"Player's Ball" is the debut single from American

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

duo

Outkast Outkast (sometimes written as OutKast) was an American hip-hop duo formed in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1992, consisting of Big Boi (Antwan Patton) and André 3000 (André Benjamin, formerly known as Dré). Widely regarded as one of the greatest an ...

. Originally released two weeks prior on the compilation ''A LaFace Family Christmas'', the single was released on November 19, 1993 by

LaFace LaFace Records was an American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, that operated as a unit of Sony Music Entertainment from 2008 to 2011 and was historically a part of Bertelsmann Music Group from 1989 to 2004. It was most active and achiev ...

, Arista and

RCA RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded in 1919 as the Radio Corporation of America. It was initially a patent pool, patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse Electric Corporation, Westinghou ...

, to promote the forthcoming debut album, ''

Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik ''Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik'' is the debut studio album by the American Hip hop music, hip hop duo Outkast, released on April 26, 1994, by Arista Records and LaFace Records. Having befriended each other two years prior, rappers André 300 ...

'' (1994). The song itself discusses the nature of living in the South of the United States, and growing up within a hip hop culture. The accompanying music video was directed by Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs. The title refers to a traditional gathering of pimps in Atlanta. The song is referenced at least three times within other songs by the duo, including the final track on the debut album, the title track of the debut album, and a later single, " Elevators (Me & You)". The song peaked at #37 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, making it the highest-charting single from the group's debut album. When Outkast made a guest appearance on ''

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'' in the February 1995 episode ''All The Players Came'', they also performed the song during the credits. The song was later featured in the 2002 film '' 8 Mile''.

Commercial performance

The single was certified gold on May 12, 1994, selling over 500,000 copies.

Track listing

* CD single # "Player's Ball" (Radio Edit) – 3:56 # "Player's Ball" (Album Version) – 4:22 # "Player's Ball" (TV Mix) – 4:23 # "Player's Ball" (Video Version) – 4:14 * Cassette single # "Player's Ball" (Radio Edit) – 3:56 # "Player's Ball" (Album Version) – 4:22 # "Player's Ball" (Instrumental) – 4:14 # "Player's Ball" (TV Mix) – 4:23 * 12" vinyl single # "Player's Ball" (Extended Version) – 6:00 # "Player's Ball" (Radio Edit – Dirty) – 3:56 # "Player's Ball" (Radio Edit – Clean) – 4:23 # "Player's Ball" (Remix Version) – 4:27 # "Player's Ball" (Instrumental) – 4:14 * 10" 20th Anniversary EP (green vinyl) # "Players Ball" (Dirty Version) – 4:21 # "Players Ball" (Extended Version) – 6:18 # "Ain't No Thang – 5:38 # "Crumblin' Erb" – 5:09

Personnel

* André 3000 – vocals * Big Boi – vocals * Organized Noize – keyboards, programming, drum programming, producer, mixing engineer * Edward Strout – guitar * Preston Crump – bass

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1993 debut singles Outkast songs Songs written by André 3000 1992 songs Songs written by Big Boi LaFace Records singles Arista Records singles RCA Records singles Song recordings produced by Organized Noize American Christmas songs Songs written by Sleepy Brown