" Lean Back" is a song by American Hip-hop group Terror Squad. It was released as the second single from their second studio album, True Story, on June 1, 2004. An uptempo Hip-hop song built for the club environment, it contains vocal performances from group members Fat Joe and Remy Ma (credited as Remy) and production from Scott Storch. It topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks, starting on August 21, 2004, and topped the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart for seven weeks. Worldwide, the song reached the top 20 in several other countries, including Denmark, where it peaked at number five.
Critical reception
Jason Birchmeier of
AllMusic called "Lean Back" "a perfect club-ready duet between
Fat Joe and
Remy Ma that boasts a trademark
Scott Storch beat and a memorable singalong hook and dance-along step".
called the song a "summer classic".
In 2008, the song was ranked at number 55 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of
Hip-hop.
Music video
Fat Joe described the dance in the video as throwing back the right shoulder to the beat of the song.
,
DJ Khaled, and
Lil Jon made cameo appearances in the video.
Remixes
The official remixed version of the song, featuring Lil Jon,
Eminem, and
Mase is available on Fat Joe's 2005 album
All or Nothing and Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz's
Crunk Juice remix disc. The official remix is more uptempo and contains a new beat with a
crunk–like feel to it. However, there are two different versions of the remix. The
All or Nothing version, the main remix, features an additional verse by
Remy Ma and was released in July 2004.
The
Crunk Juice version features Lil Jon's vocals throughout the song, omitting Remy's verse. On both versions, Mase's verse is in line with his then-clean style of rapping (as heard on his 2004 album
Welcome Back).
Fat Joe also released a remix in tribute to his Puerto Rico ancestry, featuring Tego Calderón and Tony Touch. Other remixes of the song are performed by Chamillionaire, on The Mixtape Messiah titled "Body Rock", Lil Wayne, Max B, Jadakiss, U.S.D.A., and G-Unit. Also, mashup artist Girl Talk layered "Lean Back" over Spacehog's "In the Meantime" in his 2010 album All Day. Houston rapper Lil' Flip did a freestyle over the song as a diss towards Atlanta rapper T.I.
Track listings
US 12-inch single
- A1. "Lean Back" (clean) – 4:12
- A2. "Lean Back" (instrumental) – 4:12
- B1. "Lean Back" (dirty) – 4:11
- B2. "Lean Back" (acappella) – 4:01
UK 12-inch single
- A1. "Lean Back" (explicit) – 4:07
- B1. "Yeah Yeah Yeah" – 3:07
- B2. "Lean Back" (instrumental) – 4:12
UK and Australian CD single
-
"Lean Back" (clean) – 4:11
-
"Lean Back" (explicit) – 4:07
-
"Yeah Yeah Yeah" – 3:07
-
"Lean Back" (video)
European CD single
-
"Lean Back" – 4:07
-
"Yeah Yeah Yeah" – 3:07
Credits and personnel
Credits are taken from the
True Story album notes.
Studios
Personnel
-
Fat Joe – writing (as Joseph Cartagena), vocals, executive production
-
Remy Ma – writing (as Reminisce Smith), vocals
-
Scott Storch – writing, production
-
Drop – recording
-
Supa Engineer Duro – mixing
-
Chris Gehringer – mastering
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
Certifications
Release history
|
| July 26, 2004 | Contemporary hit radio | |
|
|
See also
-
List of Billboard Hot 100 number ones of 2004
-
List of number-one R&B singles of 2004 (U.S.)
