Live Your Life
Encyclopedia
"Live Your Life" is a song by American rapper
T.I.
, and the third single, from his sixth studio album Paper Trail
. It was released as the third single from the album on September 23, 2008. The song features Barbadian
pop
singer Rihanna
, and was produced by Just Blaze
and Canei Finch. It officially premiered at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards
during T.I.'s performance. This is T.I's third Billboard Hot 100
number one single in the United States (after "My Love
" with Justin Timberlake and his previous single "Whatever You Like") and Rihanna's fifth on the same chart (after "SOS
", "Umbrella
", "Take a Bow
" and "Disturbia
"). The song samples Romanian pop group O-Zone
's song "Dragostea din tei
."
In the United Kingdom
it was released in a digital download on November 8 and physically released on November 24. It reached number two on downloads alone, becoming T.I.'s third top-five hit in the UK (Destiny's Child
's "Soldier" with Lil Wayne
which peaked at number four and "My Love
" with Justin Timberlake
reaching number two as well) and Rihanna's ninth top five hit in the UK.
The single has been certified 3x Platinum
by the RIAA
, and Platinum
by the RIANZ
.
It was ranked the number six hip hop
song of 2008 by MTV
. This song can be heard in the film The Hangover
as well as the trailer. It was also played during ESPN
coverage of the 2009 NFL Draft
. The song also won T.I. and Rihanna the Viewer's Choice Award at the 2009 BET Awards
, becoming T.I.'s third and Rihanna's first BET Award win. At the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards
the song won the award for Best Male Video. It was nominated for 'Track Of the Year', 'Best Hip Hop Collaboration' and 'Best Hip Hop Video' at the 2009 BET Hip Hop Awards
, and won in the 'Best Hip Hop Collaboration' & 'Best Hip Hop Video' categories. The song was also nominated for 'Favorite Music Collaboration' at the 2010 People's Choice Awards
.
The song contains a rendition of the O-Zone
song "Dragostea Din Tei
", a number one single throughout Europe
that was further made famous by the Numa Numa
Internet meme.
for the chart week of October 10, 2008. The following week, the song jumped from number 80 to number one on the Hot 100. This set a record for the highest jump to number one in history, a record previously set by T.I. himself only six weeks prior when his song "Whatever You Like" jumped from number 71 to number one on the chart. However, this record was broken the following week by Britney Spears
and her song Womanizer
jumping from number 96 to number one on the Hot 100. "Live Your Life" also replaced "Whatever You Like" at number 1 on the Hot 100, making T.I. the ninth artist to ever replace themselves at number one on the chart. "Whatever You Like" also occupied the number 2 position on the Hot 100 that week, making it the first time an artist has held the number 1 and number two positions simultaneously since Akon
in 2006. It is T.I.'s second Hot 100 number one as a lead artist, and his third overall. For the issue dated December 6, "Live your Life" topped the Pop 100
chart in the U.S., replacing Katy Perry
's "Hot n Cold
" from the top spot, making it T.I.'s first ever number one hit on that chart. The single held the number 1 spot for six non-consecutive weeks.
The song debuted at number seven on Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles before entering Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
as the week's "Hot Shot" at number 77 and rising the following week up to number 38, peaking at number two for 10 consecutive weeks.
As of December 2010, the single was certified x4 Platinum for selling more than 4 million copies in the United States. making Rihanna the second artist to have 3 singles selling more than 4,000,000 copies. The song was also number one on the Hot Rap Tracks
for nine consecutive weeks. It also peaked at number four on the Canadian Hot 100
. The song debuted at number 3 on the Irish Singles Chart
, giving T.I. his highest charting single there, and Rihanna her tenth top ten there. However, in the week ending November 6, "Live Your Life" disappeared on the Irish Top 50, but re-entered at number nine.
In New Zealand
, "Live Your Life" debuted at number twenty three on October 6, 2008 and peaked at number two. The song was certified Platinum after nineteen weeks selling over 15 thousand copies.
