"Treat 'Em Right" is a 1991 song by rapper

Chubb Rock Richard Simpson, also known as Chubb Rock (born May 28, 1968 in Brooklyn, New York) is a New York-based rapper who released several successful hip hop albums in the late 1980s and early 1990s. A National Merit Scholar, Chubb Rock dropped out ...

. The song samples "There Was a Time" by Dee Felice Trio and "Love Thang" by First Choice. The song was originally released on the '' Treat 'Em Right'' EP released in late 1990, which charted at No. 73 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and No. 22 on the

R&B Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...

. The song was then included on the Chubb Rock album

The One The ONE is a shopping centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is built on the site of the former Tung Ying Building at 100 Nathan Road. It was developed by Chinese Estates Holdings and opened in 2010. Owner Joseph Lau Luen-hung g ...

and then was released as the album's lead single, becoming a transatlantic hit, charting at No. 67 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and No. 95 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, No. 33 on the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks 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 ...

, No. 32 on the

Dance Music/Club Play Singles Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...

, No. 11 on the

Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales In the issue dated March 16, 1985, ''Billboard'' magazine debuted its first chart devoted exclusively to 12-inch Singles Sales. The 50-position weekly ranking joined ''Billboard''s established Club Songs chart, reduced to the same 50 positions, ...

and No. 1 on the

Hot Rap Singles 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 stati ...

, where it spent three weeks at the top of the chart in March 1991 and was the first of four No. 1s on that chart, ending up at the top of the end-of-year Hot Rap Singles. In addition, the song was voted at No. 82 on VH1's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs.

Critical reception

Steve 'Flash' Juon of RapReviews.com said that the song "bridged the gap between boom bap and new jack beautifully. An uptempo booming bass background met with swing, married it, and produced a top ten hit as its offspring", adding that "his skillful rap lyrics were tinged with a sense of humility almost out of proportion to the star he was", that "the pulsating beat and message pulled party people out onto the dancefloor" and that "after a long synthesizer breakdown, you almost think the song is over, then all of a sudden Chubb crashes through your wall Kool-Aid style with one more dope verse that ends with "just treat me right, peace.""

Use in popular culture

*The song was sampled by

K'naan Keinan Abdi Warsame (born 1 February 1978) ( so, Keynaan Cabdi Warsame, ar, كَينَان عَبدِ وَرسَمَ ''Kaynān ʿAbdi Warsama''), better known by his stage name K'naan (), is a Somali Canadians, Somali-Canadian musician. He ...

in his 2010 debut single " ABCs" on which Rock features. David Jeffries of

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 ...

said that the song "presents Africa as a land of different priorities, where survival trumps education and "nobody fat enough for lipo." The long lost Chubb Rock appearance is just one of the stunning choices for guests". *

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

samples this song for the "Treat 'Em Right Remix" of "

Just Fine "Just Fine" is a song by the American singer Mary J. Blige. It was written by Blige, Terius "The-Dream" Nash, Jazze Pha and Tricky Stewart for her eighth studio album, ''Growing Pains'' (2007), while production was helmed by Pha and Stewart. It ...

" which features a verse from

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...

. * Girl Talk samples the song on his 2010 mashup album '' All Day''. *

Vanilla Ice Robert Matthew Van Winkle (born October 31, 1967), known professionally as Vanilla Ice, is an American rapper, actor, and television host. Born in South Dallas, and raised in Texas and South Florida, Ice released his debut album, ''Hooked'', ...

covered the song for his critically vilified covers album ''

Vanilla Ice Is Back! ''Vanilla Ice Is Back!'' is a cover album by the rapper Vanilla Ice. Released in 2008 by Cleopatra Records, it is a cover album containing covers of several popular hip hop tracks, as well as one reggae selection: "Buffalo Soldier", originally pe ...

''. *This song is frequently used as a compilation album closer: ** The Hip Hop Box uses it to close its second disc (out of four). **

DJ Jazzy Jeff Jeffrey Allen Townes (born January 22, 1965), known professionally as DJ Jazzy Jeff (or simply Jazz), is an American disc jockey (DJ) and music producer. He was a member of DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince with Will Smith. He is credited, alo ...

also uses it to close disc two of his 2006 compilation album ''

Hip-Hop Forever III ''Hip-Hop Forever III'' is the third compilation album in the "Hip-Hop Forever" series by DJ Jazzy Jeff, an American hip hop producer. The mix is available with or without an accompanying unmixed disc containing the same tracks. Track listing ...

''; he also uses it to close the album because it contains two discs. ** DJ Spinbad uses it to close his 2004 compilation album ''

FabricLive.14 ''FabricLive.14'' is a DJ mix compilation album by DJ Spinbad, as part of the FabricLive Mix Series. Track listing # DJ Spinbad – Intro # Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz – Déjà Vu (Uptown Baby) – ''Sony'' # Nas – Halftime (Album Version) ...

'', which was described by Matt Whalley of

as "a party in a can". **The song features in '' Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare'' and is included on the soundtrack. On this compilation album, the songs are in the order they are heard in the film and thus "Treat 'Em Right" does not close it.

References

{{reflist

* We Got Our Own Thang 1991 singles 1991 songs American hip hop songs

Critical reception

Use in popular culture

References

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