"White Walls" is a hip-hop song by an American hip-hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, taken from their collaborative debut studio album The Heist (2012). The song's hook is performed by singer Hollis, while American rapper Schoolboy Q, performs a guest verse. "White Walls" was released to American contemporary hit radio on October 8, 2013 as the fifth and final single from The Heist. The song debuted at number 100 and has since peaked at number 15 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and has sold 1,000,000 copies as of January 2014.[1]

"White Walls"
Single by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Schoolboy Q and Hollis
from the album The Heist
ReleasedOctober 8, 2013 (2013-10-08)
Recorded2012
GenreHip hop
Length3:40
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Ryan Lewis
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis singles chronology
"Can't Hold Us"
(2013)
"White Walls"
(2013)
"Arrows"
(2014)
Schoolboy Q singles chronology
"Collard Greens"
(2013)
"White Walls"
(2013)
"Man of the Year"
(2013)
Hollis singles chronology
"White Walls"
(2013)

Release and promotion

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The song charted at number one on the US Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles prior to its release as a single, due to high digital downloads subsequently after the album's release. Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, Schoolboy Q and Hollis performed "White Walls" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on August 27, 2013.[2] The song impacted American contemporary hit radio on October 8, 2013.[3]

In November 2020, “White Walls” went viral on TikTok, being used in many videos.

Music video

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The music video, directed by Macklemore, Ryan Lewis and Jason Koenig, was released September 9, 2013. The video features cameo appearances from several rappers including A$AP Rocky, Trinidad Jame$, Wiz Khalifa, Big Boi and Sir Mix-a-Lot, as well as DJ Drama.[4][5] Parts of the music video are shot inside a Vogue Tyre warehouse, and the eponymous whitewall tires are explicitly mentioned by Macklemore to be Vogues.[6][7] The video also features several Cadillac models, including an SRX, Escalade, two XLRs, several Eldorados and a Coupe de Ville.

Charts

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Weekly charts

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Chart (2013–2014) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[8] 34
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[9] 8
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[10] 2
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders Urban)[10] 18
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[11] 13
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[12] 17
France (SNEP)[13] 65
Germany (GfK)[14] 17
Ireland (IRMA)[15] 30
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[16] 6
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[17] 32
UK Singles (OCC)[18] 26
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[19] 9
US Billboard Hot 100[20] 15
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[21] 3
US Pop Airplay (Billboard)[22] 13
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[23] 4

Year-end charts

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Chart (2013) Position
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[24] 81
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[25] 49
Chart (2014) Position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[26] 55
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[27] 85
Germany (Official German Charts)[28] 86
US Billboard Hot 100[29] 92
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[30] 26
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[31] 35

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[32] Gold 35,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[33] Platinum 15,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[34] Silver 200,000
United States (RIAA)[35] 3× Platinum 3,000,000

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Paul Grein (January 8, 2013). "Chart Watch: Pitbull & Kesha & Eminem & RiRi". Yahoo Music.
  2. ^ "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Perform with ScHoolboy Q on 'Leno'". Rap-Up. New York. August 28, 2013. Retrieved October 31, 2013.
  3. ^ "CHR – Available for Airplay". FMQB. Cherry Hill. Archived from the original on August 28, 2013. Retrieved August 31, 2013.
  4. ^ "Macklemore and Ryan Lewis party with A$AP Rocky in 'White Walls' video". Entertainment Weekly's EW.com. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  5. ^ Ortiz, Edwin (September 9, 2013). "Video: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis f/ Schoolboy Q & Hollis "White Walls"". Complex. Complex Media. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  6. ^ Tire Business Staff Report (October 1, 2013). "Hip-hop video shot in Vogue Tyre warehouse". Tire Business. Retrieved March 20, 2014. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  7. ^ Evo (September 30, 2013). "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – 'White Walls' Official Video Featuring Vogue Tyres". Rides mag. Retrieved March 20, 2014.
  8. ^ "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Schoolboy Q & Hollis – White Walls". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  9. ^ "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Schoolboy Q & Hollis – White Walls" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  10. ^ a b "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Schoolboy Q & Hollis – White Walls" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  11. ^ "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Schoolboy Q & Hollis – White Walls" (in French). Ultratip.
  12. ^ "Macklemore Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  13. ^ "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Schoolboy Q & Hollis – White Walls" (in French). Les classement single.
  14. ^ "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Schoolboy Q & Hollis – White Walls" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  15. ^ "Chart Track: Week 07, 2014". Irish Singles Chart.
  16. ^ "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Schoolboy Q & Hollis – White Walls". Top 40 Singles.
  17. ^ "Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Schoolboy Q & Hollis – White Walls". Swiss Singles Chart.
  18. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  19. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  20. ^ "Macklemore Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  21. ^ "Macklemore Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  22. ^ "Macklemore Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  23. ^ "Macklemore Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard.
  24. ^ "2013 Year End Charts — R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 13, 2013.
  25. ^ "Rhythmic Songs – Year-End 2013". Billboard. Retrieved November 7, 2021.
  26. ^ "Jahreshitparade Singles 2014". austriancharts.at. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  27. ^ "Canadian Hot 100 – Year-End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  28. ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  29. ^ "Hot 100 Songs – Year-End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  30. ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  31. ^ "Rhythmic Songs – Year-End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2019.
  32. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2013 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  33. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Macklemore and Ryan Lewis feat. Schoolboy Q and Hollis – White Walls". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved May 5, 2023. {{cite web}}: |archive-url= is malformed: timestamp (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)[dead link]THE FIELD archive-url MUST BE PROVIDED for NEW ZEALAND CERTIFICATION from obsolete website.
  34. ^ "British single certifications – Macklemore/Lewis/Schoolboy Q – White Walls". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 20, 2021.
  35. ^ "American single certifications – Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – White Walls". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 6, 2022.