Bossy
Encyclopedia
"Bossy" is a song by American R&B
singer Kelis
, featuring American rapper Too Short. Written by Kelis, Shondrae "Bangladesh" Crawford
, Too Short, and Sean Garrett
, it was released in the United States in May 2006 as the lead single
from Kelis' fourth studio album, Kelis Was Here
(2006). The song peaked at number sixteen on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
, making it the singer's second biggest Hot 100 hit thus far, as well as Too Short's only top 40 hit to date. While "Bossy" entered the top ten in Finland and the top twenty in Australia and New Zealand, it failed to chart or sell noticeably elsewhere.
It is believed that the track features a response to 50 Cent
's 2005 song "Piggy Bank
". In "Bossy", Kelis states "That's right, I brought all the boys to the yard/And that's right, I'm the one tattooed on his arm", in response to 50 Cent rapping, "Kelis said her milkshake brings all the boys to the yard/Then Nas
went and tattooed the bitch on his arm" in his song. The lyric "I'm the first girl to scream on a track" refers to her debut single "Caught out There
", in which she "screamed" the chorus. The lyric "I'm back with an 808" refers to the Roland TR-808
drum machine, which was used to create the drum beat.
On December 11, 2006, "Bossy" was certified double platinum by the RIAA
.
The Redsoul 8055y remix was part of the runway soundtrack of the 2006 Victoria's Secret
Fashion Show.
The song was featured on the 30 Rock
episode "The Aftermath"
.
It was featured on TV-hit The O.C.
in the episode The Graduates.
in early 2006 and peaked at number sixteen, becoming her third Hot 100 entry and her second biggest hit after 2003's "Milkshake
". The song entered several other Billboard charts
, including the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart, on which it peaked at number eleven.
In the United Kingdom, the single was released on September 4, 2006 and peaked at number twenty-two, a lower position than those reached by the four singles from Kelis' previous album, Tasty. "Bossy" returned Kelis to the top twenty in Australia, where it peaked at number eighteen, but it was not as successful as the first two releases from Tasty, "Milkshake" and 2004's "Trick Me
". The song fared better on the R&B charts of Australia and the UK, reaching numbers four and seven, respectively.
"Bossy" reached the top ten in Finland, the top twenty in Spain and New Zealand, and the top forty in Ireland. The single also peaked at number forty-one in Belgium and Switzerland, number fifty-six in Austria, and number sixty-four in Germany.
The video
for "Bossy", directed by Marc Klasfeld
—who would work with Kelis on "Blindfold Me
" and "Lil Star
" later that year—and produced by Rockhard Films Co was shot in February 2006 in Los Angeles
, California
.
The video presents Kelis in different scenarios and outfits, depicting an atmosphere from an upper-class world; from a diamond, octopus-filled party to a red Enzo Ferrari
drive out in the night. It premiered on BET
on April 24, 2006.
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 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...
, featuring American rapper Too Short. Written by Kelis, Shondrae "Bangladesh" Crawford
Bangladesh (producer)
Shondrae Crawford, better known as Bangladesh or Mr. Bangladesh, is a Grammy Award winning American record producer and disc jockey and rapper, who was born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, and now lives in Atlanta, Georgia.- Life and career :...
, Too Short, and Sean Garrett
Sean Garrett
Garrett Hamler, better known by his stage name Sean Garrett is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, and record producer. He has produced fifteen number one singles in only seven years of producing music. That number puts him in fifth place on the Billboard list of producers with the most number...
, it was released in the United States in May 2006 as the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
from Kelis' fourth studio album, Kelis Was Here
Kelis Was Here
Kelis Was Here is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Kelis, released in the United States on August 22, 2006 by LaFace Records and Jive Records...
(2006). The song peaked at number sixteen on the 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...
, making it the singer's second biggest Hot 100 hit thus far, as well as Too Short's only top 40 hit to date. While "Bossy" entered the top ten in Finland and the top twenty in Australia and New Zealand, it failed to chart or sell noticeably elsewhere.
It is believed that the track features a response to 50 Cent
50 Cent
Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
's 2005 song "Piggy Bank
Piggy Bank (song)
"Piggy Bank" is the fifth track from 50 Cent's second album, The Massacre. It was not released as a single, but charted at eighty-eight on the Billboard Hot 100 due to controversy over its attack on long-time rival Ja Rule, as well as Jadakiss and Fat Joe, who had worked with Ja Rule on his song...
". In "Bossy", Kelis states "That's right, I brought all the boys to the yard/And that's right, I'm the one tattooed on his arm", in response to 50 Cent rapping, "Kelis said her milkshake brings all the boys to the yard/Then Nas
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...
went and tattooed the bitch on his arm" in his song. The lyric "I'm the first girl to scream on a track" refers to her debut single "Caught out There
Caught out There
"Caught out There" is a song by American recording artist Kelis from her debut album, Kaleidoscope. Written and produced by The Neptunes, the song was released as the album's lead single to moderate chart success in the United States, peaking at number fifty-four...
