"Somebody Else" is a song recorded by American R&B singer-songwriter

Mario is a character created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. He is the title character of the ''Mario'' franchise and the mascot of Japanese video game company Nintendo. Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creat ...

, featuring guest vocals from Trinidadian-American rapper

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...

. The song was released in the United States as a digital download on May 21, 2013, on

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 A ...

. It was intended to be the lead single for his then-upcoming fifth studio album, but would only be a standalone single due to Mario scrapping the whole album and departing from the label. The record heavily samples the 1975 song "Remember the Rain", by American R&B group 21st Century.

Background

Through his official Twitter page, on May 17, 2013, he confirmed that he has been working with

Polow Da Don Jamal Fincher Jones (born October 15, 1977, or 1978), professionally known as Polow da Don, is an American record producer and rapper. Jones has produced a variety of singles for a multitude of artists including "Anaconda" by Nicki Minaj (2014) ...

, for the track "Somebody Else" featuring rapper

. R&B singer-songwriter

Frank Ocean Christopher Francis "Frank" Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987), is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. His works are noted by music critics for featuring avant-garde styles and introspective, elliptical lyrics. Ocean ...

recorded a demo of the song as did

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to '' Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempo ...

who considered the song for his album ''

Fortune Fortune may refer to: General * Fortuna or Fortune, the Roman goddess of luck * Luck * Wealth * Fortune, a prediction made in fortune-telling * Fortune, in a fortune cookie Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''The Fortune'' (1931 film) ...

''.

Composition

"Somebody Else" was written by Mario and Nicki Minaj, and it was produced by

Polow da Don Jamal Fincher Jones (born October 15, 1977, or 1978), professionally known as Polow da Don, is an American record producer and rapper. Jones has produced a variety of singles for a multitude of artists including "Anaconda" by Nicki Minaj (2014) ...

. The song is an upbeat tempo track featuring thumbing percussion, with hip-hop influences and sampled vocals in the hook.''DJ Booth:'
Mario - Somebody Else
Retrieved October 19, 2020.

Critical reception

"Somebody Else" was praised by R&B music critics, many of them adored Minaj's verse. Critics also commented that people may love or hate this song, because of the meaning of it: "getting dumped and watching the man or woman you love run straight into the arms of 'Somebody Else'."''RnB Magazine:'
HOT NEW MUSIC ALERT: Mario ft. Nicki Minaj- SOMEBODY ELSE
Retrieved October 19, 2020. ''RnB Magazine'' called it "hot music" and a summer hit. ''ThisisRnB.com'' acclaimed Minaj's verse and Polow Da Don's production, calling those "impressive" and "infectious", respectively.

Music video

The video was filmed on May 25, 2013 and directed by Alexandre Moors. The video premiered on July 8, 2013 on

MTV Jams BET Jams is an American pay television network controlled by BET Networks and owned by Paramount Media Networks. The channel features hip-hop and urban contemporary music videos. The network, formerly known as MTV Jams, was rebranded under the ...

and it was premiered on July 10, 2013 on

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...

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 ...

. The video chronicles the dramatic ending of a relationship as Mario and Nicki square off in the video.

Track listing

*Digital download #"Somebody Else" (featuring

) - 4:09

Chart performance

Release history

References

{{Nicki Minaj singles 2013 singles 2013 songs Mario (singer) songs Nicki Minaj songs RCA Records singles Songs written by Polow da Don Songs written by Nicki Minaj Songs written by Mario (American singer) Song recordings produced by Polow da Don Songs about heartache Contemporary R&B ballads