Super Rich Kids
A piano-driven R&B and neo soul ballad about young, wealthy characters' ennui and fears of the financial crisis.
"Super Rich Kids" is a song by American singer and rapper Frank Ocean featuring fellow American rapper Earl Sweatshirt. It was released as the fifth single from Ocean's debut studio album Channel Orange on March 11, 2013. The song is in the style of R&B and neo soul, and includes references to and samples of the songs "Bennie and the Jets" by Elton John, "Got to Give It Up" by Marvin Gaye, and "Real Love" by Mary J. Blige. It addresses young, wealthy characters' ennui and fears of the financial crisis with dry humor. The song received positive reviews and charted on the Billboard R&B Songs chart and the UK Singles Chart and R&B chart.
Quick Facts
- Artist
- Frank Ocean featuring Earl Sweatshirt
- Album
- Channel Orange
- Released
- 11 March 2013
- Recorded
- 2012
- Genre
- R&B
- neo soul
- alternative hip hop
- Producer
- Malay
- Frank Ocean
- Om’Mas Keith
Lore & Background
The song was written by Frank Ocean, Malay, Earl Sweatshirt, Kirk Robinson, Nathaniel Robinson Jr., Roy Hammond, Mark Morales and Mark Rooney and produced primarily by Malay. Ocean and Malay came up with "Super Rich Kids" on their first day working together on Ocean's debut album, Channel Orange. According to Ocean, the 2000 film Traffic was an inspiration for the song. Ocean first performed the song during his debut solo tour in 2011, and later performed it on the Channel Orange Tour. The single release was originally announced on January 23, 2013. It was released in the United Kingdom on March 11, and in the United States on the 17th. The song's chorus takes its lyrics and melody from Mary J. Blige's "Real Love". The track includes a verse from Earl Sweatshirt, which, according to Complex, is a reminder of Ocean as "OFWGKTA at the end of the day." Paste magazine said that "Earl's low verses push Ocean way up into his vocal range."
Reader's Guide
The single received acclaim from critics. Sound and Motion magazine said that it "could easily be listened to repeatedly or just set on in the background for an evening's entertainment." Muso's Guide said the song "could be viewed as one of those tail end singles from a brilliant album that doesn't stand strong on its own... Ocean, proving his talent as a songwriter, and a jaded voice for this frustrated introspective generation is able to find something profound from a superficial world." The song became an Editor's Pick on DJBooth.net. Critical reactions of the song in reviews of Channel Orange were also positive. In 2014, record label TufAmerica filed a copyright lawsuit against Vivendi and Universal Music Group for the sampling of Mary J. Blige's "Real Love" in "Super Rich Kids". This was because, according to the lawsuit, the sample included a sample of the Honey Drippers song "Impeach the President".
Did You Know?
- The song includes a reference to the 1970s sitcom Good Times via the 'Dy-no-mite!' catchphrase.
- Complex ranked Earl Sweatshirt's guest verse on the song number 15 on their '25 Best Guest Verses of 2012'.
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