"Party and Bullshit" | ||||
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Single by The Notorious B.I.G. | ||||
from the album Who's the Man?: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | ||||
Released | June 29, 1993 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:43 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | Christopher Wallace | |||
Producer(s) | Easy Mo Bee | |||
The Notorious B.I.G. singles chronology | ||||
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"Party and Bullshit" is a song by the American hip hop artist The Notorious B.I.G., credited as BIG. Released on June 29, 1993, as the fourth single from the soundtrack to the film Who's the Man? (1993), "Party and Bullshit" was the rapper's debut single.
Christopher Wallace, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, during the emergence of the hip-hop scene, developed a passion for music at a young age. [1] There, he met the saxophonist Donald Harrison, who introduced him to jazz. Wallace recorded one of his first songs in Harrison’s home studio. [2] However, growing up during the crack epidemic, [3] Wallace decided to focus on selling drugs, while still rapping as a hobby. [4] According to The New York Times , "as a boy he preferred hanging around gamblers and drug dealers to sitting in a classroom". He dropped out of school in the tenth grade. [5] To increase his drug-sale profits, [6] [7] he moved to North Carolina, where, at the age of 17, he was arrested and spent nine months in jail. [8]
Upon release from jail, Wallace, known at the time as Biggie Smalls, [a] decided to focus more on music. [10] Back in Brooklyn, his friend DJ 50 Grand introduced him to Big Daddy Kane's DJ, Mister Cee. [11] Enthusiastic about Biggie's rapping, Mister Cee convinced him to record a demo and send it to The Source magazine's column "Unsigned Hype", which showcased up-and-coming rap talents. Biggie remained skeptical but agreed. [12] Impressed with the demo, the column's editor Matteo "Matty C" Capoluongo recommended him to Sean "Puffy" Combs, [13] a young intern who by now was the vice president of A&R at Uptown Records. [13] [14] Combs helped Biggie get signed to Uptown. [15] "Party and Bullshit" was Biggie's commercial debut, [16] released after he was featured on several songs from other artists of the label. [17]
In 1992, Uptown Records and MCA Records signed a $50 million deal, which led to Uptown producing the soundtrack for the movie Who's the Man? (1993). [18] Puffy, who was responsible for the soundtrack, decided to include his new artist, Biggie. [16]
"Party and Bullshit" was recorded at Soundtrack Studios in New York. [19] According to the song's producer Easy Mo Bee, it was recorded in one take. Biggie brought his friends from the group Junior M.A.F.I.A. for the recording session, they ordered food and were resting in the studio. Anxious about wasting expensive studio time, Easy Mo Bee kept asking him when they would start recording. "And he kept telling me, 'Yo, I got you, man.' Ordering food, eating burgers. And then he just jumped up and went right into the booth and just spat three verses. I was like, 'Yo, who is this dude?' I thought he was playing the whole time", said the producer. [20]
In an interview with Vibe magazine, Biggie revealed that the original version of the song differed from the released version. The rapper explained that Andre Harrell, CEO of Uptown Records, asked him to record a party song. [21]
"Party and Bullshit" is an East Coast hip hop song. [22] The main melody of the song is a loop, made by blending two samples: the siren from the song "UFO" by the band ESG and the organ from Johnny "Hammond" Smith's cover of "I'll Be There" by the Jackson 5. Nate Patrin of Stereogum wrote that the samples "melt into each other to sound richer", resulting in a track that "sounds amped and mellow at the same time". [23]
The song begins with Biggie describing his early teenage years: calling himself a "terror since the public school era", talking about skipping classes and smoking marijuana daily. He then describes a modern day party, where he and all his friends brought firearms. [24] Throughout the song, he references numerous alcoholic beverages. [25] Towards the end of the third verse music stops and a small skit is played, portraying a fight at the party. After the fight ends, Biggie continues rapping with the phrase "Can't we just all get along?", alluding to the quote from the victim of police brutality Rodney King. [26] [27]
