|
Speed Me Up
"Speed Me Up" is a song recorded by American rapper Wiz Khalifa along with American singers Ty Dolla Sign, Lil Yachty, and Sueco the Child. Produced by Take a Daytrip, it was released by the label Atlantic Records on January 24, 2020 for the film Sonic the Hedgehog and as part of its soundtrack. A music video for the song was released a day prior on YouTube by Wiz Khalifa, which reached more than 33 million views as of December 2024. The song was praised by some for its "catchy" chorus and its "surprisingly chill groove", and for its use of pixelation in the accompanying music video. BackgroundThe music video for the song was released on January 23, 2020, with the song being released a day later by Atlantic Records.[1][2][3] The song was produced by Take a Daytrip.[4] ReceptionReid McCarter of The A.V. Club described the song as being "catchy as hell" but also "littered with goofy references to the Sonic games". He wrote that its music video, "while incredibly dumb, is a cornucopia of hilarious imagery".[5] Napier Lopez of The Next Web wrote that the song had a "surprisingly chill groove", while also noting the recurring sounds of ring jingles and pixelated art present in the song's music video.[6] Emma Kent of Eurogamer also described the chorus as "surprisingly catchy".[7] Christopher Rosen of Vanity Fair wrote, "you won't need all the rings to make it through this one". Julia Alexander of The Verge praised the song's music video and its use of pixelation.[8][9] Bryn Gelbart wrote that the song was "loaded with talent".[10] The music video for "Speed Me Up" also reached 33 million views on YouTube as of December 2024.[3] Music videoThe music video features some short clips of the film Sonic the Hedgehog, both as they appear in the film and in 16-bit versions.[10][5] The music video starts with Wiz Khalifa playing Sonic the Hedgehog on a Sega Genesis. Khalifa then enters the game as a 16-bit version of himself after Sonic opens up a ring portal for Khalifa to enter through. He joins Sonic in his adventures, running across Green Hills picking up gold rings along the way. Lil Yachty, Ty Dolla Sign, and Sueco all join shortly thereafter and as 16-bit versions of themselves as well. All five of them run through several landmarks and areas, including the Giza pyramid complex and the Great Wall of China, while also encountering and attacking Robotnik's weapons and drones at the same time. The video ends with one final clip from the film showing Sonic and Robotnik dueling on a street in Green Hills, and also shows the four singers playing the same game Khalifa played at the beginning before they are all taken away from their consoles by Sonic himself. LyricsKhalifa and Lil Yachty also include lyrical references of Tails and Knuckles, both of whom appear more prominently in the film's sequel.[10] Ty Dolla Sign also mentions a few notable personalities in the song, including National Basketball Association (NBA) star LeBron James and American rappers Nipsey Hussle and Tay-K.[11] All four singers performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, with Ty Dolla Sign switching some of the lyrics in the original song mentioning NBA star LeBron James to dedicate the passing of another NBA star, Kobe Bryant, who was killed in a helicopter crash two days after the song's release.[4][12][13] References
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
