Made You Look
Encyclopedia
"Made You Look" is the first single from Nas
' 2002 album, God's Son
. Built around several samples lifted from the Incredible Bongo Band
's cover of "Apache
", the single was important in establishing Nas' direction following his battle with Jay-Z
and the Stillmatic
album in its reliance on intricate lyricism and an old-school aesthetic. The song reached much commercial success, on the level of "I Can," and it was a sizeable hit among urban audiences and remains one of the more popular tracks on the God's Son
album. It is his second highest charting single to date.
Lyrically, "Made You Look" is similar to much of the material Nas was releasing in the early 2000s with its loose, complex, free-associative rhymes conveying obscure, wide-ranging themes: partying, boasting, hyping Nas and his legacy.
"Made You Look" is featured in the 2009 video game, Skate 2
.
The beat for "Made You Look" was also used on the song "In My Bed
" by British singer Amy Winehouse
. Both songs were produced by Salaam Remi
.
and Atlanta's Ludacris
. The song also featured a new verse from Nas. However stayed in the mixtape circuit and did not make it onto the album.
Tha Dogg Pound
member Kurupt
has used the beat for "Made You Look" on a mixtape track called "Take Off".
Ja Rule
used the beat on his mixtape, Loose Change, which aimed insults towards 50 Cent and the entire Aftermath/Shady camp in 2003. During the song, Ja Rule rhymes in a similar pattern to the original song.
La Coka Nostra
used the beat for a track, with the same title, on their 2009 mixtape The Audacity Of Coke Mixtape; featuring two verses by Ill Bill
and Slaine
.
Snoop Dogg, Jadakiss and his group D-Block used the beat as well.
Diggy Simmons
, son of Run-DMC's Rev Run, released a freestyle to the beat, resulting in him being signed to Atlantic Records
.
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
' 2002 album, God's Son
God's Son
God's Son is the sixth studio album by American rapper Nas, released December 13, 2002 on Columbia-imprint Ill Will Records. Production for the album took place during 2001 to 2002 and was handled by several hip hop producers, including Salaam Remi, Chucky Thompson, Ron Browz, and The Alchemist...
. Built around several samples lifted from the Incredible Bongo Band
Incredible Bongo Band
The Incredible Bongo Band, also known as Michael Viner's Incredible Bongo Band, was a project started in 1972 by Michael Viner, a record artist manager and executive at MGM Records. Viner was called on to supplement the soundtrack to the virtually anonymous B film The Thing With Two Heads. The...
's cover of "Apache
Apache (instrumental)
"Apache" is an instrumental written by Jerry Lordan. It has been recorded by many people, but the first released version was recorded by British group The Shadows in June 1960 and released the following month. The song topped the UK singles chart for five weeks...
", the single was important in establishing Nas' direction following his battle with Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
and the Stillmatic
Stillmatic
Stillmatic received generally positive reviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 69, based on 12 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews"...
album in its reliance on intricate lyricism and an old-school aesthetic. The song reached much commercial success, on the level of "I Can," and it was a sizeable hit among urban audiences and remains one of the more popular tracks on the God's Son
God's Son
God's Son is the sixth studio album by American rapper Nas, released December 13, 2002 on Columbia-imprint Ill Will Records. Production for the album took place during 2001 to 2002 and was handled by several hip hop producers, including Salaam Remi, Chucky Thompson, Ron Browz, and The Alchemist...
album. It is his second highest charting single to date.
Lyrically, "Made You Look" is similar to much of the material Nas was releasing in the early 2000s with its loose, complex, free-associative rhymes conveying obscure, wide-ranging themes: partying, boasting, hyping Nas and his legacy.
"Made You Look" is featured in the 2009 video game, Skate 2
Skate 2
Skate 2 is a sandbox skateboarding video game developed by EA Black Box and distributed by Electronic Arts as a sequel to the 2007 game, Skate. Skate 2 was released in January 2009 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.-Plot:...
.
