"TV Off" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar from his sixth studio album, GNX (2024). It was released on November 26, 2024, alongside "Squabble Up", as the album's lead singles through PGLang and Interscope Records. It features guest vocals by rapper Lefty Gunplay and was produced by Sounwave, Jack Antonoff, Mustard, Kamasi Washington, and Sean Momberger.

Background

Upon release, "TV Off" emerged as one of the standout tracks on the album, mainly due to its sonic resemblance to the Mustard-produced "Not Like Us", released earlier in 2024. According to Mustard, the similarities were "definitely intentional" and revealed that it was recorded around the same time as "Not Like Us" in May 2024 but at two different times, thus the beat switches. The song was especially noted for Lamar screaming Mustard's name as a transition between the two parts,[2][3] subsequently popularized as a meme.[4]

Composition and content

"tv off"
The chorus of "tv off" where Lamar shouts out record producer Mustard, which was viral online.
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"TV Off" is a West Coast hip-hop song[5] split into two distinct parts that are connected through a beat switch around the two-minute mark. The song contains samples from "MacArthur Park" by Monk Higgins,[6] along with a snippet of horns from "The Black Hole – Overture" composed by John Barry for the soundtrack to the film The Black Hole (1979),[7] and an interpolation from "Kick in the Door" by The Notorious B.I.G.[8] As the production of the first part fades out, Mustard's signature tag emerges again as a "booming" percussion kicks in and is followed by Lamar's "animated" scream.[9] The song also includes a small instrumental that plays slightly in the background, which sounds extremely similar to the "Meet the Grahams" instrumental.

Critical reception

Zachary Horvath of HotNewHipHop viewed the song as a "pseudo-sequel" to "Watch the Party Die", released exclusively on Lamar's social media in September 2024, as it furthers the idea of resetting the culture in rap music. Despite the superficial similarities to "Not Like Us", distinctions mainly stand out on the lyrical front. Lamar offers his critical stance in regards to social media and the associated distortion of perception.[10] Writing for Pitchfork, in a mixed review, Alphonse Pierre said of the song: "Mustard's backside of 'tv off' is drowned out by these cheesy blaring horns that feel made to go dumb in Nike commercials".[11]

Charts

Chart performance for "TV Off"
Chart (2024–2025) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[12] 12
Australia Hip Hop/R&B (ARIA)[13] 3
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[14] 21
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[15] 7
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[16] 56
Denmark (Tracklisten)[17] 24
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[18] 39
France (SNEP)[19] 64
Germany (GfK)[20] 26
Global 200 (Billboard)[21] 5
Greece International (IFPI)[22] 2
Hungary (Single Top 40)[23] 39
Iceland (Tónlistinn)[24] 16
India International (IMI)[25] 12
Ireland (IRMA)[26] 5
Italy (FIMI)[27] 69
Latvia (LaIPA)[28] 6
Lithuania (AGATA)[29] 8
Luxembourg (Billboard)[30] 11
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[31] 17
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[32] 5
Norway (VG-lista)[33] 17
Philippines (Philippines Hot 100)[34] 61
Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100)[35] 48
Portugal (AFP)[36] 8
Singapore (RIAS)[37] 24
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[38] 21
South Africa (TOSAC)[39] 3
South Korea (Circle)[40] 198
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[41] 22
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[42] 19
UK Singles (OCC)[43] 6
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[44] 2
US Billboard Hot 100[45] 2
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[46] 1
US R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (Billboard)[47] 5
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[48] 1

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "TV Off"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Portugal (AFP)[49] Gold 5,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[50] Silver 200,000‡
Streaming
Greece (IFPI Greece)[51] Gold 1,000,000†

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release dates and formats for "TV Off"
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States November 26, 2024 Rhythmic crossover
[52]

