1994 single by The Notorious B.I.G.
"Big Poppa " is a song by American rapperThe Notorious B.I.G. , released on December 24, 1994, as the second single from his debut studio albumReady to Die Chucky Thompson and Nashiem Myrick, itsamples the song "Between the Sheets " (1983) byThe Isley Brothers . "Big Poppa" is arap song with elements ofR&B andWest Coast hip hop . It is named after one of The Notorious B.I.G.'s nicknames.
Background and composition [ edit ] Sean Combs , the executive producer ofReady to Die sample the song "Between the Sheets " (1983) byThe Isley Brothers . AfterChucky Thompson and Nashiem Myrick produced a beat sampling the song atThe Hit Factory , it was given to hip hop groupLost Boyz . Combs wanted the beat back, which resulted in a trade involving another beat, which ended up being used on Lost Boyz's 1995 song "Jeeps, Lex Coups, Bimaz & Benz ".[ 2]
According to Myrick,The Notorious B.I.G. "didn’t even like ‘Big Poppa' ", and said that it was one of the last songs recorded forReady to Die .[ 3] West Coast hip hop : specifically, rappersIce Cube andSnoop Dogg .[ 2]
"Big Poppa" is arap song[ 4] R&B [ 5] [ 6] [ 7] [ 8] Minimoog whistle,[ 9] [ 10] [ 11] [ 5] [ 12]
Release and reception [ edit ] In 2017, "Big Poppa" was ranked at number 52 onRolling Stone [ 4] [ 10] Billboard Ready to Die .[ 13]
"Big Poppa" was nominated for theGrammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance in 1996.[ 14]
Commercial performance [ edit ] The single wascertified platinum by theRIAA and sold over 1,000,000 copies domestically.[ 15] [ 16] The Notorious B.I.G. 's first top 10 hit on theBillboard Hot 100[ 12] [ 17]
Filmed in late 1994, the music video premiered on BET and MTV for the week ending on December 11, 1994.[ 18] Mary J. Blige ,Misa Hylton ,Craig Mack ,Busta Rhymes andTreach ofNaughty by Nature make cameo appearances.
12 inch
A1 "Big Poppa" (Club Mix) (4:13) A2 "Warning" (Club Mix) (3:41) A3 "Big Poppa" (Instrumental) (4:13) B1 "Big Poppa" (Radio Edit) (4:12) B2 "Warning" (Radio Edit) (2:57) B3 "Warning" (Instrumental) (3:41) B4 "Who Shot Ya?" Maxi-single
"Big Poppa" (radio edit) "Big Poppa" (remix radio edit) "Who Shot Ya?" (radio edit) "Big Poppa" (remix instrumental) "Big Poppa" (club mix) "Big Poppa" (remix club mix) "Who Shot Ya?" (club mix) "Warning" (club mix) Chart (2022) Peak Canada Digital Song Sales (Billboard [ 24] 38
Chart (1995) Position USBillboard Hot 100[ 25] 47 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard )[ 26] 21
Region Certification Certified units /salesCanada (Music Canada )[ 27] 7× Platinum 560,000‡ Denmark (IFPI Danmark )[ 28] Gold 45,000‡ Italy (FIMI )[ 29] sales since 2009 Gold 50,000‡ New Zealand (RMNZ )[ 30] 5× Platinum 150,000‡ Spain (PROMUSICAE )[ 31] Gold 30,000‡ United Kingdom (BPI )[ 32] Platinum 600,000‡ United States (RIAA )[ 33] Physical Platinum 1,000,000^ United States (RIAA )[ 34] Digital 6× Platinum 6,000,000‡ United States (RIAA )[ 35] Mastertone Gold 500,000* * Sales figures based on certification alone.^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^ "The Best 20 Hip Hop Songs of the Mid-1990s" .Mixmag . RetrievedJune 12, 2021 .^a b "The Making of Ready to Die: Family Business" .XXL Mag . March 9, 2006. Archived fromthe original on November 10, 2006. RetrievedJanuary 9, 2025 .^ Anderson, Joel (November 13, 2019)."The B-Side That Deepened Biggie and Tupac's Rift" .Slate .ISSN 1091-2339 . RetrievedJanuary 9, 2025 . ^a b "100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All Time" .Rolling Stone . June 2, 2017. RetrievedJanuary 9, 2025 .