Remix singles