Grand Champ
Encyclopedia
Grand Champ is the fifth album by American rapper DMX
, released in 2003. Grand Champ features the popular singles Where the Hood At?
and Get it on the Floor. The album sold 312,000 in its first week and debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200
.
When compared to the artist's previous releases, this was the greatest under-achiever, eventually achieving a rating of Platinum, although it was #1 on the Billboard 200
, its shelf life was relatively short.
, however, Def Jam Recordings
(who coincidentally owned the distributor rights to Rule's The Inc. Records
at the time) were highly displeased by the track and urged for its removal . A previous version of "Fuck Y'all" was also considered to be the lead-off single for 'The Great Depression', but due to the obvious explicit content of the title alone, the song would have substantial problems gaining radio airplay (changing the title of the song was out of the question).
On the UK edition of the album, the hit single X Gon' Give It to Ya
from the 2003 film Cradle 2 the Grave
is included as a bonus track
.
"Grand Champ" was also released in an "edited" version that replaces some violence, most drug content, and all profanity with sound effects and in some instances, blanks them out completely leaving only the music. "Grand Champ" is the most highly censored of all of DMX's albums, including "Year of the Dog... Again". The explicit version censors out the words "reloaded" and "slugs" on the track, "Where The Hood At?". Only "slugs" is censored from the edited version however.
The title "Grand Champ" is an explicit reference to American "street" dog fighting
. The term "grand champion" refers to a fighting dog that has won at least five bouts with no losses.
This was DMX's final album release on Def Jam Recordings
.
DMX (rapper)
Earl Simmons , better known by his stage name DMX, is a multiplatinum American rapper and actor who rose to fame in the late 1990s. His stage name pays tribute to the Oberheim DMX drum machine, an instrument he used when he made his own rap beats in the 80's...
, released in 2003. Grand Champ features the popular singles Where the Hood At?
Where the Hood At?
"Where the Hood At?" is the lead single of DMX's fifth studio album Grand Champ. The track is noted to be a diss record towards Ja Rule; particularly in the first verse...
and Get it on the Floor. The album sold 312,000 in its first week and debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
.
When compared to the artist's previous releases, this was the greatest under-achiever, eventually achieving a rating of Platinum, although it was #1 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, its shelf life was relatively short.
Background
The album originally contained a song entitled "Ruled Out", a hard-hitting diss track aimed towards former collaborator and friend Ja RuleJa Rule
Jeffrey Atkins , better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American rapper, singer, and actor.Born in Hollis, Queens, he began his career in the group Cash Money Click and debuted in 1999 with Venni Vetti Vecci and its single "Holla Holla"...
, however, Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings is an American record label, focused primarily on hip hop and urban music, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group...
(who coincidentally owned the distributor rights to Rule's The Inc. Records
The Inc. Records
The Inc. Records , is an American record label, owned by Irv Gotti.In 1999, Murder Inc. released its first album, Venni Vetti Vecci by Ja Rule. The album featured the hit single "Holla Holla". The album was executively produced by Irv Gotti and moved on to go platinum, which rose Ja Rule and...
at the time) were highly displeased by the track and urged for its removal . A previous version of "Fuck Y'all" was also considered to be the lead-off single for 'The Great Depression', but due to the obvious explicit content of the title alone, the song would have substantial problems gaining radio airplay (changing the title of the song was out of the question).
On the UK edition of the album, the hit single X Gon' Give It to Ya
X Gon' Give It to Ya
"X Gon' Give It to Ya" is a single by the rapper DMX from the soundtrack, Cradle 2 the Grave. The song also appeared as a hidden track on DMX's greatest hits album, The Definition of X: The Pick of the Litter...
from the 2003 film Cradle 2 the Grave
Cradle 2 the Grave
Cradle 2 the Grave is a 2003 American action film directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak featuring martial artist Jet Li and rapper DMX.-Plot:...
is included as a bonus track
Bonus track
In terms of recorded music, a bonus track is a piece of music which has been included on specific releases or reissues of an album. This is most often done as a promotional device, either as an incentive to customers to purchase albums they might otherwise not, or to repurchase albums they already...
.
