In da Club
"In da Club" | |
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Song |
"In da Club" is a hip hop song performed by rapper 50 Cent for his commercial debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin'. The song was produced by Dr. Dre with co-production from Mike Elizondo. 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, and Elizondo also wrote the song. The track was released in late 2002 as the album's lead single and was well received by music critics.
"In da Club" became 50 Cent's first number one single and was one of 2003's most popular songs after reaching number one in the United States and peaking inside the top five on the majority of the European charts it entered. At the 46th Grammy Awards, it was nominated for Best Male Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Song.
Background
After 50 Cent was discovered by Eminem in 2002, he was invited to fly to Los Angeles where he was introduced to Dr. Dre.[1] 50 Cent recorded seven songs in five days with Dr. Dre, with "In da Club" being the first track they recorded. 50 Cent described the studio sessions saying:
Dre, he'll play dope beats... [He'll say], 'These are the hits, 50. So pick one of these and make a couple of singles or something.' The very first time he heard [me rap on] 'In Da Club' he said, 'Yo, I didn't think you was going to go there with it, but, you know, it works.' He was probably thinking of going in a different direction with that song. Then he expanded it into a hit record.[2]
The production was originally given to the hip hop group D12, but was passed on to 50 Cent.[3] The rapper recorded the track with only the drum beat present. Since much of the content on Get Rich or Die Tryin' was "dark", he wanted to write material that was "the exact opposite". He called the song a "celebration of life. Every day it's relevant all over 'cause every day is someone's birthday."[4]
Music and reception
"In da Club" received very positive reviews from music critics. All Music Guide described it as "a tailor-made mass-market good-time single".[5] The Source called the song a "guaranteed party starter" with its "blaring horns, funky organs, guitar riffs and sparse hand claps".[6] The BBC also wrote that the song is "a spectacular party anthem" that "highlights 50 Cent's ability to twist his words effortlessly".[7] Entertainment Weekly noted that 50 Cent "boasts unashamedly of his career objectives and newly flush bank account" with lyrics such as "I'm feelin' focus, man, my money on my mind/Got a mil out the deal and I'm still on the grind."[8] Rolling Stone wrote that the song sports "a spare yet irresistible synth hook augmented by a tongue-twisting refrain".[9] The Guardian called the track "irresistible" due to its "sparse orchestral samples and snaking chorus"[10] and Pitchfork Media also said "the bounce on 'In Da Club' is straight-up irresistible, Dre at both his minimalist best and most deceptively infectious."[11] Splendid magazine called the song an "insanely catchy" single with its "stanky, horn-addled thump".[12] The track was listed at number ten on Blender magazine's "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born".[13]
Chart performance
"In da Club" performed well in the United States, becoming 50 Cent's first number one single. The song peaked at number one for nine weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained on the chart for twenty-two weeks.[14][15] The track also reached number one on the Top 40 Tracks, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and Hot Rap Tracks charts.[16] In March 2003, it broke a Billboard record as the 'most listened-to' song in radio history within a week.[17] "In da Club" was certified Gold by the RIAA[18] and was nominated for Best Male Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Song at the 2004 Grammy Awards, but lost to Eminem's "Lose Yourself".[19] Across Europe, the song reached number one in Denmark, Germany, Ireland, and Switzerland and the top five in Austria, Belgium, Finland, Greece, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands.[15] In the United Kingdom, the single peaked at number three, and ranked number thirteen on the year-end chart for 2003 (see 2003 in British music). In Australia, the single peaked at number one, was certified two times Platinum by the ARIA,[20] and on the 2003 year-end chart, it was listed at number five.[21]
Music video
The music video was directed by Phillip Atwell on December 10 – December 11 2002.[22][23] Almost all the film footage was used in the video except for a scene where 50 Cent raps in a glass box.[24] The video is set in a fictional hip hop boot camp known as the Shady/Aftermath Artist Development Center. It begins with a black Hummer driving to the facility at an unknown location. 50 Cent is introduced by hanging upside down from the roof of a gym. Atwell commented, "I think I could have done better with it, but I really liked the way that it turned out".[24] The video also contains a shooting range, which Atwell felt was appropriate because 50 Cent had been shot nine times. He said, "creatively, I felt like we were able to put guns in a video and have it play. And I like it when you are able to play within the standards and still give the artist something symbolic of what they are going for."[24]
The video ends with the camera zooming out of the club to reveal a two-way mirror with Eminem and Dr. Dre in white lab uniforms, observing 50 Cent and taking notes. Atwell stated that "seeing 50 with Dre and Em having his back is as big a visual statement as it is a musical statement" and the shot was significant because it made clear the club was inside the center and not unrelated performance footage.[24]
On January 27 2003, the video debuted on MTV's Total Request Live at number nine and stayed on the chart for fifty days.[25] It also reached number one on the MuchMusic video charts.[26] At the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards, the video was awarded Best Rap Video and Best New Artist and was nominated for Video of the Year, Best Male Video, and Viewer's Choice.[27]
Controversy
In January 2006, 50 Cent was sued for copyright infringement by former 2 Live Crew manager Joe Weinberger, who owns the rights to the rap group's catalog. He claimed that 50 Cent plagiarized the lines "it's your birthday" from former 2 Live Crew frontman Luther Campbell on his 1994 album Still a Freak for Life.[28] The lawsuit was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Paul Huck, who ruled that the phrase was a "common, unoriginal and noncopyrightable element of the song".[29]
Remix
A remixed version was recorded by R&B/Pop singer Beyonce Knowles. Her version contained altered lyrics coming from a womans perspective. The remix version is also credited as "Sexy Lil' Thug". Beyonce's version was often merged with the original version to contain a longer club mix. This was 50 Cent's second single that had received an answer back remix. The first single was "21 Questions" which was redone by Lil' Mo and retitled to "21 Answers".
