"Take That" is the debut single 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 ...

R&B singer,

Torrey Carter Torrey Carter (nicknamed T.C.) (born April 15, 1980) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer. He gained popularity after signing to Missy Elliott's The Goldmind Inc. as the first male artist under the label. There, he began recording for hi ...

. It features guest vocals by Carter's former mentor

Missy "Misdemeanor" 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 ...

and was released as the lead single from Carter's unreleased debut album, ''

The Life I Live ''The Life I Live'' is the 2000 debut solo album by American R&B singer, Torrey Carter. The album was led by the top 20 R&B hit, "Take That (Torrey Carter song), Take That" (featuring Missy Elliott); the album also listed "If It's Money That You W ...

'' (2000).

Background

Shortly after performing for

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 ...

in 1998 in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

's Greenwich Village,

landed a contract deal with Elliott's label The Goldmind and became the first male artist to sign to the label. Carter began work on his debut ''

'' in 1999 and was able to release "Take That" as the debut's lead single the following year. While the song became a minor hit on the ''Billboard'' R&B/Hip-Hop charts,

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...

disapproved of its urban charting performance and had "hoped" for more stronger pop-oriented success on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Displeased, Elektra shelved Carter's debut album and dropped him from their roster.Newman, Melinda. "Majors Re-Evaluate Artist-Imprint Labels." ''

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 ...

''. December 1, 2001: 1, 100. Print. In a late 2001 interview with ''

'',

stated that she was disappointed in Elektra for shelving Carter. Elliott noted that sometimes there would be disputes between her and Elektra due to the complications surrounding promotion for her brand of artists under her label The Goldmind Inc. Elliott added that it was very conflicting because she had her artists and Elektra had theirs; thus "Elektra

f course F, or f, is the sixth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ef'' (pronounced ), and the plural is ''efs''. Hist ...

had to put their artists "forth first."

Music video

A Nzingha Stewart-directed music video for the single premiered in early May 2000 on

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 ...

.Hall, Rashaun. "Gold Mind's Torrey Carter Sings of 'The Life I Live' on Debut Set." ''

''. July 1, 2000: 21. Print. The video takes place in an underground sewer and begins with

sitting on a floating car seat while rapping her adlibs. Next,

is seen driving a

Jeep Jeep is an American automobile marque, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, from its previous owner American Moto ...

from two differing angles; one being from the driver side, the other being the passenger side. Carter is then shown singing more of his verses while dancing with accompanying female dancers dressed in glittered jumpsuits. Missy Elliott is later shown in the latter of the video with Timbaland in a convertible.

Track listings and formats

; CD single # "Take That" (Amended Version) # "Take That" (Instrumental) # "Floss Ya Jewels" (Snippet) # "Shotgun" (Snippet) # "If It's Money That You Want" (Snippet) ; 12" Vinyl # "Take That" (Original Version) # "Take That" (Amended Version) # "Take That" (Instrumental) # "Take That" (Acapella) # "If It's Money That You Want" (Snippet)

Chart performance

References

{{Missy Elliott singles 2000 singles 2000 songs Missy Elliott songs Songs written by Missy Elliott Elektra Records singles East West Records singles