Get Ur Freak On

"Get Ur Freak On"
Song

"Get Ur Freak On" is a hip hop song written by American rapper/singer Missy Elliott and her producer Tim "Timbaland" Mosley for Elliott's third studio album Miss E… So Addictive (2000). Released as the album's first single in 2001, the track reached #7 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, becoming Missy Elliott's fifth most successful single to date. The song was her first top ten hit in the UK, peaking at #4 there, spending six weeks inside the top 20. A remix of the song featuring Nelly Furtado was a dance club hit during this period. The song's beat is based on bhangra, a popular music and dance form from the Punjab province of India and Pakistan.[1]

The six-beat base of the song ("ring, ding a dinga ling") is an Indian (Bengali) melody made by the Indian stringed instrument 'ektara'. This tune was also utilized in Bubba Sparxx's debut single 'Ugly'.

After the words "...let me show you some...", the Hindi words "aaj mujh ko" appears which if translated into English, would mean "give it to me now" or "today is mine".

The Japanese in the song reads Kore kara minna de mechakucha odotte... sawagu, sawagu which translates as "From this point, everyone's going to be dancing recklessly... let's make some noise, let's make some noise."

Video

The video follows Missy Elliott into a jungle where she performs jumping. In the 2nd verse Missy performs in a dark tunnel apparently surrounded by zombies. Then appears at the front of waste dump pipes. As Missy starts performing the 3rd verse, she and the dancers appear in camouflage outfits and army fatigues. Missy in some shots can be seen dangling on a chandelier, a move she subsequently repeated in concerts. Cameos in the video include Nate Dogg, Nicole Wray, Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, Spliff Star, Eve, Master P, Romeo, Timbaland, Ja Rule, and LL Cool J. In order to promote the single "Lick Shots" (released after the "Get Ur Freak On" remix) Elliott performed a sample of it at the end of the video.

Track listings

UK Single

12" Special Edition

1. "Get Ur Freak On" (Superchumbo's Superfreakon Remix) - 8:53

CD Maxi-Single

1. "Get Ur Freak On" (Edit) - 3:31
2. "Get Ur Freak On" (Amended Version) - 3:57
3. "Get Ur Freak On" (Instrumental) - 3:53

US Single

12" Single

Side A

1. "Get Ur Freak On" (Album Version) - 3:57
2. "Get Ur Freak On" (Amended Version) - 3:57

Side B

1. "Get Ur Freak On" (Instrumental) - 3:53
2. "Get Ur Freak On" (Acapella) - 3:10
3. "Get Ur Freak On" (TV Track) - 3:58

CD Promo

1. "Get Ur Freak On" (Amended Version)
2. "Get Ur Freak On" (Edit)
3. "Get Ur Freak On" (Album Version)
4. "Get Ur Freak On" (Instrumental)
5. "Get Ur Freak On" (TV Track)
6. "Get Ur Freak On" (Amended Acapella)

Europe Single

CD Promo

1. "Get Ur Freak On" (Edit) - 3:31

German Single

12" Single

Side A

1. "Get Ur Freak On" (Edit) - 3:31
2. "Get Ur Freak On" (Album Version) - 3:57

Side B

1. "Get Ur Freak On" (Instrumental) - 3:53
2. "Get Ur Freak On" (Acapella) - 3:11
3. "Get Ur Freak On" (TV Track) - 3:50

Charts

Chart	Peak Position
Billboard Hot 100	#7
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs	#3
Hot Rap Tracks	#7
UK Singles Chart	#4
RIANZ	#7

Other versions

The remix of this song with Nelly Furtado was used both in the soundtrack and in the background of the movie Lara Croft: Tomb Raider.

Covers

In 2005, Scottish acoustic rocker KT Tunstall released her version of "Get Ur Freak On" performed for BBC Radio Live Lounge on certain versions of the single for Suddenly I See.

American rock band Eels also released a version of "Get Ur Freak On" on Meet the Eels: Essential Eels Vol. I having frequently performed it live during the Shootenanny! tour several years previously.