"Encore" is a hip-hop song from

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...

's '' The Black Album''. It features guest vocals by

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He began his musical career working behind the scenes for other artists, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Every ...

, Don Crawley, GLC and

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

. The song was released by

Roc-A-Fella Records Roc-A-Fella Records was an American record label and music management company founded in 1994 by record executives and entrepreneurs Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke. Carter issued his debut album, '' Reasonable Doubt ...

and produced by West for Konman Productions. "Encore" received much popularity in 2004 when it was mixed with

Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn, bass ...

's hit single " Numb" on the mash-up album '' Collision Course'' as " Numb/Encore", which went on to win a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

Background

''The Black Album'' was touted by Jay Z as his last album before he retired from rap music. He cited a perceived lack of competition as reason for his retirement, stating "The game ain't hot. I love when someone makes a hot album and then you've got to make a hot album. I love that. But it ain't hot." Many critics doubted the longevity of Jay Z's retirement, and Ryan Schrieber of ''Pitchfork'' speculated that the retirement declarations could constitute "an elaborate publicity stunt." Lyrically, "Encore" deals with these themes and addresses rumors of a post-retirement career. Critic Rob Mitchum wrote of the song that "it's a little hard to take Jay's claims of retirement at face value when... ("Encore") makes reference to 'when I come back like

Jordan Jordan, officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is a country in the Southern Levant region of West Asia. Jordan is bordered by Syria to the north, Iraq to the east, Saudi Arabia to the south, and Israel and the occupied Palestinian ter ...

wearing the 45.'" The song was first released as the fourth track on Jay Z's ''The Black Album.'' It gained popularity when it was mixed with

's song " Numb." The subsequent track won Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the Grammy Awards of 2006. "Encore" was also released as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

on a 12" vinyl with " Dirt off Your Shoulder." The 12" includes the LP version, radio edit, and instrumental version of both songs.

Song information

"Encore" features vocals by

, Don Crawley, GLC and

. The song was released by

and produced by West for Konman Productions. The production samples the trumpet introduction to John Holt's cover of " I Will" by

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

, therefore there is a

Lennon–McCartney Lennon–McCartney is the songwriting partnership between the English musicians John Lennon (1940–1980) and Paul McCartney (born 1942) of the Beatles. It is widely considered one of the greatest, best known and most successful musical collabo ...

songwriting credit on the song.

Reception

Al Shipley of

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

wrote that "Encore" "is perhaps the ultimate ''Black Album'' cut," while critic Dimas Sanfiorenzo called the track "probably one of the happiest songs of Hov's career."

Credits and personnel

*Produced by Kanye West. *Recorded by Gimel "Young Guru" Keaton at Baseline Studios in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, and at Record Plant Studios in Daytona Beach Florida. *Mixed by Corey Cuomo and Jimmy Douglass. *Additional vocals by Kanye West, Don Crawley, John Legend and GLC. *Written by Jay-Z.

Charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2003 songs Jay-Z songs Song recordings produced by Kanye West Songs written by Jay-Z Songs written by Kanye West Songs written by Lennon–McCartney