"New York" is a song by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

hip hop recording artist Ja Rule, released October 27, 2004 as the second single from his sixth studio album ''

R.U.L.E. ''R.U.L.E.'' is the sixth studio album by American rapper Ja Rule; it was released on November 9, 2004, by The Inc. and Island Def Jam Music Group. The album debuted at number 7 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling 165,000 units in its ...

'' (2004). The track, produced by Cool & Dre, features fellow

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

rappers

Fat Joe Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper from New York City. He began his music career as a member of hip hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.), then forged a sol ...

and Jadakiss. The song's

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song) or refrain, line or lines that are repeated in music or in verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in which all verse ...

is based on Boogie Down Productions' 1990 song, "100 Guns". The music video was directed in

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 ...

, and features cameo appearances by many local artists. The song peaked at number 27 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, number 14 on US

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 ...

, and number 10 on Hot Rap Songs charts respectively.

Background

Cool & Dre produced the track for rapper

, who initially turned it down. Jadakiss was said to be interested in the track; however, Ja Rule grabbed it almost immediately. When Irv Gotti learned of the history behind who was to have the track, he mentioned it to Ja Rule, and then they offered for both Fat Joe and Jadakiss to be featured on the track. The song contains a sample of Nkalakatha by Mandoza. Though not credited on the songs credit the song is a slowed down Mandoza's produced by Gabbie Lerroux. The song, or at least Ja Rule's verse, is considered a subliminal

diss track A diss track, diss record or diss song (diss – abbr. from ''disrespect'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feud between the t ...

aimed at gangster rapper

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

and his group G-Unit. In the song Rule raps: ''Apprentice you're fired, you're no longer desired/So take off them silly chains, put back on your wire/I'm on fire''.

later attacked Fat Joe and Jadakiss for being a part of the song in his 2005 song "

Piggy Bank Piggy bank (sometimes penny bank or money box) is the traditional name of a coin container normally used by children. The piggy bank is known to collectors as a "still bank" as opposed to the " mechanical banks" popular in the early 20th centur ...

". There is a sequel to the song, "New York Is Back" on DJ Khaled's album, '' We the Best'' (2007). The song also features an official music video with numerous cameo appearances including Remy Ma, Jennifer Lopez, N.O.R.E., Styles P, Jim Jones, DJ Clue, Irv Gotti, Angie Martinez and more.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{authority control 2004 singles Ja Rule songs Fat Joe songs Jadakiss songs Songs written by Ja Rule Songs about New York City Song recordings produced by Cool & Dre Gangsta rap songs Songs written by Fat Joe 2004 songs Def Jam Recordings singles Songs written by Jadakiss Diss tracks Songs written by Cool (record producer) Songs written by KRS-One Songs written by Dre (record producer)