Need U Bad

Last updated
"Need U Bad"
Need U Bad Jazmine.jpg
Single by Jazmine Sullivan featuring Missy Elliott
from the album Fearless
ReleasedMay 13, 2008 (2008-05-13)
Recorded2008; Gold Mine Studios
(New York City, New York) [1]
Genre
Length4:17
Label
Songwriter(s)
  • Jazmine Sullivan
  • Missy Elliott
  • Cainon Lamb
  • Taurian Osbourne
  • Nicholas Taylor Stanton
  • Tapper Zukie [1]
Producer(s)
  • Missy Elliott
  • Cainon Lamb
Jazmine Sullivan singles chronology
"Need U Bad"
(2008)		"Bust Your Windows"
(2008)
Missy Elliott singles chronology
"Shake Your Pom Pom"
(2008)		"Need U Bad"
(2008)		"Bad Girl"
(2008)

"Need U Bad" is a song performed by American recording artist Jazmine Sullivan from her debut album, Fearless (2008). The song features rapper Missy Elliott, as well as Pepa speaking a Jamaican chant. "Need U Bad" is Sullivan's debut single and the lead single from Fearless. It was first released on May 13, 2008 in the United States by J and Arista Records. The song was co-written by Sullivan in collaboration with Elliott, Cainon Lamb, and Taurian Osbourne. It was produced by Elliott and Lamb. The song uses a sample from Nicholas Taylor Stanton's "Higher Meditation Riddim Version", and Tapper Zukie's "Papa Big Shirt".

Contents

"Need U Bad" was one of two songs on Fearless where Sullivan collaborated with Elliott and Lamb. Musically, the song was inspired to be different from typical mainstream singles. Featuring prominent elements of reggae, R&B and soul music characteristics, the track was composed in a different style to co-relate with the title of its parent album, Fearless. Lyrically, "Need U Bad" takes reference to a situation when one develops a strong need for one's lover.

"Need U Bad" garnered a positive response from contemporary music critics. The single also achieved R&B chart success; peaking at number one on U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, and at number thirty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100. It is Sullivan's most successful single on Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs to-date.

"Need U Bad" was accompanied by a music video which was directed by Jonathan Mannion and released on July 8, 2008. The old school styled video features Sullivan singing and dancing with Missy Elliott and other reggae musicians in a recording studio. Sullivan performed "Need U Bad" on 106 & Park , The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno . "Need U Bad" was nominated in the 'Best Female R&B Vocal Performance' category at the 51st Grammy Awards.

Background

[Missy Elliott] was one of the people that always let me know that she believed in me and thought I would go far. She has always been there and had my back. We have about 3 albums worth of songs. It’s not even like work.

Jazmine Sullivan on working with Missy Elliott on "Need U Bad". [2]

After meeting American rapper/singer and record producer Missy Elliott at the age of 13, Jazmine Sullivan and Elliott begun working on over thirty songs together. [2] During 2006 and 2007, Sullivan spent a year recording a demo tape which included "Need U Bad". [2] The demo tape resulted in Sullivan signing a recording deal with J Records. [2] "Need U Bad" was chosen as Sullivan's debut single and the lead single from Fearless. Sullivan revealed in an interview with music website, Urban Connectionz Online, that it made sense for her to release the song as her first single because of the connection and vibe between Missy Elliott and herself. [2] The song was also chosen because of how different it was to songs on the radio at the time. Sullivan saw releasing a song with a reggae fusion vibe as a risk and that the risk would tie in with its parent album's title, Fearless. [3]

Reception

Critical reception

Michael Cragg of musicOMH said that "Need U Bad" saw Sullivan "tackling reggae", further saying that the track was a highlight on Fearless and as equally convincing as fellow album highlights "Lions, Tigers & Bears" and "Live a Lie". [4] "Need U Bad" was also seen as an album highlight by Mark Edward Nero of About.com who described the song as a "Caribbean anthem". [5] Andy Kellman from Allmusic deemed the track as "yearning/swaggering". [6] Simon Vozick-Levinson of Entertainment Weekly reviewed the song saying it had been greeted by "a public and critical rush of adulation." Vozick-Levinson went on to say that the "great tune" and "one of the catchiest singles getting airplay at the moment" is "an uncannily Lauryn Hill-y slice of reggaefied soul." [7]

