"Feds Watching"
Single by 2 Chainz featuring Pharrell
from the album B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time
ReleasedJune 4, 2013 (2013-06-04)
RecordedFebruary 10, 2013[1][2]
GenreHip hop
Length4:10
LabelDef Jam
Songwriter(s)Tauheed Epps, Pharrell Williams
Producer(s)Pharrell Williams[3]
2 Chainz singles chronology
"Bubble Butt"
(2013)		 "Feds Watching"
(2013)		 "Trampoline"
(2013)
Pharrell singles chronology
"Get Lucky"
(2013)		 "Feds Watching"
(2013)		 "Get Like Me"
(2013)
Music video
"Feds Watching" on YouTube

"Feds Watching" is a song written and performed by American rapper 2 Chainz featuring fellow American musician Pharrell Williams. Produced by the latter, it released on June 4, 2013, as the lead single from the former's second studio album B.O.A.T.S. II: Me Time (2013). The song has since peaked at number 66 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Background

On June 2, 2013, 2 Chainz premiered "Feds Watching" at the Hot 97's Summer Jam, the first single from his second studio album. The song features Pharrell Williams and was recorded on 2013 Grammy Awards night.[1][2] The song was released to iTunes two days later, on June 4, 2013.[4]

Music video

The music video, released June 30, 2013 and was directed by Ryan Hope. A theme highly emphasized in the music video is that 2 Chainz featured many dark-skinned women as extras in the video.[5]

Billboard gave the music video a positive review stating: "It should be illegal for this many attractive women to be in the same place at the same time. 'Feds Watching' serves a disproportional male to female ratio in an exotic, secluded bachelor pad.".[6]

The Huffington Post also gave the video a positive review stating: "2 Chainz' 'Feds Watching' video follows the luxury rap music video formula with one notable twist. In the song, 2 Chainz raps about sporting Commes des Garcons and Alexander Wang clothing because 'if the Fed's watching,' he'd like to be 'fresh as hell.' (It turns out, of course, that they are watching.) The visuals for the song are appropriately lavish, with most of the action taking place in a Los Angeles mansion perched above the city."[5]

Critical reception

Rolling Stone ranked the song at 81 on their list of the 100 best songs of 2013.[7] Pitchfork Media positioned it at number 69 on their list of the 100 best songs of 2013.[8] It was ranked at number 23 on XXL's list of the 25 best songs of the year.[9]

Remixes

A remix was released on September 1, 2013, via Lil Wayne's mixtape, Dedication 5. The remix features verses from Lil Wayne and T.I. All three artists were on tour together at the time of the recording.[10] Nelly also released a remix of the song.[11]

Track listing

Digital single
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Feds Watching" (featuring Pharrell)Tauheed Epps, Pharrell WilliamsPharrell[3]4:10

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[17] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Country Date Format Label Ref.
United States June 4, 2013 Digital download Def Jam [4]

References

  1. 1 2 Langhorne, Cyrus (June 3, 2013). "2 Chainz Has The 'Feds Watching' At Summer Jam [Video". Sohh.Com. Archived from the original on August 11, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  2. 1 2 "Exclusive: Pharrell On the Making Of 2 Chainz 'Feds Watching' Single". Vibe. June 5, 2013. Archived from the original on August 9, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  3. 1 2 "Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Mariah Carey & More Surprise at Summer Jam XX". Billboard. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  4. 1 2 "iTunes Store". iTunes Store. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  5. 1 2 "2 Chainz' 'Feds Watching' Video Features Pharrell And Many Beautiful Ladies". HuffPost. July 1, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Four-Play: 2 Chainz, Fantasia, Ciara & Hodgy Beats". Billboard. July 3, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  7. ↑ Eliscu, Jenny (December 4, 2013). "2 Chainz feat. Pharrell, "Feds Watching" – 100 Best Songs of 2013". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  8. ↑ "The Top 100 Tracks of 2013 - Page 3".
  9. ↑ "The 25 Best Songs Of 2013 – XXL". Xxlmag.com. December 25, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Lil Wayne ft. 2 Chainz and T.I. – "Feds Watching"". Hip Hop Vibe. September 1, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  11. ↑ "New Music: Nelly – 'Feds Watching (Remix)'". Rap-Up. August 20, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  12. ↑ "2 Chainz Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  13. ↑ "2 Chainz Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  14. ↑ "2 Chainz Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard.
  15. ↑ "2 Chainz Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard.
  16. ↑ "2013 Year End Charts – R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  17. ↑ "American single certifications – 2 Chainz – Feds Watching". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
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