"Hit Me Off" is a song by American R&B group

New Edition New Edition is an American R&B/Pop group from the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1978 by Bobby Brown. Their name is taken to mean a 'new edition' of the Jackson 5. The group reached its height of popularity in the 198 ...

, released in July 1996 as the first single from the group's sixth studio album, '' Home Again'' (1996). It was also the group's first single in seven years. The song featured lead vocals from all six New Edition members. It samples "Storm King" by Bob James, "I Got Cha Opin" by

Black Moon Black Moon may refer to: * Black moon, one of four astronomical events involving new or dark moons * Black Moon (person) (c. 1821–1893), Lakota (American Indian) headman * Black Moon or Lilith (hypothetical moon), a hypothetical natural satelli ...

, and "

One Nation Under a Groove ''One Nation Under a Groove'' is the tenth studio album by American funk rock band Funkadelic, released on September 22, 1978 on Warner Bros. Records. Recording sessions took place at United Sound Studio in Detroit, Michigan, with one song reco ...

" by

Funkadelic Funkadelic was an American funk rock band formed in Plainfield, New Jersey in 1968 and active until 1982. The band and its sister act Parliament, both led by George Clinton, pioneered the funk music culture of the 1970s.John, Bush. Funkadeli ...

. "Hit Me Off" debuted at a peak of number three on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

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while topping the ''Billboard''

Hot R&B Singles 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 p ...

chart for three weeks, their fifth number-one hit on the listing. It sold 600,000 copies domestically and was

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gold by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. It was also certified gold in New Zealand, where it reached number two. The song was performed along with " I'm Still in Love with You" on the TV series "

Family Matters ''Family Matters'' is an American television sitcom that debuted on ABC on September 22, 1989, and ended on May 9, 1997. However it moved to CBS, where it was shown from September 19, 1997, to July 17, 1998. A spin-off of '' Perfect Strangers ...

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

'' described the song as "a smoker". He added, "Vocally, time has treated the lads extremely well. The high-pitched squeak and

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

harmonies have been replaced by swarthy machismo and mature

baritone A baritone is a type of classical male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the bass and the tenor voice-types. The term originates from the Greek (), meaning "heavy sounding". Composers typically write music for this voice in the r ...

. Despite the individual styles developed via solo careers, the act's chemistry is well intact, and the members appear to have fallen into group mode with ease. They make excellent use of Silky's chilled jeep/funk groove (which pops with a cool sample from

Blackmoon David Parland (26 September 1970 – 19 March 2013) was a Swedish metal guitarist, best known for his work in the bands Dark Funeral, Necrophobic and Infernal, all of which he was one of the founding members. Biography He was a member of Necropho ...

's "I Gotcha Opin") and seductive chorus chant. Needless to say, this is a smash. Jam on it."

Track listing

# "Hit Me Off" (N.E. Spyder and Shaq D) – 6:00 # "Hit Me Off" (The Trackmasters E.C. Joint) – 4:27 # "Hit Me Off" ("G" Formulated Mix)(Version) – 5:01 # "Hit Me Off" (Franktified Club Version) – 7:34 # "Hit Me Off" (LP Version) – 4:21

Personnel

Ronnie DeVoe Ronald Boyd DeVoe Jr. (born November 17, 1967), is an American singer, rapper, and actor known as one of the members of the R&B/ pop group New Edition, and the R&B/ hip hop group Bell Biv DeVoe. He was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Career De ...

– rap, background vocals *

Bobby Brown Robert Barisford Brown (born February 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. Brown, alongside frequent collaborator Teddy Riley, is noted as one of the pioneers of new jack swing: a fusion of hip hop and R&B. Brown started h ...

– lead and background vocals * Ricky Bell – lead and background vocals *

Michael Bivins New Edition is an American R&B/Pop group from the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1978 by Bobby Brown. Their name is taken to mean a 'new edition' of the Jackson 5. The group reached its height of popularity in the 198 ...

– rap, background vocals *

Ralph Tresvant Ralph Edward Tresvant (born May 16, 1968) is an American singer, songwriter, actor and record producer, best known as the lead singer of R&B group New Edition. As a solo artist, Tresvant released the album ''Ralph Tresvant'' (1990). In 2008, he ...

– lead and background vocals *

Johnny Gill Johnny Gill Jr. (born May 22, 1966) is an American singer and actor. He is the sixth and final member of the R&B/ pop group New Edition and was also a member of the supergroup called LSG, with Gerald Levert and Keith Sweat. Gill has released ...

– lead and background vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1996 singles 1996 songs MCA Records singles Music videos directed by Joseph Kahn New Edition songs Songs written by Michael Bivins Songs written by Ronnie DeVoe