"Get Busy" is a dancehall song by Jamaican

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

toaster A toaster is a small electric appliance that uses radiant heat to brown sliced bread into toast. Types Pop-up toaster In pop-up or automatic toasters, a single vertical piece of bread is dropped into a slot on the top of the toaste ...

Sean Paul, from his album ''

Dutty Rock ''Dutty Rock'' ( West Indian patois for "dirty rock") is the second studio album by Jamaican reggae/dancehall artist Sean Paul. Released on 12 November 2002, it features four top 15 ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hits , "Gimme the Light", " Get Busy", ...

''. The song was one of the many hits from the jumpy

handclap A clap is the percussive sound made by striking together two flat surfaces, as in the body parts of humans or animals. Humans clap with the palms of their hands, often quickly and repeatedly to express appreciation or approval (see applause), ...

riddim Riddim is the Jamaican Patois pronunciation of the English word "rhythm". In the context of reggae and dancehall, it refers to the instrumental accompaniment to a song and is synonymous with the rhythm section. Jamaican music genres that use the ...

known as the Diwali Riddim, produced by then-newcomer Steven Marsden, and was the only song that never made the "Diwali" rhythm album on

Greensleeves Records Greensleeves Records & Publishing, shortened to ''Greensleeves Records'', is a record label specializing in dancehall and reggae music. The company was founded by Chris Cracknell and Chris Sedgwick. Based in Britain, Greensleeves Records sta ...

as it was more than likely a late entry. Paul described it as "mainly a party song. It's not all about smoking weed". "Get Busy" topped the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for three weeks in May 2003 and also reached number one in Italy and the Netherlands, becoming a top-10 hit in an additional 11 countries. It was performed live on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...

'' in May 2003.

Composition

"Get Busy" is written in the key of

F minor F minor is a minor scale based on F, consisting of the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature consists of four flats. Its relative major is A-flat major and its parallel major is F major. Its enharmonic equivalent, E-sharp mi ...

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note val ...

with a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...

of 100 beats per minute. The song follows a chord progression of Fm−A–G–G.

Remix

The official remix, "Get Busy (Clap Your Hands Now Remix)", features rapper

Fatman Scoop Isaac Freeman III (born August 6, 1971), better known by his stage name Fatman Scoop, is an American rapper, promoter and radio personality famed for his on-stage rough, raw loud voice. He is known for the song " Be Faithful", which topped the c ...

and the Crooklyn Clan, the remix uses the instrumental of Sean Paul's previous single, "

Gimme the Light "Gimme the Light" is the first single from Jamaican dancehall musician Sean Paul's second studio album, ''Dutty Rock'' (2002). The song was originally released in Jamaica in 2001 as "Give Me the Light" and was issued internationally in 2002. ...

", on the near end of the song.

Music video

The video for "Get Busy" (directed by

Little X Julien Christian Lutz (born October 31, 1975), known professionally as Director X, is a Canadian filmmaker, commercial director, music video director, and television director. Having directed more than 100 music videos, he is widely known as a pr ...

) was shot in

Woodbridge, Ontario Woodbridge is a very large suburban community in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, along the city's border with Toronto. It occupies the city's entire southwest quadrant, west of Highway 400, east of Highway 50, north of Steeles Avenue, and generally s ...

, and released in February 2003. The video was also nominated for two MTV Video Music Awards for Best Dance Video and Best New Artist in 2003. The video shows people dancing to the song at a basement house party, with some partygoers banging on duct pipes until the homeowner comes down to warn them to stop the banging. At the end of the video Paul's brother Jason introduces a song, noting it as a brand new single, and Paul then sings part of "

Like Glue "Like Glue" is a song by Jamaican dancehall artist Sean Paul, from his second album '' Dutty Rock'' (2002). The song was produced by Tony "CD" Kelly, and written by Kelly and Sean Paul. Lyrics from "Like Glue" were originally the intro to "Gimme ...

". Shortly into the second song, renewed banging on the pipes leads the homeowner to come back down to the basement and declare the party over.

Kardinal Offishall Jason Drew Harrow (born May 11, 1976), better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall (), is a Canadian rapper, record producer, DJ, and record executive. Often credited as Canada's " hip hop ambassador", he is regarded as one of the countr ...

makes a cameo appearance in the video.

In popular culture

The song was used in the ''DANCE! Online'' online game, and in the game '' Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 2''. The song's remix was played in the club scene of the 2003 film ''

Grind A blade's grind is its cross-sectional shape in a plane normal to the edge. Grind differs from blade profile, which is the blade's cross-sectional shape in the plane containing the blade's edge and the centre contour of the blade's back ( ...

''. The song also briefly appeared in the season two episode of ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American crime drama television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The Wire'' premiered on June 2 ...

'', '' Hot Shots''. The song was used in '' DJ Hero 2''. The song was featured in a scene from the 2004 film '' Chasing Liberty''. An acoustic version of the song appeared on season 2 of ''

The Office ''The Office'' is a mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, first made in the United Kingdom, then Germany, and subsequently the United States. It has since been remade in ten other countries. The original series o ...

''. The song was also played in a dance scene in the film '' Baby Mama''. The song also featured in a scene in the season two episode of '' Bad Education''. It was used in the first trailer for the 2015 DreamWorks film '' Home.''

Track listings

CD single # "Get Busy" – 3:32 # "Get Busy" brighter daysRiddim – 3:20 CD maxi – Europe # "Get Busy" (album version) – 3:32 # "Get Busy" (Diwali Riddim instrumental) – 3:20 # "

" (2Step Moabit Relick remix) – 5:53 # "Gimme the Light" (Nappy Doggout remix) – 3:50 CD maxi – U.S. # "Get Busy" (album version) – 3:31 # "Get Busy" (instrumental) – 3:20 # "Get Busy" (a cappella) – 3:43 # "Get Busy" (video) – 4:27 12-inch maxi – UK # "Get Busy" (album version) – 3:31 # "Get Busy" (instrumental) – 3:20 # "Get Busy" (a cappella) – 3:43 12-inch maxi – Germany # "Get Busy" (album version) – 3:31 # "Get Busy" (Diwali Riddim instrumental) – 3:20 # "

" (2Step Moabit Relick remix) – 3:53 # "Gimme the Light" (2Step Moabit Relick instrumental) – 3:53 # "

" (album version) – 3:53 # "Like Glue" (instrumental) – 4:01

Personnel

* Written by Steven Marsden and Sean Paul Henriques * Mastered by Paul Shields * Executive producers: Christopher Chin, Jeremy Harding, Murray Elias, and Sean Paul Henriques * Produced by Steven "Lenky" Marsden * Photography by William Richards * Artwork by Floodzone Design

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2003 singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Dutch Top 40 number-one singles Number-one singles in Italy Sean Paul songs Music videos directed by Director X Songs written by Sean Paul Songs written by Steven "Lenky" Marsden Song recordings produced by Steven "Lenky" Marsden Atlantic Records singles