Track listing
- CD single[30]
- "In da Club" (clean)
- "In da Club" (explicit)
- "Wanksta"
- Australian single[31]
- "In da Club"
- "Wanksta"
- "In da Club" (instrumental)
- "In da Club" (multimedia track)
- "Wanksta" (multimedia track)
Personnel
- Producer: Dr. Dre
- Co-producer: Mike Elizondo
- Audio mixing: Dr. Dre
- Recording engineers: Mauricio "Veto" Iragorri, Sha Money XL
- Assistant engineers: James "Flea" McCrone, Francis Forde, Ruben Rivera
- Keyboards, guitars, bass: Mike Elizondo
Charts
Chart (2003)[15][16][32] | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Singles Chart | 1 |
Bulgarian Singles Chart | 1 |
Canadian Singles Chart | 1 |
Danish Singles Chart | 1 |
German Singles Chart | 1 |
Irish Singles Chart | 1 |
New Zealand Singles Chart | 1 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
U.S. Billboard Top 40 Tracks | 1 |
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | 1 |
U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Tracks | 1 |
Swiss Singles Chart | 1 |
Dutch Singles Chart | 2 |
Belgium Singles Chart | 2 |
Austrian Singles Chart | 3 |
UK Singles Chart | 3 |
Norwegian Singles Chart | 3 |
Greek Singles Chart | 3 |
Swedish Singles Chart | 4 |
Finnish Singles Chart | 8 |
Italian Singles Chart | 9 |
French Singles Chart | 16 |
United World Chart | 1 |
References
- ^ Touré (April 3 2003). The Life of a Hunted Man. Rolling Stone. Accessed July 6 2007.
- ^ Reid, Shaheem (February 12 2003). 50 Cent: Money to Burn. MTV. Accessed July 5 2007.
- ^ "All Eyes on 50 Cent: The Sequel" (2005). MTV television special.
- ^ Kondo, Toshitaka (September 26 2007). 50 Cent on the Record. Rhapsody. Accessed October 3 2007.
- ^ Birchmeier, Jason. Get Rich or Die Tryin' Review. All Music Guide. Accessed July 5 2007.
- ^ Rosario, Robert "Boo" (March 2003). "Record Report". The Source magazine, p. 192.
- ^ Dunbar, Joy (June 21 2007). Get Rich or Die Tryin' Review. BBC. Accessed July 5 2007.
- ^ Browne, David (February 21 2003). Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2003). Entertainment Weekly. Accessed July 5 2007.
- ^ Hoard, Christian (March 6 2003). Get Rich or Die Tryin' Review. Rolling Stone. Accessed July 5 2007.
- ^ Petridis, Alexis (February 21 2003). 50 Cent: Get Rich or Die Tryin'. The Guardian. Accessed July 6 2007.
- ^ Chennault, Sam (March 5 2003). Get Rich or Die Tryin' Review. Pitchfork Media. Accessed July 5 2007.
- ^ Jackowiak, Jason (March 28 2003). Get Rich or Die Tryin' Review. Splendid magazine. Accessed July 5 2007.
- ^ The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born: 5-10. Blender magazine (October 2005). Accessed July 5 2007.
- ^ Martens, Todd (May 1 2003). Sean Paul 'Busy' Ousting 50 Cent Single. Billboard. Accessed July 5 2003.
- ^ a b c 50 Cent - In da Club - Music Charts. aCharts.us. Accessed July 5 2007.
- ^ a b Billboard Singles. All Music Guide. Accessed July 5 2007.
- ^ 50 Cent Timeline. Rock on the Net. Accessed July 13 2007.
- ^ Lamy, Jonathan (May 3 2005). 50 Cent Cashes In. RIAA. Accessed July 10 2007.
- ^ 46th Grammy Awards - 2004. Rock on the Net. Accessed July 5 2007.
- ^ ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2003 Singles. ARIA. Accessed July 5 2003.
- ^ ARIA Charts - End of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 2003. ARIA. Accessed July 5 2003.
- ^ Nima (December 12 2002). 50 Cent Interview. Dubcnn. Accessed July 5 2007.
- ^ 50 Cent - "In da Club". mvdbase. Accessed July 5 2007.
- ^ a b c d Moss, Corey (August 18 2003). 50 Cent, Eminem, Dr. Dre Face Suge Knight at 'Da Club': VMA Lens Recap. MTV. Accessed July 5 2007.
- ^ TRL Archive Debuts. Popfusion. Accessed July 5 2007.
- ^ 50 Cents' new album, Curtis, takes Hip-Hop to the bank. Universal Urban (April 24 2007). Accessed July 5 2007.
- ^ 2003 MTV Video Music Awards. Rock on the Net. Accessed July 5 2007.
- ^ Associated Press (January 21 2006). 50 Cent Sued For Copycatting. CBS News. Accessed July 5 2007.
- ^ Associated Press (October 30 2006). Copyright Suit Dismissed Against 50 Cent. Billboard. Accessed July 5 2007.
- ^ 50 Cent - In da Club. Discogs. Accessed July 6 2007.
- ^ In da Club Australia CD. Billboard. Accessed July 6 2007.
- ^ 50 Cent In da Club @ Top40-Charts.com. Top40-Charts.com. Accessed July 5 2007.
External links
- 2002 singles
- 2003 singles
- 50 Cent songs
- ARC Weekly Top 40 number-one singles
- Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
- Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs number-one singles
- Hip hop songs
- Number-one singles in Australia
- Number-one singles in Canada
- Number-one singles in Denmark
- Number-one singles in Germany
- Number-one singles in Ireland
- Number-one singles in New Zealand
- Number-one singles in Sweden
- Number-one singles in Switzerland