"Norf Norf" is a hip hop song. It was described as "sonically grim",[5] built over a "drone-like" section similar to a "monophonic guitar feedback".[6][7]
Reception
Critical reception
The song received widespread acclaim by critics. The song was placed in several year-end lists, with Pitchfork placing it at number 19;[8]Complex, at number 46;[9] and The Fader, at number 20.[10] Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone named it his 12th favorite song of 2015.[11] Paul Schrodt of Complex called it the best Vince Staples song.[12]
Controversy
The song received criticism from a woman, who heard the song on the radio with her 11-year-old daughter,[13] and released a viral 11-minute video on the internet criticizing the song.[14][15][16] In the video, she recited the song's lyrics,[17] called the song "crap" and "filth", and criticized the song's chorus, "I ain't never run from nothing but the police".[16] The video attracted backlash, which led Staples to defend the woman: "No person needs to be attacked for their opinion on what they see to be appropriate for their children";[14][16][18] he also said she was "clearly confused on the context of the song" and "emotionally unstable".[19]
Music video
The song's music video was released on July 17, 2015. It was filmed in black and white,[20] and shows Staples with "an unfazed expression as he's taken on a seemingly routine trip from the back of a cop car",[5] and "gets his mugshot taken, gets roughed up by cops, and gets thrown in a cell".[21]
Eric Ducker of Rolling Stone named it the second best music video of 2015,[22] and USA Today named it the seventh best.[23]
