"Fragile" is a song by American rapper Tech N9ne featuring Kendrick Lamar, áMayday!, 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 áMayday!, 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.
On July 17, 2013, "Fragile" featuring Kendrick Lamar, áMayday!, and Kendall Morgan was premiered via Complex. 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.
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". He would later thank the writer during an interview for inspiring him to make the song. 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. Both artists rap with rapid-fire, aggressive verses, while Wrekonize and Bernz of áMayday! and Kendall Morgan both sing the song's chorus.
The song's composition began after Strange Music label-mate áMayday! 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. 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, Tech N9ne decided to feature American rapper Kendrick Lamar on the song. This track would be Tech N9ne and Lamar's second collaboration.
The song's production was created by áMayday!, 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. Yelawolf was originally supposed to appear on the song, but he did not record his verse in time.
"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." Steve Jones of USA Today also named it one of the album's best songs. 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."
AllMusic's David Jeffries stated, "'Fragile' ups the album artistically with jazz club ambience and the great Kendrick Lamar as guest star." Jonathan Sawyer of Hypetrak said the song "is impressive all the way around. From the instrumentation to the hook provided by Morgan and áMayday! to the spitfire verses from Tech N9ne and Kendrick, this is easily one of the standouts from N9ne's forthcoming Something Else album." Wyatt Westlake of HotNewHipHop placed the song at number one in a ranking of the seven best Tech N9ne songs.
On December 3, 2013, Tech N9ne shot the music video for "Fragile" with director Anthony Devera. Kendrick Lamar, Bernz and Wrekonize of áMayday!, and Kendall Morgan were all present in their respective roles. On February 9, 2014, the music video was released for "Fragile". The video features the artists rapping and singing in an abandoned warehouse.
Tech N9ne included "Fragile" on the set list of his NPR Tiny Desk Concert on August 30, 2018.