On the Australian ARIA Singles Chart
, the song debuted in its first week at number 48, jumped up to 25, and has so far peaked at number 3. It debuted on the Australian ARIA Physical Singles Chart at number 10 on the 17th of November, and has so far peaked at number seven on that chart. Also, it has peaked so far at number 4 on the ARIA Digital Tracks Chart.
In the United Kingdom
, the song entered at number 16 on the UK iTunes
chart and within hours of being available, it had reached number 1. The Single debuted at number 39 on the UK Singles Chart
and surged up to number 2 the next week, giving Rihanna her sixth top two single, following "Pon de Replay
", "SOS
",and "Unfaithful
",
The song's producer, Just Blaze
, is briefly seen playing pool in the bar during the second verse and final chorus.
Clean or Explicit (Radio Edit) Single
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....
, and the third single, from his sixth studio album Paper Trail
Paper Trail
Paper Trail is the sixth studio album by American hip hop artist T.I., released September 30, 2008 on Grand Hustle Records and Atlantic Records. He began to write songs for the album as he awaited trial for federal weapons and possession charges...
. It was released as the third single from the album on September 23, 2008. The song features Barbadian
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn 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...
, and was produced by Just Blaze
Just Blaze
Justin Smith, better known as Just Blaze, is an American hip hop music producer from Paterson, New Jersey. Blaze is also the CEO of Fort Knocks Entertainment. He is most well known for producing Jay-Z songs on the albums The Blueprint, The Blueprint 2, and The Black Album. He is also known for...
and Canei Finch. It officially premiered at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards
2008 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2008 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 7, 2008 live from Paramount Pictures Studios , honoring the best music videos from the previous year. Nominations for a majority of the categories were announced on the MTV program FNMTV after being selected through viewer online voting at...
during T.I.'s performance. This is T.I's third 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...
number one single in the United States (after "My Love
My Love (Justin Timberlake song)
"My Love" is a song by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake from his second studio album, FutureSex/LoveSounds . It was released on September 26, 2006, by Jive Records as the second single from the album...
" with Justin Timberlake and his previous single "Whatever You Like") and Rihanna's fifth on the same chart (after "SOS
SOS (Rihanna song)
"SOS" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna from her second studio album, A Girl like Me. The song was produced by J. R. Rotem and written by Rotem and Evan "Kidd" Bogart. It was released as the lead single from the album...
", "Umbrella
Umbrella (song)
"Umbrella" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna, featuring a rap verse by Jay-Z. The song was written by The-Dream, Christopher Stewart, Kuk Harrell and Jay-Z, and was produced by Stewart and The-Dream for Rihanna's third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad...
", "Take a Bow
Take a Bow (Rihanna song)
"Take a Bow" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, taken from the re-release, Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded , of her third studio album Good Girl Gone Bad . The song was written and produced by Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel Eriksen and Shaffer Smith, under their stage names Stargate and Ne-Yo...
" and "Disturbia
Disturbia (song)
"Disturbia" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, taken from the re-release, Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded , of her third studio album Good Girl Gone Bad . The song was released as the third single from the reloaded edition of the album, and seventh overall...
"). The song samples Romanian pop group O-Zone
O-Zone
O-Zone was a Romania/Moldovan pop music trio that was active from 1998 to 2005 and consisted of Dan Bălan, Radu Sîrbu, and Arsenie Todiraş. The group gained global popularity with their song "Dragostea din tei" and their subsequent album DiscO-Zone....
's song "Dragostea din tei
Dragostea din tei
"Dragostea din tei" , also informally known as "The Numa Numa Song" , is the most successful single by the Moldovan pop group O-Zone, sung in Romanian. It shot to the number one spot on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it remained for 12 weeks between June and early September 2004...
."
In 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...
it was released in a digital download on November 8 and physically released on November 24. It reached number two on downloads alone, becoming T.I.'s third top-five hit in the UK (Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
's "Soldier" with Lil Wayne
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...
which peaked at number four and "My Love
My Love (Justin Timberlake song)
"My Love" is a song by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake from his second studio album, FutureSex/LoveSounds . It was released on September 26, 2006, by Jive Records as the second single from the album...
