"Certified Gangstas" is the debut single of Harlem based rapper Jim Jones

Jim Jones (rapper)

Joseph Guillermo Jones II , better known by his stage name Jim Jones, is an American rapper and original member of The Diplomats, also known as Dipset. He is Co-CEO of Diplomat Records...

 off his album On My Way to Church

On My Way to Church

On My Way to Church is the debut album by rapper Jim Jones. It was released on August 24, 2004. The album debuted at #18 on the Billboard 200 with 44,000 copies sold in the first week released.-Tracks:...

. The song features Cam'ron

Cam'ron

Cameron Giles , better known by his stage name Cam'ron or "Killa Cam", is a Grammy-nominated American actor. He is the founder of the hip-hop group The Diplomats , and also of The U.N. group....

 and Jay Bezel

Jay Bezel

Jay Bezel, or Bezel, is a Philadelphia-born rapper. He also have lived in New York as well as Atlanta.Bezel started his career in Philly hitting the streets with mixtapes and doing local DVDs. He quickly made a name for himself. He later signed with Cam'ron and The Diplomats' label, Diplomat...

.

Background

The song was released as the first single off of Jim Jones' On My Way to Church. The song features fellow Dipset member Cam'ron

Cam'ron

Cameron Giles , better known by his stage name Cam'ron or "Killa Cam", is a Grammy-nominated American actor. He is the founder of the hip-hop group The Diplomats , and also of The U.N. group....

 and Jay Bezel

Jay Bezel

Jay Bezel, or Bezel, is a Philadelphia-born rapper. He also have lived in New York as well as Atlanta.Bezel started his career in Philly hitting the streets with mixtapes and doing local DVDs. He quickly made a name for himself. He later signed with Cam'ron and The Diplomats' label, Diplomat...

. A music video was created and was directed by Jim Jones.

The song was fairly successful compared to the next single, Crunk Muzik

Crunk Muzik

"Crunk Muzik" is a song by rapper Jim Jones from his On My Way to Church. It was produced by The Blackout Movement and features rappers Juelz Santana and Cam'ron...

. It reached number 80 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...

 in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Jim Jones commented that the song is an ode to Eazy-E

Eazy-E

Eric Lynn Wright , better known by his stage name Eazy-E, was an American rapper who performed solo and in the hip hop group N.W.A. Wright was born to Richard and Kathie Wright in Compton, California...

's single "Boyz-n-the-Hood" The song also samples Boyz-n-the-Hood.

Two remixes were released. The first remix Lil Flip replaces Cam'ron. The second and more popular remix scraps off Jay Bezel and replaces it with a verse from The Game

The Game (rapper)

Jayceon Terrell Taylor , better known by his stage name Game, formerly The Game, is an American rapper and actor. As a member of G-Unit, he rose to fame in 2005 with the success of his debut album, The Documentary, which earned him two Grammy Award nominations...

 and Lil' Eazy-E. The second remix was used for the music video.

The song was a major start/boost to The Game

The Game (rapper)

Jayceon Terrell Taylor , better known by his stage name Game, formerly The Game, is an American rapper and actor. As a member of G-Unit, he rose to fame in 2005 with the success of his debut album, The Documentary, which earned him two Grammy Award nominations...

's career.

Part 2

A sequel to Certified Gangstas was released in January 2010 entitled "Certified Gangstas Pt. 2". The lead artist of the song is once again Jim Jones

Jim Jones (rapper)

Joseph Guillermo Jones II , better known by his stage name Jim Jones, is an American rapper and original member of The Diplomats, also known as Dipset. He is Co-CEO of Diplomat Records...

 and it features Game, Mel Matrix (of Diplomat Records

Diplomat Records

Diplomat Records is an American record label founded by Harlem rappers Cam'ron and Jim Jones. Dipset currently released music under the independent label E1 music. In the early 2000's Dipset was very popular for having star rappers with radio hits like Juelz Santana and Cam'Ron and for their...

) and Sen City. It is currently unknown if it will appear on Jones' next album.

Music video

The music video was released in 2004. The video was directed by Jim Jones. It includes cameo appearances by Lil Eazy E. The Game includes his own verse in this video, because the video is of the second remix (mentioned in the paragraph above). The video also features a parody of the opening scene from Menace II Society

Menace II Society

Menace II Society is a 1993 urban crime drama and the directorial debut of twin brothers Allen and Albert Hughes. Menace II Society is set in South Central Los Angeles and follows the life of a hoodlum named Caine Lawson and his close friends. The film gained notoriety for its frequent scenes of...

 where O-Dog is confronted by the Asian owners of the convenience store.

Chart positions

Chart (2004)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...	80