Jeff Harvey of Okayplayer reviewed "Need U Bad" in relation to its similarity to the rest of the tracks on Fearless, saying: "Fans of Sullivan's raw, reggae tinged single [...], may be a little put off by the prestine production and pop sensibilities of much of her album, and indeed, it is far from The Miseducation of Jazmine Sullivan that hungry L-boogie fans may have unfairly hoped for." [8] Joey Guerra of the Houston Chronicle mentioned that "reggae-flavoured" "Need U Bad" is a sample of Sullivan's eclectic musical approach. [9] While Todd Martens from the Los Angeles Times felt that the song sees Sullivan comfortably veering into glossy mainstream territory, saying it slides from easy-listening R&B to a more clubby reggae beat. [10] "Need U Bad" ranked at number eight on VIBE's 'Best Songs of '08' list. [11] The song was nominated in the 'Best Female R&B Vocal Performance' category at the 51st Grammy Awards, losing out to Alicia Keys' "Superwoman". [12]

Chart performance

In the United States, "Need U Bad" debuted at number seventy-three on the Billboard Hot 100 on August 2, 2008. [13] The single went on to peak at number thirty-seven and spend thirteen weeks on the chart, [14] inevitably becoming her second most successful single on the Hot 100 behind "Bust Your Windows". [15] The single is Sullivan's sole number one hit to-date, spending four weeks atop of the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart, [16] and spending a total of thirty-four weeks on the chart altogether. [14] "Need U Bad" is also Sullivan's only single to chart on the Pop 100 where it peaked at number eighty-three. [17]

Music video

Sullivan in a scene from the music video, singing into a recording studio microphone. NeedUBadVideo.jpg
Sullivan in a scene from the music video, singing into a recording studio microphone.

"Need U Bad" was accompanied by a music video directed by American photographer, Jonathan Mannion and costume designed by June Ambrose [18] Mannion's previous music video work includes The Game's "It's Okay (One Blood)" (2006), [19] and J. Holiday's "Bed" (2007). [18] The video was shot on June 16, 2008, [20] and later released on July 7, 2008. [21] It features a cameo appearance from Missy Elliott. [22] The video topped BET's 106 & Park video countdown show and reached number two on AOL Music. [23] It also ranked at number fourteen on BET's 'Notarized 2008' Top 100 video countdown. [24] Urban Review stated that they were really liking the music video. They felt that it adds well to the slightly 'Old School' vibe that the song already has. The blog further noted: "It obviously has broken the bank, but it's not particularly necessary when the song speaks for itself." [25]

Track listings

U.S CD Single [26]
  1. "Need U Bad" (Radio Edit) – 4:00
  2. "Need U Bad" (No Patois Version) – 3:45
  3. "Need U Bad" (Instrumental) – 4:28
  4. "Need U Bad" (Call Out Hook) – 0:17
U.S. Digital Download [27] / 7" [28]
  1. "Need U Bad" (Album Version) – 4:17
U.S. 12" [29]
  1. "Need U Bad" (Main Mix) – 4:12
  2. "Need U Bad" (Instrumental Version) – 4:19
UK 7" [30]
  1. "Need U Bad" (Main Mix) – 4:12
  2. "Need U Bad" (Moody Boyz Remix) – 4:50

Remix

The official remix features rapper T.I., additional vocals by Missy Elliott, and a new verse by Sullivan, the remix is exclusively on the website Rhapsody as a digital download and as a bonus track on the international edition of the album. [31]

Credits and personnel

Source: [1]

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [35] Platinum1,000,000Double-dagger-14-plain.png

Double-dagger-14-plain.png Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Radio and release history

See also

Related Research Articles

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Jazmine Marie Sullivan is an American singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Philadelphia, her debut album, Fearless was released in 2008 to commercial and critical success. The record topped Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It spawned four singles, including "Need U Bad" and "Bust Your Windows", both of which were in the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart; the former became Sullivan's first and only number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

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Dream Big (Jazmine Sullivan song)

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Holding You Down (Goin in Circles) 2010 single by Jazmine Sullivan

"Holding You Down " is a song by American singer Jazmine Sullivan. It was written by Sullivan, Cainon Lamb, and Missy Elliott for her second album, Love Me Back (2010), while production was helmed by Elliott, with Lamb credited as co-producer. The song was released as the album's leads single in July 2010. It reached number 60 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards.

