How Low
Encyclopedia
"How Low" is a song by American rapper Ludacris
. It is the lead single from his seventh studio album, Battle of the Sexes
. The song premiered at the BET
Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta, which took place on October 10, 2009. However, the ceremony was aired on October 27, 2009. It was performed by Ludacris as the second half of a medley that began with Lil Scrappy's
"Addicted to Money", a song in which he is featured. The track was produced by Canadian producer T-Minus
. The song was released via iTunes
on December 8, 2009. The song debuted on the U.S. Billboard
Hot 100 at 13. The music video was filmed on December 23, 2009 in Los Angeles
, California
and was directed by Dave Meyers
. The music video leaked on the internet on January 20, 2010. The single has sold more than 2,000,000 units to date and has been certified platinum by the RIAA.
. The track samples Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise
" as the primary vocals in the chorus, additional vocals by Carla Henderson.
Nominated for the Grammy's 2011 Best Rap Solo Performance
Remixes:
. They begin by talking directly into a camcorder
, in which they reveal that there is a rumor that if you "go low" enough in front of a mirror, Ludacris
will appear. They begin dancing to the song in front of a mirror, and Ludacris' face appears in the reflection and starts rapping. The girls are visibly excited at the sight and continue dancing. The video progresses with shots of Ludacris in a club with a blacklight. Back in the bedroom, Ludacris, backup dancers and masked men burst out of the mirror and into the room. The girls, scared, run downstairs and into another room to hide. Ludacris and his dancers come down the stairs and eventually find the girls. Ludacris magically tears off the girls' clothing and changes them into erotic dancers. More people begin to appear and throw a party in the house as all of the girls dance. The video then changes over to different girls, changing in a locker room. Similarly to the original girls, the girls in the locker room also state the rumor and decide to test it by dancing low in front of the mirror in the same hopes of seeing Ludacris. The following scene shows Ludacris at the original party, rapping in front of the dancing girls outside of the house. However, because the girls in the locker room have started to "go low", Ludacris begins to fade, while giving off some type of electrostatic discharge. He then appears in the mirror inside the locker room and the whole concept of the video apparently restarts. The video features a cameo from Disturbing tha Peace
artist Lil Fate.
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges , better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings...
. It is the lead single from his seventh studio album, Battle of the Sexes
Battle of the Sexes (album)
Battle of the Sexes is the seventh studio album by American rapper Ludacris, released March 9, 2010 on Disturbing tha Peace and Def Jam Recordings. It was intended to serve as a collaboration album between Ludacris and rapper Shawnna, but proved to be a solo album by the former after Shawnna left...
. The song premiered at the BET
Bet
Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...
Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta, which took place on October 10, 2009. However, the ceremony was aired on October 27, 2009. It was performed by Ludacris as the second half of a medley that began with Lil Scrappy's
Lil Scrappy
Darryl Kevin Richardson II , better known by his stage name Lil Scrappy, is an American rapper.Richards was discovered by producer and performer Lil Jon while performing at a bar, when a fight broke out during his set in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia...
"Addicted to Money", a song in which he is featured. The track was produced by Canadian producer T-Minus
T-Minus (producer)
T-Minus , is a Canadian hip-hop and R&B producer from Ajax, Ontario. He has produced for artists such as T.I., Ciara, Nicki Minaj, Plies, Ludacris, LeToya Luckett, Birdman, Lil' Wayne, Wale and Drake, & August Rigo among others.-2006:Drake - Comeback Season:* 00. "Replacement Girl" T-Minus (born...
. The song was released via iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
on December 8, 2009. The song debuted on the U.S. Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100 at 13. The music video was filmed on December 23, 2009 in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and was directed by Dave Meyers
Dave Meyers (director)
David "Dave" Meyers is an American music video director.-Career:Meyers has directed over 200 music videos including: P!nk's "There You Go", "Most Girls", "You Make Me Sick", "Get The Party Started", "Don't Let Me Get Me", "Feel Good Time", "Stupid Girls", "U + Ur Hand", "So What", "Please Don't...
. The music video leaked on the internet on January 20, 2010. The single has sold more than 2,000,000 units to date and has been certified platinum by the RIAA.
Background
"How Low" was officially released as the lead single from Ludacris' Battle of the Sexes album on December 8, 2009. Prior to the single's release, Ludacris performed the song live on October 10, 2009 at the BET Hip Hop Awards in Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
. The track samples Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise
Bring the Noise
"Bring the Noise" is a song by the hip hop group Public Enemy. It was included on the soundtrack of the 1987 film Less Than Zero and was also released as a single that year. It later became the first song on the group's 1988 album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back...
