Things That U Do

"Things That U Do"
Single by Jay-Z featuring Mariah Carey
from the album Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter
Released	January 11, 2000
Recorded	1999
Studio	Sony Music Studios (New York, NY) [1]
Genre	East Coast hip hop R&B
Length	4:52
Label	Roc-A-Fella Def Jam
Songwriter(s)	Shawn Carter Kasseem Dean
Producer(s)	Swizz Beatz
Jay-Z singles chronology
"Do It Again (Put Ya Hands Up)" (1999) "Things That U Do" (2000) "Anything" (2000)
Mariah Carey singles chronology
"Thank God I Found You" (1999) "Things That U Do" (2000) "Can't Take That Away (Mariah's Theme)" (2000)

"Things That U Do" is the second single from rapper Jay-Z's 1999 album Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter . It features guest vocals by Mariah Carey and a beat produced by Swizz Beatz. AllMusic's John Bush describes it as an "overblown production," ^[2] while Steve Juon of RapReviews.com considers it a "commercially aimed song" that "still sounds fresh and original." ^[3] It was neither heavily promoted nor released as a CD single, causing it to chart lowly.

Critical reception

AllMusic editor John Bush described this song's production is "overblown." ^[4] Rolling Stone's Kris Ex wrote: "Far be it from me to question Allah's wisdom," he (Jay Z) rhymes on the Mariah Carey-assisted, Swizz Beatz-produced "Things That U Do." "I dodged prison, came out unscathed from car collisions/I know I must be part of some mission." ^[5]

Charts

Chart (2000)	Peak position
US Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles [6]	20

Release history

Country	Date	Format	Label
United States	February 15, 2000 [7]	12-inch single	Roc-A-Fella, Def Jam

See also

• List of songs recorded by Jay-Z

References

1. "Vol. 3... Life and Times of Shawn Carter - Jay-Z | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic .
2. Bush, John. "Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter Review at Allmusic" . Retrieved July 11, 2007.
3. Juon, Steve. "Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter Review at RapReviews.com" . Retrieved July 18, 2007.
4. "Vol. 3... Life and Times of Shawn Carter - Jay-Z | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic .
5. "Vol. 3 Life and Times of S. Carter". Rolling Stone . February 3, 2000.
6. "Jay-Z – Chart History: Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard . Prometheus Global Media . Retrieved June 29, 2013.
7. "Things That U Do – Jay-Z". Allmusic . Rovi Corporation . Retrieved June 30, 2013.