^a b Staff, HNHH (November 26, 2019)."Top 50 Best Rapper Flows Of All Time" .HotNewHipHop . RetrievedJanuary 9, 2025 . ^ Lynskey, Dorian (October 19, 2021)." .The Guardian .ISSN 0261-3077 . RetrievedJanuary 9, 2025 . ^ PreezyPreezy (June 1, 2020)."A Definitive Guide to the Best Rapper Nicknames" .XXL Mag . RetrievedJanuary 9, 2025 . ^ Hatchman, Jonathan (December 16, 2015)."The Notorious BIG – 10 of the best" .The Guardian .ISSN 0261-3077 . RetrievedJanuary 9, 2025 . ^ Gross, Charles Aaron, Mosi Reeves, Will Dukes, Joe (March 9, 2022)."The 50 Best Notorious B.I.G. Songs" .Rolling Stone . RetrievedJanuary 9, 2025 . {{cite magazine }}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link )^a b "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" .Rolling Stone . February 16, 2024. RetrievedJanuary 9, 2025 .^ Pitchfork (September 28, 2022)."The 150 Best Albums of the 1990s" .Pitchfork . RetrievedJanuary 9, 2025 . ^a b Partridge, Kenneth (September 12, 2014)."The Notorious B.I.G.'s 'Ready to Die' at 20: Classic Track-by-Track Album Review" .Billboard . RetrievedJanuary 9, 2025 . ^ Bristout, Ralph (September 13, 2024)."The Notorious B.I.G.'s 'Ready to Die' at 30: All 17 Songs Ranked" .Billboard . RetrievedJanuary 9, 2025 . ^ Grove, Rashad D. (February 5, 2019)."10 Iconic Hip-Hop Artists Who've Never Won A Grammy" .Billboard . RetrievedJanuary 9, 2025 . ^ "American certifications – Notorious B.I.G. – Big Poppa" .Recording Industry Association of America .^ "Best-Selling Records of 1995" .Billboard ISSN 0006-2510 . RetrievedMay 5, 2015 .^ "The Notorious B.I.G. | Biography, Music & News" .Billboard . RetrievedJanuary 9, 2025 .^ "Billboard Video Monitor" .Billboard . December 24, 1994. RetrievedJanuary 3, 2022 .^ "Notorious B.I.G.: Artist Chart History" .Official Charts Company . Retrieved September 14, 2018.^ "The Notorious BIG Chart History (Hot 100)" .Billboard ^ "The Notorious BIG Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)" .Billboard ^ "The Notorious BIG Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)" .Billboard ^ "The Notorious BIG Chart History (Rhythmic)" .Billboard ^ "The Notorious B.I.G. Chart History (Canadian Digital Song Sales)" .Billboard . RetrievedJuly 12, 2022 .^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1995" . Archived fromthe original on August 15, 2009. RetrievedAugust 27, 2010 .^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1995" .Billboard . January 2, 2013. RetrievedMay 1, 2021 .^ "Canadian single certifications – The Notorious B.I.G – Big Poppa" .Music Canada . RetrievedJanuary 19, 2025 .^ "Danish single certifications – The Notorious B.I.G. – Big Poppa" .IFPI Danmark . RetrievedFebruary 23, 2023 .^ "Italian single certifications – The Notorious B.I.G. – Big Poppa" (in Italian).Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana . RetrievedApril 3, 2023 .^ "New Zealand single certifications – Notorious BIG – Big Poppa" . Radioscope. RetrievedJanuary 19, 2025 .Type Big Poppa in the "Search:" field. ^ "Spanish single certifications – The Notorious B.I.G. – Big Poppa" .El portal de Música .Productores de Música de España . RetrievedMay 15, 2024 .^ "British single certifications – Notorious BIG – Big Poppa" .British Phonographic Industry . RetrievedFebruary 2, 2022 .^ "American single certifications – The Notorious B.I.G. – Big Poppa/Warning" .Recording Industry Association of America . RetrievedNovember 30, 2019 .^ "American single certifications – The Notorious B.I.G. – Big Poppa" .Recording Industry Association of America . RetrievedMay 20, 2022 .^ "American ringtone certifications – The Notorious B.I.G. – Big Poppa" .Recording Industry Association of America . RetrievedNovember 30, 2019 .
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