"Need U Bad" is a song performed by American recording artist

Jazmine Sullivan Jazmine Marie Sullivan (born April 9, 1987) is an American R&B and soul singer. Born and raised in Philadelphia, her debut album, ''Fearless'' was released in 2008. The record topped ''Billboards Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and was certifie ...

from her debut album, ''

Fearless Fearless or The Fearless may refer to: Psychology * Lack of fear * Courage or bravery Film, television and audio Film * ''Fearless'' (1978 film), an Italian film directed by Stelvio Massi * ''Fearless'' (1993 film), an American drama directed ...

'' (2008). The song features rapper

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...

, as well as

Pepa Performance Evaluation Process Algebra (PEPA) is a stochastic process algebra designed for modelling computer and communication systems introduced by Jane Hillston in the 1990s. The language extends classical process algebras such as Milner's ...

speaking a Jamaican chant. "Need U Bad" is Sullivan's debut single and the

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from ''Fearless''. It was first released on May 13, 2008 in the United States by J and

Arista Records Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertainmen ...

. The song was

co-written Collaborative fiction is a form of writing by a group of authors who share creative control of a story. Collaborative fiction can occur for commercial gain, as part of education, or recreationally – many collaboratively written works have been ...

by Sullivan in collaboration with Elliott, Cainon Lamb, and Taurian Osbourne. It was produced by Elliott and Lamb. The song uses a

sample Sample or samples may refer to: Base meaning * Sample (statistics), a subset of a population – complete data set * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of s ...

from Nicholas Taylor Stanton's "Higher Meditation Riddim Version", and

Tapper Zukie Tapper Zukie (or Tappa Zukie) (born David Sinclair, 1955, Kingston, Jamaica) is a reggae deejay and producer.Greene, Jo-AnnTapper Zukie Biography, Allmusic, retrieved 2011-02-15 Biography Tapper was the nickname given to him by his grandmoth ...

's "Papa Big Shirt". "Need U Bad" was one of two songs on ''Fearless'' where Sullivan collaborated with Elliott and Lamb. Musically, the song was inspired to be different from typical mainstream singles. Featuring prominent elements of

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

, R&B and

soul music Soul music is a popular music genre that originated in the African American community throughout the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s. It has its roots in African-American gospel music and rhythm and blues. Soul music became po ...

characteristics, the track was composed in a different style to co-relate with the title of its parent album, ''Fearless''. Lyrically, "Need U Bad" takes reference to a situation when one develops a strong need for one's lover. "Need U Bad" garnered a positive response from contemporary music critics. The single also achieved R&B chart success; peaking at number one on U.S. ''

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 ...

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 ...

, and at number thirty-seven on the ''Billboard''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

. It is Sullivan's most successful single on ''Billboard'' Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs to-date. "Need U Bad" was accompanied by a

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

which was directed by Jonathan Mannion and released on July 8, 2008. The old school styled video features Sullivan singing and dancing with Missy Elliott and other reggae musicians in a recording studio. Sullivan performed "Need U Bad" on ''

106 & Park ''106 & Park'' is an American hip hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that was broadcast on weekdays at 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm CT on BET; it aired on a one-day delay on BET International. It was the network's highest- rated ...

'', ''

The Ellen DeGeneres Show ''The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' (often shortened to ''Ellen'' or ''The Ellen Show'') is an American daytime television variety comedy talk show that was created and hosted by its namesake Ellen DeGeneres. Debuting on September 8, 2003, it was prod ...

'' and ''

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Jay Leno that first aired from May 25, 1992, to May 29, 2009. It resumed production on March 1, 2010 and ended on February 6, 2014. The fourth incarnation of the ...

''. "Need U Bad" was nominated in the 'Best Female R&B Vocal Performance' category at the

51st Grammy Awards The 51st Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, on February 8, 2009, honoring the best in music for the recording year beginning October 1, 2007, through September 30, 2008. Robert Plant and Alison Krauss were the b ...

