"Get By" is a song by American hip hop recording artist

Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He earned recognition early on through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with ...

. It was released on March 11, 2003 as the third

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

from his debut studio album ''

Quality Quality may refer to: Concepts *Quality (business), the ''non-inferiority'' or ''superiority'' of something *Quality (philosophy), an attribute or a property *Quality (physics), in response theory *Energy quality, used in various science discipli ...

'' (2002). The hip hop song, produced by

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

, samples " Sinnerman" as performed by

Nina Simone Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, ...

and features background vocals from Abby Dobson, Chinua Hawk, Kendra Ross, Vernetta Bobien and William "Na2" Taylor. The song peaked at number 77 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and at number 29 on the US ''Billboard''

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

, becoming Kweli's most successful solo hit.

Remix

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

was later released featuring verses from fellow American rappers

Mos Def Yasiin Bey (; born Dante Terrell Smith, December 11, 1973), previously and more commonly known by his stage name Mos Def (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. His hip hop career began in 1994, alongside his siblings in the s ...

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...

and

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

. A full-fledged

posse cut A posse cut is a popular form of song in hip hop music that involves successive verses by four or more rappers.Edwards, Paul, 2009, ''How to Rap: The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop MC'', Chicago Review Press, p. 221. Tracks described as posse cuts ...

, the former three are also from

Brooklyn, New York City Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, behi ...

, like Kweli. The radio version of the remix featured only Busta Rhymes and Jay-Z, with lengthier versions of theirs and Kweli's verses.

Music video

A music video was recorded and released in 2003, and, much like the song, it focuses on the lives and struggles of low income people from a wide range of cultural and racial backgrounds living in and around

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. Parts of the video were filmed in

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...

and

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...

. The song's producer

is featured in the video alongside Kweli.

In popular culture

In 2008, Atlanta-based rapper

Rocko Rocko Rama is the main protagonist of the animated television series '' Rocko's Modern Life'', the Netflix special Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling, and the comic book series of the same name. Carlos Alazraqui provided the voice of the anthropo ...

released a song titled "

Dis Morning ''Self Made'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Rocko, which includes the singles " Umma Do Me", "Tomorrow", and "Dis Morning". Guest artists on the album include Lloyd, KC, Dre, and Monica, and was released by Rocky Road Records, ...

", from his debut album '' Self Made'', which interpolates Kweli's "Get By". Also in 2008, "Get By" was featured in the comedy film ''

First Sunday ''First Sunday'' is a 2008 American crime comedy film written, produced and directed by David E. Talbert, and produced by Ice Cube, who also starred in the lead role. The film co-stars Katt Williams and Tracy Morgan. The film was released in t ...

'', as well as the film's soundtrack. In 2009, North Carolina-bred rapper

J. Cole Jermaine Lamarr Cole (born January 28, 1985) is an American rapper and record producer. Born on a military base in Germany and raised in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Cole initially gained recognition as a rapper following the release of his d ...

, freestyled over the song's production, which was featured on his 2009 mixtape ''

The Warm Up ''The Warm Up'' is the second official mixtape from Fayetteville, North Carolina rapper J. Cole. It was released on June 15, 2009. J. Cole produced the majority of the mixtape with help from Elite, and Syience. The mixtape has been viewed over 3,1 ...

''. On the December 12, 2016 episode of the American satirical show ''

Full Frontal with Samantha Bee ''Full Frontal with Samantha Bee'' is an American late-night talk and news satire television program that aired on TBS from 2016 to 2022. The show was hosted by comedian Samantha Bee, a former correspondent on ''The Daily Show''. In July 202 ...

'', Kweli and writer Ashley Nicole Black modified the lyrics of "Get By" to one that touts the benefits of online encryption.

Charts

References

{{authority control 2003 singles Talib Kweli songs Kanye West songs Song recordings produced by Kanye West Songs written by Kanye West Songs written by Nina Simone 2003 songs Songs written by Talib Kweli