Just Playing (Dreams) is a promotional single by American hip hop artist

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 ...

for his 1994 debut album ''

Ready to Die ''Ready to Die'' is the debut studio album by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G., released on September 13, 1994, by Bad Boy Records and distributed by Arista Records. The album features productions by Bad Boy founder Sean Combs, Sean "Puffy ...

''. It was produced by Rashad Smith, and contains a sample of

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

's "Blues and Pants" from ''

Hot Pants Hotpants or hot pants are extremely short shorts. The term was first used by ''Women's Wear Daily'' in 1970 to describe shorts made in luxury fabrics such as velvet and satin for fashionable wear, rather than their more practical equivalents t ...

''. ''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

'' magazine ranked the song number two on its list of "The 50 Funniest Rap Songs". Although the song does not appear on the original version of ''Ready to Die'', it appears on the 2004 remastered version.

Background

Some of the lyrics initially appeared on

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, actress, and entrepreneur. Often referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Qu ...

's "What's the 411?" remix. The song was released as a

promotional single A promotional recording, promo, or plug copy is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as mu ...

for

Biggie 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 tradit ...

's debut album ''

''.

Composition

"Just Playing (Dreams)" was written by The Notorious B.I.G. and Rashad "Ringo" Smith. The song is built on a sample of "Blues and Pants" written by James Brown, and its production was done by Ringo. In the song, Biggie takes aim at 20 of his favorite R&B singers and lists what he'd like to do to them. The list includes female R&B singers

Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B singer and actress. She has been referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Godmother of Soul". LaBelle began ...

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 ...

Chaka Khan Yvette Marie Stevens (born March 23, 1953), better known by her stage name Chaka Khan ( ), is an American singer. Known as the " Queen of Funk", her career has spanned more than five decades beginning in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of ...

, and

Sade Sade may refer to: People * Marquis de Sade (1740–1814), French aristocrat, writer, and libertine; namesake of the word ''sadism'' * Sade (singer) (born 1959, Helen Folasade Adu), British Nigerian musician and lead singer of the eponymous band * ...

, who didn't take offense to the song. However,

Raven-Symoné Raven-Symoné Christina Pearman-Maday (; born December 10, 1985), also known as Raven, is an American actress, singer, and director. She has received List of awards and nominations received by Raven-Symoné, several accolades, including five ...

was 8 years old when Biggie rapped the line, “make Raven-Symoné call

date rape Date rape is a form of acquaintance rape and dating violence. The two phrases are often used interchangeably, but date rape specifically refers to a rape in which there has been some sort of romantic or potentially sexual relationship between ...

.” The R&B quartet Xscape didn't appreciate the song, which contained the line "those ugly-ass Xscape bitches." In a 2009 interview, group member

Kandi Burruss Kandi Burruss (born May 17, 1976), known professionally by her mononym Kandi, is an American singer, songwriter, actress and television personality. She first gained notice in 1992 as a member of the multi-platinum R&B female vocal group Xscape ...

said that her bandmate Tameka "Tiny" Cottle ran into Biggie on the evening of his death, and he apologized for the lyric.

Cover versions and remixes

*In 1996, Lil Kim's song "Dreams" sampled the lyrics of "Just Playing" on her debut studio album '' Hard Core''. *In 1996,

Mad Skillz Donnie Shaquan Lewis (born June 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Skillz (or Mad Skillz), is an American rapper. He first became known for his debut album '' From Where???'' (1996), titularly in reference to his origins in Virginia, co ...

, sampled the line “Everybody, move ya body” as the chorus of his song "Move Ya Body" on his debut album '' From Where???'' *In 2015, rapper

Young M.A Katorah Kasanova Marrero (born April 3, 1992), better known by her stage name Young M.A (acronym for Young Me. Always), is an American rapper. She is best known for her 2016 single "Ooouuu", which peaked at number 16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 10 ...

dropped her "Dreams Freestyle" from her debut 13-track mixtape ''Sleep Walkin''. *In 2018, rapper

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as the "Queen of Rap" and one of the most influential rappers of all time, she is noted for her ...

sampled the song for her studio album ''

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

'' in the song " Barbie Dreams". The single reached number 18 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 36 on the UK Singles Chart.

References

{{authority control 1994 songs The Notorious B.I.G. songs Songs written by Rashad Smith (producer) Songs written by the Notorious B.I.G.