"Memories Back Then" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Single by T.I. featuring B.o.B, Kendrick Lamar and Kris Stephens | ||||
from the album Trouble Man: Heavy is the Head (intended) | ||||
Released | April 22, 2013 | |||
Recorded | 2012 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 5:06 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) |
| |||
Producer(s) | Kenoe | |||
Grand Hustle singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
T.I. singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
B.o.B singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Kendrick Lamar singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Kris Stephens singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"Memories Back Then" on YouTube |
"Memories Back Then" is a song by American hip hop recording artist T.I.,featuring guest appearances from fellow American rappers B.o.B and Kendrick Lamar,as well as vocals from American singer-songwriter Kris Stephens. The song,produced Maurice "Kenoe" Jordan,was initially released as a single by Hustle Gang on April 22,2013. The song debuted and peaked at number 88 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
T.I. had originally recorded "Memories Back Then",for his eighth studio album Trouble Man:Heavy Is the Head (2012). In an interview released on October 19,2012,West Coast rapper Kendrick Lamar revealed that he recorded a song with T.I.,for the aforementioned album. [2] The song was also reported to feature B.o.B and sample Belgian-Australian singer-songwriter Gotye's hit single,"Somebody That I Used to Know". [3] Although the track failed to appear on Trouble Man due to sample-clearance issues,B.o.B announced the song would be the first single from the Grand Hustle Records compilation album,Hustle Gang. [4]
The song's mass appeal attracted T.I. to the sample:"The record's just jamming. When I heard the twist they put on it,man,it was kind of a no-brainer." [5] T.I. also chose the record for its crossover ability,which he has always been successful with in the past:"It sounds like hip-hop with an international twist to it,and I'm known for taking those types of records and bridging that gap between what we do and what they do," he explained,dropping in a couple of examples. "From M.I.A.'s 'Paper Planes' to 'Swagga Like Us,' we took Crystal Waters' 'Gypsy Woman' for 'Why You Wanna.'" [5]
Over the drum-heavy sample,Lamar and Bobby Ray join T.I. in sharing some nostalgic stories,which he says reminds him of some of a few renowned MCs and their classic projects:"[We're] taking turns on our story about a female that we knew years,years,years ago before we were who we are today. It kinda puts me in the mind of the 'Da Art of Storytellin' [and The Art of Storytelling ] from Outkast and Slick Rick. It puts me in the mind of that." [5]
The song failed to make Trouble Man or Hustle Gang‘s final respective track listing’s due to sample clearances. On December 17,2012 T.I. appeared on Sway Calloway's Sway in the Morning radio show to promote the Hustle Gang album,while there he premiered "Memories Back Then". [6]
T.I. did not want to abandon the song and felt the song needed to reach more people,so he had the song reworked,removing Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" sample:"I rocked out as soon as I heard it. It felt relevant,it felt urgent. However,I was not able to work out a clearance. I didn't want to waste the opportunity because it was such a great performance and meaningful message from myself and B.o.B and Kendrick.”,T.I. said to Rap-Up. [7]
In March 2013,T.I. filmed the music video for "Memories Back Then",in Los Angeles,California,alongside B.o.B,Kendrick Lamar and Kris Stephens. The music video for "Memories Back Then",directed by Philly Fly Boy,was released April 22,2013. [8] As of March 2021 the video has over 100 million views.
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Country | Date | Format | Label |
---|---|---|---|
United States | April 22, 2013 [12] | Digital download | Grand Hustle |
April 25, 2013 [13] | Mainstream urban radio | ||
September 18, 2013 [14] | Digital download |
| |
Clifford Joseph Harris Jr., better known by the stage names T.I. and Tip, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Harris is known as one of the pioneers of the hip hop subgenre trap music, along with fellow Atlanta-based rappers Jeezy and Gucci Mane. He first became aquainted with local music executive Kawan "KP" Prather, and joined his company Ghet-O-Vision Entertainment by the late 1990s. He was led to sign his first major-label record deal in 1999 with its parent company LaFace Records, an imprint of Arista Records. His debut studio album, I'm Serious (2001) was met with lukewarm commercial reception and became his only release with the label. He then signed with Atlantic Records, where he soon reached his mainstream breakthrough and co-founded his own label imprint, Grand Hustle Records by 2003.
