The City Is Mine

Infobox Single
Name = The City Is Mine


Artist = Jay-Z featuring BlackSTREET
from Album = In My Lifetime, Vol. 1
B-side =
Released = February 3, 1998
Format = 12-inch single, Cassette, CD, Vinyl
Recorded =
Genre = East Coast hip hop
Length = 4:02
Label = Roc-A-Fella Records
Writer = Shawn Carter
Teddy Riley
Jack Tempchin
Glenn Frey
Gamble and Huff
Producer = Teddy Riley
Chad Hugo
Chart position =
*#52 (The Billboard Hot 100)
*#37 (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks)
*#14 (Hot Rap Singles)
*#13 (Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales)
*#38 (UK Singles Chart)
*#28 (German Singles Chart)
Misc = Extra chronology
Artist = Jay-Z
Type = singles
Last single = "(Always Be My) Sunshine"
(1997)
This single = "The City Is Mine"
(1998)
Next single = "Wishing on a Star"
(1998)Extra chronology
Artist = Blackstreet
Type = singles
Last single = "Fix"
(1997)
This single = "The City Is Mine"
(1998)
Next single = "Take Me There"
(1999)

"The City Is Mine" is a the second single from rapper Jay-Z's second album "In My Lifetime, Vol. 1". It features vocals from Blackstreet and production from Blackstreet member Teddy Riley. Riley samples "You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else" by The Jones Girls for the song's beat, while Blackstreet interpolates "You Belong to the City" by Glenn Frey and Jack Tempchin for the song's chorus. In addition, a young Chad Hugo plays saxophone on this song. The song's lyrics are braggadocios and end with a controversial line: "I'm the focal point like Biggie in his prime. On the low though - shhh, the city is mine." Some find these lines to be either disrespectful to The Notorious B.I.G., who had died just before the song's release; others view it as a claim that a Jay-Z is a better rapper than legendary New York artists like Nas.

Reception

"The City Is Mine" was a little commercial success reaching #52 on The Billboard Hot 100 and #38 on the UK Singles Chart. It was panned by critics for its commercial nature and poor interpolation of Glenn Frey and Jack Tempchin's "You Belong to the City.". Allmusic's John Bush considers the beat to be the "most commercial" beat on "In My Lifetime, Vol. 1" and the interpolation to be "unfortunate."cite web | last = Bush | first = John | url = http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:a9fixqrjldke | title = In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 Review at Allmusic | format = | work = | publisher = | accessdate = July 9 | accessyear = 2007] Steve Juon of RapReviews.com describes that track as "some cotton candy sugary rap FLUFF" and its interpolation as a mistake, but still considers the lyrics to be "vintage Jigga."cite web | last = Juon | first = Steve | url = http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/BTTL_lifetimevol1.html | title = In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 Review at RapReviews.com | format = | work = | publisher = | accessdate = July 9 | accessyear = 2007]

ingle track list

US CD

# "The City Is Mine (Radio Edit)"
# "The City Is Mine (TV Track)"
# "A Million and One Questions (Radio Edit)"

UK CD

# "The City Is Mine (Radio Edit)"
# "Intro / A Million And One Questions / Rhyme No More (Premier Radio Edit)"
# "The City Is Mine (Album Version)"
# "Dead Presidents II"

US Vinyl

A-Side

# "The City Is Mine (Radio Edit)"
# "The City Is Mine (LP Version)"

B-Side

# "The City Is Mine (TV Track)"
# "A Million and One Questions (Remix)"
# "A Million and One Questions (Remix) (TV Track)"

UK Vinyl

A-Side

# "The City Is Mine (Radio Edit)"
# "The City Is Mine (Dirty Version)"
# "The City Is Mine (Instrumental)"

B-Side

# "Face Off (Dirty Version)"
# "Face Off (Instrumental)"

References

ee also

*List of Jay-Z songs