"Down 4 U" | ||||
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Single by Irv Gotti presents Ja Rule, Ashanti, Charli Baltimore, and Vita | ||||
from the album Irv Gotti Presents: The Inc. | ||||
Released | June 10, 2002 | |||
Studio | The Crackhouse (New York City) | |||
Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length | 5:18 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
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The Inc. singles chronology | ||||
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Ashanti singles chronology | ||||
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"Down 4 U" is the lead single from Murder Inc. Records' compilation album Irv Gotti Presents: The Inc. , released through Def Jam Recordings and Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records. The song features rapped verses from Ja Rule, Charli Baltimore, and Vita while Ashanti provides the chorus and sung vocals. The song is a remix as well as its music video being the sequel of Ja Rule's 2002 single, "Down Ass Bitch".
"Down 4 U" became a hit on the US Billboard charts during mid-2002, reaching number six on the Hot 100 chart on the week of August 17, 2002, and number three on both the R&B and rap charts. The Irv Gotti-produced song interpolates Roger Troutman's 1987 hit "I Want to Be Your Man", for which he and his brother Larry Troutman were given writing credits. [1] The associated music video showed the artists performing the song on a beach with cameos by Irv Gotti, Eric Roberts, Clarence Williams III, Bobby Brown, Whitney Houston and other members of the Inc. [2]
In addition to appearing on Irv Gotti Presents: The Inc., the song also appeared on The Source magazine's compilation The Source Presents: Hip Hop Hits, Vol. 6 and as a bonus track on Ja Rule's 2002 album, The Last Temptation . The song was performed live by Ja Rule and Ashanti at VH1's 6th Annual Hip Hop Honors that honored Def Jam Recordings.
UK CD single [1]
UK 12-inch single [3]
UK cassette single [4]
Credits are adapted from the UK CD single liner notes. [1]
Studios
Personnel
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
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United States | June 10, 2002 | [27] | ||
July 29, 2002 | Contemporary hit radio | [28] | ||
United Kingdom | September 30, 2002 |
| [29] |
Jeffrey Bruce Atkins Sr., better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. Born and raised in New York City, Ja Rule became known as a leading figure in 2000s hip hop for his blending of gangsta rap with commercially oriented pop sensibilities. He signed with Irv Gotti's Murder Inc Records, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings to release his debut studio album Venni Vetti Vecci (1999), which spawned his first hit single, "Holla Holla". Ja Rule peaked the Billboard Hot 100 thrice in 2001 with his single "Always on Time" and his guest appearances on Jennifer Lopez's "I'm Real " and "Ain't It Funny". His encompassing singles, "Put It on Me", "Mesmerize", "Livin' It Up" and "Wonderful" have each peaked within the top ten of the chart and spawned from commercially successful album releases.
Tiffany Lane, better known by her stage name Charli Baltimore, is an American rapper and television personality. Her stage name is taken from Geena Davis's character in the film The Long Kiss Goodnight.
Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr., professionally known as Irv Gotti, is an American DJ, music producer, and record executive. He co-founded the record label Murder Inc. Records in 1998, which was an imprint of Def Jam Recordings. He received production credits for most of the recordings by artists signed to the label—including Ja Rule, Lloyd, and Ashanti—as well as other artists such as Jennifer Lopez, DMX, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Fat Joe, and Eve, among others. Gotti is also the creator of the BET series Tales.
Chapter II is the second studio album by American singer and songwriter Ashanti. It was released by Murder Inc. and Island Def Jam on July 1, 2003 in the United States.Ashanti reteamed with Murder Inc. head Irv Gotti and producer Chink Santana to work on the album. Chapter II features a guest appearance by rapper Ja Rule, Chink Santana, and Gunnz. Critical reception towards the album was generally mixed, with critics commending the album's autobiographical lyrics, and its fun yet light nature, while other critics felt Chapter II lacked creativity and personality and relied too heavily on the formula of her debut album (2002).
"Mesmerize" is a song by American rapper Ja Rule. It was released on December 16, 2002, as the second single from his fourth studio, album The Last Temptation (2002). Containing a sample from the 1974 song "Stop, Look, Listen " by Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye, the song was produced by Irv Gotti and features R&B artist Ashanti. The song peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 2003, making it Ashanti's and Ja Rule's fourth top-10 hit as a duet.
The Last Temptation is the fourth studio album by American rapper Ja Rule. It was released by Murder Inc., Def Jam and Island Def Jam Music Group on November 19, 2002.
"Foolish" is a song by American singer Ashanti. It served as her debut single, the first from her self-titled debut album (2002) and was released by Def Jam Recordings, AJM, and Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records. It was written by Ashanti, Etterlene Jordan, Mark DeBarge and Irv Gotti, while production was overseen by Gotti. The song heavily samples DeBarge's "Stay with Me". Due to the inclusion of the sample, Mark DeBarge and Etterlene Jordan are also credited as songwriters. A promotional version of the single called "Unfoolish" features a verse from The Notorious B.I.G. from his song "F--king You Tonight".
