Bottoms Up (Trey Songz song)

"Bottoms Up"
Single by Trey Songz featuring Nicki Minaj
from the album Passion, Pain & Pleasure
Released	July 27, 2010
Recorded	June 2010
Genre	Hip hop R&B
Length	4:02
Label	Songbook Atlantic
Songwriter(s)	Milton L. James Daniel A. Johnson Onika Maraj Edrick Miles Tony E. Scales
Producer(s)	Kane Beatz
Trey Songz singles chronology
"Neighbors Know My Name" (2010) "Bottoms Up" (2010) "Can't Be Friends" (2010)
Nicki Minaj singles chronology
"Your Love" (2010) "Bottoms Up" (2010) "2012 (It Ain't the End)" (2010)

"Bottoms Up" is a song by American singer Trey Songz. It was produced by Kane Beatz and features rapper Nicki Minaj. The song serves as the lead single from his fourth studio album, Passion, Pain & Pleasure. It is his most successful single to date, peaking at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Background

The song was intentionally leaked on July 13, 2010, and to celebrate the release of the song, Songz discussed the song with Minaj on Ustream.^[1]

In the webcast, Songz explained how the collaboration came together, stating:

"I'm in L.A. for BET Awards weekend, I'm working on a couple records, and I do this song called 'Red Lipstick,' and then I do 'Bottoms Up' the next day. I hit Nicki and I'm like, 'Man, I've got these two incredible records, I think one of them is gonna be my first single, and I need you to do it. Can you come this weekend? Can you come down?' I stayed a couple extra days and she came through. Two, three days later I got a verse back that was just stupid."^[2]

Songz then addressed Minaj directly, stating, "I fell in love with you. When I heard the verse, I was like, 'Oh my shit, I love her. She killed it.'" Minaj also stated that she had been asked several times when she would do a song with Trey Songz, and said when Songz contacted her she said she thought "This is our time". When directing to Songz and also speaking to fans on her verse, the tribute to the late Anna Nicole Smith, and appearing as her alter-egos Roman Zolanski, and Harajuku Barbie, she said:

"I kept on hitting you like, 'I'mma have it done today.' I think I did live with it for, like, three days because I was changing it up, I couldn't get it. But then, all of a sudden, something just hit me. I was gonna take that part out [the Anna Nicole Smith part] because I was like, 'Trey is gonna think I'm crazy.' Roman is very spastic. Roman is crazy and Roman is weird and Roman doesn't care.... The person on DJ Khaled's 'All I Do Is Win' remix, that's Nicki, and the person on 'Bottoms Up,' that's Roman."^[2]

Composition and critical reception

"Bottoms Up" features a "bass-thumping" beat.^[3] Nicki Minaj appears in the song as herself, and her alter-egos, Roman Zolanski, and Harajuku Barbie. Minaj delivers her lines as in cartoonish voices and inimitable baby-talk, distorting her voice in parts to sound tipsy.^[4][5][6] Minaj also sings breathily and references Anna Nicole Smith, and biblical figures Mary and Joseph.^[6][7] Like his previous song, "Say Aah", according to Chris Ryan of MTV Buzzworthy, "is about the joys of enjoying a frosty beverage at the nightclub of your choosing." Ryan also said the song had an R. Kelly vibe to it.^[5] Ryan also gave the song a positive review, stating, "Trey Songz, sex inventor. Nicki Minaj, Harajuku Barbie. A duet between the two. It's getting hot in herre."^[5] WERQ-FM gave the song a positive review, commending Minaj's cameo.^[8] BET Sound Off said, "two of the hottest things in the industry have teamed up for what might be a contender for the hottest joint of the 2010 Summer", commenting, "THIS ish right here is the perfect anthem for happy hour, the end of a hard day at work or even a stressful situation. Maybe it's the pounding kicks that keep my head nodding. Or, maybe it's the infectious hook 'Bottoms Up, Bottoms Up.'"^[9] Andy Kellman of AllMusic called it "shamelessly mindless".^[10] Mariel Concepcion of Billboard gave the song a positive review, praising Minaj's role, stating, Songz' part "fades in to the background" and that "Minaj steals the spotlight with a layered, almost cartoonish 16-bar verse that injects the track with much-needed liveliness and creativity", showing "more personality in 45 seconds than most rappers do in an entire song, balancing an aggressive attitude with her gentler side."^[7] The Washington Post's Sean Fennessey described the song as "gleeful, kinetic" and viewed that Songz is outperformed by Minaj, writing "[she] supplies a brilliant extended cameo on the song, and as she has on nearly all of her guest appearances this year, changes tempo, tone and persona in thrilling flashes".^[11]

"Bottoms Up" is set in common time with a moderate tempo of 82 and is in the key of C minor. ^{[citation needed]}

Music video

The music video was directed by Anthony Mandler^[2] and filmed on July 31, 2010.^[12] A sneak peek to the music video was released August 16, 2010.^[13] The video provides dark, carnival-esque visuals to this club record.

