Turn Down for What

"Turn Down for What"
Single by DJ Snake and Lil Jon
Released December 18, 2013
Genre Trap
Length 3:33
Label Columbia
Writer(s) DJ Snake
Producer(s)
DJ Snake singles chronology
"Turn Down for What"
(2013)		 "Get Low"
(2014)
Lil Jon chronology
"Hard White (Up in the Club)"
(2011)		 "Turn Down for What"
(2013)		 "Bend Ova"
(2014)
Music video
"Turn Down For What" on YouTube

"Turn Down for What" is a single by DJ Snake and Lil Jon released on December 18, 2013. It was co-produced by both artists and co-written by Tchami. The song and its viral music video popularized the use of the phrase.[1][2]

Release

Lil Jon and DJ Snake had met several years prior to recording the song.[3] In December 2013, "Turn Down for What" was premiered on Columbia Records website and released via iTunes shortly after.[4] In an interview about the song, DJ Snake said,

When I hit up the big homie Jon and asked him if he wanted to be on the track, this song is a pretty balling song. He heard the beat and was instantly down with the vision. What he sent me back, though, absolutely blew my mind. I knew Jon was one of the best, but he absolutely killed it on this joint.[5]

Lil Jon said in an interview,

When DJ Snake sent me the track with a sample and he wanted me to redo it with my voice. When I heard the song I was like this beat is too crazy for that sample. I wanted to make it hip and current, and the first thing that came to mind was the phrase 'Turn Down for What!'[5]

Composition

"Turn Down for What" contains the lyrics of Lil Jon's powerful and iconic voice rapping "Fire up that loud, another round of shots" and "Turn down for what" throughout the song. It also contains bass and trap music elements that are original to Atlanta, GA, Lil Jon's hometown. "Turn Down for What" is written in the E Phrygian mode and is set in common time at a moderate tempo of 100 beats per minute.

Chart performance

"Turn Down for What" entered the top 10 on Billboard's Dance/Electronic chart during the last week of December.[6] In January 2014, the single entered the top 5 on the Dance/Electronic chart and debuted at No. 38 on Billboard's Hot 100.[7] It peaked at number 4 on the chart, becoming DJ Snake's first and Lil Jon's ninth top ten, and was certified gold in February 2014.[8][9] It reached its first million copies sold in the U.S. in March 2014.[10] The song reached its 3 million sales mark in July 2014.[11] It became the seventh best-selling song of 2014 in the US with 3,449,000 copies sold for the year.[12]

Critical response

"Turn Down for What" received generally positive reviews from music critics and publications. Rolling Stone voted "Turn Down For What" as the second best song of the year 2014, saying, "The year's nutsiest party jam was also the perfect protest banger for a generation fed up with everything. DJ Snake brings the synapse-rattling EDM and Southern trap music; Lil Jon brings the dragon-fire holler for a hilarious, glorious, glowstick-punk fuck you." [13] In January 2015, "Turn Down for What" was ranked at No. 9, tied with Beyoncé's "Flawless", on The Village Voice's annual year-end Pazz & Jop critics' poll.

Music video

An accompanying music video for "Turn Down for What" was directed by the filmmaking duo DANIELS,[14] composed of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, and released on March 13, 2014. The clip stars co-director Daniel Kwan with Sunita Mani. He explained: "For a while Daniel and I had been wanting to explore male sexuality in a really weird way. For some reason our brains came up with this image, and this other universe where dudes are so pumped up on their own dicks—and they’re so into their testosterone—that the way that they show that is by breaking shit with their dicks. So, whatever happens, that would just be a funny logical progression."[14]

Jason Newman of Rolling Stone described the video as "perfect insanity" and added, "It's hard to pinpoint specifically what makes the video for DJ Snake and Lil Jon's 'Turn Down for What' so compelling and ripe for repeat viewings."[15] Edwin Ortiz of Complex called it "incredibly absurd and awesome" and wrote, "The hard-hitting EDM record delivers an undeniable vibe that listeners can't help but mosh out to, and that's clearly evident in the accompanying music video."[16] Writing for Idolator, Robbie Daw said the video "takes things to a whole new level of WTF-ness not quite seen before."[17]

The music video won Best Direction for DANIELS and was nominated for MTV Clubland Award, Best Art Direction, and Best Visual Effects at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards and Best Music Video at the 2015 Grammy Awards.

