"In da Club" is a song by American rapper 50 Cent from his debut studio album Get Rich or Die Tryin' (2003). Written by 50 Cent alongside producers Dr. Dre and Mike Elizondo,the song,which uses an unconventional off-beat rhythm,was released on January 7,2003,as the album's lead single and peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100,becoming 50 Cent's first number-one single.
After 50 Cent was discovered by fellow rapper Eminem in 2002,he flew to Los Angeles where he was introduced to record producer Dr. Dre.[3] "In da Club" was the first of seven tracks he recorded in five days with Dr. Dre. 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.[4]
The production was originally given to the hip-hop group D12, but was passed on to 50 Cent because the group did not know how to approach the song.[5] He 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."[6]
Critical reception
"In da Club" received universal acclaim by music critics. AllMusic described it as "a tailor-made mass-market good-time single".[7]The Source called the song a "guaranteed party starter" with its "blaring horns, funky organs, guitar riffs and sparse hand claps".[8] The BBC also wrote that the song is "a spectacular party anthem" that "highlights 50 Cent's ability to twist his words effortlessly".[9]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."[10]
Rolling Stone wrote that the song sports "a spare yet irresistible synth hook augmented by a tongue-twisting refrain".[11]The Guardian called the track "irresistible" due to its "sparse orchestral samples and snaking chorus",[12] and Pitchfork Media said, "the bounce on 'In da Club' is straight-up irresistible, Dre at both minimalist best and most deceptively infectious."[13]Splendid magazine called the song an "insanely catchy" single with its "stanky, horn-addled thump".[14] The track was listed at number ten on Blender magazine's "The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born".[15] In 2008, it was ranked at number 18 on VH1's "100 Greatest Hip Hop Songs".[16]
Chart performance
Dr. Dre produced, 'If I Can't'. But Em wanted 'In da Club'. In the end they were deadlocked, so they asked me and I told them, real quiet, 'In da Club'." – 50 Cent[17]
"In da Club" debuted on the US Billboard charts on issue date of January 11, 2003, and debuted at number 67. A couple of weeks later the song ascended to the top 10; after eight weeks, the song topped the charts, becoming his first number one, and stayed there for nine consecutive weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, blocking R. Kelly's "Ignition (Remix)" for five weeks. The song was later replaced by Sean Paul's "Get Busy" and remained in the top 10 for 17 weeks, and on the chart for 30 weeks.[18][19] The track also reached number one on the Top 40 Tracks, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and Hot Rap Tracks charts.[20] In March 2003, it broke a Billboard record as the "most listened-to" song in radio history within a week.[21]Billboard also ranked it as the number one song for 2003.[22] The Recording Industry Association of America certified the track Gold.[23] In 2023, it was certified Diamond by the RIAA.[24]
Across Europe, it reached number one in Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Finland, Greece, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands, and number three in the UK.[19] In Australia, the single peaked at number one, was certified two times Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association,[26] and on the 2003 year-end chart, it was listed at number five.[27]
Music video
Philip Atwell directed the music video on December 10–11, 2002.[28] Almost all the film footage was used in the video except for a scene where 50 Cent raps in a glass box.[29] Set in a fictional hip-hop boot camp known as the "Shady/Aftermath Artist Development Center", the video begins with a black Hummer driving to the facility at an unknown location, marked "Somewhere...", (actually the Volcano House in Newberry Springs). Video clips from Eminem's single "Without Me" are seen playing in the entrance on flat-screen TVs. Eminem and Dr. Dre are seen looking down at the lab from a lab balcony with windows. 50 Cent is introduced by hanging upside down from a gym roof. Atwell commented, "I think I could have done better with it, but I really liked the way that it turned out".[29] The video also contains a shooting range, which Atwell deemed 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."[29]
The music video on YouTube has received over 2.263 billion views as of January 2025.[33]
Lawsuit
In January 2006, 50 Cent was sued for copyright infringement by former 2 Live Crew manager Joseph Weinberger, who owns the rights to the rap group's catalog. He claimed that 50 Cent plagiarized the lines "it's your birthday" from the eponymous second track of former 2 Live Crew frontman Luther Campbell's 1994 album Freak for Life 6996 (also known simply as Freak for Life).[34] The lawsuit was dismissed by U.S. District JudgePaul Huck, who ruled that the phrase was a "common, unoriginal and noncopyrightable element of the song".[35] 50 Cent's attorneys in the litigation included noted entertainment litigator Jeffrey D. Goldman.
In 2003, American recording artist Beyoncé recorded a remix version of "In da Club" titled "Sexy Lil Thug". Her version sampled the original's instrumental and melody with the singer singing her own, newly added verses. In the song, she references Jimmy Choo shoes, Marilyn Monroe, Marc Jacobs, and Bailey Bank and Biddle.[36] Makkada B. Selah of The Village Voice said, "Her version of 'In da Club' outed 50 Cent as a singing-ass rapper with lines like 'Don't wanna be your girl/I ain't lookin' for no love/So come give me a hug/You a sexy little thug.'"[37] Joey Guerra of the Houston Chronicle coined Beyoncé's cover version as a "female spin" on the original.[38] The song was officially released on Beyoncé's mixtape Speak My Mind.[36][39] According to Guerra of the Houston Chronicle, the song was never an official single, likely because of permission issues.[38] Beyoncé's version of the song charted for 7 weeks and peaked at number 67 on the US BillboardHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[40] In 2013, Mike Wass of the website Idolator put "Sexy Lil Thug" at number six on his list of "Beyonce's 10 Best Unreleased and Rare Tracks". He described it as a "radio staple" in 2003, adding that it "remains something of a lost gem" and concluded "Queen Bey spit iconic lyrics like 'I'm that classy mami with the Marilyn Monroe body'".[41]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. † Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.
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