Who Am I (Sim Simma)
Encyclopedia
"Who Am I", or simply "Who Am I", is a reggae
single
released by dancehall
artist Beenie Man
in 1998. It is the second track on his album Many Moods of Moses released in 1997.
The instrumental
rhythm to the song, called "Playground" (a.k.a. "Playground Riddim"), was produced by Jeremy Harding, then DJ NuMark. According to Harding, "Beenie Man had heard the riddim "Playground" on several occasions and loved it. He had even written a tune already when he arrived at the studio to voice without any prior notice. I heard a knocking one morning...and couldn't believe when I saw Beenie Man sitting outside complaining about how long they had been banging down the door. I turned on the equipment, and he went straight into the booth to record a perfect version of "Who Am I" in what seemed like one take."
The track helped to introduce Beenie Man to the world as a new reggae star in the pages of Newsweek
and other major media outlets. He used a portion of this song in his reggae fusion
single "Girls Dem Sugar
" featuring Mya which was released in 2000.
and was his first top 40 hit in the UK. On the US Billboard charts
, the song reached #6 on their Hot Rap Singles
charts.http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1314767 On their Hot R&B/Hip Hop singles
charts, the song reached #15.http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=367&cfgn=Singles&cfn=Hot+R%26amp%3BB%2FHip-Hop+Songs&ci=3030337&cdi=7308135&cid=05%2F09%2F1998
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
released by dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
artist Beenie Man
Beenie Man
Anthony Moses Davis , better known by his stage name Beenie Man, is a Grammy award winning Jamaican reggae artist. He is the self-proclaimed "King of the Dancehall".-Biography:...
in 1998. It is the second track on his album Many Moods of Moses released in 1997.
The instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
rhythm to the song, called "Playground" (a.k.a. "Playground Riddim"), was produced by Jeremy Harding, then DJ NuMark. According to Harding, "Beenie Man had heard the riddim "Playground" on several occasions and loved it. He had even written a tune already when he arrived at the studio to voice without any prior notice. I heard a knocking one morning...and couldn't believe when I saw Beenie Man sitting outside complaining about how long they had been banging down the door. I turned on the equipment, and he went straight into the booth to record a perfect version of "Who Am I" in what seemed like one take."
The track helped to introduce Beenie Man to the world as a new reggae star in the pages of Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
and other major media outlets. He used a portion of this song in his reggae fusion
Reggae fusion
Reggae fusion is a fusion genre of reggae that mixes reggae or dancehall with other genres, such as pop, rock, hip hop, R&B, house, jazz & drum and bass....
single "Girls Dem Sugar
Girls Dem Sugar
Girls Dem Sugar is a reggae fusion song by Jamaican deejay Beenie Man and features singer-songwriter Mýa. The track was produced by The Neptunes for Davis' 2000 studio album Art and Life and was inspired and conceptualized from his 1997 Jamaican hit single "Who Am I "...
" featuring Mya which was released in 2000.
Chart success
The song reached #10 in the UK Singles ChartUK 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 ...
and was his first top 40 hit in the UK. On the US Billboard charts
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
, the song reached #6 on their Hot Rap Singles
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...
charts.http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1314767 On their Hot R&B/Hip Hop singles
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,...
charts, the song reached #15.http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=367&cfgn=Singles&cfn=Hot+R%26amp%3BB%2FHip-Hop+Songs&ci=3030337&cdi=7308135&cid=05%2F09%2F1998
Pop culture references
- The song references the lyrics of "Never Too MuchNever Too Much"Never Too Much" is a song by the late R&B singer/songwriter Luther Vandross. The song was released in 1981, as the title track of the album of the same name. The title track hit number one on the soul singles chart and peaked at number thirty-three on the Hot 100...
" by Luther VandrossLuther VandrossLuther Ronzoni Vandross was an American singer-songwriter and record producer. During his career, Vandross sold over twenty-five million albums and won eight Grammy Awards including Best Male R&B Vocal Performance four times...
. - Rapper Redman references "Who Am I" in "I'll Bee Dat", on his 1998 album Doc's da Name 2000Doc's da Name 2000Doc's da Name 2000 is the fourth studio album by American rapper Redman. It was a top seller, initially shipping platinum in sales and reaching platinum sales in less than two months...
, which was also released as a single. The track begins with a string of expletives, then "Sim Simma, who got the keys to my BeemerBMWBayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
?". The lyrics are an allusion to the first line of the song's chorus, "Sim Simma, who got the keys to my Beemer?". - Rapper Nelly also alludes to the song's chorus in his 2000 rap single "Country Grammar (Hot Shit) with the line, "Keys to my Beemer, man, holla at Beenie Man".
- Rapper Petey PabloPetey PabloMoses Mortimer Barrett III , known by the stage name Petey Pablo, is an American rapper from Greenville, North Carolina.-Biography:...
begins the first verse of his song "Raise UpRaise Up"Raise Up" is a hip hop song by rapper Petey Pablo from his debut album Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry.The song peaked at #25 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart on October 30, 2001...
" with the line, "Who am I? Petey Pab, motherfucka!", an allusion to the second line of the song's chorus, "Who am I? The girl dem sugah!" - Dancehall artist Sean PaulSean PaulSean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques , who performs under stage name Sean Paul, is a Jamaican pop rap and reggae singer.-1973–1996: Early life:...
also uses Harding's "Playground Riddim" for his reggae song "Infiltrate" from his 2000 album Stage OneStage One-Charts:...
. That same instrumental can also be heard at the beginning of the music video for his single, "Like GlueLike Glue"Like Glue" is a song recorded by Jamaican dancehall artist Sean Paul, from his second album Dutty Rock . The song was produced by Tony "CD" Kelly, and written by Kelly and Sean Paul. Lyrics from "Like Glue" were originally the intro to "Gimme the Light" until Sean Paul expanded it and made it into...
". - RihannaRihannaRobyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
made a cover of this song during the Glow In The Dark TourGlow in the Dark TourThe Glow in the Dark Tour is a critically acclaimed world concert tour by Kanye West featuring Rihanna, Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D, and Nas. It began on April 16, 2008 in Seattle, Washington and travelled to Latin America, Asia, Europe, New Zealand and Australia through to early December.The tour...
where she supported Kanye WestKanye WestKanye 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...
.
Charts
| Charts (1997/1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Singles 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... |
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,... |
15 |