Grand Hustle Records, also known as Hustle Gang Music, is an American hip hop record label, founded in 2003, by American rapper T.I. and his manager Jason Geter. The label was distributed by Atlantic Records until December 2012, and has since operated as an independent record label. Its roster has included acts such as 8Ball & MJG, B.o.B, Killer Mike, Young Dro, DJ Drama, Meek Mill, Chip, Travis Scott, and Trae tha Truth, the latter of whom also served as the label's vice president. The label also houses a roster of record producers, which has included Lil' C, Mars and Nard & B.
The discography of American rapper T.I. consists of eleven studio albums, one compilation album, one remix album, four extended plays (EPs), 13 mixtapes, 110 singles and 11 promotional singles. He has also released one music video album and over 60 music videos, the details of which are included in his videography.
Bobby Ray Simmons Jr., known professionally as B.o.B, is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Simmons signed with producer Jim Jonsin through his Rebel Rock Entertainment label in 2006. Two years later, he signed a joint venture recording contract with fellow Georgia rapper T.I.'s Grand Hustle Records, an imprint of Atlantic Records. Following his major-label deal, Simmons quickly achieved commercial success when his 2009 debut single, "Nothin' on You", peaked the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and received three nominations—Record of the Year, Best Rap Song, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration—at the 53rd Grammy Awards.
The discography of American rapper Ace Hood consists of 4 major-label albums, 2 independent albums, 15 singles, 2 EPs, 21 mixtapes, and 89 guest appearances.
The discography of American rapper B.o.B consists of seven studio albums, five compilation albums, three extended plays (EPs), 26 mixtapes, 51 singles, 14 promotional singles, and 76 music videos.
Good Kid, M.A.A.D City is the second studio album by the American rapper Kendrick Lamar. It was released on October 22, 2012, by Top Dawg Entertainment, Aftermath Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album features guest appearances from Drake, Dr. Dre, Jay Rock, Anna Wise and MC Eiht. It is Lamar's first major label album, after his independently released first album Section.80 in 2011 and his signing to Aftermath and Interscope the following year.
Trouble Man: Heavy Is the Head is the eighth studio album by American rapper T.I. It was released on December 18, 2012, by Grand Hustle Records and Atlantic Records. The production was provided by some of T.I.'s longtime collaborators; including DJ Toomp, Jazze Pha, Pharrell Williams and Lil' C. These high-profile record producers such as T-Minus, Cardiak, No I.D., Rico Love, Planet VI, Tommy Brown and Chuck Diesel, also contributed to the album. The album features guest appearances from P!nk, Lil Wayne, André 3000, R. Kelly, Akon, Meek Mill, CeeLo Green, ASAP Rocky, Trae tha Truth, Victoria Monet and Grand Hustle's own D.O.P.E.
Quality Street Music is the fourth studio album by American hip hop disc jockey DJ Drama. It was released on October 2, 2012, by Entertainment One Music, Aphilliates Music Group, Embassy Entertainment, and Powerhouse Productions. The album features guest appearances from Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino, T-Pain, Fabolous, Jeezy, Drake, Future, Nipsey Hussle, Wiz Khalifa, T.I., Ludacris, 2 Chainz, B.o.B., Kid Ink, Jeremih, Meek Mill, Waka Flocka Flame, Tyler, the Creator, among others.
Michael Len Williams II, known professionally as Mike Will Made It or simply Mike Will, is an American record producer. He is best known for producing trap beats for several Southern hip hop and pop artists on commercially successful singles. His credits include "Black Beatles" and "Powerglide" by Rae Sremmurd, "Mercy" by Kanye West, "No Lie" by 2 Chainz, "Bandz a Make Her Dance" by Juicy J, "Pour It Up" by Rihanna, "Love Me" by Lil Wayne, "Body Party" by Ciara, "We Can't Stop" by Miley Cyrus, "Formation" by Beyoncé, and "Humble" by Kendrick Lamar. He embarked on a career as a non-performing lead artist in 2013 with his debut single "23", which peaked at number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. His 2017 follow-up single, "Rake It Up" peaked at number eight on the chart. He has released six mixtapes and one solo studio album, Ransom 2 (2017).