Remixes

On April 26, 2014, the official remix featuring Juicy J, 2 Chainz and French Montana was released, followed by the second official remix on April 28, 2014, titled the Dancehall Remix, featuring Chi Ching Ching, Assassin and Konshens, and a third release on May 7, 2014 titled "Turn Down for What (Lil Jon Remix)", featuring Pitbull and Ludacris.[18][19][20]

Usage in media

"Turn Down for What" has been featured in various films, commercials and television programs. Uses include a TV commercial for Sol Republic, to introduce a wireless speaker, which aired in October 2013.[21] The song was used in the films 22 Jump Street and, briefly, Furious 7, and in the trailers for Horrible Bosses 2[22]and Brick Mansions. In May 2014, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Rogen and Zac Efron danced dressed as girls to the song during an episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.[23] In July 2014, Robin Wright also danced to the song during an appearance on The Tonight Show.[24]

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres created a spoof of the Lincoln Motor Company commercial starring Matthew McConaughey using a portion of the song.

In October 2014, Lil Jon and various other celebrities appeared in an online video that featured a remix of the song, renamed to "Turn Out for What", that was organized by Rock the Vote and intended to encourage young people to vote in the upcoming elections.[25]

On October 15, 2014, Michelle Obama posted a video clip of herself dancing to "Turn Down For What" while holding a turnip [26] as a Vine response to US comedian and impressionist Iman Crosson's post hashtagged #AskTheFirstLady.[27] In Alphacat's original post Michelle Obama was asked, "On average how many calories do you burn every time you 'turn up'?!" Her response was "Turnip for what?" The Vine was posted as part of a Q&A organised by the First Lady’s office to promote her Let's Move! healthy lifestyle campaign.[28]

In 2015, Alvin and the Chipmunks covered the song for their film Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip and its soundtrack.

In December 2014, a portion of the song was used in an AT&T Wireless commercial announcing the "completion" of their network export's goal of providing improved LTE connectivity.[29]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2014) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[30] 13
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[31] 35
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[32] 41
Belgium Dance (Ultratop Flanders)[33] 39
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[34] 18
Belgium Dance (Ultratop Wallonia)[35] 10
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[36] 11
Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[37] 8
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[38] 34
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[39] 13
France (SNEP)[40] 19
Germany (Official German Charts)[41] 31
Ireland (IRMA)[42] 42
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[43] 21
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[44] 23
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[45] 10
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[46] 20
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[47] 58
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[48] 41
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[49] 26
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[50] 36
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[51] 23
UK Dance (Official Charts Company)[52] 10
US Billboard Hot 100[53] 4
US Hot Dance/Electronic Songs (Billboard)[54] 1
US Dance/Mix Show Airplay (Billboard)[55] 2
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[56] 5
US R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (Billboard)[57] 30
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[58] 1

Year-end charts

Chart (2014) Position
Australia (ARIA)[59] 49
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[60] 46
Germany (Official German Charts)[61] 97
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[62] 62
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[63] 40
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[64] 96
US Billboard Hot 100[65] 15

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[66] 2× Platinum 140,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[67] 3× Platinum 240,000^
Italy (FIMI)[68] Gold 15,000double-dagger
New Zealand (RMNZ)[69] Gold 7,500*
Sweden (GLF)[70] Platinum 40,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[71] Gold 400,000^
United States (RIAA)[72] 5× Platinumdagger 3,449,000[12]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

dagger Since May 2013 RIAA certifications for digital singles include on-demand audio and/or video song streams in addition to downloads.[73]

