"Crew" 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

GoldLink D'Anthony William Carlos (born May 17, 1993), better known by his stage name GoldLink, is an American rapper and singer from Washington, D.C. He gained recognition following the release of his debut mixtape ''The God Complex'' (2014), which was ...

. It was released on December 16, 2016, as the lead

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

from his debut studio album, '' At What Cost'' (2017). The song, produced by

Teddy Walton Travis Darelle "Teddy" Walton (born July 30, 1992, in Memphis, Tennessee) is an American record producer, songwriter and DJ. He began music production by creating songs with his older brother, June, which gained traction on SoundCloud. Walton has ...

, features vocals from American singer

Brent Faiyaz Christopher Brent Wood (born September 19, 1995), known professionally as Brent Faiyaz, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. Faiyaz rose to prominence following his guest performance alongside Shy Glizzy on GoldLink's ...

and American rapper

Shy Glizzy Marquis Amonte King (born December 12, 1992), better known by his stage name Shy Glizzy (stylized as $hy Glizzy), is an American rapper from Southeast, Washington, D.C. He is best known for his guest appearance alongside Brent Faiyaz on GoldLin ...

. The song was a

sleeper hit In the entertainment industry, a sleeper hit refers to a film, television series, music release, video game or other entertainment product that was initially unsuccessful on release, but eventually became a surprise success. A sleeper hit may have ...

, receiving a nomination for

Best Rap/Sung Performance The Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance (awarded as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration until 2017, and Best Rap/Sung Performance from 2018 to 2020) is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and original ...

at the

60th Annual Grammy Awards The 60th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on January 28, 2018. The CBS network broadcast the show live from Madison Square Garden in New York City. The show was moved to January to avoid coinciding with the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongch ...

. It contains additional background vocals from

Zacari Zacari Moses Pacaldo I (born April 8, 1994), known mononymously as Zacari, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for his guest appearance on American rapper and Top Dawg Entertainment labelmate Ke ...

Background and release

While talking about how the song came together in an interview with

Genius Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for the future, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabiliti ...

, GoldLink said;

"It was the most natural song I ever did, because I met Brent, and I was with Brent in LA when we did it together. That was the first time I actually met Brent. We were just vibing, and it kind of worked the way it was. He freestyled his, and I freestyled mine. But I guess the only thing I had in my head, “Where I’m from.” The subject matter came from thinking about all the people that helped me get to where I was. To get to the position I was to even be able to get to LA and be in the studio at Pulse, to be with Brent."

Critical reception

The song received acclaim from critics. According to Ross Scarano 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 ...

'' "there wasn't a catchier sung rap hook in 2017", also writing that "Shy Glizzy may have the show-stealing verse, but there's no denying that this raised GoldLink's clout in a major way". Calling it an "excellent rap song", ''

Okayplayer Okayplayer is an online hip-hop and alternative music website and community, described by ''Rolling Stone'' as a "tastemaker" and "an antidote to dull promotional Web sites used by most artists". The community was founded by The Roots' drummer ...

'' wrote; "The hook is money, the rhymes are top notch and never fall into "mumble" status, and makes the listener feel welcomed along for the ride." ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' wrote that GoldLink "manages to distill his city's amorphous hip-hop scene into a single sound", while Shy Glizzy "darts around with a shouted giddiness, stealing the show with his fist-pumping momentum" and Brent Faiyaz delivers an "elegant chorus" which "could appear on the song two more times and not be enough". ''

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 the ...

'' called it "a mellow yet unforgettable smash" featuring "Shy Glizzy's awesome flow and Brent Faiyaz's moving crooning over Teddy Walton's smooth production". Jonah Mendelson from ''

The Michigan Daily ''The Michigan Daily'', also known as "''The Daily''", is the independent student newspaper of the University of Michigan published in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Established on September 29, 1890, the newspaper is financially and editorially independe ...

'' praised the artists, saying that "every member of the collaboration comes through with some of the best work of their careers", while the song "is a reminder that not every great song has to contain avant-garde experimentation or deep metaphorical meaning — there is a place for well-crafted tracks that are just an enjoyable vibe".

Accolades

Remix

The official remix of "Crew" features American rapper

Gucci Mane Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper. He is credited, along with fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Jeezy, with pioneering the hip hop subgenre trap music for mainstream a ...

and was released on June 21, 2017. A digital

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

(EP)—which included remixes by Lido, Richie Souf, Backyard Band and New Impressionz—was released on August 18, 2017.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

for the song, directed by Matthew Dillon Cohen, premiered via GoldLink's

Vevo Vevo LLC ( , an abbreviation for "Video Evolution", stylized in all caps until 2013) is an American Multinational corporation, multinational video hosting service, best known for providing music videos to YouTube. The service is also available ...

channel on March 2, 2017. Cohen filmed a prominent portion of the music video in

Cheverly, Maryland Cheverly is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, located very close to Washington, D.C., though not bordering it directly. The town was founded in 1918 and incorporated in 1931. Per the 2020 census, the population was 6, ...

, a

Washington DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

suburb.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2016 singles 2016 songs Songs written by Teddy Walton RCA Records singles