Big Pimpin'
| "Big Pimpin'" | ||||||||||||||||||||
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| Single by Jay-Z featuring UGK | ||||||||||||||||||||
| from the album Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Released | April 11, 2000 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Format | 12-inch single, CD, vinyl | |||||||||||||||||||
| Recorded | 1999 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Genre | East coast hip hop | |||||||||||||||||||
| Length | 4:44 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Label | Roc-A-Fella, Def Jam | |||||||||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Shawn Carter Chad Butler Bernard Freeman Timothy Mosley Kyambo Joshua Baligh Hamdi (uncredited) |
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| Producer | Timbaland | |||||||||||||||||||
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"Big Pimpin'" is the last single from rapper Jay-Z's fourth album Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter. It features rapping by Southern hip hop group UGK as well as production by Timbaland. The song by Jay-Z was based loosely around Tha Dogg Pound's major hit Big Pimpin', which was released in 1997. Timbaland samples "Khosara", composed by Egyptian composer Baligh Hamdi in the mid-20th century and originally recorded by the famous Egyptian vocalist Abdel Halim Hafez for the track's beat leading to its Middle Eastern sound. A version of "Khosara", arranged and performed by Hossam Ramzy, can be heard on a CD compilation entitled, “The Best of Bellydance from Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey” which also contains another song that Timbaland sampled for the Petey Pablo track, "Raise Up". In 2007, the song sparked controversy when a copyright co-owner of the sampled track Osama Ahmed Fahmy filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Federal Court, alleging that Timbaland illegally replayed portions of "Big Pimpin" note-for-note, using a melody lifted from the song. Jay-Z, Timbaland, Linkin Park and EMI Music Inc. were among the defendants named in the lawsuit. (Linkin Park because the track was also mashed up with their song "Papercut" on the collaborative EP Collision Course in 2004).[1] The Linkin Park mash-up was entitled "Big Pimpin/Papercut".
This latest lawsuit follows an August (2007) decision by a California judge to dismiss another lawsuit by Ahab Joseph Nafal, who claimed Big Pimpin' infringed the copyright of Khosara, Khorasa. Lawyers for EMI Records argued the 50-year-old track was governed by the 1909 Copyright Act, AllHipHop.com reports.[2]
"Big Pimpin'" was the most commercially successful single from Jay-Z's fourth album, as it reached #18 on The Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart. In Rolling Stone's updated 2010 list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", the song ranked at #467. Despite the song's performance, Jay-Z later revealed he regretted the song's lyrics claiming that, "Some [lyrics] become really profound when you see them in writing. Not "Big Pimpin." That's the exception. It was like, I can't believe I said that. And kept saying it. What kind of animal would say this sort of thing? Reading it is really harsh."[3] Katy Perry covered the song during her 2011/12 California Dreams Tour. The cast of The Big Bang Theory made a flashmob during the live taping of an episode, featuring the song as well as others.[4]
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Music video [edit]
The music video was shot in Trinidad during its Carnival and features Jay-Z and UGK on a music truck dispensing money into the crowd and partying on a lavish yacht. It was directed by Hype Williams.
Chart positions [edit]
Peak positions [edit]
| Chart (2000) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 18 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 6 |
| U.S. Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Singles | 9 |
| UK Singles Chart | 23[5] |
End of year charts [edit]
| End of year chart (2000) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[6] | 31 |
Single track list [edit]
CD [edit]
- "Big Pimpin' (Radio Edit)"
- "Watch Me (LP Version)"
- "Big Pimpin' (Instrumental)"
- "Big Pimpin' (Video)"
Vinyl [edit]
A-side [edit]
- "Big Pimpin' (Album Version)" (4:05)
- "Big Pimpin' (song about Ian) (5:43)
B-side [edit]
- "Watch Me (LP Version)" (4:34)
- "Big Pimpin' (Instrumental)" (4:57)
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "Gyp the System". Wayneandwax.com. 2007-09-12. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
- ^ Nolan Strong (2007-09-04). "Rappers Jay-Z, Timbaland Sued Over 'Big Pimpin' Melody". Allhiphop.com. Retrieved 2012-06-13.
- ^ Jurgensen, John (2010-10-21). "Just Asking - Decoding Jay-Z". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2011-06-13.
- ^ Chan, Anna (November 16, 2012). "'Big Bang Theory' cast surprises audience with 'Call Me Maybe' flash mob". The Clicker. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
- ^ "Jay-Z - Big Pimpin'". Chart Stats. 2000-06-24. Retrieved 2012-01-16.
- ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 2000". Retrieved 2010-08-31.
External links [edit]
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