"Racks in the Middle" is a song by American rapper

Nipsey Hussle Ermias Joseph Asghedom (born Airmiess Joseph Asghedom; August 15, 1985 – March 31, 2019), known professionally as Nipsey Hussle, was an American rapper, entrepreneur, and activist. Emerging from the West Coast hip-hop scene in the mid-20 ...

featuring fellow American rapper

Roddy Ricch Rodrick Wayne Moore Jr. (born October 22, 1998), known professionally as Roddy Ricch, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. Born and raised in Compton, California, Moore rose to fame in 2018 following the release of his song "Die Young ...

and American record producer

Hit-Boy Chauncey Alexander Hollis Jr. (born May 21, 1987), known professionally as Hit-Boy, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He first signed with fellow producer Polow da Don in 2007 as in-house production staff for his l ...

, released on February 15, 2019, through All Money In and

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

. It is the last single Hussle released during his lifetime, as he was shot dead on March 31, 2019. The song received nominations for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance at the

62nd Annual Grammy Awards The 62nd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on January 26, 2020, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from October 1, 2018, to August 31, 2019. Ali ...

, winning the latter. The award marked Hussle's first Grammy win, with his family and his partner

Lauren London Lauren Nicole London (born December 5, 1984) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in films and televisions shows including ''ATL (film), ATL'' (2006), This Christmas (2007 film), ''This Christmas'' (2007), ''Madea's Big Happy Fami ...

accepting the award on his behalf.

Background

In an interview, Roddy Ricch said the song was initially only a collaboration between him and the song's producer

. He said Nipsey Hussle then heard the song and said he wanted it. Ricch recalls not liking the song at first, but putting his trust in Hussle who later claimed that "the streets are going to feel that shit".

Critical reception

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' called the track atypical of Hussle's discography, saying his collaboration with Ricch and Hit-Boy resulted in a "more radio-friendly sound", but with "radical honesty" in its lyrics, which detail Hussle speaking to rap artist Tee Ran.

Music video

The music video was released to Hussle's

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channel on February 22, 2019, a week after the song's release, and features Hussle and Ricch rapping in front of women, various locations and luxury cars. Analysis of the video seems to show he's speaking to someone directly as said by him in his famous interview with Rap Genius, ''

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 ...

'' described the video as "lavish".

Commercial performance

Following Hussle's death, his music sales increased by close to 3,000% and his streams increased by 1,773% in the United States, with "Racks in the Middle" accumulating 3,000 units, or 11.8 million streams. This led to the song being one of four songs by the rapper to posthumously debut on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, with "Racks in the Middle" becoming his highest-charting as a lead artist.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 2019 singles 2019 songs Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance Nipsey Hussle songs Roddy Ricch songs Songs written by Nipsey Hussle Songs written by Roddy Ricch Songs written by Hit-Boy Song recordings produced by Hit-Boy Atlantic Records singles