"Yosemite" is a song by American rapper and record producer Travis Scott. The song features appearances from fellow American rapper Gunna and Canadian rapper Nav. It was sent to rhythmic contemporary radio, as the third single from Scott's third studio album, Astroworld, on November 20, 2018. The artists wrote the song alongside producers June James, Turbo, and Ramy.[1][2]

"Yosemite"
Single by Travis Scott featuring Gunna and Nav
from the album Astroworld
ReleasedNovember 20, 2018 (2018-11-20)
Recorded2018
GenreTrap
Length2:30
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Travis Scott singles chronology
"Zeze"
(2018)
"Yosemite"
(2018)
"Mile High"
(2019)
Gunna singles chronology
"My Slime"
(2018)
"Yosemite"
(2018)
"Vicious (Oakland Remix)"
(2018)
Nav singles chronology
"Know Me"
(2018)
"Yosemite"
(2018)
"Shoebox"
(2019)
Music video
"Yosemite" on YouTube

Background and composition

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The song's title refers to Yosemite National Park, a place that is located in the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the eastern area of California. Gunna delivers a "smooth" guitar-driven melody of the chorus that sets the tone of "Yosemite". Travis Scott in a way matches his cadence on the verse, echoing that of which Gunna used on his single "Sold Out Dates", featuring American rapper Lil Baby, which he released earlier in 2018. The two artists both calmly rap and sing about their hedonistic lifestyles with many pieces of jewelry. When "Yosemite" was originally released, Nav had an unusually quiet voice in the song, which went viral, resulting in memes regarding him to the extent in which the rapper poked light fun at himself. However, one week later, this was fixed.[3] The song's production incorporates airy flutes and Western twangs.[4]

Critical reception

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"Yosemite" received positive reviews from critics, with a majority of the praise going towards Gunna's appearance (the song's chorus) and the song's guitar sample that is evident in most of his songs. Despite mostly positive reviews, the original mix to Nav's vocals (the song's outro) was heavily criticized for being too quiet and poorly mixed, to which Nav himself poked fun at.[5][6][7]

Chart performance

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"Yosemite" debuted and peaked at number 25 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, on the issue dated August 18, 2018.[8] This became the fourth highest-charting song from the album.[8] It managed to chart for 18 weeks in total on the Hot 100. The song marks Gunna's first entry on the chart, although featured artists are not credited on the album, since Scott does not regularly credit them on albums.[8] On July 26, 2019, the song was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and streaming equivalent units of over two million units in the United States.[9]

Music video

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The official music video for the song, directed by Nabil Elderkin, was released on November 30, 2018. In the video, a young Scott is seen looking for Astroworld through a dense jungle. The kid's journey to find the theme park is a symbolic representation of the artist's rise to fame and the commercial success that came with creating, or "finding", his third studio album, Astroworld. Gunna also appears in the video with the adult Scott on a plane as they perform the song. However, Nav does not appear in the video.[10][11]

Charts

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Chart (2018–2019) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[12] 97
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[13] 18
France (SNEP)[14] 93
Germany (GfK)[15] 98
Portugal (AFP)[16] 56
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[17] 92
UK Singles (OCC)[18] 93
US Billboard Hot 100[19] 25
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[20] 16
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[21] 24

Certifications

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Certifications for "Yosemite"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[22] Platinum 70,000
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[23] Platinum 40,000
Canada (Music Canada)[24] 4× Platinum 320,000
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[25] Gold 45,000
France (SNEP)[26] Gold 100,000
Italy (FIMI)[27] Gold 35,000
Poland (ZPAV)[28] Gold 25,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[29] Gold 400,000
United States (RIAA)[9] 4× Platinum 4,000,000

Sales streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Format Label Ref.
United States November 20, 2018 Urban contemporary
[30]

References

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  1. ^ "Travis Scott Picks "Yosemite" As Next "Astroworld" Single". HotNewHipHop. November 12, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  2. ^ "Urban/UAC Future Releases | R&B, Hip Hop, Release Schedule and Street Dates | ..." 2018-11-08. Archived from the original on 2018-11-08. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
  3. ^ "Travis Scott Updates Final Mix of Astroworld Song 'Yosemite'". Spin. August 12, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
  4. ^ Fitzgerald, Kiana (October 17, 2018). "The 25 Best Travis Scott Songs". Complex. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  5. ^ Phillips, Yoh (5 August 2018). "Travis Scott 'Astroworld' 1 Listen Album Review". djbooth.net. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  6. ^ "8 Best Features on Travis Scott's 'Astroworld': Critic's Take". www.billboard.com. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  7. ^ "Travis Scott's Engineer Explains Why Nav's "Yosemite" Vocals Were So Quiet". Genius. Retrieved 2023-12-28.
  8. ^ a b c "Travis Scott Charts All 17 Songs From 'Astroworld' on Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved January 4, 2020.
  9. ^ a b "American single certifications – Travis Scott – Yosemite". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  10. ^ Holmes, Charles (November 30, 2018). "Travis Scott's "Yosemite" Looks Like A 1993 Nickelodeon Game Show". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
  11. ^ "See a Young Travis Scott in New 'Yosemite' Music Video". Paper. December 1, 2018. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  12. ^ "Travis Scott – Yosemite". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  13. ^ "Travis Scott Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  14. ^ "Travis Scott – Yosemite" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  15. ^ "Travis Scott – Yosemite" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  16. ^ "Travis Scott – Yosemite". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  17. ^ "Travis Scott – Yosemite". Singles Top 100. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  18. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  19. ^ "Travis Scott Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  20. ^ "Travis Scott Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 6, 2018.
  21. ^ "Travis Scott Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  22. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2021 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  23. ^ "Brazilian single certifications – Travis Scott – Yosemite" (in Portuguese). Pro-Música Brasil. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  24. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Travis Scott – Yosemite". Music Canada. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
  25. ^ "Danish single certifications – Travis Scott – Yosemite". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  26. ^ "French single certifications – Travis Scott – Yosemite" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  27. ^ "Italian single certifications – Travis Scott – Yosemite" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  28. ^ "OLiS - oficjalna lista wyróżnień" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved January 10, 2024. Click "TYTUŁ" and enter Yosemite in the search box.
  29. ^ "British single certifications – Travis Scott – Yosemite". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  30. ^ "Urban/UAC Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on November 8, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
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