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Love Me Back is the second studio album by American R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan, released on November 29, 2010, by J Records. Sullivan co-wrote the album with producers Missy Elliott, Ne-Yo, No I.D., Los da Mystro, and Salaam Remi, among others.

Jazmine Sullivan discography

American singer and songwriter Jazmine Sullivan has released four studio albums, one compilation album and 15 singles. Sullivan signed a record deal with J Records in 2008, and released her debut album Fearless in 2008. The album was immediately certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America while debuting at number one. Fearless has spent 12 weeks atop the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums since its US release. The album's first single, "Need U Bad", also reached number thirty-seven on the Billboard Hot 100 and became her first number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The second single, "Bust Your Windows", was released in September 2008 and reached the charts in the US and the UK. It also became her second top forty in the US. "Lions, Tigers & Bears" was released as the third single off the album in late 2008 and became her third top ten in the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in the US. In 2009, it was confirmed Jazmine would open for American singer Ne-Yo's tour. In February that same year, she released the fourth and final single, "Dream Big".

<i>New Life</i> (Monica album) 2012 studio album by Monica

New Life is the seventh studio album by American singer Monica, released by RCA Records on April 6, 2012. It marked the singer's debut release with the company following the disbandment of her former label, J Records in October 2011. A musical continuation of her commercially successful 2010 album Still Standing, Monica started working on the album only weeks after the release of the former. She reteamed primarily with frequent writers and producers, including Bryan-Michael Cox, Jermaine Dupri, Missy Elliott, and Cainon Lamb but also collaborated with new and upcoming producers such as singer Rico Love, whose songs replaced much of her cousin, producer Polow da Don's original material.

Until Its Gone (Monica song) 2011 single by Monica

"Until It's Gone" is a song by American recording artist Monica. It was written and produced by longtime contributor Missy Elliott with additional penning from Jazmine Sullivan, Cainon "Lambo" Lamb, and Anthony "J.R. Smashh" Randolph for Monica's seventh studio album, New Life (2012), sampling both The Spinners' 1975 record "I Don't Want to Lose You" and Boogie Down Productions' 1987 song "9mm Goes Bang". A soulful, anthemic R&B ballad built upon percussion with piano chords, the song lyrically explores the breakdown of an old relationship.

Cainon Renard Lamb, professionally known as Lamb or Lamb Litty, is an American record producer and songwriter from Miami, Florida. He has worked with the likes of Beyoncé, SWV, Missy Elliott, Monica, Keyshia Cole and Jazmine Sullivan. In 2017, Lamb made his rapping debut on colleague Missy Elliott's single "I'm Better".

Lions, Tigers & Bears (song) 2008 single by Jazmine Sullivan

"Lions, Tigers & Bears" is the fourth single released from American R&B–soul singer Jazmine Sullivan's debut album Fearless. The song impacted radio on November 11, 2008, and was officially released on December 16, 2008, as the third single. The track received a Grammy Nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and a nomination for Best R&B Song.

Excuse Me (Jazmine Sullivan song) 2011 single by Jazmine Sullivan

"Excuse Me" is a song by American singer Jazmine Sullivan. It was written by Sullivan, Cainon Lamb, and Missy Elliott for her second studio album, Love Me Back (2010), while production helmed by the latter, with Lamb credited as co-producer. The song contains a sample from "Take It or Leave It" by American R&B vocal group The Manhattans. Due to the inclusion of the sample, Ben Weisman and Richard Germinaro are credited as songwriters. "Excuse Me" was released by J Records in 2011 as the album's third single and reached number 71 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

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  16. ↑ "Pink Notches First Solo Hot 100 No. 1". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved 2010-10-28.
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  31. ↑ "Exclusive EP".
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