"Twerk"
Single by City Girls featuring Cardi B
from the album Girl Code
ReleasedJanuary 8, 2019 (2019-01-08)
Recorded2018
Genre
Length2:46
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Mr. Nova
  • Rico Love
City Girls singles chronology
"I Just Wanna"
(2018)		 "Twerk"
(2019)		 "Caramel"
(2019)
Cardi B singles chronology
"Money"
(2018)		 "Twerk"
(2019)		 "Please Me"
(2019)
Music video
"Twerk" on YouTube

"Twerk" is a song by American hip hop duo City Girls featuring American rapper Cardi B, from the duo's debut album Girl Code (2018). It was released to US rhythmic contemporary radio on January 8, 2019, as the album's lead single.[1] Filmed in Miami, the song's music video was released the same month. "Twerk" is a New Orleans bounce-inspired song, which heavily samples Choppa's "Choppa Style".[2] It also samples the popular Triggerman beat, which is prominent among the New Orleans bounce scene. It peaked at number 29 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Production

"Twerk" employs a xylophone sounding melody, hand claps and "feverish" snares.[3] In her verse, Cardi references Jermaine Dupri's "Money Ain't a Thang".[4]

Music video

Directed by Daps and Sara Lacombe, the music video was filmed in Miami, Florida in December 2018 and released on January 16, 2019. The video shows Cardi B and Yung Miami painted like a tiger and zebra, respectively, partying with a number of women on a yacht. In another location, at a construction site, they are joined by the top 20 finalists of the challenge sent by the City Girls, which consisted on finding "the world's greatest twerker." The clip closes with the winner of the challenge.[5]

Reception

In Billboard Carl Lamarre opined, "the titillating video reaches its climax when the women hit the dirt and break into some next-level twerking. The mesermizing display will certainly drop some jaws, as both Cardi and Yung Miami redefine the meaning of twerk with their fun-filled visual."[6] Complex's Sarah Montgomery stated "this isn't your typical bad b*tches twerking to a banger music video."[7] Meanwhile Entertainment Weekly's Shirley Li described the clip as "incredible and hypnotic and very, very cheeky, in all senses of the word."[8]

Conservative columnist Stephanie Hamill from right-wing news website The Daily Caller criticized the video, tweeting, "in the era of #MeToo how exactly does this empower women?". Cardi B responded, "it says to women that I can wear and not wear whatever I want, do [whatever] I want and that no still means no," and questioned Hamill for misleading the purpose of the movement.[9][10]

Awards and nominations

Year Ceremony Category Result Ref.
2019 BET Hip Hop Awards Best Hip-Hop Video Nominated [11]
Sweet 16: Best Featured Verse Nominated
2020 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards Winning Songs Won [12]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2018–19) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[13] 70
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[14] 31
US Billboard Hot 100[15] 29
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[16] 14
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[17] 13

Year-end charts

Chart (2019) Position
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[18] 57

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[19] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Country Date Format Label Ref.
United States January 8, 2019 Rhythmic contemporary [1]

References

  1. 1 2 "Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on January 6, 2019. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  2. ↑ Fitzgerald, Trent (January 16, 2018). "City Girls and Cardi B Drop "Twerk" Video". XXL. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  3. ↑ "The City Girls Release Booty Shaking Banger "Twerk"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  4. ↑ "City Girls feat. Cardi B - "Twerk"". Rap-Up. Retrieved January 26, 2019.
  5. ↑ Holmes, Charles (January 16, 2018). "Here's What It's Like to Watch City Girls' NSFW 'Twerk' Video in an Office". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  6. ↑ Lamarre, Carl (January 16, 2018). "City Girls & Cardi B Show Off Their Elite Twerking Skills in 'Twerk' Video". Billboard. Retrieved January 18, 2018.
  7. ↑ "City Girls Recruits the Best Twerkers in the World for "Twerk" Video f/ Cardi B". Complex. Retrieved 2019-04-10.
  8. ↑ Li, Shirley (January 16, 2019). "Cardi B and City Girls new 'Twerk' video has Twitter in a tizzy — here are the funniest comments". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Cardi B unleashes on conservative columnist: I can 'wear and not wear' what I want". USA Today.
  10. ↑ "Cardi B Blasts Conservative Columnist Stephanie Hamill for Questioning 'Twerk' Video". Billboard.
  11. ↑ Lamarre, Carl (September 12, 2019). "Cardi B Leads 2019 BET Hip Hop Awards With 10 Nominations: Exclusive". Billboard. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
  12. ↑ "2020 ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards". ASCAP. July 15, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Cardi B Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  14. ↑ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. January 28, 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  15. ↑ "Cardi B Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 29, 2019.
  16. ↑ "Cardi B Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  17. ↑ "Cardi B Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  18. ↑ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2019". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  19. ↑ "American single certifications – City Girls – Twerk". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
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