"Always on Time" is a song by American rapper Ja Rule from his third studio album, Pain Is Love (2001). Produced by Irv Gotti, it was written by Ja Rule, 7 Aurelius, and Gotti. Originally set to feature Brandy, it features guest vocals from singer-songwriter and labelmate Ashanti. The song was released as the album's second single on November 27, 2001, through Island Def Jam Music Group, Def Jam Recordings and Gotti's Murder Inc. Records.
Marcus Vest, known by his stage names Channel 7 and 7 Aurelius, is an American musician, record producer, rapper and songwriter.
"Happy" is a song by American singer Ashanti from her self-titled debut album (2002). The track was written by Ashanti, Chink Santana, and Irv Gotti, with production overseen by the latter two, as well. The song contains a sample of Gap Band's "Outstanding" (1982), written by Raymond Calhoun. "Happy" was released as the album's second single on June 17, 2002, reaching #8 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and #6 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. Globally, the single reached the Top 10 in the Netherlands, while reaching the Top 20 in Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
As of March 2014, American pop and R&B singer Ashanti has released six studio albums, twenty-four singles, and twenty-one music videos on her record labels Murder Inc., Def Jam, and Motown.
Irv Gotti Presents: The Inc. is the second compilation album by The Inc. It was released on July 2, 2002 through The Island Def Jam Music Group and Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records. Production was primarily handled by Irv Gotti, as well as Chink Santana, 7 Aurelius, DL and Buck 3000. It featured contributions from Murder Inc. roster, such as Caddillac Tah, Black Child, Ja Rule, Ashanti, Charli Baltimore and Vita, and guest appearances from Jennifer Lopez, Eastwood and Crooked I.
"What's Luv?" is a song by American rapper Fat Joe, released through Atlantic Records and Fat Joe's Terror Squad Productions as the second single from his fourth studio album, Jealous Ones Still Envy (J.O.S.E.) (2001). The song features additional vocals from singer Ashanti and from rapper Ja Rule on the remix and album version on the song. "What's Luv" was produced by Irv Gotti and Chink Santana. The lyrics of the song's chorus are based in part on the title refrain of the 1984 Tina Turner hit "What's Love Got to Do with It". The song additionally includes a lyric that references the 1998 song "Still Not a Player" by Big Pun. Fat Joe, Ja Rule, and the song's two producers are credited as the writers of "What's Luv", as are Big Pun and the lyricist of "What's Love Got to Do with It", Terry Britten.
"Between Me and You" is the first single from Ja Rule's second album, Rule 3:36. The single features Christina Milian and was released on June 16, 2000 to radio. The song was his first major crossover hit, peaking at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and became Ja Rule's first top 15 hit. It also reached number 26 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was produced by Irv Gotti and Lil' Rob. A version also exists with Ja Rule singing the chorus instead of Christina Milian. The song was released through The Island Def Jam Music Group, Def Jam Recordings and Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records.
"I Want to Be Your Man" is a song by American funk singer-songwriter Roger Troutman, from his third studio album Unlimited!. It was released as the lead single from the album in September 1987 by Reprise Records. The song was co-written by Roger's brother, Larry Troutman, and produced by Roger, who conceived of the song as a statement on romantic commitment. "I Want to Be Your Man" features Roger singing in both his natural tenor and his trademark talk box.
"Livin' It Up" is a song by American rapper Ja Rule featuring singer Case, released in July 2001 through Def Jam Recordings and Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records, as the lead single from Ja Rule's third studio album, Pain Is Love (2001). The song, produced by Lil Rob and Irv Gotti, samples Stevie Wonder's 1982 song "Do I Do". In the United States, "Livin' It Up" peaked at number six on the Billboard Hot 100. It received a re-issue in the United Kingdom in 2002 and peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart. Retired NBA All-Star Baron Davis and former pornographic actress Sunny Leone make appearances in the video.
"Thug Lovin'" is a song by American rapper Ja Rule featuring singer Bobby Brown, released on November 4, 2002 as the first single from Ja Rule's fourth studio album, The Last Temptation (2002). The song was produced by Irv Gotti. Bobby Brown's sung portion is an interpolation of part of the chorus of the Stevie Wonder song "Knocks Me Off My Feet".
"Down Ass Bitch" is the third and final single by American rapper Ja Rule, from his third studio album Pain Is Love (2001). It features then-labelmate Charli Baltimore and was released through Def Jam Recordings and Irv Gotti's Murder Inc. Records.
Murder Inc. Records, LLC, also abbreviated as The Inc. Records, is an American record label founded by brothers Chris and Irv Gotti in 1998. The label's flagship artist was Ja Rule. According to Chris Gotti, Murder Inc. had sold over 30 million units worldwide and grossed over $500 million. Murder Inc. was headquartered at One Worldwide Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, New York, while their main studio was The Crackhouse, also located in New York City.
LaVita Raynor, known simply as Vita, is an American rapper, songwriter and actress. Raynor is perhaps best known for her role as Kionna, Tommy "Buns" Bundy's "mistress" in the 1998 crime drama film Belly. As a rapper, Raynor is known for her appearances on the songs "Lapdance" by N.E.R.D, "Put It on Me" by Ja Rule, and "Down 4 U" by Irv Gotti. In 2014, Raynor was included in Billboard's list of the "31 Female Rappers Who Changed Hip-Hop".
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