Background

After meeting American rapper/singer and record producer

at the age of 13, Jazmine Sullivan and Elliott begun working on over thirty songs together. During 2006 and 2007, Sullivan spent a year recording a demo tape which included "Need U Bad". The demo tape resulted in Sullivan signing a recording deal with

J Records J Records was an American record label owned and operated by Bertelsmann Music Group until it was transferred to Sony Music Entertainment when they acquired all of BMG’s record labels in late 2008. It was distributed through the RCA Music Gro ...

. "Need U Bad" was chosen as Sullivan's debut single and the lead single from ''Fearless''. Sullivan revealed in an interview with music website, Urban Connectionz Online, that it made sense for her to release the song as her first single because of the connection and vibe between Missy Elliott and herself. The song was also chosen because of how different it was to songs on the radio at the time. Sullivan saw releasing a song with a

reggae fusion Reggae fusion is a genre of reggae that mixes reggae and/or dancehall with other genres, such as pop, rock, hip hop, R&B, jazz, funk, soul, disco, electronic and latin. Origin Although artists have been mixing reggae with other genres from as ...

vibe as a risk and that the risk would tie in with its parent album's title, ''Fearless''.

Reception

Critical reception

Michael Cragg of

musicOMH MusicOMH (stylized as musicOMH) is a London-based online music magazine which publishes independent reviews, features and interviews from across all genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B. History MusicOMH was founded and launched by ...

said that "Need U Bad" saw Sullivan "tackling reggae", further saying that the track was a highlight on ''

'' and as equally convincing as fellow album highlights " Lions, Tigers & Bears" and "Live a Lie". "Need U Bad" was also seen as an album highlight by Mark Edward Nero of

About.com Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, l ...

who described the song as a "Caribbean anthem". Andy Kellman from

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

deemed the track as "yearning/swaggering". Simon Vozick-Levinson of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' reviewed the song saying it had been greeted by "a public and critical rush of adulation." Vozick-Levinson went on to say that the "great tune" and "one of the catchiest singles getting airplay at the moment" is "an uncannily

Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. She is often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, as well as being one of the most influential musicians of her generation. ...

-y slice of

fied

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

." Jeff Harvey of

Okayplayer Okayplayer is an online hip-hop and alternative music website and community, described by ''Rolling Stone'' as a "tastemaker" and "an antidote to dull promotional Web sites used by most artists". The community was founded by The Roots' drummer ...

reviewed "Need U Bad" in relation to its similarity to the rest of the tracks on ''Fearless'', saying: "Fans of Sullivan's raw, reggae tinged single .. may be a little put off by the prestine production and pop sensibilities of much of her album, and indeed, it is far from The Miseducation of Jazmine Sullivan that hungry L-boogie fans may have unfairly hoped for." Joey Guerra of the ''

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With it ...

'' mentioned that "reggae-flavoured" "Need U Bad" is a sample of Sullivan's eclectic musical approach. While Todd Martens from the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' felt that the song sees Sullivan comfortably veering into glossy mainstream territory, saying it slides from easy-listening R&B to a more clubby reggae beat. "Need U Bad" ranked at number eight on ''

VIBE ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...

's'' 'Best Songs of '08' list. The song was nominated in the 'Best Female R&B Vocal Performance' category at the

, losing out to

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. A classically trained pianist, Keys started composing songs when she was 12 and was signed at 15 years old by Col ...

' "

Superwoman Superwoman is the name of several fictional characters from DC Comics. Most of them are, like Supergirl, women with powers similar to those of Superman, like flight, invulnerability, and enhanced strength. Detective Comics, Inc. trademarked the ...

Chart performance

In the United States, "Need U Bad" debuted at number seventy-three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on August 2, 2008. The single went on to peak at number thirty-seven and spend thirteen weeks on the chart, inevitably becoming her second most successful single on the Hot 100 behind "

Bust Your Windows "Bust Your Windows" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Jazmine Sullivan from her debut album '' Fearless''. The song was available as a digital download on Amazon in the U.S. on September 16, 2008. The song was then later released as ...

". The single is Sullivan's sole number one hit to-date, spending four weeks atop of the

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 p ...

chart, and spending a total of thirty-four weeks on the chart altogether. "Need U Bad" is also Sullivan's only single to chart on the

Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009. It ranked songs based on airplay on Mainstream Top 40 radio stations, singles s ...

where it peaked at number eighty-three.