References

  1. ↑ "A Complete List Of People Who Asked Me To Define 'Turn Down For What' Over The Weekend". The Huffington Post.
  2. ↑ "Lil Jon". Billboard.
  3. ↑ Lipshutz, Jason (April 7, 2014). "Lil Jon Feels 'Great Validation' Thanks To 'Turn Down For What' Success". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  4. ↑ "TURN DOWN FOR WHAT". Beatport. Retrieved 2013-12-31.
  5. 1 2 "DJ Snake And Lil Jon Release International Hit Single "Turn Down for What" On Columbia Records". PR NEWS WIRE. Jan 22, 2014.
  6. ↑ Gary Trust (January 3, 2014). "Chart Moves: Imagine Dragons, AWOLNATION Extend Lengthy Hot 100 Stays; Beyonce Bounds At R&B/Hip-Hop Radio; DJ Snake, Lil Jon Debut With 'Turn Down For What'". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  7. ↑ Gordon Murray (December 27, 2013). "DJ Snake, Lil Jon, Katy Perry Power Up Dance Charts". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  8. ↑ Trust, Gary (April 30, 2014). "Pharrell Williams Tops Hot 100 For 10th Week, Iggy Azalea Vaults Into Top 10". Retrieved April 30, 2014.
  9. ↑ Tyler Trew (4 February 2014). "DJ Snake's "Turn Down for What" Reaches Gold Status". Your EDM. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  10. ↑ Grein, Paul (March 19, 2014). "Chart Watch: "#Selfie" Is A #Smash". Yahoo Music. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
  11. ↑ Grein, Paul (July 30, 2014). "Chart Watch: Jason Aldean Is Back". Yahoo Music.
  12. 1 2 Christman, Ed (January 9, 2015). "Music in 2014: Taylor Takes the Year, Republic Records on Top, Streaming to the Rescue". Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2015.
  13. ↑ "Turn Down For What". Rolling Stone.
  14. 1 2 Pearl, Max (March 20, 2014). "Meet the Man Behind Lil Jon & DJ Snake's "Turn Down for What" Video". Vice. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  15. ↑ Newman, Jason (March 12, 2014). "DJ Snake and Lil Jon's 'Turn Down for What' Video Is Perfect Insanity". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  16. ↑ Ortiz, Edwin (March 14, 2014). "DJ Snake & Lil Jon's New Music Video for "Turn Down for What" Is Incredibly Absurd and Awesome". Complex. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  17. ↑ Daw, Robbie (March 12, 2014). "DJ Snake & Lil Jon's "Turn Down For What" Video Is The Most Insane Thing You'll Watch All Month". Idolator. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  18. ↑ C. Vernon Coleman (2014-04-26). "Lil Jon Featuring Juicy J, 2 Chainz & French Montana "Turn Down For What (Remix)" - XXL". Xxlmag.com. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
  19. ↑ "Turn Down For What (DANCEHALL Remix) Dirty Master by Lil Jon on SoundCloud - Hear the world's sounds". Soundcloud.com. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
  20. ↑ "Lil Jon - Turn Down For What Feat. DJ Snake, Pitbull & Ludacris (Remix) | Stream & Listen [New Song]". Hotnewhiphop.com. 2014-05-07. Retrieved 2014-06-27.
  21. ↑ "Sol Replic Deck Radio Shack TV Commercial, Feat Lil Wayne and Michael Phelps". Radio Shack. Retrieved 2013-12-31.
  22. ↑ Sims, Davd (July 3, 2014). "'Turn Down For What' Watch: How Hard Will Hollywood Drive This Song Into the Ground?". Thewire.com. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  23. ↑ Silman, Anna (May 7, 2014). "Watch Seth Rogen and Zac Efron Play Teen Girls on 'Ew'". Vulture.com. Retrieved May 7, 2014.
  24. ↑ Strecker, Erin (July 24, 2014). "You're Going To Want To See Robin Wright Dance With Jimmy Fallon to 'Turn Down For What'". Billboard. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  25. ↑ Putnam, Lindsay (October 7, 2014). "Lil Jon, Lena Dunham rock the vote in 'Turn Out For What'". New York Post.
  26. ↑ "Hey, Alphacat The First Lady wants to know… #TurnipForWhat? #AskTheFirstLady #TD4W".
  27. ↑ "A question for Michelle Obama: How many calories do you burn every time you 'turn up'?!".
  28. ↑ "Michelle Obama's 'Turnip for What' is just the latest great political Vine".
  29. ↑ "AT&T TV Spot, "Speech"". AT&T Mobility. December 7, 2014.
  30. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – DJ Snake and Lil Jon – Turn Down For What". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved May 17, 2014.
  31. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – DJ Snake and Lil Jon – Turn Down For What" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
  32. ↑ "Ultratop.be – DJ Snake and Lil Jon – Turn Down For What" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  33. ↑ "Ultratop.be – DJ Snake and Lil Jon – Turn Down For What" (in Dutch). Ultratop Dance. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  34. ↑ "Ultratop.be – DJ Snake and Lil Jon – Turn Down For What" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  35. ↑ "Ultratop.be – DJ Snake and Lil Jon – Turn Down For What" (in French). Ultratop Dance. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  36. ↑ "DJ Snake – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for DJ Snake. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
