"Thug Lovin" is a song by American rapper

Ja Rule Jeffrey Bruce Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule (), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. Born and raised in New York City, Ja Rule became known for blending gangsta rap with pop rap, pop and contempo ...

featuring singer

Bobby Brown Robert Barisford Brown Sr. (born February 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and dancer. Alongside frequent collaborator Teddy Riley, he is recognized as a pioneer of new jack swing: a fusion of hip-hop and Contemporary R&B, R ...

, released on November 4, 2002, as the first single from Ja Rule's fourth studio album, '' The Last Temptation'' (2002). The song was produced by

Irv Gotti Irving Domingo Lorenzo Jr. (June 26, 1970 – February 5, 2025), professionally known as Irv Gotti or DJ Irv, was an American record producer and music executive. Gotti started off as a New York hip-hop DJ in the 1980s, then becoming an A&R t ...

. Bobby Brown's sung portion is an interpolation of part of the chorus of the

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

song "

Knocks Me Off My Feet "Knocks Me Off My Feet" is a song written and performed by American recording artist Stevie Wonder, from his 1976 album ''Songs in the Key of Life''. It was not released as a single, though it was released as a B-side to "I Ain't Gonna Stand for I ...

". The music video for the song, directed by Irv Gotti, features scenes of Ja Rule and Bobby Brown in a helicopter, on a helipad on top of a skyscraper which has the Murder Inc. logo on it, the two artists driving in a Bentley, and the two going to a party. The video premiered on

BET Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting Black American audiences. It is the flagship channel of the BET Media Group, a subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group. Originally launched ...

's ''

Access Granted ''Access Granted'' is an American television series that features an in-depth look at the planning, filming and production of R&B and hip hop music videos. Each week a different artist and their new music video are featured, with the video pre ...

'' in 2002.

Track listings

US 12-inch single :A1. "Thug Lovin'" (radio) :A2. "Thug Lovin'" (street) :B1. "Thug Lovin'" (instrumental) :B2. "Thug Lovin'" (acapella) Canadian and European CD single # "Thug Lovin'" (radio edit) # "Connected" (featuring

Crooked I Dominick Antron Wickliffe (born September 23, 1976), better known by his stage name Kxng Crooked, (stylised as KXNG Crooked and pronounced "King Crooked"; formerly Crooked I) is an American rapper from Long Beach, California. He formed the hip ho ...

and Eastwood) UK CD single # "Thug Lovin'" (radio edit) – 4:31 # "Thug Lovin'" (album version) – 4:54 # "Thug Lovin'" (The Pledge remix—album version) – 5:13 # "Thug Lovin'" (video) – 4:36 UK 12-inch single :A1. "Thug Lovin'" (album version) – 4:54 :A2. "Thug Lovin'" (radio edit) – 4:31 :B1. "Thug Lovin'" (The Pledge remix—album version) – 5:13 UK cassette single # "Thug Lovin'" (album version) – 4:54 # "Thug Lovin'" (The Pledge remix—album version) – 5:13 Australian CD single # "Thug Lovin'" (radio edit) # " Between Me and You" (featuring

Christina Milian Christina Milian ( , Flores; born September 26, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Following a number of minor television and film roles in the late nineties, Milian made her recording debut on American rapper Ja Rule's 20 ...

) # " Put It on Me" (featuring Vita) # "Thug Lovin'" (instrumental) # "Thug Lovin'" (acapella)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2002 singles 2002 songs Ja Rule songs Def Jam Recordings singles Male vocal duets Songs written by Chink Santana Songs written by Irv Gotti Songs written by Ja Rule Songs written by Stevie Wonder