Paranoid by Kanye West

"Paranoid" is a song by American recording artist and record producer Kanye West, from his fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak (2008). It includes a feature from English musician Mr Hudson and background vocals from Kid Cudi. The song was written by West, Jeff Bhasker, Plain Pat, Consequence, and Kid Cudi, and produced by West, Bhasker, and Plain Pat. Musically, it is an upbeat new wave track that features electronic drum effects and pop synths. The song's lyrical content is centered around West being pushed away by the mistrustful thinking of a woman that he is in love with. It was serviced to top 40 radio stations in the United States on March 23, 2009, as the fourth and final single from the album. Later that year, the song was released for digital download in both the US and Belgium. The song received generally positive reviews from music critics, with the majority of them being complimentary towards the production, though some critics compared "Paranoid" to the works of other artists. It charted at number 14 and 90 on the Belgium Ultratip Flanders chart and Australian Singles Chart respectively in 2009. West and Mr Hudson have performed the song live together on numerous occasions, including at the 2009 iTunes Festival. An accompanying music video, directed by Nabil Elderkin and starring Rihanna, was released on June 3, 2009. Based around a fantasy from her paranoid mindstate, the video received positive reviews from critics. A remix, featuring Mr Hudson and rapper Big Sean, was released in December 2008. Since its release, the song has been covered by artists such as the Suzan and Kali Uchis.