Big Poppa

For other uses, see Big Poppa (disambiguation).

"Big Poppa"
Single by The Notorious B.I.G.
from the album Ready to Die
A-side	"Warning"
B-side	"Who Shot Ya?"
Released	December 24, 1994 (1994-12-24)
Recorded	June 1994 (1994-06)
Studio	The Hit Factory (New York City)
Genre	Hip hop dirty rap [1] G-funk East Coast hip hop
Length	4:11
Label	Bad Boy Arista
Songwriter(s)	Christopher Wallace Ronald Isley Ernest Isley Marvin Isley O'Kelly Isley Jr. Rudolph Isley Chris Jasper
Producer(s)	Chucky Thompson Sean "Puffy" Combs
The Notorious B.I.G. singles chronology
"Flava in Ya Ear (Remix)" (1994) "Big Poppa" (1994) "Can't You See" (1995)
Music video
"Big Poppa" on YouTube

"Big Poppa" is a song by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., released on December 24, 1994, as the second single from his debut studio album Ready to Die . Produced by Chucky Thompson and Nashiem Myrick, it samples the song "Between the Sheets" (1983) by The Isley Brothers. "Big Poppa" is a rap song with elements of R&B and West Coast hip hop. It is named after one of The Notorious B.I.G.'s nicknames.

Background and composition

Sean Combs, the executive producer of Ready to Die , wanted to sample the song "Between the Sheets" (1983) by The Isley Brothers. After Chucky Thompson and Nashiem Myrick produced a beat sampling the song at The Hit Factory, it was given to hip hop group Lost Boyz. Combs wanted the beat back, which resulted in a trade involving another beat, which ended up being used on Lost Boyz's 1995 song "Jeeps, Lex Coups, Bimaz & Benz". ^[2]

According to Myrick, the Notorious B.I.G. "didn’t even like 'Big Poppa'", and said that it was one of the last songs recorded for Ready to Die. ^[3] He also said that the beat was inspired by West Coast hip-hop: specifically, rappers Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg. ^[2]

"Big Poppa" is a rap song ^[4] with elements of R&B ^[5] and West Coast hip hop. ^[6] Named after one of the Notorious B.I.G.'s nicknames, ^[7] the song sees him rapping about luxury brands and his lavish lifestyle. ^[8] It features a Minimoog whistle ^[9] and many critics described the song as "smooth". ^{[10] [5] [11]}

Release and reception

In 2017, "Big Poppa" was ranked at number 52 on Rolling Stone 's "100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time" list, ^[4] and at number 331 on the publication's "Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list in 2024. ^[12] Billboard considered it the third best song on Ready to Die. ^[13]

"Big Poppa" was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance in 1996. ^[14]

Commercial performance

The single was certified platinum by the RIAA and sold over 1,000,000 copies domestically. ^{[15] [16]} It marked The Notorious B.I.G.'s first top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, ^[11] debuting and peaking number 6. ^[17]

Music video

Filmed in late 1994, the music video premiered on BET and MTV for the week ending on December 11, 1994. ^[18] Mary J. Blige, Misa Hylton, Faith Evans, Craig Mack, Lil’ Kim, Busta Rhymes and Treach of Naughty by Nature make cameo appearances.

Track listings

12 inch

• A1 "Big Poppa" (Club Mix) (4:13)
• A2 "Warning" (Club Mix) (3:41)
• A3 "Big Poppa" (Instrumental) (4:13)
• B1 "Big Poppa" (Radio Edit) (4:12)
• B2 "Warning" (Radio Edit) (2:57)
• B3 "Warning" (Instrumental) (3:41)
• B4 "Who Shot Ya?"

Maxi-single

1. "Big Poppa" (radio edit)
2. "Big Poppa" (remix radio edit)
3. "Who Shot Ya?" (radio edit)
4. "Big Poppa" (remix instrumental)
5. "Big Poppa" (club mix)
6. "Big Poppa" (remix club mix)
7. "Who Shot Ya?" (club mix)
8. "Warning" (club mix)

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1995) Peak position UK Singles (OCC) [19] 63 US Billboard Hot 100 [20] 6 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs ( Billboard ) [21] 4 US Hot Rap Songs ( Billboard ) [22] 1 US Rhythmic ( Billboard ) [23] 12 Chart (2022) Peak position Canada Digital Song Sales ( Billboard ) [24] 38

Year-end charts Chart (1995) Position US Billboard Hot 100 [25] 47 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard) [26] 21

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada) [27]	7× Platinum	560,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [28]	Gold	45,000‡
Italy (FIMI) [29] sales since 2009	Gold	50,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ) [30]	5× Platinum	150,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [31]	Gold	30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [32]	Platinum	600,000‡
United States (RIAA) [33] Physical	Platinum	1,000,000^
United States (RIAA) [34] Digital	6× Platinum	6,000,000‡
United States (RIAA) [35] Mastertone	Gold	500,000*
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

In other media

The song was later used in the 2007 films Norbit and Superbad .

