"What I Need" is a song by American recording artist
Ray J
William Ray Norwood Jr. (born January 17, 1981), known professionally as Ray J, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, television presenter, and actor. Born in McComb, Mississippi and raised in Carson, California, he is the younger brother o ...
. It was written by
Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins
Rodney Roy Jerkins (born July 29, 1977), better known by his stage name Darkchild, is an American record producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has collaborated with a broad range of popular artists.
Jerkins has won two Grammy Awards from 19 nomi ...
,
LaShawn Daniels
LaShawn Ameen Daniels (December 28, 1977 – September 3, 2019) was an American songwriter, vocal producer and arranger. Often in tandem with producer Rodney Jerkins, he is known for his songwriting work for R&B singers such as Brandy, Beyoncé, ...
,
Fred Jerkins III
Fred Jerkins III, also known as Uncle Freddie, is an American songwriter and record producer.
Career
Jerkins is best known for his work with his brother Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins. Jerkins has co-written several hit songs with Rodney Jerkins a ...
, and Ray J for his 2005 album ''
Raydiation
''Raydiation'' is the third studio album by American recording artist Ray J. It was released by Sanctuary Records in association with the singer's own label, Knockout Entertainment, on September 20, 2005, in the United States. Ray J's first effor ...
'', while production was handled by the former. Released as the second single from the album following "
One Wish", it reached number 58 on ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
''s
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
chart.
Release and reception
"What I Need" earned generally positive reviews by critics. ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' magazine felt that the song "should be enough to momentum. Here, Ray J's vocals once again seem strained as he cops another plea to the woman he has done wrong. Despite its sap factor, "What I Need" will likely lap up radio play."
Music video
"Smokin Trees (What I Need Remix)"
The remix version with
West Coast rapper
Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backing ...
s
Nate Dogg
Nathaniel Dwayne Hale (August 19, 1969 – March 15, 2011), known professionally as Nate Dogg, was an American rapper and singer. He gained recognition for providing guest vocals on several hit rap songs between 1992 and 2007, earning him the ...
,
Shorty Mack
Derrelle Owens (born June 9, 1981), better known by his stage name Shorty Mack, is a producer, rapper and actor. He is most significantly known by his 1996 single, "Hard To Tame Me", and his self-titled debut album, both released under JVC/Vert ...
,
Slim Thug
Stayve Jerome Thomas (born September 8, 1979), better known by his stage name Slim Thug, is an American rapper. He gained mainstream attention for his guest performance alongside Paul Wall on Mike Jones' 2004 single "Still Tippin'". The followi ...
and
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...
became even more popular being watched more than 200,000 times on
YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
. It's called "Smokin Trees (What I Need Remix)" and produced by
Ray J
William Ray Norwood Jr. (born January 17, 1981), known professionally as Ray J, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, television presenter, and actor. Born in McComb, Mississippi and raised in Carson, California, he is the younger brother o ...
for
Knockout Entertainment
Knockout Entertainment is singer Ray J's vanity label, founded in 2001. The label specializes in Contemporary R&B, R&B, Hip hop music, hip hop, and Gospel music, gospel. Originally released under Sanctuary Records, a press release in December 2007 ...
and was expected to be released as "Smokin Smokin Weed" which featured
Ray J
William Ray Norwood Jr. (born January 17, 1981), known professionally as Ray J, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, television presenter, and actor. Born in McComb, Mississippi and raised in Carson, California, he is the younger brother o ...
,
Nate Dogg
Nathaniel Dwayne Hale (August 19, 1969 – March 15, 2011), known professionally as Nate Dogg, was an American rapper and singer. He gained recognition for providing guest vocals on several hit rap songs between 1992 and 2007, earning him the ...
and
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...
only, on ''
Tha Blue Carpet Treatment
''Tha Blue Carpet Treatment'' is the eighth studio album by West Coast hip hop recording artist Snoop Dogg. It was released on November 21, 2006, by Doggystyle Records and Geffen Records. Recording sessions took place from November 2005 to Septem ...
'' by
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...
.
Charts
Weekly charts
References
2005 songs
2006 singles
Ray J songs
Song recordings produced by Rodney Jerkins
Songs written by LaShawn Daniels
Songs written by Fred Jerkins III
Songs written by Rodney Jerkins
{{2000s-R&B-song-stub