Clout Cobain

"Clout Cobain" (stylized "CLOUT COBAIN | CLOUT CO13A1N") is a song by Denzel Curry, released on July 12, 2018, as the third single from his third studio album, Ta13oo. Over a Genius annotation, Curry addressed that the track was inspired by a fight he had with one of his friends. He continued, "I was mad at the moment and just mad at everything, and kind of sad a little bit that a friendship was over. So, it caused me to write that song in the first place."
== Credits and personnel ==
== Background ==
The title originates from Kurt Cobain, the lead singer of Nirvana, who died from suicide. The song addresses people obsessed with popularity that they kill themselves "over materialistic stuff".Norris, John (August 8, 2018). "Denzel Curry on His New Album 'Ta1300,' Why Kurt Cobain Is Glorified for the Wrong Reasons & His Connection to Trayvon Martin". Billboard. Curry noted over Genius that when asked what to call the track, he responded, "Let's name is "Clout Cobain," because most people want clout for the dumbest reason. Just to get luxury cars and material, and stuff like that."
Over an Instagram story, he shared:
Truth is, I feel weird about a lot of things and trying to give people answers to solutions when I'm still learning myself. I always focus on the negative when I shouldn't... I know you guys only want me to release music and you will receive it but as of now I'm not fucking with anything.Barston, Stephen (July 17, 2018). "Denzel Curry's "CLOUT COBAIN" Highlights the Difficulty of Shunning Fame". DJ Booth.
== Music video ==
The official music video premiered the same time as the song, directed by Zev Deans. It features Curry as a clown controlled by his master. The clown later commits suicide, causing the audience to boo the performance. The video for Curry's follow up single, "Vengeance", can be seen as a sequel to this, while the video for Curry's other single, "Black Balloons", is the prequel. The visual addresses what artists go through to remain in the spotlight, and criticizes record labels who focus on money-making rather than the well-being of the artists. It also speaks to the generation growing up in social media that obsess over fame that they don't look at the message of artists, merely seeing them as entertainers.
The director shared in an interview, "There was a prop gun on the set for "Clout Cobain," so I just held it in my hand while I yelled, which was very effective, actually. For a lot of those videos, it was a fan-based crowd. We reached out to fans, which is how we got so many people there for free. They already buy into the tone we were trying to set, so they had fun getting face tattoos and playing along. You watch those videos and they're really giving a lot of authentic performances."
One of the audience's reactions about the video was it being "Santanic," which amused Deans. He recalled, "When I watched the Satanic one, it was like Christmas came early. I've infused occult imagery and conspiratorial symbology in my videos, but I did nothing like that in this video. To see someone take that video and read it that way when it had nothing to do with it was hilarious to me. That was a joy to watch. [...] that Christian woman getting completely riled up about something that didn't even have to do with what she was looking for." He noted that the one regret he had about the videoshoot was the conclusion. He explained, "I didn't have someone take a picture of Denzel's dead body with their phone. The whole time you have this dynamic where he's being forced to perform as a spectacle. The audience is not listening to his message, they're staring at his shoes."Erickson, Steve (October 18, 2018). "Music Video Director Zev Deans on Denzel Curry's "Clout Cobain," Ghost's "He Is" and More". Studio Daily.
== Lyrics ==
== References ==
Category:2018 songs
Category:Explicit songs
Category:Singles
Category:Songs
Category:Songs with music videos
Category:Ta13oo