The beat for "Made You Look" was also used on the song "In My Bed
In My Bed (Amy Winehouse song)
"In My Bed" is a song by English recording artist Amy Winehouse from her debut album, Frank . It was released on 5 April 2004 as the album's third single , reaching number sixty on the UK Singles Chart....
" by British singer Amy Winehouse
Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse was an English singer-songwriter known for her powerful deep contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres including R&B, soul and jazz. Winehouse's 2003 debut album, Frank, was critically successful in the UK and was nominated for the Mercury Prize...
. Both songs were produced by Salaam Remi
Salaam Remi
Salaam Remi Gibbs, better known as Salaam Remi, is a hip hop producer and keyboard player, known for his association with Nas, Amy Winehouse, and his reggae-tinged approach to production...
.
Remix
A remix surfaced a few weeks after the initial release of the song. The remix featured Yonkers native JadakissJadakiss
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...
and Atlanta's 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...
. The song also featured a new verse from Nas. However stayed in the mixtape circuit and did not make it onto the album.
Tha Dogg Pound
Tha Dogg Pound
Tha Dogg Pound is a rap group made up of Daz Dillinger and Kurupt. They were signed to Death Row Records in their early careers and were key to the label's success. The group made their 1992 rap debut on Dr. Dre's The Chronic, on various songs. They also appeared on Snoop Dogg's debut album...
member Kurupt
Kurupt
Ricardo Emmanuel Brown , better known by his stage name Kurupt, also known as Kurupt Tha Kingpin, Kurupt Young Gotti or Young Gotstra is an American rapper and former Executive Vice President of Death Row Records...
has used the beat for "Made You Look" on a mixtape track called "Take Off".
Ja Rule
Ja 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"...
used the beat on his mixtape, Loose Change, which aimed insults towards 50 Cent and the entire Aftermath/Shady camp in 2003. During the song, Ja Rule rhymes in a similar pattern to the original song.
La Coka Nostra
La Coka Nostra
La Coka Nostra is an American hip hop group composed of Everlast, DJ Lethal, Danny Boy, Ill Bill and Slaine.- Biography :Founded in late 2005 with no intention to record an album, La Coka Nostra was more a loose collective of artists connected through Danny Boy than a group...
used the beat for a track, with the same title, on their 2009 mixtape The Audacity Of Coke Mixtape; featuring two verses by Ill Bill
Ill Bill
William Braunstein, better known as Ill Bill, is a American rapper and record producer from Brooklyn, New York. Having gained notoriety in the underground hip hop group Non Phixion, Ill Bill is known for his hardcore lyrics and as the producer, founder and CEO of Uncle Howie Records...
and Slaine
Slaine (rapper)
George Carroll, born 1977 in Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and better known as Slaine, is an Irish-American hip hop MC and actor. He is best known for his work in the groups Special Teamz and La Coka Nostra .Slaine has appeared on several solo mixtapes and...
.
Snoop Dogg, Jadakiss and his group D-Block used the beat as well.
Diggy Simmons
Diggy Simmons
Daniel Dwayne Simmons III , better known by his stage name Diggy Simmons or simply as Diggy, is an American rapper and the fourth child of Joseph "Rev. Run" Simmons...
, son of Run-DMC's Rev Run, released a freestyle to the beat, resulting in him being signed to Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
.
Acclaim
- In 2005 BlenderBlender (magazine)Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
ranked "Made You Look" as the 175th best song from the 1980s through the 2000s. They also named it the 16th best single of 2003. - Pitchfork MediaPitchfork MediaPitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
ranked it as the 47th best single of 2002. - QQ (magazine)Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
ranked it as the 903rd best song ever in 2003.
A-side
- "Made You Look" (Explicit Version) (3:22)
- "Made You Look" (Instrumental with Guns) (3:14)
B-side
- "The Cross" (Explicit Version) (3:47)
- Produced by EminemEminemMarshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
- Produced by Eminem
- "The Cross" (Instrumental) (3:47)