Us Placers - Critical Reception

Critical Reception

"Us Placers" received overwhelmingly positive reviews from music critics and was widely regarded as the highlight of the Can't Tell Me Nothing mixtape. Rolling Stone not only cited the song as the best track on the mixtape but also placed it at number forty-three on their list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007. Complimenting the poignant use of the sample as well as the depth of the trio's individual verses, it wrote, "Each brings something wholly new to the other, trading self-effacement and self-possession back and forth until there's no difference between the two. For this 3:53, hip-hop isn't dead, and neither is rock. They're quietly invincible." Thomas Inskeep of Stylus Magazine described "Us Placers" as being both deep and intelligent and praised the dexterity of Pharrell's verse in particular. Toronto Star columnist John Sakamoto wrote that the recording was a "stunning collaboration." Greg Kot of Chicago Tribune stated that the song was brilliant while Entertainment Weekly called it an "instant Internet classic." Luke Lewis of Q Magazine felt it was a shame that "Us Placers" would not be featured on Lupe's then-forthcoming sophomore album, Lupe Fiasco's The Cool, as he believed that the song's guest appearances and lyrical content "all adds up to the most atmospheric, and quietly enthralling, hip-hop track we've heard in a long time." Two years later, while reviewing his Enemy of the State: A Love Story mixtape, Allison Stewart from The Washington Post retrospectively referred to "Us Placers" as "the great '07 track" and commended Lupe's production of the song." At About.com, "Us Placers" was placed at number thirty-two on their list of the Top 100 Rap Songs of 2007 and later at number eighty-three on their 100 Best Rap Songs of the 2000s (decade).