References

  1. ^ "A Recap of Radio Add Recaps".
  2. ^ Havens, Lyndsey (November 22, 2024). "Mustard Reacts to Surprise Kendrick Lamar Album GNX & Says His "TV Off" Shout Out 'Was Elite'". Billboard. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  3. ^ Setaro, Shawn (November 25, 2024). "Mustard reacts to Kendrick Lamar's viral 'Mustaaard!' line on "TV Off"". HipHopDX. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  4. ^ Woodroof, Corey (November 23, 2024). "Kendrick Lamar yelling 'Mustard!' on his new album turned into an outstanding meme". For the Win. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  5. ^ Silbermann-Schön, Jonas (November 22, 2024). "Überraschungsalbum veröffentlicht" [Kendrick Lamar surprisingly releases new album "GNX"]. Visions (in German). Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  6. ^ Zoladz, Lindsay (November 26, 2024). "Digging Into Kendrick Lamar's Samples". The New York Times. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  7. ^ "Kendrick Lamar - GNX :: Le Recensioni di OndaRock". OndaRock (in Italian). Retrieved November 28, 2024.
  8. ^ Curto, Justin (November 22, 2024). "All the Surprises From Kendrick Lamar's Surprise Album GNX". Vulture. Archived from the original on November 23, 2024. Retrieved November 24, 2024.
  9. ^ Price, Joe (November 22, 2024). "Kendrick Lamar Screaming 'Mustard' on "TV Off" Is an Instant Meme". Complex. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  10. ^ Horvath, Zachary (November 24, 2024). "Kendrick Lamar & Mustard Have Another Hit With The Thought-Provoking "TV Off"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved November 26, 2024.
  11. ^ Pierre, Alphonse (November 26, 2024). "Kendrick Lamar: GNX". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  12. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. December 2, 2024. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  13. ^ "ARIA Top 40 Hip Hop/R&B Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. December 2, 2024. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  14. ^ "Kendrick Lamar feat. Lefty Gunplay – TV Off" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
  15. ^ "Kendrick Lamar Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  16. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 8. týden 2025 in the date selector. Retrieved 25 February 2025.
  17. ^ "Track Top-40 Uge 7, 2025". Hitlisten. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
  18. ^ "Kendrick Lamar: TV Off (feat. Lefty Gunplay)" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
  19. ^ "Top Singles (Week 48, 2024)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  20. ^ "Kendrick Lamar feat. Lefty Gunplay – TV Off" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved February 21, 2025.
  21. ^ "Kendrick Lamar Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  22. ^ "Official IFPI Charts − Digital Singles Chart (International) − Εβδομάδα: 08/2025" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on February 26, 2025. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
  23. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 27 February 2025.
  24. ^ "Tónlistinn – Lög: Streymi, spilun og sala viku 7. Birt 15. febrúar 2025 – Næst uppfært 22. febrúar 2025" (in Icelandic). Plötutíðindi. Archived from the original on February 15, 2025. Retrieved February 15, 2025.
  25. ^ "IMI International Top 20 Singles for week ending 2nd December 2024 | Week 48 of 52". IMIcharts. Archived from the original on December 8, 2024.
  26. ^ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  27. ^ "Top Singoli – Classifica settimanale WK 48" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  28. ^ "Straumēšanas Top 2024 – 48. nedēļa" [Streaming TOP 2024 – Week 48] (in Latvian). LaIPA. December 11, 2024. Retrieved December 12, 2024.
  29. ^ "2024 48-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. November 29, 2024. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  30. ^ "Kendrick Lamar Chart History (Luxembourg Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
  31. ^ "Kendrick Lamar feat. Lefty Gunplay – TV Off" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
  32. ^ "Official Top 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. November 29, 2024. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  33. ^ "Singel 2025 uke 8". VG-lista. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
  34. ^ "Philippines Hot 100: Week of February 28, 2025". Billboard Philippines. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  35. ^ "OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży – single w streamie" (Select week 22.11.2024–28.11.2024.) (in Polish). OLiS. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  36. ^ "Top 200 Singles Semana 48 de 2024" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. December 5, 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 7, 2024. Retrieved December 5, 2024.
  37. ^ "The Official Singapore Charts Week 8 (14 - 20 Feb 2025)". RIAS. Archived from the original on February 25, 2025. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
  38. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 8. týden 2025 in the date selector. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
  39. ^ "Local & International Streaming Chart Top 10 Week 48-2024". The Official South African Charts. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
  40. ^ "Digital Chart – Week 8 of 2025". Circle Chart (in Korean). Retrieved February 27, 2025.
  41. ^ "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 8". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
  42. ^ "Kendrick Lamar feat. Lefty Gunplay – TV Off". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
  43. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  44. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  45. ^ "Kendrick Lamar Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 3, 2024.
  46. ^ "Kendrick Lamar Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 10, 2024.
  47. ^ "Kendrick Lamar Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved March 1, 2025.
  48. ^ "Kendrick Lamar Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved February 1, 2025.
  49. ^ "Portuguese single certifications – Kendrick Lamar feat. Lefty Gunplay – TV Off" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
  50. ^ "British single certifications – Kendrick Lamar feat. Lefty Gunplay – TV Off". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 28, 2025.
  51. ^ "IFPI Charts – Digital Singles Chart (International) – Εβδομάδα: 05/2025" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Retrieved February 5, 2025.
  52. ^ "Crossover". HITS Daily Double. Archived from the original on December 1, 2024. Retrieved December 1, 2024.
Allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV_Off
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