"Poetic Justice" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, from his major-label debut studio album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012). The song, produced by American record producer Scoop DeVille, features a verse from Canadian rapper Drake. The song was released as the album's fourth official single, due to its positive response.
Oxymoron is the third studio album by American rapper Schoolboy Q. It was released on February 25, 2014, through Top Dawg Entertainment and distributed by Interscope Records. Oxymoron was his first album released under a major record label to music retailers, whereas his previous albums were released independently to digital retailers only.
"Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" edited for radio as "Trick, Don't Kill My Vibe" or simply "Don't Kill My Vibe", is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar, from his major-label debut studio album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012). The song, produced by frequent collaborator Sounwave of Top Dawg Entertainment in-house production team Digi+Phonics, heavily samples "Tiden Flyver", by Danish electronic group Boom Clap Bachelors. It was originally intended to be a collaboration with American singer Lady Gaga, but her contributions were ultimately excluded from the final recording due to timing issues. A remix of "Bitch, Don't Kill My Vibe" featuring American rapper Jay-Z was sent to radio as the album's fifth single on March 21, 2013, with the original version and another remix featuring British singer Emeli Sandé later being released.
G.D.O.D. is a series of compilation mixtapes released by American hip hop and R&B record label Grand Hustle Records, under the namesake Hustle Gang. The first installment in the series was released on May 7, 2013.
Underground Luxury is the third studio album by American rapper B.o.B. The album was released on December 17, 2013, by Grand Hustle Records, Rebel Rock Entertainment and Atlantic Records. The album was supported by four singles "We Still in This Bitch", "HeadBand", "Ready" and "John Doe". The album features guest appearances from Future, 2 Chainz, T.I., Juicy J, Priscilla Renea, Ester Dean and Chris Brown among others.
"Control" is a song by American rapper Big Sean, featuring American rappers Kendrick Lamar and Jay Electronica. It entered US mainstream urban radio on August 14, 2013, via GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings, as a promotional single originally meant for Big Sean's second studio album Hall of Fame (2013), but was ultimately cut from that album due to sample clearance issues.
"The Language" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake from his third studio album Nothing Was the Same (2013). "The Language" was produced by frequent collaborator Boi-1da, along with additional production by Allen Ritter and Vinylz. It also features an outro from Cash Money Records founder Birdman. The song was serviced to mainstream urban radio on October 29, 2013, as the fourth single from the album in the US and has peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Kristina Marie Stephens is an American singer and songwriter. She is best known for her guest performance alongside Kendrick Lamar and B.o.B on rapper T.I.'s 2013 single "Memories Back Then", which entered the Billboard Hot 100. Shortly after, she signed with T.I.'s record label, Grand Hustle Records, an imprint of Epic Records to begin work on her debut studio album for the label, which remains unreleased. Prior to this, she was credited with songwriting work for American singer Tank on his albums Now or Never (2010) and This Is How I Feel (2012).
"I" is a song by American rapper Kendrick Lamar featuring Ronald Isley of The Isley Brothers. It was released on September 23, 2014 as the lead single from Lamar's third studio album To Pimp a Butterfly. The song uses music from "That Lady", written by and originally performed by R&B group The Isley Brothers, elements from which were re-recorded rather than being directly sampled from the original record. "I" won two awards at the 2015 Grammy Awards: Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song.
Hustle Gang Presents We Want Smoke, commonly referred to as We Want Smoke, is a compilation album by recording artists of American record label Grand Hustle Records, released under the namesake Hustle Gang. The compilation was issued on October 13, 2017, by the label, under exclusive license to Roc Nation. American rapper T.I., head of the label, first revealed plans for a label collaborative album in 2013. The compilation produced three singles—"Game 7", "Do No Wrong" and "Friends".