Ghetto Supastar (That Is What You Are)
Encyclopedia
"Ghetto Supastar" is a Hip-Hop song by American rapper Pras
, featuring rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard
and recording artist Mýa
. The track was produced by Wyclef Jean
and Jerry 'Wonda" Duplessis
for Pras' debut solo studio album, Ghetto Supastar
. It also features on the soundtrack for the motion picture Bulworth
. The song was written by Prakazrel Michael
, Wyclef Jean
, Russell Jones
, Barry Gibb
, Robin Gibb
, and Maurice Gibb
. The song was released on June 9, 1998 in the United States. The single was a commercial success; it peaked at #15 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart and #8 on Billboard
s Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart and certified platinum
in the United States by Recording Industry Association of America
. "Ghetto Supastar" was a critical and commercial success worldwide; it reached #4 in Canada
, #2 in Australia
, Sweden
and the United Kingdom
, and also topped the charts in eight countries. The chorus is a reworking of the chorus of the 1983 Kenny Rogers
and Dolly Parton
hit "Islands in the Stream
", written by the Bee Gees
.
and actors Warren Beatty
, Oliver Platt
, and Joshua Malina
. In a play on the theme of the film, which is a prominent white politician acting like an African American
, Bulworth in the music video actually begins to stretch his mouth, pulling his face off to show it's really a mask, and revealing himself to be Pras, who is really the first African-American U.S. president in disguise. Wyclef Jean
also appears on the set playing the bass guitar riff at the end of the song. It was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video
and Best Video from a Film
. Another three nominations on the 1998 Billboard Video Music Awards for Best New Artist Clip (Pop), Best New Artist Clip (Rap), and Best New Artist Clip (R&B). It won an 8th Annual MVPA Award in 1999.
Pras
Prakazrel Samuel Michel, known as Pras, is a Grammy Award-winning Haitian-American rapper, actor, film producer, and member of the hip hop trio The Fugees.-Early life:...
, featuring rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard
Ol' Dirty Bastard
Russell Tyrone Jones was an American rapper and occasional producer, who went by the stage name Ol' Dirty Bastard or simply ODB...
and recording artist Mýa
Mya
-A person:* Bo Mya , Chief Commander of the Karen National Union* Mýa , American R&B singer-songwriter and actress** Mýa , a 1998 album by Mýa-A code:* Burmese language, ISO 639-3 code is mya* Moruya Airport's IATA code...
. The track was produced by Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
and Jerry 'Wonda" Duplessis
Jerry Duplessis
Jerry 'Wonder' Duplessis is a Grammy Award nominated Haitian-born musical composer and record producer. His first major success was as producer for The Fugees' 1996 album The Score. He also played the bass guitar with The Fugees, and band member Wyclef Jean is his cousin.-Early Life:Jerry 'Wonda'...
for Pras' debut solo studio album, Ghetto Supastar
Ghetto Supastar
Ghetto Supastar is Pras' debut album released in 1998. The chorus of the title track is a reworking of the 1983 Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers hit "Islands in the Stream", which was written by The Bee Gees - Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb...
. It also features on the soundtrack for the motion picture Bulworth
Bulworth
Bulworth is a 1998 American film co-written, co-produced and directed by the film's star, Warren Beatty. It was loosely based on the life of Beatty's friend, Tennessee political figure John Jay Hooker. It co-stars Halle Berry, Oliver Platt, Don Cheadle, Paul Sorvino, Jack Warden, and Isaiah...
. The song was written by Prakazrel Michael
Pras
Prakazrel Samuel Michel, known as Pras, is a Grammy Award-winning Haitian-American rapper, actor, film producer, and member of the hip hop trio The Fugees.-Early life:...
, Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
, Russell Jones
Ol' Dirty Bastard
Russell Tyrone Jones was an American rapper and occasional producer, who went by the stage name Ol' Dirty Bastard or simply ODB...
, Barry Gibb
Barry Gibb
Barry Alan Crompton Gibb, CBE , is a singer, songwriter and producer. He was born in the Isle of Man to English parents. With his brothers Robin and Maurice, he formed The Bee Gees, one of the most successful pop groups of all time. The trio got their start in Australia, and found their major...
, Robin Gibb
Robin Gibb
Robin Hugh Gibb, CBE is a British singer and songwriter. He is best known as a member of the Bee Gees, co-founded with his twin brother Maurice , and elder brother Barry....
, and Maurice Gibb
Maurice Gibb
Maurice Ernest Gibb, CBE was a musician, singer-songwriter and record producer. He was born on the Isle of Man, the twin brother of Robin Gibb, and younger brother to Barry. He is best known as a member of the singing/songwriting trio the Bee Gees, formed with his brothers...
. The song was released on June 9, 1998 in the United States. The single was a commercial success; it peaked at #15 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...
chart and #8 on 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...
s Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs chart and certified platinum
Platinum
Platinum is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Pt and an atomic number of 78. Its name is derived from the Spanish term platina del Pinto, which is literally translated into "little silver of the Pinto River." It is a dense, malleable, ductile, precious, gray-white transition metal...
in the United States by Recording Industry Association of America
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...
