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4 da Fam

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"4 da Fam"
An orange/red 12-inch single cover with Amil's name and the single title.
SinglebyAmilfeaturingJay-Z,Memphis Bleek&Beanie Sigel
from the albumAll Money Is Legal
ReleasedSeptember 13, 2000
Length4:19
LabelRoc-A-Fella
Songwriter(s)
  • Amil Whitehead
  • Shawn Carter
  • Dwight Grant
  • Malik Cox
  • Ty Fyffe
Producer(s)Ty Fyffe
Amilsingles chronology
"I Got That"
(2000) 		"4 da Fam"
(2000) 		"That's Right" / "Get Down"
(2000)
Jay-Zsingles chronology
"Is That Your Chick (The Lost Verses)"
(2000) 		"4 da Fam"
(2000) 		"I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)"
(2000)
Memphis Bleeksingles chronology
"Is That Your Chick (The Lost Verses)"
(2000) 		"4 da Fam"
(2000) 		"Change the Game"
(2001)
Beanie Sigelsingles chronology
"The Truth"
(2000) 		"4 da Fam"
(2000) 		"Change the Game"
(2001)

"4 da Fam"is a song by American rapperAmil,featuring verses from American rappersJay-Z,Memphis Bleek,andBeanie Sigel.Ty Fyffeproduced the song. It was released onRoc-A-Fellaas the second single from her debut albumAll Money Is Legal.In the song's lyrics, Amil boasts about being the best female rapper, and Jay-Z discusses his fears of becoming a father, which his verse suggests he believed was about to occur at the time.

"4 da Fam" received mixed reviews frommusic critics;some critics praised Jay-Z's verse, while others criticized Amil's contributions. It appeared on severalBillboardcharts.The song peaked atNo.99 on theHot R&B/Hip-Hop SongsBillboardchart and No. 97 on theHot Rap SongsBillboardchart. "4 da Fam" was promoted with a music video, which was played on the music showArtist Cornerand theBETnetwork.

Recording and release

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Ty Fyffeproduced "4 da Fam" and wrote it withAmil Whitehead,Shawn Carter(Jay-Z),Dwight Grant(Beanie Sigel), andMalik Cox(Memphis Bleek). The track wasmixedby Pat Viala andrecordedbyJust Blaze.[1]It was released on September 13, 2000 as the second single from Amil's debut album,All Money Is Legal(2000).[2]The song was made available as a12-inch singlethroughRoc-A-Fella.[3]It was also included on adouble A-sidewith the album'slead single"I Got That".[4]In advertisements forAll Money Is Legal,"4 da Fam" was promoted as one of its "blazin' joints".[5]

A music video, directed by Nick Quested, was released for "4 da Fam" in 2000.[6][7]It was played that year on the music showArtist CornerandBET.[6][8]The video was uploaded to Amil'sVevoaccount on October 25, 2009.[9]

Composition and lyrics

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At 4 minutes and 19 seconds long,[10]"4 da Fam" includes verses from Amil, Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek, and Beanie Sigel.[1]Steve Rivers ofEbonydescribed it as a "crew love record".[11]In her part, Amil brags about her career through the lyrics: "I'm the illest female that you heard thus far."[12]In his verse, Jay-Z raps about becoming a father in the verse: "I got four nephews and they're all writing... and I'm having a child, which is more frightening."[a]Rob Markman ofMTV Newswrote that fatherhood was a subject that Jay-Z explored from his debut albumReasonable Doubt(1996).[15]Jay-Z's other lyrics include: "Y'all niggas truly ain't ready for this dynasty thing / Y'all thinkingBlake Carrington,I'm thinking more likeMing."[16]and "I got 4 nephews, and they all write-ing / They all young and wild, plus they all like Beans."[11]

Reception

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"4 da Fam" received mixed reviews frommusic critics.Andrew Barber and Al Shipley ofComplexpraised Jay-Z's contribution, and wrote that "he had the best verse and batted clean up". In a 2018 article, they included "4 da Fam" in their list of the top-100 best Jay-Z songs.[17]John Kennedy ofVulture.comidentified the single as an improvement over the track "Pop 4 Roc" from Jay-Z's fourth studio albumVol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter(1999), and described "4 da Fam" as "the real deal".[18]While critical of Amil, Son Raw ofFactreferred to the single as a "primeRoc La Familia-era posse cut ".[19]A writer forBossipcriticized Amil's verse, and included her boast as the best female rapper on their list of the top-ten greatest lies inhip hop music.[12]

"4 da Fam" peaked atNo.99 on theHot R&B/Hip-Hop SongsBillboardchart on July 22, 2000, and remained on the chart for a week.[20]On the same day, it reached a peak position of No. 97 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming SongsBillboardchart, staying on the chart for a week.[21]It also peaked at No. 29 on theHot Rap SongsBillboardchart, and remained on that chart for 11 weeks.[22]