Trey commented on the music video in an interview with MTV stating, “‘Bottoms Up,’ I feel, is a very creative video. [It's] different from the norm, different than what I feel is expected of me and anything I’ve shot for that matter. It’s as if I’m walking through some kind of funhouse, filled with women and different seductive things. The music video premiered on August 17, 2010 on 106 & Park while Songz hosted the show with Rocsi.”^[14]

The video premiered on BET's 106 & Park on August 17, 2010.^[15] The video features Trey Songz walking around and performing in front of girls who are behind glass walls dancing erotically. Throughout the video Trey sits on chairs and holds bottles of alcohol. Right before Nicki's verse, Trey is seen in a club with the girls that were behind the glass. Nicki performs her verse as her alter-egos Roman and Barbie,^[16] in a corner of a room and as one of the girls behind the glass windows with belts. The entire verse is shown in a spastic movement until the end of her verse where she grabs her breasts and yells at the camera. By the end of the video Trey is shirtless and Nicki flirts promiscuously towards the camera. The video ends with Nicki/Roman/Barbie blowing a kiss at Trey.

Live performances

Minaj has performed her verse on her Pink Friday Tour and her Pink Friday: Reloaded Tour.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2010–2011)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)[17]	74
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[18]	13
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[19]	34
German Black Chart[20]	5
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[21]	34
Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[22]	25
UK Singles (OCC)[23]	71
US Billboard Hot 100[24]	6
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[25]	2
US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[26]	11
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[27]	1

Year-end charts

Chart (2010)	Position
US Billboard Hot 100[28]	52
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[29]	31
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[30]	21
Chart (2011)	Position
US Billboard Hot 100[31]	64
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[32]	73
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[33]	38

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[34]	Platinum	30,000^‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[35]	Silver	200,000^‡
United States (RIAA)[37]	4× Platinum	4,000,000[36]
^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format
United States	July 27, 2010	Urban airplay
	August 10, 2010	Digital download
United Kingdom	April 3, 2011[38]	CD digital download

References

1. "WORLD PREMIERE: "Bottoms Up" ft. Nicki Minaj". TreySongz.com. Atlantic Records. July 13, 2010. Archived from the original on July 16, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
2. "Trey Songz, Nicki Minaj On Collaborating For 'Bottoms Up'". MTV News. MTV Networks (Viacom). July 14, 2010. Archived from the original on July 17, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
3. Bain, Becky (July 13, 2010). "Trey Songz And Nicki Minaj Say "Bottoms Up" On New Track". Idolator. Buzzmedia Publishers. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
4. "New Music: Trey Songz f/ Nicki Minaj – 'Bottoms Up'". Rap-Up. July 13, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
5. Ryan, Chris (July 15, 2010). "Song You Need To Know: Trey Songz Featuring Nicki Minaj, 'Bottoms Up'". MTV Buzzworthy. MTV Networks (Viacom). Archived from the original on July 18, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
6. Shepherd, Julianne Escobedo (July 13, 2010). "Trey Songz f. Nicki Minaj, "Bottoms Up" MP3". The Fader. The Fader, Inc. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
7. Concepcion, Mariel. "Trey Songz feat. Nicki Minaj, "Bottoms Up"". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
8. "HOT or NOT: Trey Songz' "Bottom's Up" Feat. Nicki Minaj". WERQ-FM. Radio One, Inc. July 13, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
9. "Have You Heard Trey Songz New Single "Bottoms Up" Featuring Nicki Minaj?". BET Sound Off. BET Networks; BET Interactive, LLC. July 13, 2010. Archived from the original on August 21, 2010. Retrieved July 22, 2010.
10. Kellman, Andy (September 14, 2010). Review: Passion, Pain & Pleasure. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-09-15.
11. Fennessey, Sean (September 14, 2010). Review: Passion, Pain & Pleasure. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2010-09-15.
12. TreySongz. "Trey Songz (TreySongz) on Twitter". Twitter.com. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
13. "Sneak Peek: Trey Songz – 'Bottoms Up'". Rap-Up.com. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
14. Ziegbe, Mawuse (August 5, 2010). "Trey Songz Says 'Bottoms Up' Is 'Heightened' By 'Funhouse' Video – News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News". Mtv.com. Archived from the original on August 19, 2010. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
15. Trey Songz - Bottoms Up ft. Nicki Minaj on YouTube
16. "Video: Trey Songz f/ Nicki Minaj – 'Bottoms Up'". Rap-Up.com. August 17, 2010. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
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20. ":: MTV | Deutsche Black Charts KW 7 | charts". Mtv.de. April 30, 2008. Archived from the original on March 5, 2012. Retrieved February 22, 2011.
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23. "Official UK Singles Top 100 – 12th March 2011". The Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on August 28, 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
24. "Trey Songz Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
25. "Trey Songz Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
26. "Trey Songz Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
27. "Trey Songz Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-07-22.
28. "Best of 2010: Hot 100 Songs". Billboard. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
29. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2010". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
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31. "Best of 2011: Hot 100 Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 2011. Retrieved December 9, 2011.
32. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2011". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
33. "Rhythmic Songs – Year-End 2011". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2019.
34. "New Zealand single certifications – Trey Songz feat. Nicki Minaj – Bottoms Up". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 15, 2024.
35. "British single certifications – Trey Songz ft Nicki Minaj – Bottoms Up". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
36. Trust, Gary (December 23, 2014). "Ask Billboard: Why Is There No R&B/Hip-Hop in the Hot 100's Top 10?". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on December 24, 2014. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
37. "American single certifications – Trey Songz – Bottoms Up". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved December 23, 2014.
38. "Music Singles Review". Digital Spy. Archived from the original on February 3, 2011. Retrieved 2012-01-17.