"Planez" (originally titled "Planes") is a song by American singer Jeremih from his third studio album, Late Nights (2015). It features American rapper J. Cole, and was released in January 2015 as the second single from the album. It interpolates "Put It in Your Mouth" by Akinyele. The original version of the song featured a verse from fellow Chicago native Chance the Rapper. "Planez" garnered mixed reviews from critics, praising Jeremih's performance but criticized J. Cole's guest verse. The track peaked at numbers 15 and 44 on both the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot 100 charts respectively. It was also certified 5x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The single garnered Jeremih's first career Grammy nomination for Best R&B Performance at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.

"Planez"
The cover features the song's original title and the two artists' name colored in gold. It also features an image of an airplane against a blue sky and white clouds covered in black.
Single by Jeremih featuring J. Cole
from the album Late Nights
ReleasedJanuary 22, 2015 (2015-01-22)
Recorded2014
Genre
Length4:00
LabelDef Jam
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Jeremih singles chronology
"Somebody"
(2015)
"Planez"
(2015)
"Like Me"
(2015)
J. Cole singles chronology
"Apparently"
(2014)
"Planez"
(2015)
"Wet Dreamz"
(2015)

Background

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The song originally came about in January 2014 when Jeremih performed the song live featuring Chance the Rapper.[1] However, this would be relegated to a remix, as the official version features J. Cole.[2] Another remix was released featuring R&B singer August Alsina. The official version originally premiered January 17, 2015. The album version of the song omits the female voice in the intro which referenced the original album title, "Thumpy Johnson".

Composition

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Stereogum's Chris DeVille noted how the track's "sleek, sultry production" allows Jeremih to showcase his "neon-bright vocal talents".[3]

Critical reception

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Meaghan Garvey of Pitchfork called it "this year's best radio R&B single in spite of J. Cole's paraphiliac trainwreck of a guest verse."[4] Despite J. Cole "trying his best to sabotage the song", Brooklyn Russell of Tiny Mix Tapes wrote that it "displays Jeremih's best vocal work" on the album.[5] David Sackllah of Consequence of Sound felt that J. Cole gave one of "the worst guest verse of the year" on the record alongside Big Sean's turn on "Royalty".[6] Shirley Ju of HipHopDX said that the track "works despite its sheer redundancy", calling J. Cole's verse "the cherry on top, somehow, despite it being bombastic almost to a fault."[7]

Commercial performance

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On the week of February 14, 2015, "Planez" debuted at number 30 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[8] It also debuted at number 95 on the Hot 100 the week of June 13.[9] On the week of September 12, the song peaked at numbers 15 and 44 on both the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot 100 charts respectively,[10][11] staying on the former for 29 weeks and the latter for 20 weeks.[12][13] The song also peaked at number nine on the Rhythmic chart the week of October 10, staying there for 20 weeks.[14][15] It was certified 5x Platinum by the RIAA on September 21, 2023.[16] Despite not charting in the United Kingdom, the track was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on October 27.[17]

Awards and nominations

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"Planez" was nominated for Best R&B Performance at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards and R&B Song of the Year at the 2016 iHeartRadio Music Awards, losing both awards to "Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)" by the Weeknd.[18][19]

Charts

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Chart (2015) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[13] 44
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[12] 15
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[15] 9

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[17] Gold 400,000
United States (RIAA)[16] 5× Platinum 5,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Joyce, Colin (April 25, 2015). "Chance the Rapper Boards Jeremih's 'Planes' For Soaring Remix". Spin. Archived from the original on September 26, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2015.
  2. ^ "Jeremih - Planes (Remix) Feat. Chance The Rapper". HotNewHipHop. April 25, 2015. Archived from the original on February 19, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  3. ^ DeVille, Chris (January 18, 2015). "Jeremih – "Planes" (Feat. J. Cole)". Stereogum. SpinMedia. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  4. ^ Garvey, Meaghan (December 9, 2015). "Jeremih: Late Nights: The Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on January 24, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  5. ^ Russell, Brooklyn. "Jeremih - Late Nights: The Album". Tiny Mix Tapes. Archived from the original on September 2, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  6. ^ Sackllah, David (December 8, 2015). "Album Review: Jeremih - Late Nights: The Album". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  7. ^ Ju, Shirley (December 30, 2015). "Jeremih - Late Nights: The Album". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on September 1, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  8. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: February 14, 2015". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  9. ^ "The Hot 100: June 13, 2015". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 29, 2022. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  10. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs: September 12, 2015". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  11. ^ "The Hot 100: September 12, 2015". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 2, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Jeremih Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  13. ^ a b "Jeremih Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  14. ^ "Rhythmic Airplay: October 10, 2015". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 24, 2019. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Jeremih Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved September 10, 2017.
  16. ^ a b "American single certifications – Jeremih – Planez". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  17. ^ a b "British single certifications – Jeremih ft J Cole – Planez". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 27, 2023.
  18. ^ "Grammy Awards 2016: See the Full Winners List". Billboard. February 15, 2016. Archived from the original on February 17, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  19. ^ "iHeartRadio Music Awards 2016: See the Full Winners List". Billboard. April 3, 2016. Archived from the original on August 14, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2024.