Fakin' It (K. Michelle song)

"Fakin' It"
Single by K. Michelle featuring Missy Elliott
from the album What's the 901?
Released	September 17, 2009[1]
Recorded	2009
Genre	R&B
Length	3:50
Label	Jive Hitz Committee LLC
Songwriter(s)	K. Michelle E. Williams E. Crawford M. Elliott E. Dean
Producer(s)	Blac Elvis
K. Michelle singles chronology
"Self Made" (2009) "Fakin' It" (2009) "Fallin'" (2010)
Missy Elliott singles chronology
"Work" (2009) "Fakin' It" (2009) "Get Involved" (2010)

"Fakin' It" is a song by American R&B singer K. Michelle, featuring guest vocals by Grammy Award–winning rapper Missy Elliott. It was co-written by Michelle, Elliott and Ester Dean. The song attained slight media attention for Michelle and was intended to serve as the buzz single for her debut studio album, originally titled Pain Medicine.^[2][3]

Background and meaning

In an October 2009 interview, K. Michelle described "Fakin' It" as a fun record that is a "part that women go through," and went on to add that the remaining tracks of her debut weren't like that.^[2] Michelle also felt that the record went into detail about sexual issues in regard to relationships and stressed the need to bring it to light in the record.^[2]

In response to the male public discrediting the song for its "male-bashing" lyrics, Michelle stated that she wanted the song to be empowering for women as a whole and added that there may be women in relationships who might have a man who "lacks bedroom skills" or "common sense."^[4] She also implied that "Fakin' It" was a response to Young Money's "Every Girl," describing: "[Young Money] wanted to say, 'I wish I could fuck every girl in the world;' my thing was to say, 'Okay, well while you're doing it, we're faking [the orgasm].'"^[5]

Release and reception

The song first leaked to online urban blogs on August 15, 2009 and initially saw an official digital release on iTunes in September 17, 2009.^[1][6] The song was also featured on World Star Hip Hop in September 15, 2009 for its racy and "damaging male self-esteem" theme.^[7] During its radio airplay, an instrumental version of the song was featured on two Promo Only: Urban Club compilations in November and December 2009.^[8]

The song met generally favorable reviews. Burmy of DJ Booth gave the song 3.8 out of 5 stars and praised the track for its completion "with a piano-loop beat by Blac Elvis," and its "catchy, creative" elements. He also believed the "cut is sure to be a hit—and a conversation-starter," for its synopsis and "female issues that don’t generally show up in R&B songs."^[9] Jermy Leeuwis of Music Remedy gave the song 4.5 out of 5 stars and cited the track as a "classic" and informed listeners to not "sleep on this joint."^[10]

Music video

A promotional music video for the single was released via YouTube in September 30, 2009. The video primarily takes place in a studio and focuses on K. Michelle going through the recording process for "Fakin' It. At the end it contains an interlude to her song “Fallin”"^[11]

Track listings and formats

CD single^[12]

1. "Fakin' It" (Clean Version) — 3:51
2. "Fakin' It" (Main Version) — 3:50
3. "Fakin' It" (Instrumental) — 3:51

iTunes download^[1]

1. "Fakin' It" (feat. Missy Elliott) — 3:50

Chart performance

Because of its promo urban-only release, the song only managed to debut and peak at #100 on Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in its two-week charting performance.^[13]

Chart (2009)	Peak position
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[13]	100

References

1. "Fakin' It (feat. Missy Elliott) - Single by K. Michelle". iTunes. Apple.com. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
2. Perry, Clayton (October 20, 2009). "Interview: K. Michelle - Singer, Songwriter and Producer". Clayton Perry's Interview Exclusives. Clayton Perry and Works in Process, Inc. Archived from the original on June 28, 2013. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
3. Davis, Brian (August 20, 2009). "HOT OR NOT: K. MICHELLE & MISSY ELLIOTT - "FAKIN' IT"". CONCRETELOOP.com > Quality Not Quantity. CONCRETELOOP.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2011. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
4. "K.michelle radio". YouTube. YouTube.com. November 20, 2009. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
5. Paine, Jake (September 24, 2009). "K. Michelle Talks About "Pain Medicine," R. Kelly". HipHop DX. HipHopDX.com. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
6. "Music: K.Michelle feat. Missy Elliot [sic] - Fakin It". This Is RnB. thisisrnb.com. August 15, 2009. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
7. "Video: Uh Oh, Ladies Are Faking Orgasms To Boost Guys Ego? K. Michelle & Missy Elliot [sic] Release A Song On How Girls Fake Orgasms & Fellows Gettin Their Head Gassed! [Audio]". WorldStarHipHop. September 15, 2009. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
8. "Fakin' It - K. Michelle, Missy Elliott". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
9. Burmy (August 25, 2009). "K. Michelle ft. Missy Elliott - Fakin It - Listen". DJ Booth. The DJ Booth LLC. Archived from the original on September 22, 2011. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
10. Leeuwis, Jermy (September 1, 2009). "K Michelle - Fakin It - Listen/Watch Now". Music Remedy. musicremedy.com. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
11. "K.Michelle feat Missy Elliot [sic] "Fakin' It" (promo video)". YouTube. YouTube.com. September 30, 2009. Retrieved April 20, 2013.
12. "K Michelle* Featuring Missy Elliott - Fakin' It (CD)". Discogs. Discogs.com. Retrieved April 24, 2013.
13. "Missy Elliott Chart history (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 18, 2023.