Music video

"Need U Bad" was accompanied by a music video directed by American photographer, Jonathan Mannion and costume designed by

June Ambrose June Ambrose (born 5 June 1971) is an Antiguan-born American stylist, costume designer, author, creative director, influencer, and TV host. She is currently the creative director of women's basketball for Puma (brand). Ambrose is best known for s ...

Mannion's previous music video work includes The Game's "

It's Okay (One Blood) "It's Okay (One Blood)" is a song by American rapper and West Coast hip hop artist The Game featuring vocals from reggae singer Junior Reid, from his second studio album Doctor's Advocate. Released as the album's lead single on July 24, 2006, ...

" (2006), and

J. Holiday Nahum Thorton Grymes (born November 29, 1981), better known by his stage name J. Holiday, is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. He came into prominence in 2007 with his breakthrough hit "Bed", peaking at number five on the US ''Billboar ...

's "

Bed A bed is an item of furniture that is used as a place to sleep, rest, and relax. Most modern beds consist of a soft, cushioned mattress on a bed frame. The mattress rests either on a solid base, often wood slats, or a sprung base. Many beds ...

" (2007). The video was shot on June 16, 2008, and later released on July 7, 2008. It features a cameo appearance from Missy Elliott. The video topped

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...

's ''

'' video countdown show and reached number two on

AOL Music AOL (stylized as Aol., formerly a company known as AOL Inc. and originally known as America Online) is an American web portal and online service provider based in New York City. It is a brand marketed by the current incarnation of Yahoo! Inc. ...

. It also ranked at number fourteen on BET's 'Notarized 2008' Top 100 video countdown. Urban Review stated that they were really liking the music video. They felt that it adds well to the slightly 'Old School' vibe that the song already has. The blog further noted: "It obviously has broken the bank, but it's not particularly necessary when the song speaks for itself."

Track listings

;U.S CD Single #"Need U Bad" (Radio Edit) – 4:00 #"Need U Bad" (No Patois Version) – 3:45 #"Need U Bad" (Instrumental) – 4:28 #"Need U Bad" (Call Out Hook) – 0:17 ;U.S. Digital Download / 7" #"Need U Bad" (Album Version) – 4:17 ;U.S. 12" #"Need U Bad" (Main Mix) – 4:12 #"Need U Bad" (Instrumental Version) – 4:19 ;UK 7" #"Need U Bad" (Main Mix) – 4:12 #"Need U Bad" (

Moody Boyz The Moody Boys or Moody Boyz are Tony Thorpe's UK-based record production and remix outfit, active since 1988. The Moody Boys were closely linked with The KLF - and in particular with KLF member Jimmy Cauty - until the KLF's retirement in 1992, ...

Remix) – 4:50

Remix

The official remix features rapper T.I., additional vocals by Missy Elliott, and a new verse by Sullivan, the remix is exclusively on the website

Rhapsody Rhapsody may refer to: * A work of epic poetry, or part of one, that is suitable for recitation at one time ** Rhapsode, a classical Greek professional performer of epic poetry Computer software * Rhapsody (online music service), an online m ...

as a digital download and as a bonus track on the international edition of the album.

Credits and personnel

Songwriting A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

–

, Cainon Lamb, Taurian Osbourne, Nicholas Stanton,

Production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

– Missy Elliott, Cainon Lamb * Recording and engineering – Missy Elliott, Paul J. Falcone *Additional vocals –

, Missy Elliott * Mixing –

Manny Marroquin Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is an American mixing engineer.Daley, Dan (May 2005).Manny Marroquin. ''Sound on Sound''. Retrieved February 10, 2007 He has received ten Grammy awards for his professional audio work. Life and career M ...

, Christian Plata Source:

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Radio and release history

Radio adds

Release history

References

{{authority control Jazmine Sullivan songs Songs written by Jazmine Sullivan 2008 songs American reggae songs Reggae fusion songs Songs written by Missy Elliott 2008 debut singles Songs written by Cainon Lamb J Records singles Arista Records singles