Trivia

The line "Fuck a dollar and a dream" is a reference to a New York Lottery advertising campaign.^{[ citation needed ]}

References

1. "The Best 20 Hip Hop Songs of the Mid-1990s". Mixmag. Retrieved June 12, 2021.
2. "The Making of Ready to Die: Family Business". XXL Mag. March 9, 2006. Archived from the original on November 10, 2006. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
3. Anderson, Joel (November 13, 2019). "The B-Side That Deepened Biggie and Tupac's Rift". Slate. ISSN   1091-2339 . Retrieved January 9, 2025.
4. "100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. June 2, 2017. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
5. Staff, HNHH (November 26, 2019). "Top 50 Best Rapper Flows Of All Time". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
6. Lynskey, Dorian (October 19, 2021). "'Our music charts are still kind of segregated': critic Kelefa Sanneh on pop, fandom and race". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved January 9, 2025.
7. PreezyPreezy (June 1, 2020). "A Definitive Guide to the Best Rapper Nicknames". XXL Mag. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
8. Hatchman, Jonathan (December 16, 2015). "The Notorious BIG – 10 of the best". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved January 9, 2025.
9. Gross, Charles Aaron, Mosi Reeves, Will Dukes, Joe (March 9, 2022). "The 50 Best Notorious B.I.G. Songs". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
10. Pitchfork (September 28, 2022). "The 150 Best Albums of the 1990s". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
11. Partridge, Kenneth (September 12, 2014). "The Notorious B.I.G.'s 'Ready to Die' at 20: Classic Track-by-Track Album Review". Billboard. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
12. "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. February 16, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
13. Bristout, Ralph (September 13, 2024). "The Notorious B.I.G.'s 'Ready to Die' at 30: All 17 Songs Ranked". Billboard. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
14. Grove, Rashad D. (February 5, 2019). "10 Iconic Hip-Hop Artists Who've Never Won A Grammy". Billboard. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
15. "American certifications – Notorious B.I.G. – Big Poppa". Recording Industry Association of America.
16. "Best-Selling Records of 1995". Billboard . Vol. 108, no. 3. BPI Communications. January 20, 1996. p. 56. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved May 5, 2015.
17. "The Notorious B.I.G. | Biography, Music & News". Billboard. Retrieved January 9, 2025.
18. "Billboard Video Monitor". Billboard. December 24, 1994. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
19. "Notorious B.I.G.: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
20. "The Notorious BIG Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
21. "The Notorious BIG Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
22. "The Notorious BIG Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
23. "The Notorious BIG Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
24. "The Notorious B.I.G. Chart History (Canadian Digital Song Sales)". Billboard . Retrieved July 12, 2022.
25. "Billboard Top 100 - 1995". Archived from the original on August 15, 2009. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
26. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1995". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
27. "Canadian single certifications – The Notorious B.I.G – Big Poppa". Music Canada . Retrieved January 19, 2025.
28. "Danish single certifications – The Notorious B.I.G. – Big Poppa". IFPI Danmark . Retrieved February 23, 2023.
29. "Italian single certifications – The Notorious B.I.G. – Big Poppa" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . Retrieved April 3, 2023.
30. "New Zealand single certifications – Notorious BIG – Big Poppa". Radioscope. Retrieved January 19, 2025.Type Big Poppa in the "Search:" field.
31. "Spanish single certifications – The Notorious B.I.G. – Big Poppa". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España . Retrieved May 15, 2024.
32. "British single certifications – Notorious BIG – Big Poppa". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved February 2, 2022.
33. "American single certifications – The Notorious B.I.G. – Big Poppa/Warning". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved November 30, 2019.
34. "American single certifications – The Notorious B.I.G. – Big Poppa". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved May 20, 2022.
35. "American ringtone certifications – The Notorious B.I.G. – Big Poppa". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved November 30, 2019.