Lil Freak
by Usher (featuring Nicki Minaj)

Album: Raymond v. Raymond (2010)
Charted: 40
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This sexy fantasy romp featuring Nicki Minaj is the second official single in the US from Usher's sixth studio album, Raymond v. Raymond. The song raised some eyebrows with lyrics about the thrill of finding threesomes in a club.
  • Polow Da Don, who produced the track, told MTV News: "Usher's in that same vibe he was in when he was 23, 24 years old - with more knowledge. We're out kicking it, having fun... bringing that energy back to the game, where you just see stars messing with other stars, making it exciting for the people. That's really where he's at. He's like, 'C'mon, Polow.' He'll hit me up like, 'What are you doing? Let's go out and kick it.'"
  • This party jam's hook is based around a sample of Stevie Wonder's 1973 hit, "Living For The City."
  • Nicki Minaj also appears in the song's music video. She told MTV News: "The video is freaky. And it's a great concept, a great story line. It felt just like one of the sequels to Saw. It was dope."
  • When MTV News asked Usher if the lyrics about getting girls to bring him other females to engage in group sex was based on real life, he replied in the affirmative. "Yeah," he said. "I mean, I wrote about it. It happens in this day and time. Those are the best chicks to be friends with, honestly."
  • Minaj's rap on this track added to the speculation in the press that she is bisexual. She told Complex Magazine concerning the rumors: "When I rap, it's just an extension of how I speak, and that's how I talk. If you don't like it, don't listen. I'm also not going to explain something just because I said it in a rap. Take what you want from it. [In the press] I didn't say [I don't like women]. I said I don't have sex with women. I don't have sex with men right now either. If [bisexual is] what they wanna call me, then fine."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

David Bowie Lyrics Quiz

David Bowie Lyrics QuizMusic Quiz

How well do you know your David Bowie lyrics? Take this quiz to find out.

Rick Springfield

Rick SpringfieldSongwriter Interviews

Rick has a surprising dark side, a strong feminine side and, in a certain TV show, a naked backside. But he still hasn't found Jessie's Girl.

They Might Be Giants

They Might Be GiantsSongwriter Interviews

Who writes a song about a name they found in a phone book? That's just one of the everyday things these guys find to sing about. Anything in their field of vision or general scope of knowledge is fair game. If you cross paths with them, so are you.

Jon Foreman of Switchfoot

Jon Foreman of SwitchfootSongwriter Interviews

Switchfoot's frontman and main songwriter on what inspires the songs and how he got the freedom to say exactly what he means.

Daniel Lanois

Daniel LanoisSongwriter Interviews

Daniel Lanois on his album Heavy Sun, and the inside stories of songs he produced for U2, Peter Gabriel, and Bob Dylan.

Sam Phillips

Sam PhillipsSongwriter Interviews

Collaborating with T Bone Burnett, Leslie Phillips changed her name and left her Christian label behind - Robert Plant, who recorded one of her songs on Raising Sand, is a fan.