"Lost" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Gorilla Zoe, released October 14, 2008 as the lead single from his second studio album Don't Feed Da Animals (2009). The song leaked in May 2008 entitled "Losin' My Mind", featuring a verse from fellow American rapper Lil Wayne. It is notable that, specifically with the Lil Wayne version, both songs use the auto-tune effect. "Lost" received positive reviews from critics praising Drumma Boy's electronic production and Zoe's sincere Auto-Tune delivery of introspective lyrics. The track peaked at numbers 10 and 29 on both the Billboard Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts respectively. It also reached number 71 on the Hot 100.
| "Lost" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Gorilla Zoe | ||||
| from the album Don't Feed da Animals | ||||
| Released | October 14, 2008 | |||
| Recorded | 2008 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 4:48 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | Christopher Gholson, Alonzo Mathis, Ebony Love | |||
| Producer(s) | Drumma Boy | |||
| Gorilla Zoe singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
edit"Lost" received positive reviews from music critics praising the production and usage of Auto-Tune to reveal an honest performance by Zoe. Steve 'Flash' Juon of RapReviews praised the synth production and use of Auto-Tune to give Zoe a heartfelt performance, saying that "You might not think someone with Zoe's deep raspy flow could pull off crooning, but Drumma Boy plays to his strengths and gives him a joint he can sing low and slow over."[1] Nathan Slavik of DJBooth was surprised by the honesty and self-awareness delivered by Zoe about his newfound lifestyle, saying that "'Lost' is a display of the lyricist lurking behind Zoe’s gravel-voiced swagger, dropping carefully constructed lines like “I’m losing my mind, I’m losing control...of the wheel swerving on and off the road.” That’s right, Zoe dropped a dope metaphor. Suck on that haters."[2] Brendan Frederick of XXL called it "a brink-of-insanity cry for help that’s filled with booming 808s and sing-along digital harmonies."[3] AllMusic's David Jeffries felt that the introspective lyricism was being overshadowed by sophomoric humor, calling it "a heartfelt song about loneliness that would work splendidly if it wasn't for the diaper talk."[4]
Chart performance
edit"Lost" debuted at number 25 on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart for the week of November 8, 2008.[5] That same week, it reached number 42 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[6] It reached number 10 on the Hot Rap Songs chart the week of January 24, 2009, and spent a total of twenty weeks on the chart.[7][8] That same week, the song debuted at number 93 on the Hot 100.[9] Six weeks later, it moved twenty-two spots to peak at number 71, staying on the chart for eleven weeks.[10][11] The track peaked at number 29 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart the following week, and stayed there for 35 weeks.[12][13]
Music video
editThe music video was directed by Zollo and premiered on the BET show The Deal. Miami-based rapper Rick Ross makes a cameo appearance along with Atlanta-based rappers Young Jeezy, Ludacris, Plies, Shawty Lo, Lil Jon, Waka Flocka Flame, Gucci Mane, other cameo appearances did include Erup, KRS-One, Slick Rick, Nelly, Fat Joe, YoungBloodz, Cutty, Andre 3000, Big Boi, Fiend, N.O.R.E., DMX, Chi McBride AND Raekwon. The music video is similar to the music video of "Somebody's Watching Me" by R&B artist Rockwell, relating the subject's paranoid fears of being followed and watched, although the lyrics of "Lost" chronicle the emptiness and loneliness that fame can bring. The music video does not show the underground background singer named as "the mistress". It was released on BET, MTV, MTV2 and MTV Jams on December 23, 2008 and on iTunes on January 19, 2009.[14]
Remixes and freestyle
editOn September 14, 2008, American rapper Bow Wow released a freestyle to the song.[15]
Charts
editWeekly charts
edit| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[16] | 71 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[13] | 29 |
| US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[8] | 10 |
| US Rhythmic (Billboard)[17] | 22 |
Year-end charts
edit| Chart (2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[18] | 92 |
References
edit- ^ Juon, Steve 'Flash' (March 24, 2009). "Gorilla Zoe :: Don't Feed Da Animals :: Block Ent./Bad Boy/Atlantic". RapReviews. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- ^ Slavik, Nathan. "Gorilla Zoe - Don't Feed The Animals". DJBooth. The DJBooth LLC. Archived from the original on September 25, 2012. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- ^ Frederick, Brendan (January 27, 2009). "Gorilla Zoe: Don't Feed the Animals". XXL. Townsquare Media. Archived from the original on August 25, 2012. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- ^ Jeffries, David. "Don't Feed Da Animals - Gorilla Zoe". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 23, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- ^ "Hot Rap Songs: November 8, 2008". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 31, 2018. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
- ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: November 8, 2008". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 31, 2018. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
- ^ "Hot Rap Songs: January 24, 2009". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 30, 2018. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
- ^ a b "Gorilla Zoe Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
- ^ "The Hot 100: January 24, 2009". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 25, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- ^ "The Hot 100: March 7, 2009". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 21, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- ^ "Lost by Gorilla Zoe and Lil Wayne". aCharts.co. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: March 14, 2009". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 31, 2018. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
- ^ a b "Gorilla Zoe Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
- ^ "iTunes – Music Videos – Lost by Gorilla Zoe". iTunes (US). Apple. Retrieved September 15, 2016.
- ^ "I'm Going Crazy - Bow Wow". MetroLyrics. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved August 28, 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "Gorilla Zoe Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 10, 2012.
- ^ "Gorilla Zoe Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
- ^ "2009 Year-End Charts – R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Archived from the original on July 29, 2015. Retrieved September 15, 2016.