"Slap" is the fourth single from

Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...

' fifth album '' Release Therapy'' (2006).

Song information

"Slap" is an account of

poverty Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse < ...

on Bush America. Its narrator explains that he is feeling tired about working a lot and getting a low wage, and because of this, he has thoughts about beating (in the uncensored version, killing) his boss. His frustration is then explained to be bigger than that: his best friend was murdered just a day before. He also explains that he has thoughts about robbing a bank to have enough money to feed his newborn baby. Later, at the end of the song, his car is robbed and he expresses an ever-bigger disappointment at the government. According to

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

reviewer Marisa Brown, Ludacris' character in the song has these thoughts because he is suffering from depression.Marisa Brown. Release Therapy - Ludacris''Billboard''. Accessed January 11, 2008.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...

was released early in 2007. It is based on

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, incl ...

's ''

Taxi Driver ''Taxi Driver'' is a 1976 American film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Paul Schrader, and starring Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Peter Boyle, Leonard Harris, and Albert Brooks. Set in a decaying and ...

'', with Ludacris as

Travis Bickle Travis Bickle is a fictional character and the anti-hero protagonist of the 1976 film ''Taxi Driver'' directed by Martin Scorsese. The character was created by the film's screenwriter Paul Schrader. He is played by Robert De Niro, who received a ...

, with many references to the movie, including Ludacris kicking over his TV while watching President Bush and doing the iconic " You talkin' to me?" in an interlude. The video shows Ludacris as a taxi driver (wearing the same jacket as

Robert De Niro Robert Anthony De Niro Jr. ( , ; born August 17, 1943) is an American actor. Known for his collaborations with Martin Scorsese, he is considered to be one of the best actors of his generation. De Niro is the recipient of various accolades ...

) and the video ends with Ludacris storming a brothel and punching the bouncer and a prostitute's customer, in a similar fashion to ''Taxi Drivers ending, but without the use of guns. It is dedicated to Ludacris' father and best friend Wayne Bridges as it is said at the end of the video. In the scene where Ludacris is working out he is seen wearing a fan T-shirt of the

Paratroopers Brigade The 35th Brigade ( he, חֲטִיבַת הַצַּנְחָנִים, ''Hativat HaTzanhanim''), also known as the Paratroopers Brigade, is an infantry brigade unit of paratroopers within the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), and forms a major part of ...

of the Israel Defense Forces.

Usage in television

"Slap" first gained media attention after

Fox News The Fox News Channel, abbreviated FNC, commonly known as Fox News, and stylized in all caps, is an American multinational conservative cable news television channel based in New York City. It is owned by Fox News Media, which itself is ...

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

commentator Bill O'Reilly criticized the lyrical content of the song (which uses the word "

nigga ''Nigga'' () is a colloquial and vulgar term used in African-American Vernacular English that began as a dialect form of the word ''nigger'', an ethnic slur against black people. The word is commonly associated with hip hop music and Afric ...

" forty times, although it is only used as a repeated element of the chorus, also the anti-Bush lyrical content) in his

television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising ...

. He stated that Ludacris should have not won the

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

for

Best Rap Album The Grammy Award for Best Rap Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums with rapping at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in several categories ...

in the 49th ceremony (that took place a day earlier, on February 11, 2007) because of the song.

Credits and personnel

The credits for "Slap" are adapted from the liner notes of ''Release Therapy''.(2007) Release notes for ''Release Therapy'' by

(liner notes).

The Island Def Jam Music Group The Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJMG) was an American recording music unit, formed on New Year's Eve 1998 by the Universal Music Group. It consists of labels devised and consisted under the basic operations of Island Records and Def Jam Recordin ...

(1708937) ;Recording * Recorded at: The Ludaplex in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to t ...

and Nasty's Crib and The Field, both in Orlando, Florida. ;Personnel *

–

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...

songwriting A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

* The Runners – producers * Johnny Mollings – songwriting * Lenny Mollings – songwriting, recording,

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

* Andrew Harr – songwriting * Jermaine Jackson – songwriting * Misty Fluellen – additional vocals * Joshua Monroy – recording * Dru Harr – recording * Mayne – all instruments * Phil Tan – mixing * Josh Houghkirk – additional engineering * Bernie Grundman – mastering

Charts

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Slap (Song) 2006 songs 2007 singles Ludacris songs Def Jam Recordings singles Songs written by Ludacris Song recordings produced by the Runners Songs written by Jermaine Jackson (hip hop producer) Songs written by Andrew Harr Music videos directed by Philip Andelman