"Mesmerize" 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 ...

. It was released on December 16, 2002, as the second single from his fourth studio, album '' The Last Temptation'' (2002). Containing a sample from the 1974 song "

Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart) "Stop, Look, Listen (to Your Heart)" is a soul song written by Thom Bell and Linda Creed originally recorded by Philadelphia soul group the Stylistics. The Stylistics original version An R&B ballad, it was the first track from their debut sel ...

" by

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown Records", she was the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown#Major divisions, Motown's most suc ...

and

Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gaye Jr. (; April 2, 1939 – April 1, 1984) was an American Rhythm and blues, R&B and soul singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. He helped shape the sound of Motown in the 1960s, first as an in-house session player an ...

, 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 ...

and features R&B artist Ashanti. The song peaked at number two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in February 2003, making it Ashanti's and Ja Rule's fourth top-10 hit as a duet.

Music video

Inspired by the musical number "

You're the One that I Want "You're the One That I Want" is a song performed by American actor and singer John Travolta and Anglo-Australian singer and actress Olivia Newton-John for the 1978 film version of the musical '' Grease''. It was written and produced by John ...

" from the 1978 musical film '' Grease'', the music video begins with

a group of men dressed in black discussing their connections in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

(a reference to Murder Inc.'s affiliation with

Death Row Records Death Row Records is an American record label that was founded in 1991 by The D.O.C., Dr. Dre, Suge Knight, and Dick Griffey. The label became a sensation by releasing multi-platinum hip-hop albums by West Coast-based artists such as Dr. D ...

and Rap-A-Lot Records) and their plan for a revolution in a strategy room. Ja Rule enters dressed in a preppy sweater, greatly surprising the other men, and explains that his girl wants him to forsake the street life. Meanwhile, some of Ashanti's friends are having a slumber party (with the '' Ashanti'' album cut "Movies" playing in the background) and playing

scrabble ''Scrabble'' is a word game in which two to four players score points by placing tiles, each bearing a single letter, onto a Board game, game board divided into a 15×15 grid of squares. The tiles must form words that, in crossword fashion, re ...

when Ashanti emerges dressed in flashy black leather attire, explaining that her guy wants her to be more street. The song begins with the two meeting up at an amusement fair. As they sing, they partake in various carnival attractions, such as game booths and bumper cars. The song ends abruptly with Ja Rule's friends emerging from a black van and asking him if he's riding with them. After he hesitates and turns to Ashanti, she accepts. They enter the van and after a few quick cuts they emerge and Ja Rule begins rapping "Destiny", the closing track from the album. The video ends with a crowd of men marching the streets and holding up various signs, including tributes to late rappers

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...

and DJ

Jam-Master Jay Jason William Mizell (January 21, 1965 – October 30, 2002), better known by his stage name Jam Master Jay, was an American musician, record producer and DJ. He was the DJ of the influential hip hop group Run-DMC. During the 1980s, Run-DMC becam ...

. The street scene was filmed outside Cathedral High School on Bishops Road (formerly Stadium Way), an up-hill climb towards

Dodger Stadium Dodger Stadium is a ballpark in the Elysian Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. It is the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Opened in 1962, it was constructed in less than three years at a ...

. The carnival scenes were filmed in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

at Cathedral High School's graveyard field. The entire campus was the site of the old Calvary Cemetery, northeast of downtown Los Angeles.

Track listings

US 12-inch single :A1. "Mesmerize" (radio) :A2. "Mesmerize" (street) :A3. "Mesmerize" (instrumental) :B1. "Pop N****s" (radio) :B2. "Pop N****s" (street) :B3. "Pop N****s" (instrumental) Australian CD1 # "Mesmerize" (radio edit) # "Mesmerize" (album version) # "Pop Niggas" (album version) # "Mesmerize" (video) Australian CD2 and European CD single # "Mesmerize" (radio edit) # "Pop Niggas" (album version) UK CD single # "Mesmerize" – 4:38 # " 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 ...

) – 4:10 # "Mesmerize" (instrumental) – 4:38 # "Mesmerize" (video) – 3:44 UK 12-inch single :A1. "Mesmerize" – 4:38 :A2. "Pop N****s" – 4:29 :B1. "Mesmerize" (instrumental) – 4:38 UK cassette single # "Mesmerize" – 4:38 # "Between Me and You" (featuring Christina Milian) – 4:10 # "Mesmerize" (instrumental) – 4:38

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mesmerize (Ja Rule Song) 2002 songs 2003 singles Ashanti (singer) songs Def Jam Recordings singles Ja Rule songs Song recordings produced by Irv Gotti Songs written by Ashanti (singer) Songs written by Chink Santana Songs written by Irv Gotti Songs written by Ja Rule Songs written by Linda Creed Songs written by Thom Bell