Big Pimpin'

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"Big Pimpin'"
Jayzbigpimpin.jpg
Single by Jay-Z featuring UGK
from the album Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter
ReleasedApril 11, 2000
Recorded1999
GenreHip hop
Length4:44
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Timbaland
Jay-Z singles chronology
"Hey Papi"
(2000) 		"Big Pimpin'"
(2000) 		"Best of Me, Part 2"
(2000)
UGK singles chronology
"Take It Off"
(1999) 		"Big Pimpin'"
(2000) 		"Let Me See It"
(2001)
Music video
"Big Pimpin' ft. UGK" on YouTube

"Big Pimpin'" is a song by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on April 11, 2000 as the third and final single from his fourth studio album Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter (1999). It features a guest appearance from Southern hip hop group UGK, and production from Timbaland.

"Big Pimpin'" was the most successful single from the album, reaching No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the Rhythmic Top 40 chart. On Rolling Stone's updated 2010 list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", the song ranked at No. 467. Despite its performance, Jay-Z later revealed that he regretted the song's lyrics, stating that, "Some [lyrics] become really profound when you see them in writing. Not "Big Pimpin." That's the exception. It was like, 'I can't believe I said that. And kept saying it. What kind of animal would say this sort of thing?' Reading it is really harsh."[1]

Controversy[]

Timbaland samples "Khosara Khosara", composed by Baligh Hamdi of Egypt in the mid-20th century and originally recorded by the famous Egyptian vocalist Abdel Halim Hafez. The sampled version of "Khosara Khosara" was arranged and performed by Hossam Ramzy, and can be heard on a CD compilation entitled, "The Best of Bellydance from Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey", an album that also contains another song that Timbaland sampled for the Petey Pablo track, "Raise Up". In 2007, the song sparked controversy when copyright co-owner Osama Ahmed Fahmy filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Federal Court, alleging that Timbaland illegally replayed portions of "Khosara Khosara" note-for-note. Jay-Z, Timbaland, Linkin Park and EMI Music Inc. were among the defendants named in the lawsuit. (Linkin Park was included because the track was also mashed up with their song "Papercut" on the collaborative EP Collision Course in 2004).[2] The Linkin Park mash-up was entitled "Big Pimpin/Papercut".

This latest lawsuit follows an August (2007) decision by a California judge to dismiss another lawsuit by Ahab Joseph Nafal, who claimed "Big Pimpin'" infringed the copyright on Khosara Khosara. Lawyers for EMI Records argued the 50-year-old track was governed by the 1909 Copyright Act, AllHipHop.com reports.[3] On May 31, 2018, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgement in favor of Jay-Z, et al.[4]

Music video[]

The music video was shot in Trinidad during its Carnival and features Jay-Z and Bun B on a music truck dispensing money into the crowd and partying on a lavish yacht. Pimp C's verse and the last scenes are shot at a beachfront mansion in Miami Beach, Florida, on exclusive Golden Beach, after he refused to fly to Trinidad.[5] The music video features cameo appearance from Too Short. It was directed by Hype Williams.[citation needed] The music video for Lonely Island's "I'm on a Boat" is largely a parody of this video.[6]

Formats and track listings[]

CD[]

  1. "Big Pimpin' (Radio Edit)"
  2. "Watch Me (LP Version)"
  3. "Big Pimpin' (Instrumental)"
  4. "Big Pimpin' (Video)"

Vinyl[]

A-side[]

  1. "Big Pimpin' (Album Version)" (4:05)

B-side[]

  1. "Watch Me (LP Version)" (4:34)
  2. "Big Pimpin' (Instrumental)" (4:57)

Charts[]

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[14] Silver 200,000double-dagger
United States (RIAA)[15] Platinum 1,000,000double-dagger

double-dagger Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jurgensen, John (October 21, 2010). "Just Asking – Decoding Jay-Z". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 13, 2011.
  2. ^ "Gyp the System". Wayneandwax.com. September 12, 2007. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  3. ^ Nolan Strong (September 4, 2007). "Rappers Jay-Z, Timbaland Sued Over 'Big Pimpin' Melody". Allhiphop.com. Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved June 13, 2012.
  4. ^ "FAHMY V. JAY-Z" (PDF).
  5. ^ Slavik, Nathan. "The Insane Story of How Pimp C Hated the "Big Pimpin" Beat, Refused to Travel for Video Shoot". DJBooth. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  6. ^ "Music Video Clichés No.3 – Boats N' Hoes – NME Video Blog – NME.COM – The world's fastest music news service, music videos, interviews, photos and free stuff to win". Nme.Com. Archived from the original on May 6, 2010. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  7. ^ "Jay-Z – Big Pimpin'". Official Charts Company. June 24, 2000. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
  8. ^ "Jay-Z Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  9. ^ "Jay-Z Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  10. ^ "Jay-Z Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard.
  11. ^ "Jay-Z Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard.
  12. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 2000". billboardtop100of.com. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  13. ^ "2000 The Year in Music". Billboard. Vol. 112 no. 53. December 30, 2000. p. YE-56. Retrieved May 22, 2021.
  14. ^ "British single certifications – Jay-Z – Big Pimpin'". British Phonographic Industry.
  15. ^ "American single certifications – Jay-Z – Big Pimpin'". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links[]

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