Industry Baby
"Industry Baby" is a song by American rappers Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow, released on July 23, 2021, through Columbia Records. The song features co-production by American rapper and record producer Kanye West and production duo Take a Daytrip. It is the third single from Lil Nas X's debut studio album, "Montero" (2021), following up the international success of lead single "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)". The song debuted at number 2 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 for the week of August 7, 2021, and became Lil Nas X's third and Harlow's  first number-one single on the chart on the week of October 23, 2021. On October 9, 2021, an extended version was released that features a short verse from Lil Nas X during the outro. The song received a nomination for Best Melodic Rap Performance at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards. Background and release. In March 2021, Nike, Inc. filed a lawsuit against the art collective MSCHF, who designed the Satan Shoes as promotion for Lil Nas X's song, "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)". The case was settled in April, though on July 16, Lil Nas X posted  a video on TikTok claiming that he had an upcoming court hearing regarding it on July 19. The date of this supposed court hearing, however, turned out to be the release date of the teaser for "Industry Baby" in the form of a skit parodying the lawsuit, with him ostensibly appearing on trial for the Satan Shoes, but quickly shifting focus towards his sexuality. The teaser was accompanied by a website. In late June, a demo version of the song with slightly different instrumentals was leaked online. The demo version included no features. Ahead of the song's release, Lil  Nas X shared a letter addressed to his 20-year-old self noting that the song is one "for us". Among other things, he writes of his stagnation during the COVID-19 pandemic, ostracization due to his sexuality, and staying strong in the face of adversity to witness his future success. Alongside the release of the song and music video on July 23, 2021, Lil Nas X also partnered with the non-profit organization The Bail Project through the "Bail X Fund", raising money with the goal of ending cash bail in the United States in mind. Composition. "Clash" described the  song "as a bubbling piece of pop-edged rap." "Billboard" described the song as an "expertly crafted rap anthem." The song is written in the key of E-flat minor, using a iv-V-i chord progression. It was originally planned to feature a guest appearance from Nicki Minaj; however, Lil Nas X did not receive a response from her. Music video. Taking place within the fictitious Montero State Prison, the music video for "Industry Baby" continues after the teaser video where Lil Nas X is sentenced to five years in prison for being gay. The video pays homage to  the 1994 film "The Shawshank Redemption" and the 1979 film "Escape from Alcatraz". The dancing was choreographed by Sean Bankhead. The video was directed by Christian Breslauer and produced by Andrew Lerios based on a story by Lil Nas X. Other credits include Luis Caraza as the video editor and Bryson Pintard as the art director. The video starred Lil Nas X, Jack Harlow and Colton Haynes as Head of security and Vanessa Buchholz as a prison guard. Jason Mamoa lookalike Phil Brandt is also visible in the prison yard. The video incorporated 20 dancers, 9 "prison guards" and 29  prisoners. Five days later, on July 28, 2021, Lil Nas X trolled fans by releasing the "uncensored" version. The title refers to the censoring of the naked shower dancing scene from the original. This version starts the same as the original, but when the shower head is shown just before the dance starts, the video appears to buffer, showing a spinning circle. The video stays this way for the remaining duration of the music video, never actually showing the rest of the video or uncensoring the censored scene. The music video was uploaded on Lil Nas X's YouTube channel  through VeVo on 23 July 2021, and as of 4 March 2022, it had more than 309 Million views (309,137,916). Credits and personnel. Credits adapted from Tidal.