Big Pimpin'

"Big Pimpin'" is a song by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released in 2000 as the third and final single from his fourth studio album '' Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter'' (1999). It features a guest appearance from Southern hip hop duo UGK and production from Timbaland.

Sampling controversy

"Big Pimpin'" contains a sample of "Khosara Khosara", an instrumental performed by Egyptian percussionist Hossam Ramzy and originally composed by prominent Egyptian composer Baligh Hamdi in 1957. In 2007, Hamdi's relative Osama Ahmed Fahmy filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Federal Court alleging that producer Timbaland's use of the track was unlicensed, while its use of a sampled loop, instead of the full unaltered track, violated Hamdi's "moral rights". He additionally claimed that Jay-Z needed permission from each of Hamdi's four children to use the track, as they owned its copyright after Hamdi's death in 1993. That same year, a 2005 lawsuit filed by Ahab Joseph Nafal, who claimed "Big Pimpin'" infringed the copyright on "Khosara Khosara", was dismissed.

In 2011, a California federal judge ruled that Fahmy could proceed with his suit, with Jay-Z, Timbaland, Linkin Park and EMI Records among the defendants named. Linkin Park was included because the track was mashed up with the single " Papercut" from their 2004 EP '' Collision Course'', a collaboration with Jay-Z. Lawyers for EMI Records argued the then-50-year-old track was governed by the 1909 Copyright Act. Jay-Z testified four years later that he was unaware his song contained a sample of "Khosara Khosara", and when asked why he did not check the rights to its use, he replied, "That’s not what I do. I make music." Lawyers for Jay-Z and Timbaland claimed that Hamdi's family had been paid for the sample. On May 31, 2018, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court's grant of summary judgment in favor of Jay-Z, ''et al''.

Music video

The music video was shot in Trinidad during its Carnival, and features Jay-Z and Bun B on a music truck dispensing money into the crowd and partying on a lavish yacht. Due to Pimp C's refusal to fly to Trinidad, his verse and the video's closing scenes were filmed in Miami Beach, Florida. Melyssa Ford and video model Liza Rivera make cameo appearances.

Reception

"Big Pimpin'" was the most successful single from ''Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter'', peaking at #18 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and topping the Rhythmic Top 40 chart while achieving platinum status. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked the track #467 on its 2004 selection of " The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". However, Jay-Z said to ''The Wall Street Journal'' in 2010 that he regretted the song's lyrics. "Some yricsbecome really profound when you see them in writing. Not 'Big Pimpin'. That's the exception. It was like, 'I can't believe I said that. And kept saying it. What kind of animal would say this sort of thing?' Reading it is really harsh."

Formats and track listings

CD

# "Big Pimpin' (Radio Edit)"
# "Watch Me (LP Version)"
# "Big Pimpin' (Instrumental)"
# "Big Pimpin' (Video)"

Vinyl

A-side

# "Big Pimpin' (Album Version)" (4:05)

B-side

# "Watch Me (LP Version)" (4:34)
# "Big Pimpin' (Instrumental)" (4:57)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

See also

* List of songs recorded by Jay-Z

References

External links

*

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Songs about procurers
Songs about prostitutes
1999 songs
2000 singles
Jay-Z songs
Def Jam Recordings singles
Music videos directed by Hype Williams
Roc-A-Fella Records singles
Sampling controversies
Song recordings produced by Timbaland
Songs written by Jay-Z
Songs written by Timbaland
UGK songs
Songs written by Bun B
Songs written by Pimp C