I Got That

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"I Got That" is a hip-hop song that lasts for three minutes and seventeen seconds. [6] [15] It contains a sample from the 1985 Gwen Guthrie single "Seventh Heaven". [6] Spin writer Andrew Unterberger felt that the composition had a "squelching, slithering" production, [8] while David Browne likened it to music by a girl group in Entertainment Weekly . [15] Browne said that Amil has "sultry, sing songy rapping" style throughout All Money Is Legal, most notably on "I Got That". [15] The Philadelphia Inquirer 's Dan DeLuca thought that Amil performs with a "girlish, take-no-guff voice", specifically on "I Got That". [16] Beyoncé's vocals were described as breathy by Unterberger, [8] and as "buttery" by Camille Augustin in Vibe magazine. [17]

The lyrics are about encouraging women to pursue emotional, financial, and romantic independence. [18] Amil conveys this by rapping about how she can support herself without needing anything from men: [13] [19] "I don't need a man to / Do for Amil what Amil can do." [13] She further expresses this by bragging about buying her own clothing, jewelry, and a Mercedes-Benz. [20] Vibe's Desire Thompson highlighted the verse, "What chick you know cock Glocks back?", while summarizing the song as about a "woman having her own with snarky bars to match". [10]

Critics discussed the lyrics in relation to the rest of All Money Is Legal and with Amil's past songs. [21] Clover Hope thought that while Amil's previous songs focus on scamming men to survive, "I Got That" expands her style to include boasting that she is "earning her own money, too". [13] In the San Antonio Express-News , Anthony M. Thompson believed that this focus on female independence represents how Amil was able to give a "distinct, woman's touch" to her album. [22] DeLuca said that Amil carries over a similar message into the album tracks "All Money Is Legal" and "Girlfriend", in which she "surveys a world where everything is for sale and a girl had best look out for herself". [16]

Release and promotion

Roc-A-Fella and Columbia Records released "I Got That" as All Money Is Legal's lead single on July 5, 2000. [23] It was made available on the 12-inch and CD formats, [24] [25] including as a double A-side with the album's second single "4 da Fam" (2000). [25] The song appeared on the compilation albums R&B Masters in 2001 and Urban Sounds: Hip-Hop & Reggae 1996-2000 in 2003. [26] [27]

Jay-Z and Darren Grant directed the single's music video, [28] [29] which features Amil and Beyoncé shopping at stores. [13] American rapper Eve makes a cameo appearance, [13] and Beyoncé wears an outfit that Billboard described as resembling a "fiery cowgirl". [30] It was Beyoncé's first music video as a solo artist. [30] The video was on the list of BET's most-played clips for the weeks of August 1 and 8, 2000, and it also played on The Box—a now-defunct music video network—during the same two weeks. [31] [32]

"I Got That" reached number one on the US Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart for the week of September 16, 2000; it was on the chart for twelve weeks. [33] On the urban contemporary radio chart published by Radio & Records , the song peaked at number forty-six. [34] According to retrospective articles, the single was not well-remembered, either being forgotten or overlooked. [35] In 2018, Desire Thompson wrote that the single had "slipped between the cracks" because of the abundance of female rappers in the early 2000s, such as Da Brat, Eve, Lil' Kim, Missy Elliott, and Trina. [10]

Critical reception

Most of the critical commentary focused on Beyoncé's feature, [36] which Camille Augustin felt complimented Amil's rapping style. [17] Andrew Unterberger believed that the single deserved more commercial success, largely in part to Beyoncé's performance of the chorus. [8] Kathy Iandoli, writing for Dazed , said that Beyoncé turned "I Got That" more into a Destiny's Child song, considering this proof that she was the lead of the group. [37] Amil's rapping was also praised by critics, [17] [37] who said that the song showed that she had a "one-of-a-kind sound" [17] and the potential for a longer music career as "the female rap guest feature". [37] In a more negative review, a writer for Vibe magazine cited "I Got That" as one of the worst hip-hop collaborations in 2000. [38]

Critics compared "I Got That" to other All Money Is Legal tracks. [39] [40] A Billboard reviewer regarded the song as catchy and fit for radio airplay, but preferred Amil rapping about personal issues on "Smile 4 Me" and "Quarrels". [40] The Michigan Chronicle journalist Says Who enjoyed the album and encouraged listeners to explore beyond "I Got That", which was noted as an "easy first single". [39]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of All Money Is Legal: [6]

"I Got That"
IGotThatSingleCover.jpg
Single by Amil featuring Beyoncé
from the album All Money Is Legal
A-side "4 da Fam"
ReleasedJuly 5, 2000
Studio
Genre Hip-hop
Length3:17
Label Sony
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Amil singles chronology
"Hey Papi"
(2000)
"I Got That"
(2000)
"4 da Fam"
(2000)

References

Footnotes

Citations