Fragile (Tech N9ne song)

"Fragile"
Single by Tech N9ne featuring Kendrick Lamar, ¡Mayday! and Kendall Morgan
from the album Something Else
ReleasedJuly 17, 2013
Recorded2013
Genre
Length3:55
LabelStrange Music
Songwriters
Producers
  • ¡Mayday!
  • Daniel "Keys" Perez
  • Ralfy "FAFA" Valencia
Tech N9ne singles chronology
"So Dope (They Wanna)"
(2013) 		"Fragile"
(2013) 		"Hiccup"
(2013)
Kendrick Lamar singles chronology
"Collard Greens"
(2013) 		"Fragile"
(2013) 		"Give It 2 U"
(2013)
¡Mayday! singles chronology
"Fragile"
(2013) 		"Tabletops"
(2014)
Kendall Morgan singles chronology
"Fragile"
(2013)
Music video
"Fragile" on YouTube

"Fragile" is a song by American rapper Tech N9ne featuring Kendrick Lamar, ¡Mayday!, and Kendall Morgan from the former's thirteenth studio album, Something Else (2013). It was released by Strange Music as the second single from the album on July 17, 2013. It was produced by ¡Mayday!, Daniel "Keys" Perez, Ralfy "FAFA" Valencia, and Michele Goodfriend.

"Fragile" details each rapper's disdain for music journalists and the criticism of their music. Ironically, the song was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. The song peaked at number 38 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. A music video was released on February 9, 2014, featuring the artists rapping and singing in an abandoned warehouse.

Background

On July 17, 2013, "Fragile" featuring Kendrick Lamar, ¡Mayday!, and Kendall Morgan was premiered via Complex.[1][2] Following its premiere, the song was made available for purchase with the iTunes pre-order for Something Else, also being released to Amazon.com as the album's second official single.[3][4]

The song was inspired by Max Bell, a writer for LA Weekly who referred to Tech N9ne's Paid Dues performance as "gimmicky and redundant".[5][6] He would later thank the writer during an interview for inspiring him to make the song.[6] The song details each rapper's disdain for music journalists and the criticism of their music, as they address the critics and journalists that write about their music.[1] Both artists rap with rapid-fire, aggressive verses, while Wrekonize and Bernz of ¡Mayday! and Kendall Morgan both sing the song's chorus.[7]

Writing and production

The song's composition began after Strange Music label-mate ¡Mayday! sent Tech N9ne the song with their and Kendall Morgan's vocals on it. He said the introspective chorus made him take a moment to reflect on his own rhymes.[8] Following the writing of his own verse, Tech N9ne decided he wanted another major rapper on the song after him. He stated, "It was already elite, so I needed somebody who could come after me, and there aren't too many who can do it." After contemplating over which rapper would be featured on the track, even sending it to Eminem with hopes he would get on board,[9] Tech N9ne decided to feature American rapper Kendrick Lamar on the song.[8] This track would be Tech N9ne and Lamar's second collaboration.[1]

The song's production was created by ¡Mayday!, Ralfy "FAFA" Valencia, and Danny "Keys" Perez. The instrumental is based around a brokenhearted guitar and piano-based beat, along with a simple drum pattern for the verses, before escalating with keys and guitar riffs for the hook.[7][10][11] Yelawolf was originally supposed to appear on the song, but he did not record his verse in time.[12]

Critical reception

"Fragile" was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. Arasia Graham of HipHopDX said, "'Fragile' finds Tech N9ne and Kendrick Lamar annihilating a clear-cut beat through their bars with a concise delivery, while expressing disdain for critics. And Kendall Morgan's emotive vocals entice the track making it a contender for best on the album."[13] Steve Jones of USA Today also named it one of the album's best songs.[14] Sha Be Allah of The Source called the song "a slow tempo, rimshot driven track blessed with lyrics from arguably the best of the underground and mainstream."[15]

AllMusic's David Jeffries stated, "'Fragile' ups the album artistically with jazz club ambience and the great Kendrick Lamar as guest star."[16] Jonathan Sawyer of Hypetrak said the song "is impressive all the way around. From the instrumentation to the hook provided by Morgan and ¡Mayday! to the spitfire verses from Tech N9ne and Kendrick, this is easily one of the standouts from N9ne's forthcoming Something Else album."[17] Wyatt Westlake of HotNewHipHop placed the song at number one in a ranking of the seven best Tech N9ne songs.[18]

Music video

On December 3, 2013, Tech N9ne shot the music video for "Fragile" with director Anthony Devera. Kendrick Lamar, Bernz and Wrekonize of ¡Mayday!, and Kendall Morgan were all present in their respective roles.[19] On February 9, 2014, the music video was released for "Fragile". The video features the artists rapping and singing in an abandoned warehouse.[20]