", in which she "screamed" the chorus. The lyric "I'm back with an 808" refers to the Roland TR-808
Roland TR-808
The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer was one of the first programmable drum machines . Introduced by the Roland Corporation in early 1980, it was originally manufactured for use as a tool for studio musicians to create demos. Like earlier Roland drum machines, it does not sound very much like a real...
drum machine, which was used to create the drum beat.
On December 11, 2006, "Bossy" was certified double platinum by the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
.
The Redsoul 8055y remix was part of the runway soundtrack of the 2006 Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret
Victoria's Secret is an American retailer of women's wear, lingerie and beauty products. It is the largest segment of publicly-traded Limited Brands with sales of over US$5 billion and an operating income of $1 billion in 2006...
Fashion Show.
The song was featured on the 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
episode "The Aftermath"
The Aftermath (30 Rock)
"The Aftermath" is the second episode of the first season of the American situation comedy 30 Rock, which first aired on October 17, 2006 on CTV in Canada. It aired on October 18, 2006 on the NBC network in the United States, its country of origin, and October 18, 2007 in the United Kingdom. The...
.
It was featured on TV-hit The O.C.
The O.C.
The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
in the episode The Graduates.
Chart performance
"Bossy" debuted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100Billboard 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...
in early 2006 and peaked at number sixteen, becoming her third Hot 100 entry and her second biggest hit after 2003's "Milkshake
Milkshake (song)
"Milkshake" is a song by American recording artist Kelis and the lead single from her third studio album, Tasty. The song was released in the United States on August 25, 2003, by Star Trak and Arista Records, and internationally on November 24. It was written and produced by The Neptunes, a duo...
". The song entered several other 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...
, including the 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 which it peaked at number eleven.
In the United Kingdom, the single was released on September 4, 2006 and peaked at number twenty-two, a lower position than those reached by the four singles from Kelis' previous album, Tasty. "Bossy" returned Kelis to the top twenty in Australia, where it peaked at number eighteen, but it was not as successful as the first two releases from Tasty, "Milkshake" and 2004's "Trick Me
Trick Me
"Trick Me" is a song by American recording artist Kelis. It was released as the second single from her third studio album, Tasty in April 2004. It was not released in the United States as her American label, Arista, folded after the release of Tasty, and she was transferred to Jive. In Europe, she...
". The song fared better on the R&B charts of Australia and the UK, reaching numbers four and seven, respectively.
"Bossy" reached the top ten in Finland, the top twenty in Spain and New Zealand, and the top forty in Ireland. The single also peaked at number forty-one in Belgium and Switzerland, number fifty-six in Austria, and number sixty-four in Germany.
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 "Bossy", directed by Marc Klasfeld
Marc Klasfeld
Marc Klasfeld is an American music video director. He has directed over two hundred music videos for artists such as Katy Perry, Jay-Z, Kid Rock, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nelly, Foo Fighters, Jewel, Sum 41, Avril Lavigne and many others with multiple MTV award wins and nominations...
—who would work with Kelis on "Blindfold Me
Blindfold Me
"Blindfold Me" is the second US single from Kelis' fourth studio album, Kelis Was Here . The single, released in October 2006, features American rapper Nas...
" and "Lil Star
Lil Star
"Lil Star" is the second international single from Kelis' Grammy Award-nominated fourth studio album, Kelis Was Here . Released outside US , the single features Cee-Lo, who is known for being a half of the duo Gnarls Barkley...
" later that year—and produced by Rockhard Films Co was shot in February 2006 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...
.
The video presents Kelis in different scenarios and outfits, depicting an atmosphere from an upper-class world; from a diamond, octopus-filled party to a red Enzo Ferrari
Enzo Ferrari (car)
The Enzo Ferrari is a 12 cylinder mid-engine berlinetta named after the company's founder, Enzo Ferrari. It was built in 2002 using Formula One technology, such as a carbon-fibre body, F1-style electrohydraulic shift transmission, and Carbon fibre-reinforced Silicon Carbide ceramic composite...
drive out in the night. It premiered on BET
Black Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...
on April 24, 2006.
Charts
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian 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... |
18 |
| Australian Urban 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... |
4 |
| Austrian Singles Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
56 |
| Belgian Singles Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... (Flanders) |
41 |
| European Hot 100 Singles | 48 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 8 |
| German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
64 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
21 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
15 |
| Spanish Singles Chart | 20 |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
39 |
| Swiss Singles Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
41 |
| 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 ... |
22 |
| UK R&B Singles 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... |
7 |
| 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... |
16 |
| 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,... |
11 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
18 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play | 24 |