In an interview with Zane Lowe, Kid Cudi stated that "Tequila Shots" was the first song he made for Man on the Moon III which he finished before even deciding to make the album. He said of the song, "it sounds like such an introduction, it sounds like you pick right back up where we left off ten years ago", referring to the 2010 release of Man on the Moon II: The Legend of Mr. Rager.[3]
The song was created on the day that Kid Cudi's collaboration with fellow American rapper Travis Scott, titled "The Scotts", reached the peak of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, marking Cudi's first number-one hit single in the US. Its title derived from Cudi, Dot da Genius and Take a Daytrip drinking shots of tequila in celebration.[4]
Composition
The song features "warped synths and distorted organs",[5] as well as humming from Cudi.[6] It has been described as reminiscent of his early music in style.[7] Kid Cudi sings about facing internal conflicts relating to mental health which he thought had already been dealt with,[3][5] and being ready to manage them.[8]
Critical reception
The song received generally positive reviews from critics. Aron A. of HotNewHipHop wrote that it "brings Cudi's long-time collaborator Dot Da Genius into the fold alongside Take A Daytrip for an exhilarating and psychedelic blast-off".[9] Alphonse Pierre of Pitchfork called it the best song from Man on the Moon III.[7]
In 2021, Kid Cudi released an alternate version of the song, which originally premiered on Amazon’s Prime Day Show.[11] The alternate version was included on an extended play (EP) titled Prime Day Show x Kid Cudi, issued exclusively on Amazon Music, on June 17, 2021.[12]
^"Archived copy". music.amazon.com. Archived from the original on June 30, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
