"New York" is a song by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

hip hop recording artist

Ja Rule Jeffrey Bruce Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule (), is an American rapper and actor. Born and raised in New York City, he debuted in 1999 with '' Venni Vetti Vecci'' and its lead single " Holla Holla". Dur ...

, released October 27, 2004 as the second single from his sixth studio album ''

R.U.L.E. ''R.U.L.E.'' is the sixth studio album by American rapper Ja Rule; it was released on November 9, 2004, by The Inc. and Island Def Jam Music Group. The album debuted at number 7 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling 165,000 units in its ...

'' (2004). The track, produced by

Cool & Dre Cool & Dre are a record production and songwriting duo from North Miami, Florida, consisting of Marcello "Cool" Antonio Valenzano and Andre "Dre" Christopher Lyon. The duo are best known for their work with Terror Squad founder Fat Joe, first ...

, features fellow New York

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

Fat Joe Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper from New York City. He began his music career as a member of hip hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.), then forged a sol ...

and

Jadakiss Jason Terrance Phillips (born May 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Jadakiss, is an American rapper from Yonkers, New York. He began his career in the 1990s as a member of the rap trio The Lox, managed by Ruff Ryders and signed with B ...

. The song's

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

is based on

Boogie Down Productions Boogie Down Productions (BDP) was an American hip hop group originally composed of KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. DJ Scott La Rock was murdered on August 27, 1987, five months after the release of BDP's debut album, '' Criminal Minde ...

' 1990 song, "100 Guns". The music video was directed in

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 ...

, and features cameo appearances by many local artists. The song peaked at number 27 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, number 14 on US

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 number 10 on

Hot Rap Songs Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by '' Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stat ...

charts respectively.

Background

produced the track for rapper

, who initially turned it down. Jadakiss was said to be interested in the track; however, Ja Rule grabbed it almost immediately. When Irv Gotti learned of the history behind who was to have the track, he mentioned it to Ja Rule, and then they offered for both Fat Joe and Jadakiss to be featured on the track. The song contains a sample of Nkalakatha by Mandoza. Though not credited on the songs credit the song is a slowed down Mandoza's produced by Gabbie Lerroux. The song, or at least Ja Rule's verse, is considered a subliminal

diss track A diss track, diss record or diss song (diss – abbr. from ''disrespect'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feud between the ...

aimed at

gangster rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, emerged in the mid- to late 1980s as a controversial hip-hop subgenre whose lyrics assert the culture and values typical of American street gangs and street hustlers. Many gangsta rappe ...

per

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

and his group

G-Unit G-Unit (short for Guerilla Unit) was an American hip hop group formed by longtime friends and East Coast rappers 50 Cent, Tony Yayo, and Lloyd Banks. After amassing a string of self-released mixtapes in the early 2000s, the group released t ...

. In the song Rule raps: ''Apprentice you're fired, you're no longer desired/So take off them silly chains, put back on your wire/I'm on fire''.

later attacked Fat Joe and Jadakiss for being a part of the song in his 2005 song "

Piggy Bank Piggy bank (sometimes penny bank or money box) is the traditional name of a coin container normally used by children. The piggy bank is known to collectors as a "still bank" as opposed to the " mechanical banks" popular in the early 20th centu ...

". There is a sequel to the song, "New York Is Back" on DJ Khaled's album, ''

We the Best ''We the Best'' is the second studio album by Miami-based DJ and Terror Squad member DJ Khaled. It was released on June 12, 2007, by Terror Squad Entertainment, distributed by Koch Records. DJ Khaled alongside fellow rapper Fat Joe and coll ...

'' (2007). The song also features an official music video with numerous cameo appearances including Remy Ma, Jennifer Lopez, N.O.R.E., Styles P, Jim Jones, DJ Clue, Irv Gotti, Angie Martinez and more.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control 2004 singles Ja Rule songs Fat Joe songs Jadakiss songs Songs written by Ja Rule Songs about New York City Song recordings produced by Cool & Dre Gangsta rap songs Songs written by Fat Joe 2004 songs Def Jam Recordings singles Songs written by Jadakiss Diss tracks Songs written by Cool (record producer) Songs written by KRS-One Songs written by Dre (record producer)