"Otherside of the Game" is a song recorded by American singer

Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu (), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Influenced by rhythm and blues, R&B, Soul music, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the ...

for her debut studio album ''

Baduizm ''Baduizm'' is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Erykah Badu. It was released on February 11, 1997, by Kedar Records and Universal Records. After leaving university in order to concentrate on music full-time, Badu then began ...

'' (1997). It was written by Badu,

Questlove Ahmir Khalib Thompson (born January 20, 1971), known professionally as Questlove (stylized as ), is an American musician, record producer, disc jockey, filmmaker, music journalist, and actor. He is the drummer and joint frontman (with Black Thou ...

James Poyser James Jason Poyser is an American songwriter, record producer, musician and current member of the hip hop band The Roots. Poyser has written and produced songs for various legendary and award-winning artists such as Erykah Badu, Mariah Carey, ...

and Richard Nichols. The song effectively showcases Badu's debt to

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

aside from

neo soul Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from soul and contempo ...

. It is a

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

with lyrics describing the story of a conflicted woman in a troubled relationship. She is expecting a baby with her husband, so she feels she must stand by him despite his apparently illegal activities.

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc., which later became part of Universal Music Group. Pre-history MCA Inc., a powerful talent agency and a television production company, entered the recorded music business in 1962 wit ...

released the song as the third single from ''Baduizm'' in Japan on September 22, 1997.

Commercial performance

"Otherside of the Game" was commercially released only in Japan, where it did not manage to chart. In the United States, the song was serviced to

urban contemporary radio Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, hip hop, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contem ...

but was not released physically. Due to ''

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 ...

''s rules at the time not allowing airplay-only singles to enter the main charts, the song was only eligible for airplay charts. It peaked at number 14 on the US

R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (previously known as Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay) is a chart published by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks the top R&B and hip hop songs in the United States, based on audience impressions from a panel of radio stations monitored ...

chart, spending a total of 20 weeks on the chart.

Music video

The accompanying

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 ...

for "Otherside of the Game" starts with the title "a story by Erykah Badu", like its predecessor "

Next Lifetime "Next Lifetime" is a song recorded by American singer Erykah Badu for her debut studio album ''Baduizm'' (1997). It was written by Badu and Anthony Scott. A mid-tempo ballad, the song describes being in a relationship but longing for another man. ...

". It then shows Badu waking up her husband, played by her then-boyfriend

André 3000 André Lauren Benjamin (born May 27, 1975), better known as André 3000, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is best known for being a part of southern hip hop duo Outkast alongside fellow rapper Big Boi. B ...

, as the two are being playful, affectionate, and loving towards each other. As the couple lounge around the house, Badu glances through a kitchen window and notices a

police car A police car (also called a police cruiser, police interceptor, patrol car, area car, cop car, prowl car, squad car, radio car, or radio motor patrol) is a ground vehicle used by police and law enforcement for transportation during patrols a ...

parked outside. Moments later, André answers the door and a pair of cops greet him, dropping off an envelope filled with money, likely from illegal activities. As the couple counts the cash, André receives a message on his pager and quickly gathers his things and leaves the home. Badu sits on her bed, concerned and frustrated.

Track listings and formats

US 12-inch vinyl # "Otherside of the Game" (album version) – 6:35 # "Otherside of the Game" (a cappella) – 6:35 # "Otherside of the Game" (instrumental) – 6:35 Japanese maxi CD single # "Otherside of the Game" (radio edit) – 4:15 # "Otherside of the Game" (instrumental) – 6:35 # "Otherside of the Game" (a cappella) – 6:35

Charts

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Otherside of the Game (Erykah Badu song) 1997 singles Erykah Badu songs Songs written by Erykah Badu Songs written by James Poyser Soul ballads Songs about crime 1990s ballads