"Grand Champ" was also released in an "edited" version that replaces some violence, most drug content, and all profanity with sound effects and in some instances, blanks them out completely leaving only the music. "Grand Champ" is the most highly censored of all of DMX's albums, including "Year of the Dog... Again". The explicit version censors out the words "reloaded" and "slugs" on the track, "Where The Hood At?". Only "slugs" is censored from the edited version however.
The title "Grand Champ" is an explicit reference to American "street" dog fighting
Dog fighting
Dog fighting is a form of blood sport in which game dogs are made to fight, sometimes to the death. It is illegal in most developed countries. Dog fighting is used for entertainment and may also generate revenue from stud fees, admission fees and gambling....
. The term "grand champion" refers to a fighting dog that has won at least five bouts with no losses.
This was DMX's final album release on Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings
Def Jam Recordings is an American record label, focused primarily on hip hop and urban music, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group...
.
Track listing
| # | Title | Producer(s) | Featured guest(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Dog Intro" | Darold "Pop" Trotter | Bashir Fadai | 3:32 |
| 2 | "My Life" | Dart La | Chinky | 3:09 |
| 3 | "Where the Hood At? Where the Hood At? "Where the Hood At?" is the lead single of DMX's fifth studio album Grand Champ. The track is noted to be a diss record towards Ja Rule; particularly in the first verse... " |
Tuneheadz | 4:46 | |
| 4 | "Dogs Out" | Kanye West Kanye West Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and... |
4:03 | |
| 5 | "Get It On The Floor" | Swizz Beatz | Swizz Beatz Swizz Beatz Kasseem Dean , better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and painter. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records... |
4:22 |
| 6 | "Come Prepared" (Skit) | Jay "Icepick" Jackson, Joaquin "Waah" Dean | 0:35 | |
| 7 | "Shot Down" | Salam Wreck Fredwreck Farid Karam Nassar, better known as Fredwreck is a record producer from Los Angeles, California. He got his big break when he became a producer for Dr. Dre's newly founded Aftermath Records label, and went on to work with Snoop Dogg's record label Dogghouse Records and became a known producer on... |
Styles P Styles P David Styles better known by his stage name, Styles P, is an American rapper, author, and entrepreneur. He is prominently known as a member of Hip Hop group The LOX and is also a part of the Ruff Ryders hip-hop group, and in addition has released multiple albums and mixtapes as a solo... & 50 Cent 50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by... |
3:42 |
| 8 | "Bring The Noize" | Tuneheadz | 3:30 | |
| 9 | "Untouchable" | Tony Pizarro | Syleena Johnson Syleena Johnson Syleena Johnson is a Grammy award-nominated American R&B and soul singer-songwriter and actress.-Biography:... , Cross, Infa-Red, Sheek Louch Sheek Louch Sean Divine Jacobs, better known as Sheek Louch , is an African American rapper and member of The LOX , along with Styles P and Jadakiss.-Personal life and career:... & Drag-On Drag-On Mel Jason Smalls , better known as Drag-On, is an American rapper from The Bronx, New York City.Drag-On was originally signed to Interscope Records under the Ruff Ryders Entertainment imprint, where he released his successful debut album, Opposite of H2O, which debuted at #5 on the Billboard 200... |
6:05 |
| 10 | "Fuck Y'all" | Ron Browz Ron Browz Rondell Turner, better known by his stage name Ron Browz, is an American record producer and rapper. He has his own record label called Ether Boy Records.-Biography/career:... |
3:43 | |
| 11 | "Ruff Radio" (Skit) | Jay "Icepick" Jackson, Joaquin "Waah" Dean | 0:43 | |
| 12 | "We're Back" | Tuneheadz | Eve Eve (rapper) Eve Jihan Jeffers , is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer and actress. Her first three albums have reached a total of over 8 million albums sold worldwide. She has also achieved success in fashion as she started a clothing line titled "Fetish." She won a Grammy Award in 2002 for the... & Jadakiss Jadakiss Jason Phillips , better known as Jadakiss, is an American rapper. He is a member of the group The LOX. Jadakiss is one of the three owners of the imprint known as D-Block. In early 2007, Jadakiss signed to Roc-a-Fella Records / Def Jam Records.-Early life:By the age of 16, Jadakiss was a freestyle... |