  37. ↑ "DJ Snake – Chart history" Billboard Canada CHR/Top 40 for DJ Snake. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  38. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201426 into search. Retrieved July 3, 2014.
  39. ↑ "Lil Jon,dj Snake: Turn Down For What" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  40. ↑ "Lescharts.com – DJ Snake and Lil Jon – Turn Down For What" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
  41. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – DJ Snake and Lil Jon – Turn Down For What". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
  42. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 28, 2014". Irish Singles Chart.
  43. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – DJ Snake and Lil Jon search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  44. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – DJ Snake and Lil Jon – Turn Down For What" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 28, 2014.
  45. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – DJ Snake and Lil Jon – Turn Down For What". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  46. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2014-05-17". Scottish Singles Top 40.
  47. ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201424 into search.
  48. ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201430 into search. Retrieved July 29, 2014.
  49. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – DJ Snake and Lil Jon – Turn Down For What". Singles Top 100. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  50. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – DJ Snake and Lil Jon – Turn Down For What". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 2, 2014.
  51. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2014-05-17" UK Singles Chart.
  52. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2014-05-17" UK Dance Chart.
  53. ↑ "DJ Snake – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for DJ Snake. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  54. ↑ "DJ Snake – Chart history" Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs for DJ Snake. Retrieved March 22, 2014.
  55. ↑ "DJ Snake – Chart history" Billboard Dance/Mix Show Airplay for DJ Snake. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
  56. ↑ "DJ Snake – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for DJ Snake. Retrieved May 1, 2014.
  57. ↑ "DJ Snake – Chart history" Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay for DJ Snake. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
  58. ↑ "DJ Snake – Chart history" Billboard Rhythmic Songs for DJ Snake. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  59. ↑ "End of Year Charts – ARIA Top 100 Singles 2014". ARIA Charts. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved February 14, 2015.
  60. ↑ "2014 Year End Charts – Top Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  61. ↑ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  62. ↑ "JAAROVERZICHTEN – Single 2014" (in German). Dutch Charts Portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved March 5, 2015.
  63. ↑ "Top Selling Singles of 2014". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  64. ↑ "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 - 2014". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 26, 2015.
  65. ↑ "Hot 100 Songs – Year End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2015.
  66. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2014 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
  67. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – DJ Snake & Lil Jon – Turn Down For What". Music Canada. March 10, 2014. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
  68. ↑ "Italian single certifications – DJ Snake feat. Lil Jon – Turn Down For What" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved January 10, 2015. Select Online in the field Sezione. Enter DJ Snake feat. Lil Jon in the field Filtra. Select 2015 in the field Anno. The certification will load automatically
  69. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – DJ Snake & Lil Jon – Turn Down For What". Recorded Music NZ. May 9, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  70. ↑ "DJ Snake & Lil Jon - Turn Down For What" (in Swedish). Grammofon Leverantörernas Förening. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  71. ↑ "British single certifications – DJ Snake & Lil Jon – Turn Down For What". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 10, 2016. Enter Turn Down For What in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search
  72. ↑ "American single certifications – DJ Snake & Lil Jon – Turn Down For What". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  73. ↑ "RIAA Adds Digital Streams To Historic Gold & Platinum Awards". Recording Industry Association of America. May 9, 2013. Retrieved May 9, 2013.
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