" with Justin Timberlake
Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake is an American pop musician and actor. He achieved early fame when he appeared as a contestant on Star Search, and went on to star in the Disney Channel television series The New Mickey Mouse Club, where he met future bandmate JC Chasez...
reaching number two as well) and Rihanna's ninth top five hit in the UK.
The single has been certified 3x Platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
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...
, and Platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the RIANZ
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...
.
It was ranked the number six hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
song of 2008 by MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. This song can be heard in the film The Hangover
The Hangover (film)
The Hangover is a 2009 American comedy film directed by Todd Phillips and written by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. The film stars Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Heather Graham, Justin Bartha and Jeffrey Tambor...
as well as the trailer. It was also played during ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
coverage of the 2009 NFL Draft
2009 NFL Draft
The 2009 NFL Draft was the seventy-fourth annual meeting of National Football League franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 25 and 26, 2009. The draft consisted of two rounds on the first day starting at 4:00...
. The song also won T.I. and Rihanna the Viewer's Choice Award at the 2009 BET Awards
BET Awards
The BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. The awards are presented annually and broadcast live on BET...
, becoming T.I.'s third and Rihanna's first BET Award win. At the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards
2009 MTV Video Music Awards
The 2009 MTV Video Music Awards took place on September 13, 2009, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, honoring the best music videos from June 19, 2008, to June 29, 2009. Comedian Russell Brand hosted the event for the second time in a row. The awards were held a few months after Michael...
the song won the award for Best Male Video. It was nominated for 'Track Of the Year', 'Best Hip Hop Collaboration' and 'Best Hip Hop Video' at the 2009 BET Hip Hop Awards
BET Hip Hop Awards
The BET Hip Hop Awards are an annual awards show, airing on BET, showcasing hip hop performers, producers and music video directors. The awards ceremony began in 2006, was held on November 12, 2006 at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, was first aired November 15 and was hosted by comedian Katt...
, and won in the 'Best Hip Hop Collaboration' & 'Best Hip Hop Video' categories. The song was also nominated for 'Favorite Music Collaboration' at the 2010 People's Choice Awards
People's Choice Awards
The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show recognizing the people and the work of popular culture. The show has been held annually since 1975 and is voted on by the general public. The People's Choice Awards air on CBS and are produced by Procter & Gamble and Survivor magnate Mark Burnett...
.
Release
The first version of the song leaked onto the Internet on August 26, earlier than the award performance, although that version was not the mastered version. The official mastered album version, which has Rihanna's own verse, and T.I.'s dedication to soldiers on the Iraqi battlefield (on the first part, he told "Ay... This a special what's haapnin' to all my, all my soldiers over there in Iraq. Errbody right here, what you need to do is be thankful for the life you got you know what I'm sayin'? Stop lookin' at what you ain't got, start and be thankful for what you do got. Let's give it to 'em baby girl") has already been released as a promotional digital download for radio stations. The radio edit clocks out at 4:01, the album version is the same as above except Rihanna's verse is longer, T.I.'s intro is longer, the chorus is extended and the sample is used at the end, the album version clocks out at 5:39.The song contains a rendition of the O-Zone
O-Zone
O-Zone was a Romania/Moldovan pop music trio that was active from 1998 to 2005 and consisted of Dan Bălan, Radu Sîrbu, and Arsenie Todiraş. The group gained global popularity with their song "Dragostea din tei" and their subsequent album DiscO-Zone....
song "Dragostea Din Tei
Dragostea din Tei
"Dragostea din tei" , also informally known as "The Numa Numa Song" , is the most successful single by the Moldovan pop group O-Zone, sung in Romanian. It shot to the number one spot on the Eurochart Hot 100, where it remained for 12 weeks between June and early September 2004...
", a number one single throughout Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
that was further made famous by the Numa Numa
Numa Numa
Numa Numa is an Internet phenomenon based on amateur videos, most notably Numa Numa Song by Gary Brolsma, made for the song "Dragostea din tei" as performed by O-Zone. Brolsma's video, released in December 2004 on the website Newgrounds.com, was the first Numa Numa–themed video to gain widespread...