Track listings

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12-inch single[3]
No.TitleLength
1."For Da Fam" (radio edit)4:19
2."For Da Fam" (album version)6:52
3."For Da Fam" (instrumental)4:19
4."For Da Fam" (a capella)4:19
Double A-side[4]
No.TitleLength
1."I Got That" (radio edit) (featuringBeyoncé Knowles)3:21
2."I Got That" (album version) (featuring Beyoncé Knowles)3:19
3."4 Da Fam" (radio edit) (featuring Beanie Sigel, Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek)4:19
4."4 Da Fam" (album version) (featuring Beanie Sigel, Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek)6:52

Credits and personnel

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Credits adapted from the liner notes ofAll Money Is Legal:[1]

  • Featuring – Beanie Sigel, Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek
  • Mixed by – Pat Viala
  • Producer – Ty Tyfife
  • Recorded by – Just Blaze
  • Written by – Ty Tyfife, Amil Whitehead, Shawn Carter, Dwight Grant, and Malik Cox

Charts

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Chart (2000) Peak
position
USHot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs(Billboard)[20] 99
USHot Rap Songs(Billboard)[22] 29
US R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs (Billboard)[21] 97

Release history

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Country Date Format Label Ref.
United States September 13, 2000(2000-09-13) 12-inch single Roc-A-Fella [3]

Notes

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  1. ^During a 2000 interview withVibe,Jay-Z said that his verse was true and he was expecting a child.[13]Further information was never provided,[14][15]and Rob Markman ofMTV Newsbelieved the child "was most likely lost throughmiscarriage".[15]

References

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  1. ^abcAmil(September 19, 2000).All Money Is Legal(Inlay cover).Roc-A-Fella Records,Columbia Records,andSony Music.
  2. ^"4 Da Fam (Explicit Album Version) [Explicit]".Amazon.September 13, 2000.Archivedfrom the original on March 14, 2017.
  3. ^abcAmil(2000)."4 da Fam"(Media notes).Roc-A-Fella.12852.
  4. ^abI got that: 4 da fam.WorldCat.OCLC74825265.
  5. ^"Roc-A-Fella Presents…Amil".Vibe.Vol. 8, no. 8. October 2000. p. 18. Archived fromthe originalon April 4, 2018 – viaGoogle Books.
  6. ^abHay, Carla (July 29, 2000)."MTV, Refac Team to Create Consumer Electronics Line".Billboard.Vol. 112, no. 31. p. 99.Archivedfrom the original on April 3, 2018 – viaGoogle Books.
  7. ^"Amil feat. Beanie Sigel- Memphis Bleek & Jay-Z – 4 Da Fam".Vimeo.Archivedfrom the original on April 4, 2018.
  8. ^"Video Monitor".Billboard.Vol. 112, no. 21. May 20, 2000. p. 109.Archivedfrom the original on April 3, 2018 – viaGoogle Books.
  9. ^"Amil, Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, Jay-Z – 4 Da Fam".Vevo.October 25, 2009.Archivedfrom the original on May 9, 2016.
  10. ^Wilson, MacKenzie."AllMusic Review".AllMusic.Archivedfrom the original on October 12, 2016.
  11. ^abRivers, Steve (October 4, 2012)."The Carter Administration: Jay-Z's Nephew Mel Makes His Own Way".Ebony.Archivedfrom the original on April 4, 2018.
  12. ^ab"Rappers Be Lyin: 10 Greatest Rap Lies".Bossip.December 12, 2012.Archivedfrom the original on February 19, 2015.
  13. ^Ex, Kris (December 2000)."Jayhova's Witness".Vibe.Vol. 8, no. 10. pp. 129–130, 132–136.Archivedfrom the original on April 3, 2018 – viaGoogle Books.
  14. ^Cowie, Del F. (August 23, 2009)."Jay-Z: Beyond Reasonable Doubt".Exclaim!.Archivedfrom the original on March 29, 2016.
  15. ^abcMarkman, Rob (January 9, 2012)."Jay-Z Takes on Fatherhood: From 'Glory' to 'Can't Be Life'".MTV News.Archived fromthe originalon December 15, 2017.
  16. ^Preezy (October 31, 2015)."How Jay Z's 'The Dynasty: Roc La Familia' Helped Solidify His Legacy in Hip-Hop".The Boombox.Archivedfrom the original on May 9, 2017.
  17. ^Barber, Andrew; Shipley, Al (March 20, 2018)."The 100 Best Jay-Z Songs".Complex.Archivedfrom the original on April 3, 2018.
  18. ^Kennedy, John (September 5, 2017)."All 274 Jay-Z Songs, Ranked From Worst to Best".Vulture.com.Archivedfrom the original on February 25, 2018.
  19. ^Raw, Son (June 10, 2015)."The Rise and Fall of Roc-A-Fella Records".Fact.Archivedfrom the original on April 4, 2018.
  20. ^ab"Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (4 da Fam)".Billboard.Archivedfrom the original on December 15, 2017.
  21. ^ab"R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs (4 da Fam)".Billboard.Archivedfrom the original on December 15, 2017.
  22. ^ab"Hot Rap Songs (4 da Fam)".Billboard.Archivedfrom the original on December 15, 2017.
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