"Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" is the debut single by American rapper

Puff Daddy Sean John Combs (born November 4, 1969), better known by his stage name Diddy, and formerly Puff Daddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, record producer, and record executive. Born in Harlem and raised in Mount Vernon, Combs worked as a ...

. It was released by his label

Bad Boy Records Bad Boy Entertainment, doing business as Bad Boy Records, is an American independent record label. The label was founded in 1993 by rapper and record producer Sean Combs. During the mid-1990s, the label signed hip-hop and contemporary R&B, R&B a ...

, an imprint of

Arista Records Arista Records ( ) is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously a division of Bertelsmann Music G ...

on January 7, 1997, also serving as lead single for the rapper's debut studio album '' No Way Out'' (1997). It was written by Bad Boy newcomer

Mase Mason Durell Betha (born August 27, 1975), better known by his stage name Mase (often stylized as Ma$e), is an American rapper. Best known for his work with Sean Combs, Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs' Bad Boy Records, he signed with the label in 1996 ...

, who co-performs the song, while production was handled by the label's in-house producers

Stevie J Steven Aaron Jordan (born November 2, 1973) Note: Live HHS link goes to error page, but copy-pasting the URL works. is an American DJ, record producer, and television personality. As part of the Bad Boy Records production team the Hitmen, Jorda ...

, Carlos Broady and Nashiem Myrick, as well as Puff Daddy himself. "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" entered the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number 32 in early 1997, and later spent six weeks at number one. It was the beginning of Combs' and Bad Boy Records' chart domination during the year—the Combs-produced " Hypnotize" by

The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in the New York rap scene and gangsta rap tradi ...

would follow this song at number one, and the B.I.G. tribute song "

I'll Be Missing You "I'll Be Missing You" is a tribute song by American rapper Puff Daddy and singer Faith Evans, featuring the R&B group 112. It honors Christopher "The Notorious B.I.G." Wallace, a fellow artist on Bad Boy Records and Evans's husband, who was mu ...

" spent eleven weeks at number one during the summer, only to be followed by another B.I.G. song, "

Mo Money Mo Problems "Mo Money Mo Problems" is a song by American rapper the Notorious B.I.G., released as the second single from his second studio album, ''Life After Death'' (1997) on July 15, 1997, by Bad Boy Records and Arista Records. It features guest per ...

" and then the Combs-produced "

Honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of pl ...

" by

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...

. "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" was the mainstream debut for Mase, who signed with the label months prior. First released to rhythmic radio in December 1996, Puff Daddy had found success as B.I.G.'s label boss at Bad Boy Records prior to the song's release. He first appeared as a recording artist on

Lil' Kim Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974), Those giving 1974 include: * * * * * better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper. She was born and raised in New York City and lived much of her adolescent life on the streets after ...

's 1996 single " No Time", which peaked within the ''Billboard'' Hot 100's top 20.

Content

The song combines elements of several previous singles, the most obvious being a slowed-down rhythm track sampling from

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five were an American hip hop music, hip hop group formed in the South Bronx of New York City in 1978. The group's members were Grandmaster Flash, Kidd Creole (not to be confused with Kid Creole), Keef Cowboy, ...

's " The Message". The track's chorus is an interpolation of " Break My Stride", a top-five single by

Matthew Wilder Matthew Wilder ( Weiner; January 24, 1953) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his 1983 hit single " Break My Stride", which hit No. 2 on the '' Cashbox'' chart and No. 5 on the ''Billboard'' Ho ...

from 1983. The track also contains a sample of opening drums of

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

's 1979 single "

Rock with You "Rock with You" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson, written by Rod Temperton and produced by Quincy Jones. It was first offered to Karen Carpenter, while she was working on her first solo album, but she turned it down. It was release ...

Music video

The music video was directed by

Paul Hunter Paul Alan Hunter (14 October 1978 – 9 October 2006) was an English professional snooker player. He was a three-time Masters (snooker), Masters champion, winning the event in 2001 Masters (snooker), 2001, 2002 Masters (snooker), 2002, a ...

and it was released in January 1997. The music video features cameos by

and

Eddie Griffin Edward Rubin Griffin (born July 15, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known for portraying Eddie Sherman in the sitcom '' Malcolm & Eddie'', the title character in the 2002 comedy film '' Undercover Brother'', and Tib ...

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{authority control 1996 songs 1997 debut singles Sean Combs songs Mase songs Music videos directed by Paul Hunter (director) Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Bad Boy Records singles Songs written by Sean Combs Songs written by Stevie J Songs written by Mase Songs written by Sylvia Robinson Arista Records singles Bertelsmann Music Group singles