This article needs additional citations for verification .(June 2015) |
"No Pigeons" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Sporty Thievz | ||||
from the album Street Cinema | ||||
B-side | "Cheapskate (You Ain't Gettin' Nada)" | |||
Released | May 1999 | |||
Recorded | March 1999; D.A.R.P. Studios [1] (Atlanta, Georgia) | |||
Genre | Hip hop, R&B, Dance-pop | |||
Length | 4:24 (album version) 3:26 (mix version) | |||
Label | Ruffhouse | |||
Songwriter(s) | Diallo "Mr. Wood$" Edmond, Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, Kandi Burruss, Tameka Cottle, Marlon "Robin Hood" Brando | |||
Producer(s) | Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs | |||
Sporty Thievz singles chronology | ||||
|
"No Pigeons" is the second and final single by Sporty Thievz, released from their 1999 album Street Cinema . A rebuttal to TLC's smash hit single "No Scrubs", it received heavy radio play at the time of its release and peaked at #12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, at about the same time the TLC single was enjoying a successful chart run.
"No Pigeons" was originally written & recorded by rap artist Mr. Wood$ alongside DJ Rhude. Both wanted to create a male-aimed response after the widespread international success of TLC's song "No Scrubs," which discusses the unwillingness of women to engage in a relationship with unemployed, grimy, unsophisticated, or poorly-mannered men. The song was then titled "No Vultures" and released independently via mix tape, which DJ Rhude was known for in the early-to-late 1990s.
"No Vultures" landed into the hands of WQHT/Hot 97's DJ & On Air Personality Funkmaster Flex, who quickly realized that the record would be a perfect hit for a group that he produced and mentored called Sporty Thievz. Flex quickly contacted Mr. Wood$ & DJ Rhude to re-record the record along with the Sporty Thievz to be released nationally under the name "No Pigeons" after taking a unanimous vote that a pigeon would work better commercially, as being called a "vulture" could potentially offend some female listeners.
Nationally released as "No Pigeons" by the Sporty Thievz featuring Mr. Wood$, the song discusses the dilemma that "No Scrubs" alluded to, but referring to women as "pigeons" instead of "scrubs". Throughout the song, the artists on the track make overt references to unsightly, substandard women, accusing them of wearing hair weaves, having "more than one baby father" and poor personal hygiene, receiving public assistance, and stripping "all week to go clubbing".
Produced by Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, the entire song uses a slightly faster instrumental of the original "No Scrubs" (also produced by Briggs) with added bass.
The song references the talk show The Jenny Jones Show . [2]
In 2007, California indie band Brighten covered the song for a Warped Tour compilation album entitled "Yo! Indie Rocks Raps," which was never released via retail outlets but was available for purchase at tour stops. Several of the tracks from this project (except for "No Pigeons") were eventually re-released on the Fearless Records compilation album Punk Goes Crunk .
Shot in March 1999 and partially filmed in the Parkchester section of the Bronx, the video features female rapper Eve, Gang Starr's Guru, Ras Kass & Harlem World rapper Blinky Blink.
Chart (1999) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canadian Digital Sales [3] | 3 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [4] | 57 |
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [5] | 58 |
UK Singles (OCC) [6] | 16 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [7] | 12 |
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs [8] | 5 |
U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Singles [9] | 1 |
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales [10] | 1 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA) [11] | Gold | 600,000 [12] |
TLC is an American girl group formed in 1990 in Atlanta, Georgia. The group's best-known line-up was composed of Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas. The group enjoyed success during the 1990s, with nine top-ten hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including four number-one singles: "Creep", "Waterfalls", "No Scrubs", and "Unpretty". The group also recorded four multi-platinum albums, including CrazySexyCool (1994), which received a diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). TLC became the first R&B group in history to receive the million certification from the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ) for FanMail (1999).
G-funk, short for gangsta funk, is a sub-genre of gangsta rap that emerged from the West Coast scene in the early 1990s. The genre was heavily influenced by the synthesizer-heavy 1970s funk sound of Parliament-Funkadelic, often incorporated through samples or re-recordings. It was represented by commercially successful albums such as Dr. Dre's The Chronic (1992) and Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle (1993).
FanMail is the third studio album by American girl group TLC, released on February 23, 1999, by LaFace and Arista Records. The album title is a tribute to TLC's fans who sent them fan mail during their hiatus. FanMail debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 318,000 copies in its first week of release, and spent five weeks at number one.
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in Billboard magazine. Billboard biz, the online extension of the Billboard charts, provides additional weekly charts, as well as year-end charts. The two most important charts are the Billboard Hot 100 for songs and Billboard 200 for albums, and other charts may be dedicated to a specific genre such as R&B, country, or rock, or they may cover all genres. The charts can be ranked according to sales, streams, or airplay, and for main song charts such as the Hot 100 song chart, all three data are used to compile the charts. For the Billboard 200 album chart, streams and track sales are included in addition to album sales.
Country pop is a fusion genre of country music and pop music that was developed by members of the country genre out of a desire to reach a larger, mainstream audience. Country pop music blends genres like rock, pop, and country, continuing similar efforts that began in the late 1950s, known originally as the Nashville sound and later on as Countrypolitan. By the mid-1970s, many country artists were transitioning to the pop-country sound, which led to some records charting high on the mainstream top 40 and the Billboard country chart. In turn, many pop and easy listening artists crossed over to country charts during this time. After declining in popularity during the neotraditional movement of the 1980s, country pop had a comeback in the 1990s with a sound that drew more heavily on pop rock and adult contemporary. In the 2010s, country pop metamorphosized again with the addition of hip-hop beats and rap-style phrasing.
