Beat It

Album: Back 2 Life (2012)
Charted: 52
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This single from Sean Kingston's Back 2 Life album features a beat by record producer Nic Nac, whose previous prominent credit was Ray J's "I Hit It First." The song was premiered exclusively on the Lift Off with J Cruz radio show at Power 106 on March 12, 2013.
  • The song features contributions from Chris Brown and Wiz Khalifa. Kingston told Complex magazine how it came together: "Chris was doing a mural in my house," he explained. "He came over to do a painting in my house, I had just moved in. He came over, he started his painting. And throughout my house I was blasting 'Beat It' through the surround sound. He was like, 'Yo, that record is hard. What record is that?' I was like, 'This is going to be my first single, bro.' He was like, 'Yo I want to be on it.'"

    "And it just made sense," continued Kingston, "because when I wrote it, he influenced the song. He had a song on his first record called, 'Ya Man Ain't Me.' It's a similar thing, and I made it into a hook, did the verses, and he got on it. It was a blessing. We went to the studio, knocked it out that day. Chris told me his opinion, he was like, 'Yo, this is a hit record, but I think you should have a rapper to give it an edge. Me and you are both singers, put a little rapper part in.' I was like, 'Ok, I get where you're going but who's going to be the right fit?' And it just made perfect sense for Wiz."

    "Ya Man Ain't Me" was a track from Chris Brown's 2005 eponymous debut album. The opening line of "Beat It," "He ain't fly enough, he don't even drive," was taken from it.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Band Names

Band NamesFact or Fiction

Was "Pearl" Eddie Vedder's grandmother, and did she really make a hallucinogenic jam? Did Journey have a contest to name the group? And what does KISS stand for anyway?

Producer Ron Nevison

Producer Ron NevisonSong Writing

Ron Nevison explains in very clear terms the Quadrophenia concept and how Heart staged their resurgence after being dropped by their record company.

Name the Character in the Song

Name the Character in the SongMusic Quiz

With a few clues (Works at a diner, dreams of running away), can you name the character in the song?

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman Jack

Have Mercy! It's Wolfman JackSong Writing

The story of the legendary lupine DJ through the songs he inspired.

Gary Brooker of Procol Harum

Gary Brooker of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer and pianist for Procol Harum, Gary talks about finding the musical ideas to match the words.

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions Answered

Why Does Everybody Hate Nu-Metal? Your Metal Questions AnsweredSong Writing

10 Questions for the author of Precious Metal: Decibel Presents the Stories Behind 25 Extreme Metal Masterpieces