"Superthug" is a hip-hop single by Puerto Rican American

Puerto Rican people

A Puerto Rican is a person who was born in Puerto Rico.Puerto Ricans born and raised in the continental United States are also sometimes referred to as Puerto Ricans, although they were not born in Puerto Rico...

 rapper Noreaga with background vocals from Kelis

Kelis

Kelis Rogers Kelis Rogers Kelis Rogers (born August 21, 1971 is an American musical artist. She is a BRIT Award, Q Award and NME Award winner and has been nominated for two Grammy Awards. She has had nine top 10 singles on the UK Singles Chart...

 during the song's hook. It was the second single from his debut solo album, N.O.R.E.

N.O.R.E. (album)

N.O.R.E. is the solo debut album by rapper Noreaga. It was released on July 14, 1998. N.O.R.E. opened up with sales of 163,000 in its first week of release and eventually went platinum...

. At the time it became Noreaga's highest charting and most successful single, peaking at #36 on the 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...

 and reaching #1 on the Hot Rap Tracks

Hot Rap Tracks

Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single...

 chart.. However it was later surpassed by his 2002 single "Nothin'" which peaked at #10 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song would later be fully sampled for Janet Jackson

Janet Jackson

Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...

 on 2004's "Ruff (I Like It)" .

Along with Mase

Mase

Mason Durell Betha , better known by stage name Mase who was previously known as Murda Ma$e, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor and inspirational speaker...

's "Lookin' at Me

Lookin' at Me

"Lookin' at Me" was the third and final single released from Mase's debut album, Harlem World. The song was produced by The Neptunes and featured Puff Daddy. The single was yet another success for Mase, becoming his third consecutive top 10 hit, peaking at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100, and was...

", the single was one of the first high profile productions done by Virginia

Virginia

The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...

 production team The Neptunes

The Neptunes

The Neptunes are a record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who are credited with contributing the sound for many successful hip hop, R&B and pop artists in the late-1990s and 2000s...

. It made the Neptunes well known and sought after producers in the music industry , and in the first decade of the 21st century they would become one of the most successful production teams in music history, being named 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...

magazine Producer of the Decade for the 2000s

Peak positions

Chart (1998)	Peak position
Billboard Hot 100	36
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	15
Billboard Hot Rap Singles	1

Year-End charts

End of year chart (1998)	Position
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	88