The song's chorus is built around the "party and bullshit" chant, [24] which is an interpolation of the phrase from the 1968 song "When the Revolution Comes" by the spoken word group the Last Poets. [28] However, Biggie altered its meaning: the original song sarcastically criticized young black people who ignored the fight for equality in favor of leisure and meaningless activities, while his song emphasized these activities, [26] [27] turning into what Sia Michel of Spin magazine called a "good-time anthem". [29] Discussing the use of the phrase, Abiodun Oyewole of the Last Poets said: "When we rapped, it was all about raising consciousness and using language to challenge people. When I wrote [about] 'party and bullshit' it was to make people get off their ass. But now 'party and bullshit' was used by Biggie, used by Busta Rhymes, but in a non-conscious way." [30] In his book Unbelievable, Cheo Hodari Coker argued that "Party and Bullshit" had a deeper meaning. The journalist wrote that the lyrics provided a social commentary, highlighting the problems of young men who grew up during the crack epidemic and desired to get rich. [27]
"Party and Bullshit" was released on June 29, 1993, [31] through Uptown Records. [17] It was the fourth single from the soundtrack to the film Who's the Man? (1993) and Biggie's debut single. [32] [33] Apart from the song itself, the single also included two remixes, by Puff Daddy and Lord Finesse, which used different, jazzy instrumentals. [34] "Party and Bullshit" did not chart and has not received a RIAA certification; [35] [36] however, it has sold 500,000 copies. [37] [24] S. H. Fernando Jr. of Rolling Stone magazine described it as an "underground smash", [38] while the journalist Ronin Ro wrote that the song was a hit on radio stations and in nightclubs. According to him, following the release, other famous rappers would approach Biggie in nightclubs to shake his hand and praise him. [24]
In a contemporary review, Reginald C. Dennis of The Source magazine called the song a "hardcore debut" that "livens things up" on the soundtrack. The journalist praised Biggie's performance, referring to him as "the star of the album". [39] Cheo Hodari Coker, in his book Unbelievable, commended the song, calling it a "fine vehicle for his storytelling skills and playful yet commanding cadence", that creates a colorful depiction of the Brooklyn night life. [34] IGN described it as "considerably rawer" than the rapper's later songs, "showcas[ing] his strong willed cadence and propensity for catchy rhyming verses". [40] Discussing the song, Ekow Eshun of The Independent said he was "mesmerised" after the first listen. "His lyrics turn the vernacular into the spectacular, delivering narrative with breathless ease", stated the journalist. [41]
In the late 1990s, Puff Daddy had plans to record a remix of "Party and Bullshit" for Biggie's posthumous compilation album Born Again (1999). The remix was supposed to feature Will Smith and a chorus from Faith Evans. [42] The song has not been released officially. [43]
In the following years, several artists remixed "Party and Bullshit". In 2007, the electronic duo Ratatat remixed it for their album Ratatat Remixes Vol. 2 . [44] The G-Unit rapper Lloyd Banks released "Party N Bullshit" on his mixtape Halloween Havoc (2008). [45] Andrew Hathaway released a mashup of "Party and Bullshit" and Miley Cyrus song "Party in the U.S.A.". [46] [47] In 2015, Richie Branson and Solar Slim remixed the song for their Star Wars -themed mashup Life After Death Star. [48] [49]
Numerous artists sampled "Party and Bullshit", including Rah Digga, [50] Busta Rhymes, Young M.A., Cypress Hill, MF Doom, Jean Grae, and Joell Ortiz. [35] Rita Ora's 2012 song "How We Do (Party)" interpolates the lyrics of "Party and Bullshit". [31]
In 2016, Abiodun Oyewole, a founding member of the Last Poets, sued the Notorious B.I.G. estate for US$24 million in damages. [51] Oyewole claimed that the use of the phrase "party and bullshit", taken from the spoken word group's 1968 song "When the Revolution Comes", constituted copyright infringement. [28] The list of defendants also included executive producer Puff Daddy, producer Easy Moe Bee, and Rita Ora, along with several producers and songwriters of her song "How We Do (Party)". Initially, the lawsuit listed Busta Rhymes and Eminem, whose track "Calm Down" also sampled "Party and Bullshit", but Oyewole later dropped these claims voluntarily. [52] After several years of legal battles, in 2019, the New York federal judge Robert Katzmann ruled that the use of the phrase in "Party and Bullshit" is within fair use. [53]
Credits are adapted from the single's liner notes. [55]
Christopher George Latore Wallace, known by the stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, and Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in the New York rap scene and gangsta rap traditions, he is widely considered one of the greatest rappers of all time. Wallace became known for his distinctive, laidback lyrical delivery, offsetting his lyrics' often grim content. His music was usually semi-autobiographical, telling of hardship and criminality but also of debauchery and celebration.