Internet meme.
Chart performance
"Live Your Life" debuted at number 80 on the 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...
for the chart week of October 10, 2008. The following week, the song jumped from number 80 to number one on the Hot 100. This set a record for the highest jump to number one in history, a record previously set by T.I. himself only six weeks prior when his song "Whatever You Like" jumped from number 71 to number one on the chart. However, this record was broken the following week by Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
and her song Womanizer
Womanizer (song)
"Womanizer" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her sixth studio album, Circus. It was released on September 26, 2008 by Jive Records as the lead single of the album. Produced and co-written by Nikesha Briscoe and Rafael Akinyemi of The Outsyders, the song had to be...
jumping from number 96 to number one on the Hot 100. "Live Your Life" also replaced "Whatever You Like" at number 1 on the Hot 100, making T.I. the ninth artist to ever replace themselves at number one on the chart. "Whatever You Like" also occupied the number 2 position on the Hot 100 that week, making it the first time an artist has held the number 1 and number two positions simultaneously since Akon
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
in 2006. It is T.I.'s second Hot 100 number one as a lead artist, and his third overall. For the issue dated December 6, "Live your Life" topped the 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...
chart in the U.S., replacing Katy Perry
Katy Perry
Katy Perry is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Born in Santa Barbara, California, and raised by Christian pastor parents, Perry grew up listening to only gospel music and sang in her local church as a child. After earning a GED during her first year of high school, she began to pursue a...
's "Hot n Cold
Hot N Cold
"Hot n Cold" is a song by American singer Katy Perry. The song was written and composed by Dr. Luke, Max Martin, and Perry for her major mainstream debut album, One of the Boys. The track was released as the album's third single...
" from the top spot, making it T.I.'s first ever number one hit on that chart. The single held the number 1 spot for six non-consecutive weeks.
The song debuted at number seven on Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles before entering 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,...
as the week's "Hot Shot" at number 77 and rising the following week up to number 38, peaking at number two for 10 consecutive weeks.
As of December 2010, the single was certified x4 Platinum for selling more than 4 million copies in the United States. making Rihanna the second artist to have 3 singles selling more than 4,000,000 copies. The song was also number one 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...
for nine consecutive weeks. It also peaked at number four on the Canadian Hot 100
Canadian Hot 100
The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007...
. The song debuted at number 3 on the 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...
, giving T.I. his highest charting single there, and Rihanna her tenth top ten there. However, in the week ending November 6, "Live Your Life" disappeared on the Irish Top 50, but re-entered at number nine.
In New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, "Live Your Life" debuted at number twenty three on October 6, 2008 and peaked at number two. The song was certified Platinum after nineteen weeks selling over 15 thousand copies.
On the Australian ARIA 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...
, the song debuted in its first week at number 48, jumped up to 25, and has so far peaked at number 3. It debuted on the Australian ARIA Physical Singles Chart at number 10 on the 17th of November, and has so far peaked at number seven on that chart. Also, it has peaked so far at number 4 on the ARIA Digital Tracks Chart.
In 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...
, the song entered at number 16 on the UK iTunes
ITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
chart and within hours of being available, it had reached number 1. The Single debuted at number 39 on the 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 ...
and surged up to number 2 the next week, giving Rihanna her sixth top two single, following "Pon de Replay
Pon de Replay
"Pon de Replay" is a song recorded by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, from her debut studio album Music of the Sun . The song was made available to download via iTunes on August 26, 2005, released as the album's lead single. The song was written and produced by Carl Sturken, Evan Rogers and...
", "SOS
SOS (Rihanna song)
"SOS" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna from her second studio album, A Girl like Me. The song was produced by J. R. Rotem and written by Rotem and Evan "Kidd" Bogart. It was released as the lead single from the album...
",and "Unfaithful
Unfaithful (song)
"Unfaithful" is a ballad written by Ne-Yo, Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel S. Eriksen for R&B singer Rihanna's second album, A Girl like Me. It was produced by Stargate and released as the album's second single in mid-2006. The music also featured, with Tamil lyrics, as the song, "Unakenna Naan" in...
