Songoftheday 4/13/23 - I get the cream, cops see me flick my beams, I'm allergic so doc' prescribed antihistamines...

 

 

"Welcome To Atlanta" - Jermaine Dupri & Ludacris

from the albums Instructions and Word Of Mouf (both 2001)

Billboard Hot 100 peak: #35 (one week)

Weeks in the Top-40: 4

 

Today's song comes from Atlanta-based rapper and producer Jermaine Dupri, who besides producing and writing a huge chunk of hits for various acts in the 1990's, also had released his own album Life In 1472 in 1998 which spun off a top-40 hit on Billboard magazine's Hot 100 chart in the spring of that year with "The Party Continues" featuring rapper Da Brat.  

In 2001, Dupri returned with his second album on his So So Def label distributed by Columbia Records, Instructions, which also included a bevy of guest rappers. The lead single from the record was "Ballin' Out Of Control", which featured G-Funk singer Nate Dogg. Despite Jermaine's high profile, and the copious amount of swagger of the track, it didn't translate to success, with the song stopping short of Billboard's R&B Singles Top-40 at #42 and stalling down at #95 on the Hot 100.

For the critically-needed follow-up, Jermaine pulled out the "ringer" with his collab with rapper Ludacris from the record on "Welcome To Atlanta". Ludacris' star has been on the incline over the last couple years, with his second album Word Of Mouf already spinning off two top-40 pop hits with "Area Codes" and "Rollout (My Business)". ("Welcome To Atlanta" would also be on that album as a hidden final track.) Written by Jermaine and Ludacris with Kris "KRS-ONE" Parker, the record was a celebration of their hometown, along with Dupri mentioning the clubs and gangs in the town. The music video has a virtual tour of the city with notable people in hip-hop and other celebrities from the area. It's a party record, and as such nothing of meaty value except the groove. 

"Welcome To Atlanta" brought Jermaine back to the Hot 100 top-40 as a lead artist for the second time in March of 2002, while climbing to #15 on their R&B Singles chart and #3 on their Rap Singles list. On the radio, the song went to #15 on the R&B Airplay chart and #7 on the dance-oriented Rhythmic format. The Instructions album, released in October of 2001, came in at its peak of #15 on the Billboard 200 sales tally, and #3 on the R&B Albums list. 

There weren't any more singles pulled the record, as Dupri was ending his tenure with his So So Def imprint on Columbia. He would workshop his music around, and in 2005 has the song "Gotta Getcha" make #31 on the R&B Singles chart and #60 on the Hot 100. He's since gone back to primarily producing and writing for others, but he'll be back to the series as a featured artist. This month he released a collaborative album with rapper Curren$y, For Motivational Use, Vol. 1. 

 

Of course Ludacris and his Word Of Mouf album will be back to the series soon.

(5/10)

There was a Coast 2 Coast remix on the single that included cameos from rappers Snoop Dogg, Sean "P Diddy" Combs, and Murphy Lee as well as Ludacris, with a new video being shot for it..

And lastly, the cast of the remix performing the song live...

I'll be on a little vacation break, but will be back next week with a Latin lover wanting a getaway.