Live performances

Tech N9ne included "Fragile" on the set list of his NPR Tiny Desk Concert on August 30, 2018.[21]

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[27] Gold 15,000‡
United States (RIAA)[28] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ a b c Ortiz, Edwin (July 17, 2013). "Tech N9ne, Kendrick Lamar, ¡Mayday!, Kendall Morgan "Fragile"". Complex. Archived from the original on July 20, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  2. ^ Kearse, Stephen (July 18, 2013). "New Music: Tech N9ne ft. Kendrick Lamar, ¡MAYDAY! and Kendall Morgan – "Fragile"". Respect. Archived from the original on May 27, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  3. ^ Homie, Big (July 17, 2013). "New Music: Tech N9ne Ft. Kendrick Lamar, ¡Mayday! & Kendall Morgan "Fragile"". Rap Radar. Archived from the original on July 21, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  4. ^ "Fragile (feat. Kendrick Lamar, ¡Mayday!, Kendall Morgan) [Explicit]". Amazon.com. July 17, 2013. Archived from the original on November 16, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  5. ^ Harling, Danielle (July 19, 2013). "Tech N9ne Denounces Claims He's "Gimmicky"". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on July 12, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  6. ^ a b Bell, Max (July 30, 2013). "I Pissed Off Tech N9ne. Now We're Having Dinner". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  7. ^ a b X, Dharmic (July 17, 2013). "Tech N9ne – 'Fragile' Feat. Kendrick Lamar, ¡Mayday!, & Kendall Morgan". The Boombox. Archived from the original on July 19, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  8. ^ a b Baker, Soren (August 3, 2013). "Tech N9ne Explains Origins Of Kendrick Lamar Verse On "Fragile"". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on February 24, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  9. ^ Ju, Shirley (October 28, 2013). "Tech N9ne Praises Eminem's "Rap God"". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on April 10, 2015. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  10. ^ Beware (July 18, 2013). "Tech N9ne Ft. Kendrick Lamar, ¡MAYDAY! & Kendall Morgan – "Fragile"". The Smoking Section. Uproxx. Archived from the original on May 27, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  11. ^ Lowers, Erin (July 30, 2013). "Tech N9ne – Something Else". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on September 5, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  12. ^ AR (July 15, 2024). Tech N9ne Talks about Yelawolf not being on FRAGILE ft Kendrick Lamar. Archived from the original on January 21, 2025. Retrieved March 16, 2026 – via YouTube.
  13. ^ Graham, Arasia (July 30, 2013). "Tech N9ne – Something Else". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on June 6, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  14. ^ Jones, Steve (July 30, 2013). "Listen Up: Tech N9ne, Backstreet Boys, more". USA Today. Archived from the original on September 3, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  15. ^ Allah, Sha Be (July 18, 2013). "Tech N9ne Teams Up With Kendrick Lamar, Mayday!, and Kendall Morgan on "Fragile"". The Source. Archived from the original on May 8, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  16. ^ Jeffries, David. "Something Else – Tech N9ne". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 2, 2013. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  17. ^ Sawyer, Jonathan (July 17, 2013). "Tech N9ne featuring Kendrick Lamar, ¡Mayday! & Kendall Morgan – Fragile". Hypetrak. Archived from the original on March 4, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  18. ^ Westlake, Wyatt (May 2, 2023). "Tech N9ne 7 Best Songs: "Worldwide Choppers" & More". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on May 9, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  19. ^ Baker, Soren (December 4, 2013). "Tech N9ne Filming "Fragile" Video With Kendrick Lamar & Mayday!". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on February 24, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  20. ^ Coleman, C. Vernon (February 9, 2014). "Tech N9ne Drops "Fragile" Video Featuring Kendrick Lamar, ¡Mayday! & Kendall Morgan". XXL. Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  21. ^ Mojica, Nick (August 30, 2018). "Tech N9ne's Tiny Desk Concert: Krizz Kaliko Joins for "Fragile"". XXL. Archived from the original on April 14, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  22. ^ "Tech N9ne feat. Kendrick Lamar, ¡Mayday! & Kendall Morgan – Fragile" (in French). Le classement de singles. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  23. ^ "Tech N9ne Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  24. ^ "Tech N9ne Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  25. ^ "Tech N9ne Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
  26. ^ "Rhythmic Songs – Year-End 2014". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 27, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  27. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Tech N9ne – Fragile". Radioscope. Retrieved June 1, 2021. Type Fragile in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
  28. ^ "American single certifications – Tech N9ne – Fragile". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 16, 2026.
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