"Back Then" is a song by American rapper Mike Jones, released in February 15, 2005 as the second single from his debut studio album '' Who Is Mike Jones?''. Peaking at number 22 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the single gave him his first and only top 40 hit on that chart as a solo artist, as well as success 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 stati ...

and

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 ...

charts at numbers 6 and 15 respectively. A music video directed by Dr. Teeth was made for the single.

Song information

The song deals with the popularity and sexual attention rappers receive because of their money, contrasts, and the way Jones was treated before achieving success. The song is sometimes seen as a critique of effects of fame or

hypergamy Hypergamy (colloquially referred to as "marrying up") is a term used in social science for the act or practice of a person marrying a spouse of higher caste or social status than themselves. The antonym "hypogamy" refers to the inverse: marryin ...

; conversely, it is often considered to present a misogynistic or chauvinistic attitude toward women. The following line, which is repeated many times during the song, sums up the general attitude of the lyrics: "''Back then hoes didn't want me / Now I'm hot hoes all on me.''" The song talks about Jones' life before fame, getting constant rejection from women he wanted to get attention from and giving them the same treatment now that he's a successful rapper. The song is featured in the 2007 Xbox 360 video game '' Def Jam: Icon''. Mike Jones is a playable character in the video game and provides his own voice and likeness.

Commercial performance

The single became Jones' most successful single to date, peaking at number 22 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The single became a success on both the

and

charts where it peaked at #6 and 15 respectively, while becoming a moderate hit on the

Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009. It ranked songs based on airplay on Mainstream Top 40 radio stations, singles sa ...

chart where it peaked at number 45. The song was also a moderate success on the

Hot Digital Songs The Digital Songs or Digital Song Sales chart (previously named Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by ''Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally starte ...

chart, where it peaked at number 26 and eventually went

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...

, becoming Jones' second platinum single.

Music video

Directed by Dr. Teeth (who directed most of Mike Jones' videos), the video looks at Mike Jones's life before he was famous, getting shut down by every woman he met and tried to get attention from, and how he reacts to those same women who passed him up only for them to be given the same treatment they gave to him. The video is bookended with a club concert that has fans saying his catchphrase, "Who? Mike Jones!" DJ Michael "5000" Watts makes a cameo appearance.

Track listing

;UK 12" #"Back Then" (Radio Version) – 4:05 #"Back Then" (Instrumental) – 4:05 #"Back Then" (Album Version) – 4:04 ;US 12" #"Back Then" (Radio Version) – 4:05 #"Back Then" (Instrumental) – 4:05 #"Back Then" (Album Version) – 4:04

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2004 songs 2005 singles Mike Jones (rapper) songs Songs written by Mike Jones (rapper) Songs about Texas