" as the primary vocals in the chorus, additional vocals by Carla Henderson.
Nominated for the Grammy's 2011 Best Rap Solo Performance
Official remixes & freestyles
There are two different versions of the official remix.- The first remix, which features Rick Ross and Twista, was leaked on January 27, 2010.
- The second features CiaraCiaraCiara Princess Harris , known mononymously as Ciara, is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, actress and fashion model. Born in Austin, Texas, she traveled around the world during her childhood, only to land in Atlanta, Georgia where she met music producer, Jazze Pha...
and PitbullPitbull (rapper)Armando Christian Pérez , better known by his stage name Pitbull, is an American rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer. His first recorded performance was from the Lil Jon album Kings of Crunk in 2002, after which he released his debut album in 2004 titled M.I.A.M.I. under TVT Records...
. Ciara sings part of the hook on her remix and adds her own verse. The remix was scheduled to be released to on February 9, 2010. It is included on the deluxe edition of the album. The remix was leaked on February 2, 2010.
Remixes:
- Ludacris Feat. Yelawolf & Rock City - How Low
- Ludacris Feat. Rick Ross & Twista - How Low
- Ludacris Feat. Ciara & Pitbull - How Low (Official Remix)
- Ludacris Feat. Fabolous - How Low
- Ludacris Feat. Rock City & YelaWolf - How Low
- Ludacris Feat. Ciara & Chris Brown - How Low
- Ludacris Feat. Chris Brown & Twista - How Low
- Ludacris Feat. Pitbull, Twista, & Chris Brown - How Low
- The-Dream & Ciara - How Low
- Rock City - How Low (Freestyle)
- Chris Brown - How Low Can You Go (Freestyle)
- Twista - How Low (Freestyle)
Music video
The video begins with three girls in a bedroom for a sleepoverSleepover
A sleepover, also known as a pajama party or a slumber party, is a party most commonly held by children or teenagers, where a guest or guests are invited to stay overnight at the home of a friend, sometimes to celebrate birthdays or other special events...
. They begin by talking directly into a camcorder
Camcorder
A camcorder is an electronic device that combines a video camera and a video recorder into one unit. Equipment manufacturers do not seem to have strict guidelines for the term usage...
, in which they reveal that there is a rumor that if you "go low" enough in front of a mirror, Ludacris
Ludacris
Christopher Brian Bridges , better known by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings...
will appear. They begin dancing to the song in front of a mirror, and Ludacris' face appears in the reflection and starts rapping. The girls are visibly excited at the sight and continue dancing. The video progresses with shots of Ludacris in a club with a blacklight. Back in the bedroom, Ludacris, backup dancers and masked men burst out of the mirror and into the room. The girls, scared, run downstairs and into another room to hide. Ludacris and his dancers come down the stairs and eventually find the girls. Ludacris magically tears off the girls' clothing and changes them into erotic dancers. More people begin to appear and throw a party in the house as all of the girls dance. The video then changes over to different girls, changing in a locker room. Similarly to the original girls, the girls in the locker room also state the rumor and decide to test it by dancing low in front of the mirror in the same hopes of seeing Ludacris. The following scene shows Ludacris at the original party, rapping in front of the dancing girls outside of the house. However, because the girls in the locker room have started to "go low", Ludacris begins to fade, while giving off some type of electrostatic discharge. He then appears in the mirror inside the locker room and the whole concept of the video apparently restarts. The video features a cameo from Disturbing tha Peace
Disturbing Tha Peace
Disturbing tha Peace is a record label founded by Christopher "Ludacris" Bridges, his manager Chaka Zulu and Zulu's brother Jeff Dixon...
artist Lil Fate.
Charts
| Chart (2009–2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia ARIA Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
54 |
| Belgian Tip Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... (Flanders) |
9 |
| Belgian Tip Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... (Wallonia) |
14 |
| Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
41 |
| Dutch Tipparade (Bubbling Under) | 30 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 21 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
67 |
| UK R&B Chart UK R&B Chart The Official UK R&B Chart is a forty-position R&B/Hip-Hop chart compiled by The Official UK Charts Company. Although the chart does not receive any airplay, its compilation is viewed on BBC Radio 1's website and publications such as ChartsPlus and Music Week... |
21 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
6 |
| 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,... |
2 |
| U.S. Billboard Rap Songs | 1 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2010) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
36 |