4:25 |
| 13 | "Ruff Radio 2" (Skit) | Jay "Icepick" Jackson, Joaquin "Waah" Dean | 0:18 | |
| 14 | "Rob All Night (If I'm Gonna Rob)" | Rockwilder Rockwilder Rockwilder is an American hip hop and R&B record producer, rapper, and R&B Singer. A long term friend of Def Jam rapper Redman, Rockwilder got his start producing for East Coast Hip Hop artists in the mid 1990s. In 1999 Rockwilder produced Method Man & Redman's hit single "Da Rockwilder"... |
3:27 | |
| 15 | "We Go Hard" | No I.D. | 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.... |
3:36 |
| 16 | "We 'Bout To Blow" | Dame Grease Dame Grease Damon Blackmon, or Dame Grease, is a Harlem, New York based video and music producer.Before becoming a staple on every mixtape, The LOX relied on the sounds of Grease in order to acquire the street buzz that landed them their deal on Bad Boy Records in 1996... |
Big Stan | 3:31 |
| 17 | "The Rain" | DJ Scratch DJ Scratch DJ Scratch is an American hip hop DJ and producer.-Career:DJ Scratch is the 1988 New Music Seminar Battle For World Supremacy DJ Champion, Grammy nominated, Multi Platinum Producer & The 2010 Master Of The Mix World Champion.... |
3:27 | |
| 18 | "Gotta Go" (Skit) | Jay "Icepick" Jackson, Joaquin "Waah" Dean | 1:07 | |
| 19 | "Don't Gotta Go Home" (Mix) | Antoine "Bam" Macon, Ryan Bowser, Mr. Devine, Victor Flowers | Monica | 4:17 |
| 20 | "A'Yo Kato" | Swizz Beatz Swizz Beatz Kasseem Dean , better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and painter. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records... |
Magic & Val | 3:46 |
| 21 | "Thank You" | DMX DMX (rapper) Earl Simmons , better known by his stage name DMX, is a multiplatinum American rapper and actor who rose to fame in the late 1990s. His stage name pays tribute to the Oberheim DMX drum machine, an instrument he used when he made his own rap beats in the 80's... , Nemo, Ron H, Reggie Flowers, Gerald Flowers, Victor Flowers, Kevin McCord |
Patti LaBelle Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry... |
3:01 |
| 22 | "Prayer V" | DMX DMX (rapper) Earl Simmons , better known by his stage name DMX, is a multiplatinum American rapper and actor who rose to fame in the late 1990s. His stage name pays tribute to the Oberheim DMX drum machine, an instrument he used when he made his own rap beats in the 80's... |
1:47 | |
| 23 | "On Top" | Mac G DMX (rapper) Earl Simmons , better known by his stage name DMX, is a multiplatinum American rapper and actor who rose to fame in the late 1990s. His stage name pays tribute to the Oberheim DMX drum machine, an instrument he used when he made his own rap beats in the 80's... |
Big Stan Big Stan Big Stan is a 2007 American comedy film produced, directed by and starring Rob Schneider. It is his directorial debut. Although released in some overseas markets during the fall of 2008, it was released straight to DVD in the U.S. on March 24, 2009. It debuted at number 17 on the DVD rental charts... |
3:30 |
| 24 | "X Gon' Give It To Ya" (Bonus Track) | |||
Samples
- "Where The Hood At" contains a sample of "Young, Gifted & Black" as performed by Big Daddy KaneBig Daddy KaneAntonio Hardy better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper who started his career in 1986 as a member of the rap group the Juice Crew. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential and skilled MC's in Hip Hop...
- "We Go Hard" contains a sample of "Didn't I Fool You" as performed by Ruby Andrews
- "The Rain" contains a sample of "Will She Meet The Train In The Rain" as performed by Greg Perry
- "Thank you" contains a sample of "I want to thank you" as performed by Alicia Myers
Charts
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart | 32 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 20 |
| Belgium Albums Chart | 38 |
| Canada Albums Chart | 2 |
| French Albums Chart | 16 |
| German Albums Chart | 6 |
| Netherlands Albums Chart | 28 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 7 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 42 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 10 |
| UK Albums Chart | 6 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 1 |