"Superwoman Pt. II" is a song by American recording artist

Lil' Mo Cynthia Karen Loving (born November 19, 1978), known professionally as Lil' Mo, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, television and radio personality. She is best known for her 2001 single " Superwoman Pt. II", featuring then-unknown rapper ...

from her debut album, ''

Based on a True Story Based on a True Story may refer to: Albums * ''Based on a T.R.U. Story'', by 2 Chainz, 2012 * '' Based on a True Story...'', by Blake Shelton, 2013 * ''Based on a True Story'' (The Del-Lords album), 1988 * ''Based on a True Story'' (Fat Freddy's ...

'' (2001). The song features the debut appearance by then-unknown

Fabolous John David Jackson (born November 18, 1977), better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper. Raised in Brooklyn, he first gained recognition while still a senior in high school, when he performed live on American music executive ...

and remixed production by hip-hop producers

DJ Clue Ernesto Shaw (born January 8, 1975), better known as DJ Clue, is an American disc jockey (DJ), record producer, radio personality and record executive. Early life DJ Clue was born in Queens, New York City to Panamanian and Jamaican immigran ...

and Ken "Duro" Ifill. To date, "Superwoman Pt. II" remains as Lil' Mo's most successful single to date as a leading artist.

Background and meaning

Originally, the song was released as the Brian Michael Cox–produced "Superwoman, Pt. I" in February 2001 to generally mixed reviews.Taylor, Chuck. "Reviews & Previews: Singles > R&B." ''

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 ...

''. February 17, 2001: 22. Print. However, because the "Pt. 1" version failed to attain successful radio airplay,

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 ...

had no other choice but to push Lil' Mo's debut album back to a later release in 2001.Seymour, Craig. "Shorty Hard Rock." ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...

''. August 2001: 127. Print. Upset, Lil' Mo tried to convince Elektra that "Superwoman" would be a smash hit; to prove it, Mo contacted

to remix the "Superwoman" track with a beat that he was holding for rap duo

M.O.P. M.O.P. (short for Mash Out Posse) is an American hip hop duo composed of East Coast rappers Billy Danze and Lil' Fame. The song " Ante Up", was released on their ''Warriorz'' album in 2000. The group has frequently collaborated with DJ Premi ...

At first Clue was not in support of the idea, but when he loved the results, he premiered it on

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Hot 97 WQHT (97.1 FM, ''Hot 97'') is a commercial radio station, licensed to New York, New York, which broadcasts an urban contemporary music format. The station is owned by Mediaco Holding and operated by Emmis Communications under a shared service ...

radio show. Following its premiere, the song began to circulate on numerous mixtapes and began to chart on ''

''; however because ''Billboard'' prohibited remixes from charting, Mo had to convince Elektra to re-release the single in an alternate title, now famously known as "Superwoman, Pt. II." When interviewed on the song's meaning, Lil' Mo identified the song as being an "anti-chicken head" anthem, and explained that the concept behind it was to inform guys that she was independent, but at the same time, needed "that shoulder to lean on."

Recording and composition

During a two-hour studio session, Lil' Mo recorded the "Superwoman" vocals at Enterprise Studios in

North Hollywood, Los Angeles North Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, the El Portal Theatre, several art galleries, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. The North ...

. Additionally, Mo had to beatbox the infamous stuttering "da-da-da-da-da" beat to her production team since they were not understanding her vision. Since she was in Los Angeles, Mo had a deadline to transfer her vocals via a CD to give to DJ Clue at a New York airline. Within that deadline, a relative of Mo's requested her to feature "the mixtape rapper who spells his name," unquestionably known as Fabolous. Mo would then contact Clue to see if it was possible to feature the rapper, and within a three-day span, Clue added the rapper to the record. Fabolous at the time was shocked of Lil' Mo's decision to feature him since Mo had worked with other well-known rappers like

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

and

Ja Rule Jeffrey Bruce Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule (), is an American rapper and actor. Born and raised in New York City, he debuted in 1999 with ''Venni Vetti Vecci'' and its lead single "Holla Holla". Durin ...

. While the original 'Part 1' version featured a mid-tempo sample of

Graham Nash Graham William Nash (born 2 February 1942) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, photographer, and activist. He is known for his light tenor voice and for his contributions as a member of the Hollies and the supergroups Crosby, Stills ...

's 1970 record "

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," the 'Part 2' version was set in the key of F-sharp minor and featured a "crazy beat" backed up by a heavy bass.

Music video

A music video for the single was directed by Chris Robinson and premiered in early March 2001. It begins with Lil' Mo dancing to the song's beat in the dark with glowing blue lights, while Fabolous begins rapping his first verse in a diner. The video then cuts to Lil' Mo working as a waitress in the diner where she spots her love interest (portrayed by

Jensen Atwood Jensen Atwood (born August 25, 1976) is an American actor from South Central, Los Angeles. Atwood is best known for roles in television productions such as '' Oprah Winfrey Presents: Their Eyes Were Watching God'', ''Noah's Arc'', and SISTERS t ...

) exiting to attend a county fair. Mo is later seen exiting the diner and saving a civilian from a purse robbery. The latter of the video then shows Mo in her infamous blue braids while playing at a bowling alley to gain the affection of her love interest.

Track listings and formats

;European CD single # "Superwoman Pt. II" (Soul Society Remix) (featuring

) — 4:02 # "Superwoman Pt. II" (Amended Version without Rap) — 3:23 # "Superwoman Pt. II" (Album Version w/ Rap) (featuring

) — 4:26 # "Superwoman Pt. II" (Amended Version) — 3:54 ;UK CD single # "Superwoman" (Amended Version - No Rap) — 3:28 # "Superwoman Pt. II" (Remix) (Amended Version with Rap) (Edit) (featuring

) — 4:00 # "Superwoman Pt. II" (Remix) (Instrumental) — 4:23 ;US 12" vinyl # "Superwoman" (Album Version) # "Superwoman" (Instrumental) # "Superwoman" (Acapella) # "Superwoman Pt. II Remix" (Album Version w/ Rap) (featuring

) # "Superwoman Pt. II Remix" (Instrumental) # "Superwoman Pt. II Remix" (Acappella) ;US CD single # "Superwoman Part I" (Amended Version w/ Rap) — 3:58 # "Superwoman" (Instrumental) — 3:55 # "Superwoman Part II" (Amended Version w/ Rap) (featuring

) — 4:29 # "Superwoman" (Instrumental) — 4:23

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Fabolous 2001 singles 2001 songs Lil' Mo songs Fabolous songs Songs written by Lil' Mo Music videos directed by Chris Robinson (director) Songs written by Fabolous