Life After Death is the second studio album by American rapper the Notorious B.I.G., released on March 25, 1997, on Bad Boy Records and Arista Records. A double album, it was released sixteen days after his murder. It features collaborations with guest artists such as 112, Jay-Z, Lil' Kim, Mase, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, Too $hort, Angela Winbush, D.M.C. of Run-D.M.C., R. Kelly, the Lox, and Puff Daddy. Life After Death exhibits the Notorious B.I.G. further delving into the mafioso rap subgenre. The album is a sequel to his first album, Ready to Die, and picks up where the last song, "Suicidal Thoughts", ends.
Bad Boy Entertainment, doing business as Bad Boy Records, is an American record label founded in 1993 by Sean "Diddy" Combs. During the mid-1990s, the label signed hip hop and contemporary R&B artists, beginning with the Notorious B.I.G. Following his commercial success, the label signed other acts, including Faith Evans, Mase, 112, Total, The Lox, Shyne and Carl Thomas. At its 1997 peak, Bad Boy was worth an estimated US$100 million.
Born Again is the third and final studio album and first posthumous album by American rapper the Notorious B.I.G., released by Bad Boy Records and Arista Records on December 7, 1999. It is composed primarily of early recorded verses with remixed beats and newly recorded guest vocals.
"Hit 'Em Up" is a diss track by American rapper 2Pac, featuring the Outlawz. It is the B-side to the single "How Do U Want It", released on June 4, 1996. The song's lyrics contain vicious insults to several East Coast rappers, chiefly Shakur's former friend turned rival, the Notorious B.I.G.. The song was recorded at Can Am Studios on April 19, 1996. A previous version of the song was recorded on October 31, 1995.
"One More Chance / Stay with Me (Remix)" is a song written and recorded by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G. Three versions of the song exist: An original, lyrically explicit version prefaced by an answering machine performance featured on the album, and two versions released as singles, both of which contain identical lyrics by B.I.G. despite differing instrumentals and choruses. The first is an upbeat "Hip Hop Mix" that samples Marley Marl's "Droppin Science", and the second is a sultrier R&B remix parenthetically labeled the "Stay with Me Remix", which samples the namesake 1983 song by the band DeBarge. The lattermost remains the most popular, and features backing vocals and harmonies performed by his wife Faith Evans, as well as uncredited appearances by Mary J. Blige and Bad Boy Records label boss Puff Daddy—who also produced the version with Rashad Smith. It received platinum certification by the RIAA by July 31, 1995, and has sold 1.1 million copies.
"It's All About the Benjamins" is a song by American rapper and producer Puff Daddy. It was released as the third single from his debut studio album No Way Out. "Benjamins" is a slang word for money, referring to Benjamin Franklin's image on the US $100 bill. The song featured an uncredited vocal arrangement by Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, and featured a signature guitar hook played by Marc Solomon.
"Notorious Thugs" is a song by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G. featuring American hip hop group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony from the former's second studio album Life After Death (1997). It was produced by Sean "Puffy" Combs and Stevie J. The song contains a sample of "More Than Love" by Ohio Players.
The East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry is a dispute between artists and fans of the East Coast hip hop and West Coast hip hop scenes in the United States, especially from the mid-1990s. A focal point of the rivalry was the feud between East Coast–based rapper the Notorious B.I.G. signed by Puff Daddy and their New York City–based label, Bad Boy Records, and West Coast–based rapper Tupac Shakur signed by Suge Knight and their Los Angeles–based label, Death Row Records. Shakur and the Notorious B.I.G. were murdered in drive-by shootings within six months of each other, after which the feud entered a truce with a "peace" summit in 1997 at the behest of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.
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"Who Shot Ya?" is a song by American rapper the Notorious B.I.G., backed by Sean Combs. Bad Boy Entertainment released it on February 21, 1995, on an alternate reissue of Wallace's single "Big Poppa/Warning". Its new B-side "Who Shot Ya", a revision of a track already issued earlier in 1995, was "controversial and hugely influential." Widely interpreted as a taunt at Tupac Shakur, the single provoked a "rap battle" between the two rappers, formerly friends.
"New York, New York" is a song from the American West Coast hip hop duo Tha Dogg Pound featuring Snoop Doggy Dogg. The song was released as a promotional single and is the third and final single from their debut album, Dogg Food.
