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Back in the Day (Missy Elliott song)
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Wikipedia article
"'Back in the Day'" is a 2003 hip-hop song by Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, featuring guest vocals from Jay-Z and Elliott protg Tweet. The song appears on her 2002 album 'Under Construction' and was at one time planned for release as a single. It peaked at #86 on 'Billboard' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart in 2003 before being scrapped as a single.
About the song
Produced by Elliott's main producer and longtime collaborator Timbaland, "Back in the Day" is an ode to the classic era of old school hip-hop, when the hip-hop culture was, Elliott sings, fun and peaceful, compared to the more violent scope of modern-day hip-hop. "Back in the day/hip-hop has changed", she sings. During the bridge of the song she even makes a point of referencing "Self-Destruction", a 1989 collaborative benefit single for peace featuring a number of that era's hip-hop stars. Incidentally, MC Lyte's verse from "Self-Destruction" is sampled on another of 'Under Construction's album tracks, "Funky Fresh Dressed".
Jay-Z contributes a rap verse in which he "creatively" references a number of hip-hop artists (for example, stating "I kill at will like solid water, dude", a reference to Ice Cube's 1990 EP 'Kill At Will'). At one point during his verse, Jay-Z raps "so fuck Chuck Philips and Bill O'Reilly/if they try to stop hip-hop, we all gon' rally", a reference to two of hip-hop's most vocal critics.
"Back in the Day" references
Below is a list of old-school hip-hop people and items Elliott and Jay-Z namedrop in "Back in the Day":
Hip hop fashions
*British Knights*Gold chains
*Phat laces
Dances
*Prep*Cabbage Patch
Hip hop artists
*Salt-N-Pepa*Rakim
*Run-D.M.C.
*Big Daddy Kane
*Heavy D
*Slick Rick
*MC Lyte
*Raekwon
*Ghostface Killah
*Showbiz and A.G.
*Dr. Dre
*LL Cool J
*Public Enemy
*M.O.P
*Tag Team
*Ice Cube
*The Notorious B.I.G.
*2Pac
*KRS-One
*'EPMDb
Personnel
* Lead Vocals by Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott and Jay-Z
* Background Vocals by Tweet
* Whistle by Timbaland
* Written by Melissa Elliott, Timothy Mosley, and Shawn Carter
* Produced by Timbaland for Timbaland Productions; Co-produced by Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott
Category:2002 songs
Category:Missy Elliott songs
Category:Jay-Z songs
Category:Hip hop soul songs
Category:Songs about nostalgia
Category:Song recordings produced by Timbaland
Category:Songs written by Jay-Z
Category:Songs written by Missy Elliott
Category:Songs written by Timbaland
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