"Outstanding" is a song originally performed by The Gap Band and written by member Raymond Calhoun. The song originally appeared on the group's platinum

RIAA certification

In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...

-selling 1982 album Gap Band IV

Gap Band IV

Gap Band IV is an album by The Gap Band, released in 1982 on Total Experience Records. The album reached #1 on the Black Albums chart and #14 on the Pop Albums chart...

. It is one of their signature songs and biggest hits, reaching the number one spot on the U.S. R&B Singles Chart

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,...

 in February 1983. "Outstanding" peaked at number fifty-one on the Hot 100..

The song was covered

Cover version

In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...

 by Kenny Thomas

Kenny Thomas (singer)

Kenny Thomas is an English soul singer.-Career:Thomas grew up on Hillside Estate in Stamford Hill and went to Cardinal Pole RC School in Hackney . He was a boxer and a BT technician before turning his hand to a singing career...

 and, later, English footballer Andrew Cole, following Manchester United's treble win in the 1998-99 season.

Influence

The song has been sampled frequently in 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...

 and R&B

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...

 songs over the years, including:

• "Shelton-D Is Outstanding" by Shelton-D (1988)
• "Outstanding" by Rob Base (1989)
• "Don't Do It" by Richie Rich
  Richie Rich
  Richard "Richie" Rich, Jr. is a fictional character that debuted in Harvey Comics' Little Dot #1, cover-dated September 1953. Dubbed "the poor little rich boy", Richie is the only child of fantastically wealthy parents and is the world's richest kid. He lives and works in an expensive mansion and...
  
   (2) (1990)
• "True to the Game: by Ice Cube
  Ice Cube
  O'Shea Jackson , better known by his stage name Ice Cube, is an American rapper and actor. He began his career as a member of the hip-hop group C.I.A. and later joined the rap group N.W.A. After leaving N.W.A in December 1989, he built a successful solo career in music, and also as a writer,...
  
   (1991)
• "Typical Reasons (Swing My Way) (Remix)" by Prince Markie Dee
  Prince Markie Dee
  Mark Anthony Morales, better known by the stage name Prince Markie Dee, is an American rapper, songwriter, producer, and radio personality of Puerto Rican descent...
  
   (1992)
• "Blow Your Mind" by Redman (1992)
• "I'm Outstanding
  I'm Outstanding
  "I'm Outstanding" was the second single released from Shaquille O'Neal's debut album, Shaq Diesel. Produced by Erick Sermon, the single was a minor success, making it to 47 on the Billboard Hot 100.The song sampled the following:...
  
  " by Shaquille O'Neal
  Shaquille O'Neal
  Shaquille Rashaun O'Neal , nicknamed "Shaq" , is a former American professional basketball player. Standing tall and weighing , he was one of the heaviest players ever to play in the NBA...
  
   (1993)
• "Summer Bunnies
  Summer Bunnies
  "Summer Bunnies" is a song written, produced and performed by R&B musician R. Kelly. The song heavily samples the 1982 Gap Band song Outstanding. The remix of the song featuring Aaliyah, sampled the 1971 The Spinners' hit "It's a Shame"....
  
  " by R. Kelly
  R. Kelly
  Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
  
   (1993)
• "Da B Side" by Da Brat
  Da Brat
  Shawntae Harris , better known as Da Brat, is an American rapper and actress. Her debut album, Funkdafied, sold one million copies, making her the first female rapper to have a platinum-selling album.-Early life:...
  
   feat. Notorious B.I.G. and Jermaine Dupri
  Jermaine Dupri
  Jermaine Dupri Mauldin , known as Jermaine Dupri or JD, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper.- Early life and career :...
  
   (1994)
• "U Blow My Mind" by Blackstreet
  Blackstreet
  Blackstreet is an American R&B group founded in 1991 by Thomas Taliaferro and Teddy Riley, the inventor of New Jack Swing known for his work as a member of Guy. Chauncey Hannibal and Levi Little were signed under production and management contracts with Thomas Taliaferro and were merged into what...
  
   (1994)
• "Every Little Thing I Do" by Soul for Real
  Soul for Real
  Soul for Real is an R&B group from Wheatley Heights, New York, made up of brothers Andre , Brian , Christopher , and Jason Dalyrimple...
  
   (1995)
• "Boy You Knock Me Out" by Tatyana Ali
  Tatyana Ali
  Tatyana Marisol Ali is an American actress and R&B singer, best known for her childhood role as Ashley Banks on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air...
  
   feat. Will Smith
  Will Smith
  Willard Christopher "Will" Smith, Jr. , also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor, producer, and rapper. He has enjoyed success in television, film and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him the most powerful actor in Hollywood...
  
   (1998)
• "Happy (I'm So Happy Remix)
  Happy (Ashanti song)
  "Happy" is the second single by American R&B singer Ashanti from her debut album on May 21, 2002 . It was written by Ashanti, Raymond Calhoun and producer Irv Gotti....
  
  " by Ashanti feat. Charli Baltimore
  Charli Baltimore
  Tiffany "Charli Baltimore" Lane is an American Grammy Award nominated female rapper. Her stage name is taken from Geena Davis's character in the film The Long Kiss Goodnight.-Musical career:...
  
  , D.O. Cannon, & Young Merc (2002)
• "Best Thing I Never Had
  Best Thing I Never Had
  "Best Thing I Never Had" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé Knowles for her fourth studio album, 4 . It was released by Columbia Records on June 1, 2011, as the second single from the album. "Best Thing I Never Had" was composed by Patrick "J. Que" Smith, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds,...
  
   (Lil' Jon & DJ Kontrol Remix)" by Beyoncé Knowles
  Beyoncé Knowles
  Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
  
   feat. Shawty Putt (2011)

Kid Rock covered the song on his Live Trucker

Live Trucker

Live Trucker is a live album by Kid Rock released on February 28, 2006. It is composed of songs from his homestands of Clarkston and Detroit's Cobo Hall . The album contained the last two performances of Joe C...

 album.

Chart positions

Charts	Peak position
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...	51
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 ...	68
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,...	1