"Superthug" is a 1998 song by American rapper Noreaga with background vocals from Tammy Lucas during the song's hook. It was released as the second single from his debut solo album, ''

N.O.R.E. Victor James Santiago Jr. (born September 6, 1977), better known by his stage name, stage names N.O.R.E. (an acronym for Nigga On the Run Eating) and Noreaga, is an American rapper, singer and podcaster. Santiago first rose to prominence as one ...

''. At the time, it became Noreaga's highest charting and most successful single, peaking at No. 36 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and reaching No. 1 on the

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 ...

chart. However it was later surpassed by his 2002 single "Nothin'" which peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. Along with

Mase Mason Durell Betha (born August 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Mase (often stylized as Ma$e), is an American rapper. Best known for his work with Sean Combs, Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs' Bad Boy Records, he signed with the label in 1996 ...

's " Lookin' at Me", the single was one of the first high-profile productions done by

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

production team

the Neptunes The Neptunes were an American record production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provided backing vocals and music video appearances on the duo's productions, while H ...

. It made the Neptunes well known and sought after producers in the music industry, and in the first decade of the 21st century they would become one of the most successful production teams in music history, being named the ''

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 advertis ...

'' magazine Producer of the Decade for the 2000s. "Superthug" would later be sampled on

Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson (born May 16, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and dancer. She is noted for her innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows. Her sound and choreogr ...

's "Ruff (I Like It)", recorded for her '' Damita Jo'' album which failed to make the cut, although a snippet was leaked to the Internet in 2010. Jackson also considered including the song on her ''

Discipline Discipline is the self-control that is gained by requiring that rules or orders be obeyed, and the ability to keep working at something that is difficult. Disciplinarians believe that such self-control is of the utmost importance and enforce a ...

'' album.

Background and recording

Noreaga first met

The Neptunes The Neptunes were an American record production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provided backing vocals and music video appearances on the duo's productions, while H ...

at Sound on Sound Studios whilst recording material for his debut studio album ''

'' (1998). After playing Noreaga two instrumentals,

Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo ...

gave him a third – the instrumental which eventually became "Superthug" – and told him not to listen to it until he had travelled to Miami. Noreaga duly listened to it for the first time at The Kent Hotel in Miami, and later told ''Billboard'' that "mentally, my dick got hard" to hear an instrumental prepared specifically for him. Noreaga wrote his vocals and performed them to Williams, who then booked him a session at Right Track Recordings in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, where the song was recorded. The repeated refrain of "what what" was originally recorded by Noreaga as a placeholder vocal, as he did not yet have a chorus prepared. However, Williams decided to keep the "what what" refrain in the final mix as he liked how it sounded; after Noreaga expressed fears that people would laugh at him for using that chorus, Pharrell quipped that they would be laughing "all the way to the bank".

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Compilation appearances

*'' All That "Hip Hop" (2005) *'' Piece by Piece (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2024)''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Superthug 1998 singles 1998 songs N.O.R.E. songs Song recordings produced by the Neptunes Tommy Boy Records singles Songs written by N.O.R.E. Songs written by Pharrell Williams Songs written by Chad Hugo