"Lollipop" is a song by American rapper and singerLil Wayne posthumously featuring fellow American singerStatic Major. Adirty rap song withhip house,trap andR&B elements, it was released on March 13, 2008 as thelead single from the former's sixth studio albumTha Carter III.[1] The track, which heavily utilizes theAuto-Tune vocal effect, was produced by American record producersDeezle andJim Jonsin. A remixed version with a guest appearance from American rapperKanye West, as well as featuring new verses from Lil Wayne, was released as a bonus track for the album oniTunes.[1]
"Lollipop" became the most successful song by both artists, as it spent five non-consecutive weeks atop the USBillboard Hot 100.[2] Static Major died on February 25, 2008, approximately two weeks before the song's release, making it the eighth song to peak the chart after the death of a credited artist.[3] It receiveddiamond certification by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling ten million units in the United States[4] and was ranked the number one hip hop song of 2008 byMTV.[5] The song reached number one on the 2008 issue ofNotarized byBET. The song was ranked at number five onRolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2008.[6] With 9.1 million copies sold as of January 2009, "Lollipop" was named 2008's best-selling digital single worldwide byIFPI.[7]
Themusic video for the song was directed byGil Green and filmed inLas Vegas at Gavin Maloof's residence on December 31, 2007. He also filmed at 1700 East Flamingo Road in Las Vegas.[8][9] The video premiered viaBET'sAccess Granted on March 12, 2008. It also reached number one onTRL in April onMTV.
The limousine that Wayne and Static get into at the start of the video is based on anInternational XT pickup truck.
Static Major died unexpectedly during a medical procedure on February 25, 2008, sixteen days before the song was released. "Lollipop" jumped 76 spots from number 85 to number 9 on the March 28, 2008 issue of theBillboard Hot 100, becoming Lil' Wayne's highest-charting single as a lead artist, along with being his first top ten hit on the chart as a lead artist. His previous highest-charting position as a lead artist was with "Go D.J.", which peaked at number 14 in 2004. The following week, it reached a new peak of number 7 on the Hot 100. The single reached a new peak of number 2 on theBillboard Hot 100 on April 17, 2008, making it his highest-charting single as both a lead artist or as a featured performer.[11] (Lil Wayne was a featured artist forDestiny's Child's number 3 (Hot 100) hit, "Soldier".) For the week of May 3, 2008, "Lollipop" reached the number-one spot on the Hot 100, his first number one on the chart. It is also Wayne's first number one on theHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and theHot Rap Tracks chart. On the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, it is the first rap song to reach number one sinceLudacris' "Money Maker" in 2006. After one week, it slipped away from top spot, but returned three weeks later, making it the song with the longest break in between peaks in the Hot 100 sinceUsher's "U Got It Bad."[12]
The week after the release, Wayne andMariah Carey became the number one most added and greatest gainer at both radio formats with a total of 138 adds.[13] "Lollipop" has become a crossover hit on mainstream radio, as it became his first top 40 hit as a lead artist, entering at number 36, and has so far peaked at number 5.[14] It is his first top ten on thePop 100, where it has reached number two. It returned to number one on theBillboard Hot 100 for the second time on May 22, 2008.
The song has become a top ten success in Canada, peaking at number 10 as of May 29, 2008, and his most successful song in the UK, where it reached number 26 on downloads alone. It reached number 3 on the New Zealand charts and was certified double Platinum by theRecording Industry Association of New Zealand.[15]
In 2008, "Lollipop" was the best-selling ringtone in theUnited States with over 2.3 million copies sold[16][17] and the second best-selling digital song with over 3.1 million copies.[18]
To date, "Lollipop" sold 4,176,000 digital copies in the United States.[19]
The song was officiallyremixed featuring vocals from Static Major and a verse from American rapperKanye West. There is an extended version of the remix that has Wayne talking over the original bridge and singing an altered hook, with West singing adlibs, along with a guitar solo near the end. Other remixes featureYoung Jeezy,Gorilla Zoe,Ace Hood,Kurupt,V.I.C.,Nicki Minaj,Wiz Khalifa,Tekitek,Rasheeda andKhia, who made a popular female version of the song.[20] Another remix was made commemorating the 2008 NBA championBoston Celtics. It features the instrumental used in the main song.
David Banner's song "Shawty Say" samples the opening part of the Lil Wayne's second verse for its chorus.JJ uses elements of "Lollipop" in their song "Ecstasy". Wayne's protégéDrake samples this song on his song "In My Feelings" from his fifth studio album,Scorpion.