. "Ghetto Supastar" was a critical and commercial success worldwide; it reached #4 in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, #2 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and also topped the charts in eight countries. The chorus is a reworking of the chorus of the 1983 Kenny Rogers
Kenny Rogers
Kenneth Donald "Kenny" Rogers is an American singer-songwriter, photographer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur...
and Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton
Dolly Rebecca Parton is an American singer-songwriter, author, multi-instrumentalist, actress and philanthropist, best known for her work in country music. Dolly Parton has appeared in movies like 9 to 5, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Steel Magnolias and Straight Talk...
hit "Islands in the Stream
Islands in the Stream
"Islands in the Stream" is the title of a song written by the Bee Gees and sung by American country music artists Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton. It was released in August 1983 as the first single from Rogers' album Eyes That See in the Dark and the second pop number-one for both Rogers and Parton...
", written by the Bee Gees
Bee Gees
The Bee Gees are a musical group that originally comprised three brothers: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was successful for most of their 40-plus years of recording music, but they had two distinct periods of exceptional success: as a pop act in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and as a...
.
Music video
Francis Lawrence directed the video, which features actress Halle BerryHalle Berry
Halle Berry is an American actress and a former fashion model. Berry received an Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG, and an NAACP Image Award for Introducing Dorothy Dandridge and won an Academy Award for Best Actress and was nominated for a BAFTA Award in 2001 for her performance in Monster's Ball, becoming...
and actors Warren Beatty
Warren Beatty
Warren Beatty born March 30, 1937) is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and director. He has received a total of fourteen Academy Award nominations, winning one for Best Director in 1982. He has also won four Golden Globe Awards including the Cecil B. DeMille Award.-Early life and...
, Oliver Platt
Oliver Platt
Oliver James Platt is a Canadian-American actor. He is currently starring in the Showtime original series, The Big C with Laura Linney.-Early life:...
, and Joshua Malina
Joshua Malina
Joshua Charles Malina is an American film and stage actor. He is perhaps most famous for portraying Will Bailey on the NBC drama The West Wing and Jeremy Goodwin on Sports Night.-Personal life:...
. In a play on the theme of the film, which is a prominent white politician acting like an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, Bulworth in the music video actually begins to stretch his mouth, pulling his face off to show it's really a mask, and revealing himself to be Pras, who is really the first African-American U.S. president in disguise. Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
also appears on the set playing the bass guitar riff at the end of the song. It was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video
MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video
The MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video was first given out in 1989, and it was one the four original genre categories added at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards. This award was last given out in 2006, as MTV did not bring it back in 2008 like it did with other genre awards...
and Best Video from a Film
MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film
The MTV Video Music Award for Best Video from a Film was first awarded in 1987, recognizing the best videos whose songs were a part of a movie soundtrack or featured in a film. As time went on, though, music videos taken from movie soundtracks became more rare, and so the last of this award was...
. Another three nominations on the 1998 Billboard Video Music Awards for Best New Artist Clip (Pop), Best New Artist Clip (Rap), and Best New Artist Clip (R&B). It won an 8th Annual MVPA Award in 1999.
Tracklisting
UK CD Single- "Ghetto Supastar" (Main Version)
- "Ghetto Supastar" (Instrumental)
- "Don't Be Afraid"
Personnel
- Written by P. Michel, W. Jean, R. Jones, B. Gibb, M. Gibb, R. Gibb, J. Brown, B. Byrd, R. Lenhoff
- Contains a sample from "The Dream Shatterer" by Big Punisher
- Contains an interpolation of "Islands In The Stream" by The Bee-Gees and samples "Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved" by James Brown
- Taken from the soundtrack of Bulworth
- Engineered by Chris Theis and Phil Blackman
- Soundtrack executive producer: Karyn Rachtman
- Original sound recordings owned by Interscope Records
- Universal Music (UK) Ltd. are exclusive licensees for the United Kingdom
- Distributed by BMG Records (UK) Ltd.
- Pras appears courtesy of Refugee Camp Entertainment / RuffHouse / Columbia Records
- ODB appears courtesy of Elektra Entertainment Group
- Mýa appears courtesy of University Music Entertainment / Interscope
Charts
| Chart (1998) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 2 |
| Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart | 1 |
| Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart | 4 |
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
4 |
| Dutch Singles Chart Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
1 |
| European Hot 100 Singles | 1 |
| French Singles Chart | 15 |
| Finland Singles Chart | 4 |
| 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... |
1 |
| 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... |
1 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Sweden Singles Chart | 2 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 1 |
| Tokio Hot 100 | 24 |
| 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 ... |
2 |
| UK R&B 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... |
1 |
| 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... |
15 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles | 8 |
| U.S. Billboard Rap Songs | 16 |
Year-end charts
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 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... |
70 |
Certifications
| Country (Provider) | Certifications |
|---|---|
| Australia Australia Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area... (ARIA) |
Platinum |
| Austria Austria Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the... (IFPI IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... ) |
Platinum |
| Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... (IFPI IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... ) |
Platinum |
| Netherlands Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... (NVPI NVPI The NVPI is the Dutch tradeassociation of the entertainment industry... ) |
Gold |
| Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... (IFPI IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... ) |
Platinum |
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... (BPI British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... ) |
Platinum |
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... (RIAA) |
Platinum |
External links
- Mýa chart history
- Pras discography
- Fugees historyline
- [ Allmusic charts]