"This Time Around" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson from his ninth studio album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, with a guest appearance by rapper the Notorious B.I.G. It was released as a promotional single in the US, and is the album's fourth single overall. The song, which details a musician's problems with being famous and dealing with stardom, was written by Jackson, while the music was composed by Dallas Austin, Bruce Swedien and René Moore. Austin and Jackson produced the song, while Swedien and Moore served as co-producers. In the United States, "This Time Around" entered three Billboard component charts, respectively peaking at numbers 18, 23, and 36 on the Dance Music/Club Play Singles, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, and Rhythmic Top 40, having charted solely due to radio airplay throughout the country. It received positive reviews from contemporary music critics.
"Get Money" is a song by the American rap group Junior M.A.F.I.A., released as the third and final single from their debut album Conspiracy (1995). "Get Money," whose instrumental is fundamentally a sample of R&B singer Sylvia Striplin's 1981 song "You Can't Turn Me Away," was produced by EZ Elpee, rapped by the Notorious B.I.G. and Lil' Kim, and received a music video. B.I.G., formally, was featured, but at times was deemed, like Lil' Kim and Lil' Cease, a Junior M.A.F.I.A. member.
"Juicy" is the first single by American rapper the Notorious B.I.G. from his 1994 debut album, Ready to Die. It was produced by Poke of the duo Trackmasters and Sean "Puffy" Combs. "Juicy" contains a sample of Mtume's 1983 song, "Juicy Fruit", though it is directly sampled from the song's "Fruity Instrumental" mix, and has an alternative chorus sung by Bad Boy Records cohorts, the girl group Total and label founder Combs. The song is widely considered to be one of the greatest hip-hop songs of all time.
Ready to Die is the debut studio album by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., released on September 13, 1994, by Bad Boy Records and Arista Records. The album features productions by Bad Boy founder Sean "Puffy" Combs, Easy Mo Bee, Chucky Thompson, DJ Premier, and Lord Finesse, among others. It was recorded from 1993 to 1994 at The Hit Factory and D&D Studios in New York City. The partly autobiographical album tells the story of the rapper's experiences as a young criminal, and was the only studio album released during his lifetime, as he was murdered sixteen days before the release of his second album Life After Death in 1997. The album features a sole guest appearance from Wu-Tang Clan member Method Man.
Notorious is a 2009 American biographical drama film directed by George Tillman Jr., and written by Reggie Rock Bythewood and Cheo Hodari Coker. It is based on the life of Brooklyn-based hip-hop artist The Notorious B.I.G. Much of the film dramatizes key events in Biggie's life: his criminal lifestyle, arrest and release from prison, his relationships with Sean Combs, Tupac Shakur, Lil' Kim and Faith Evans, his involvement in the East Coast–West Coast hip hop rivalry and his drive-by-shooting murder on March 9, 1997. The film stars Jamal Woolard as Wallace, with Angela Bassett, Derek Luke, and Anthony Mackie in supporting roles. Biggie's mother, Voletta, served as a producer for the film, alongside his former managers Wayne Barrow and Mark Pitts.
Notorious: Music from and Inspired by the Original Motion Picture is the official soundtrack to the 2009 biopic film Notorious based on the life and death of rapper The Notorious B.I.G. It features mostly his previously heard songs, inclusively the ones harder to find such as "Party and Bullshit" and "One More Chance (Remix)". It includes two original songs "Brooklyn Go Hard" by Jay-Z and a tribute to the rapper by Jadakiss and widow Faith Evans called "Letter to B.I.G.", as well as three unreleased demos by him and a song with Christopher "CJ" Wallace Jr., his son. "Notorious Thugs", "Notorious B.I.G.", "One More Chance (Remix)", "Brooklyn Go Hard", "Kick in the Door", "What's Beef", "The World Is Filled...", "One More Chance / The Legacy Remix" and "Love No Ho" do not feature in the movie, but are included on the album.
Osten S. Harvey Jr., better known by his stage name Easy Mo Bee, is an American hip hop and R&B record producer and DJ, known for his production work for artists such as Big Daddy Kane and Miles Davis, as well as his affiliation with Bad Boy Records in its early years, and his production involvement in The Notorious B.I.G.'s debut album, Ready to Die. He also produced two songs on 2Pac's album, Me Against the World.
Burton Rashad "Ringo" Smith is an American hip hop and R&B record producer. He was born in England and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, in a Jamaican and Haitian family. Rashad grew up alongside notable hip hop artists such as Mos Def, Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip, among others.