"Waterfalls" is a song by American hip-hop group TLC, released by LaFace and Arista as the third single from their second album, CrazySexyCool (1994), on May 22, 1995 in the United States, followed by a United Kingdom release on July 24, 1995.
A Gangster and a Gentleman is the debut studio album by American rapper Styles P. The album was released on July 9, 2002, through Ruff Ryders Entertainment and Interscope Records. Styles P was the second member of the Lox to record a solo album, after Kiss Tha Game Goodbye by Jadakiss was released in August 2001.
Contemporary R&B is a popular music genre that combines rhythm and blues with elements of pop, soul, funk, hip hop, and electronic music.
"No Scrubs" is a song recorded by American girl group TLC as the lead single from their third studio album, FanMail, released on February 2, 1999, by LaFace Records and Arista Records. The song was written by producer Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, former Xscape members Kandi Burruss and Tameka "Tiny" Cottle, and TLC member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes. The song lyrics describe the role of a man in a relationship. Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas sings the lead vocals for the first time on a TLC single.
Sporty Thievz is a Yonkers, New York–based hip-hop duo—originally a trio—composed of King Kirk, Big Dubez and Marlon Bryant Brando. They are notable for their parody of TLC's hit "No Scrubs" titled "No Pigeons", which attempted to tell things from the male perspective, and their song "Hit It Up" on the soundtrack to The Best Man. They are also known for satirically providing a male counterpoint to the female-oriented R&B music popularised in the late 1990s and early 2000s, something that was not done by any other group at the time. The group have been acknowledged for their lyrical skill, also making other notable hits such as "Cheapskate", which also has a music video and was released under Ruffhouse Records
"Bills, Bills, Bills" is a song by American girl group Destiny's Child from their second studio album, The Writing's on the Wall (1999). It was written by Beyoncé Knowles, LeToya Luckett, Kelly Rowland, Kandi Burruss, and Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs and produced by the latter. The song was released as the lead single from The Writing's on the Wall on May 31, 1999, by Columbia Records.
Street Cinema is the first and only album by the American hip hop group Sporty Thievz.
"Baby-Baby-Baby" is a song by American girl group TLC. It was the second single released from their debut studio album, Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip (1992), and their second consecutive top-10 hit. It was the most successful single from the album, reaching number two on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, giving them their first number-one single on that chart.
The discography of Yasiin Bey / Mos Def, an American rapper, consists of four solo albums, two compilation albums, and several singles. Mos Def began his hip hop career in 1994 in the underground rap group UTD alongside his sibling group members DCQ and Ces, after which he pursued a solo career. In 1998, he made his mainstream debut on Rawkus Records in the duo Black Star with rapper Talib Kweli. "Definition", the lead single from Black Star's self-titled debut album, reached No. 60 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 3 on the Hot Rap Singles chart.
American R&B group TLC has released five studio albums, 13 compilation albums, six video albums, 25 singles, 11 promotional singles, and 24 music videos.
"I'm Good at Being Bad" is a song recorded by American girl group TLC for their third album FanMail. It was released as a promotional single when "No Scrubs" was distributed to radio. Despite not being commercially released, the track peaked within the top 40 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song is characterized by its contrasting alternation of soft romantic melody and hard rap with explicit lyrics, as performed by Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and others of the group.
"Hands Up" a song by American girl group TLC. It was written and produced by both Babyface and Daryl Simmons for the band's fourth studio album, 3D (2002). A sensual mid-tempo song that deals with romantic betrayal, it was selected and released as the album's second single in the United States in November 2002, following lead single "Girl Talk" (2002). Arista Records consulted several producers to remix the song for its single release, including Richard X, LaMarquis Jefferson, and Jermaine Dupri.
David P. Hobbs, also known by his stage name Mr. Mixx, is a co-founder of the controversial rap group 2 Live Crew, along with being a scratch DJ and music producer of the group. In 1986, the group released the single "Throw The 'D'"; it is now considered the blueprint of Miami bass.
"She Will" is a song by American rapper Lil Wayne featuring Canadian rapper Drake, released as the fourth single from the former's ninth studio album, Tha Carter IV. It was released as a digital download and was added to rhythmic radio stations on August 16, 2011 in the U.S. It was certified quadruple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales exceeding 4 million units on September 27, 2022.
"Rich Flex" is a song by Canadian rapper Drake and Atlanta-based rapper 21 Savage from their collaborative studio album Her Loss (2022). It was sent to US rhythmic radio on November 11, 2022, as the lead single from the album. The song interpolates "Savage" (2020) by Megan Thee Stallion, "24's" (2003) by T.I., and 21 Savage's own "Red Opps" (2016), as well as sampling "I Want You, Girl" (1973) by Sugar and "Nora's Transformation" (1973) by Charles Bernstein. The song spent its first three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number two, blocked from reaching the top spot by Taylor Swift's "Anti-Hero" and peaked at number one on the Canadian Hot 100 chart where it became Drake's eleventh number one single. The song also topped the Billboard Global 200, becoming Drake's second and 21 Savage's first song to do so.