",
Music video
The video stars T.I and Rihanna. The music video uses the radio edit of the extended song. The video plays backwards, starting with the end of T.I.'s day. It is 6:33PM. In the opening scene T.I is walking. The song then starts and goes from a series of underground shots and Rihanna in her dressing room. T.I. goes back to walking and is shown with blood all over his face and other various cuts. T.I. is then shown driving in a car at 6:01PM. The video then cuts to T.I's day at 6:27PM. He gets thrown out of the car and is kicked by a large man. The video then cuts again to 5:21PM in the day. T.I is shown wearing the same suit he did earlier in the video, except that it is not torn and dirty. He then encounters a group of thugs. T.I preemptively lands a punch on one of the men. He is then beaten up by the rest of the men there. Here the video begins a different story arc, showing T.I before he made his fortune. The video takes its turn going from T.I. singing in a recording studio to him and in front of a house playing dice and dominoes with some of his friends. This portion of the video is interspersed with clips of the other story arc, such as showing T.I with a briefcase full of money. After this, the video is mostly back to main story arc. T.I is shown in the bathroom of a bar at 4:35PM. At 4:37PM he walks out into the bar. The video shows T.I. talking to a man saying "[he] want[s] out."; the man replies by explaining that there is no getting out, not for him nor for the character that Rihanna plays. At 4:41PM T.I slams the money briefcase down on the table and shows it to the man saying that "I'm done. I got myself here, I'll get myself out". Then he is seen walking into that same bar, in a flashback, with a CD in his hand. The man that T.I spoke to earlier calls him over. This is a flashback showing T.I trying to get a record deal. The last shot of the video takes place at around the same time as the first shot of the video. T.I. is walking down the L.A. River, raising his hands triumphantly in the air with a bloodied and scarred face. Meaning that he was successful in buying his way out of the original record deal, both with the money he made and by getting jumped out.The song's producer, Just Blaze
Just Blaze
Justin Smith, better known as Just Blaze, is an American hip hop music producer from Paterson, New Jersey. Blaze is also the CEO of Fort Knocks Entertainment. He is most well known for producing Jay-Z songs on the albums The Blueprint, The Blueprint 2, and The Black Album. He is also known for...
, is briefly seen playing pool in the bar during the second verse and final chorus.
Track listing
Digital/Physical SingleClean or Explicit (Radio Edit) Single
Other versions
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- Live Your Life Freestyle - Rick RossRick Ross (rapper)William Leonard Roberts II , better known by his stage name Rick Ross, is an American rapper. He derived his stage name from the drug trafficker "Freeway" Ricky Ross, to whom he has no connection...
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- Live Your Life - A Plea for PurgingA Plea for PurgingA Plea for Purging is a metalcore band based out of Nashville, TN.-Biography:After forming in 2005, A Plea for Purging quickly gained a reputation for hard work, with a heavy touring schedule that included over 200 live shows in their first year together. They released the "A Plea for Purging EP"...
- Live Your Life - Lil WayneLil WayneDwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...
and Jay-ZJay-ZShawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010... - Homeless - Rucka Rucka AliRucka Rucka AliRucka Rucka Ali is an anonymous American rapper, radio personality, singer, comedian, and satirist most noted for his song parodies on YouTube. He has been labelled one of the most successful artists to come out of YouTube, where he has received over 100 million hits...
feat. Ed Words
Charts
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|
Certifications
| Country | Provider | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | ARIA Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
Platinum |
| New Zealand | RIANZ 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... |
Platinum |
| United States | 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... |
4x Platinum |
| United Kingdom | 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... |
Silver |
Year-end charts
| End of year chart (2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 75 |
| Hungarian Singles Chart | 144 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 70 |
| 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 ... |
137 |
| 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... |
18 |
Decade-end charts
| Chart (2000–2009) | Rank |
|---|---|
| US 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... |
37 |
See also
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 2008 (U.S.)
- List of number-one R&B hits of 2008 (UK)