Sideline Ho
Encyclopedia
"Sideline Ho" is a song by American
R&B
singer Monica, written by Harvey Mason Jr., Damon Thomas
, Antonio Dixon, Eric Dawkins, Steve Russell
, and Durrell "Tank" Babbs
for her fourth studio album, The Makings of Me
(2006). It was co-produced by The Underdogs
and Tank, and released as the album's third single in the first quarter of 2007 (see 2007 in music
). The song opened at number 77 on the Billboard
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart on early airplay alone, and achieved a peak of number 45 on that chart.
Although "Sideline Ho" saw a comparatively successful debut on the charts J Records
refused to agree on producing a music video
for the song at first, and on January 19, 2007, a video clip
of Monica asking fans to sign an online petition to help convince her record company to release a video for the single was leaked onto the internet. While several sources reported that the singer and her team "had started writing treatments for the 'Sideline Ho' video" by late February 2007, ideas for a video were eventually scrapped.
Monica worked on with production team The Underdogs
and singer-songwriter
Tank
in the Doppler Studios in Atlanta, Georgia
. Inspired by an ex who cheated on her with a video model and loosely based on a self-written poem, the singer has described the song as both her "actual favorite" on the album and one of her "most personal records ever" yet: "The record was about me being in a relationship years ago and somebody just disrespected to the fullest," Monica said in an interview with Billboard
. "I was telling Tank about a situation where an ex of mine blatantly, openly cheated - as if people didn't know who his girlfriend was! And just the sound of her name would make my flesh crawl. So he was like, 'Well what did you call her?' I said, 'She has no name. She has no importance [...] I always referred to her as the 'sideline ho,' because she was too comfortable with her position."
On July 25, 2006 AOL Music previewed a full version of the song, and by July 26 the entire track had leaked onto the internet. A more up-tempo remix of "Sidelino Ho," co-produced by Greg Street and Carl Moe, later appeared on the singer's 2007 mixtape Monica: Made; and though a few sources confirmed that a more radio-friendly version called "Sideline Chick" had also been recorded, a so-called "Squeaky Clean version" was finally included on the song's limited CD single
, released on February 5, 2007 in the United States
.
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart, opening up at number 77 due to early airplay in the week of January 22, 2007. After weeks of minor to moderate radio support the song eventually reached number 45 on particular chart, only slightly surpassing the peak position of previous single, "A Dozen Roses (You Remind Me)."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
singer Monica, written by Harvey Mason Jr., Damon Thomas
The Underdogs (duo)
The Underdogs is an R&B/pop production duo composed of Harvey Mason, Jr. and Damon Thomas.-Biography:Harvey Mason, Jr. is the son of Harvey Mason, Sr., a noted session drummer...
, Antonio Dixon, Eric Dawkins, Steve Russell
Steve Russell
Steve "Slug" Russell is a programmer and computer scientist most famous for creating Spacewar!, one of the earliest videogames, in 1961 with the fellow members of the Tech Model Railroad Club at MIT working on a DEC Digital PDP-1...
, and Durrell "Tank" Babbs
Tank (American singer)
Tank is an American R&B singer, songwriter and producer.-Career:Tank was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and moved with his family as a child to the Washington, D.C. suburb of Clinton, Maryland. He was a multi-sport athlete at Crossland High School and was offered the opportunity to play college...
for her fourth studio album, The Makings of Me
The Makings of Me
The Makings of Me is the fifth studio album by American singer Monica, released by J Records on October 3, 2006 in the United States and October 10, 2006 in Canada...
(2006). It was co-produced by The Underdogs
The Underdogs (duo)
The Underdogs is an R&B/pop production duo composed of Harvey Mason, Jr. and Damon Thomas.-Biography:Harvey Mason, Jr. is the son of Harvey Mason, Sr., a noted session drummer...
and Tank, and released as the album's third single in the first quarter of 2007 (see 2007 in music
2007 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2007.-January:*January 1 - George Shearing is knighted for services to music in the Queen's New Year Honours List. Evelyn Glennie becomes a Dame...
). The song opened at number 77 on the 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 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,...
chart on early airplay alone, and achieved a peak of number 45 on that chart.
Although "Sideline Ho" saw a comparatively successful debut on the charts J Records
J Records
J Records was an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment, and was distributed through the RCA Music Group.-Company history:...
refused to agree on producing a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for the song at first, and on January 19, 2007, a video clip
Video clip
Video clips are short clips of video, usually part of a longer recording. The term is also more loosely used to mean any short video less than the length of a traditional television program.- On the Internet :...
of Monica asking fans to sign an online petition to help convince her record company to release a video for the single was leaked onto the internet. While several sources reported that the singer and her team "had started writing treatments for the 'Sideline Ho' video" by late February 2007, ideas for a video were eventually scrapped.
Writing and recording
"Sideline Ho" is one out of two songs on The Makings of MeThe Makings of Me
The Makings of Me is the fifth studio album by American singer Monica, released by J Records on October 3, 2006 in the United States and October 10, 2006 in Canada...
Monica worked on with production team The Underdogs
The Underdogs (duo)
The Underdogs is an R&B/pop production duo composed of Harvey Mason, Jr. and Damon Thomas.-Biography:Harvey Mason, Jr. is the son of Harvey Mason, Sr., a noted session drummer...
and singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
Tank
Tank (American singer)
Tank is an American R&B singer, songwriter and producer.-Career:Tank was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and moved with his family as a child to the Washington, D.C. suburb of Clinton, Maryland. He was a multi-sport athlete at Crossland High School and was offered the opportunity to play college...
in the Doppler Studios in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, 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...
. Inspired by an ex who cheated on her with a video model and loosely based on a self-written poem, the singer has described the song as both her "actual favorite" on the album and one of her "most personal records ever" yet: "The record was about me being in a relationship years ago and somebody just disrespected to the fullest," Monica said in an interview with 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...
. "I was telling Tank about a situation where an ex of mine blatantly, openly cheated - as if people didn't know who his girlfriend was! And just the sound of her name would make my flesh crawl. So he was like, 'Well what did you call her?' I said, 'She has no name. She has no importance [...] I always referred to her as the 'sideline ho,' because she was too comfortable with her position."
On July 25, 2006 AOL Music previewed a full version of the song, and by July 26 the entire track had leaked onto the internet. A more up-tempo remix of "Sidelino Ho," co-produced by Greg Street and Carl Moe, later appeared on the singer's 2007 mixtape Monica: Made; and though a few sources confirmed that a more radio-friendly version called "Sideline Chick" had also been recorded, a so-called "Squeaky Clean version" was finally included on the song's limited CD single
CD single
A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...
, released on February 5, 2007 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Chart performance
The single was not officially released to U.S. radio until mid-February 2007, but appeared a few weeks early on the BillboardBillboard (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 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,...
chart, opening up at number 77 due to early airplay in the week of January 22, 2007. After weeks of minor to moderate radio support the song eventually reached number 45 on particular chart, only slightly surpassing the peak position of previous single, "A Dozen Roses (You Remind Me)."
Formats and tracklistings
These are the formats and track listings of major single-releases of "Sideline Ho."Promotional CD single
- "Sideline Ho" (album version) - 3:47
- "Sideline Ho" (radio version) - 3:52
Release history
| Region | Format | Date |
|---|---|---|
| internet preview | July 25, 2006 | |
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
February 5, 2007 |
| mainstream radio Contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts... |
Charts
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|