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Ten years ago this week,Kanye West’s “Gold Digger” was solidly occupying the No. 1 slot on theBillboardTop 100. In fact, it was in week five of its 10-week reign, which began Sept. 17, 2005, when it displacedMariah Carey’s “We Belong Together”, and ended Nov. 26, whenChris Brown’s “Run It!“took the No. 1 spot.
And while “Gold Digger” was nigh inescapable 10 years ago, there are a few behind-the-scenes tidbits about the song that even its biggest fans may not know. We’re celebrating the 10-year anniversary with a look back at some of these stories.
1. It was West’s first No. 1 single as lead artist
The 2003 single"Slow Jamz"had rapper Twista as the lead artist and featured West and his eventual “Gold Digger” collaboratorJamie Foxx. It hit No. 1 for a single week in 2004, but “Gold Digger” remains the first No. 1 hit that can be called certifiably West’s. He would achieve another No. 1 hit with"Stronger"in 2007 and as a featured artist in 2011 withKaty Perry’s"E.T.“At the 2006 Grammys, West won the Best Rap Solo Performance for the song as well as Best Rap Album forLate Registration.
2. It was also a first-of-its-kind No. 1 hit for Ray Charles
3. The song was conceived before Jamie Foxx’s biopic ‘Ray’hit theaters
4. However, a screening of ‘Ray’made West realize he should collaborate with Foxx
5. The song was initially written for a female artist
6. There’s an’Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind’connection
7. West and Brion completed the basic tracks for “Gold Digger” in one afternoon
8. It was the 9th-best-selling and 9th-most-played song of the 2000s
9. The song inspired a’Big Bang Theory’flash mob
During the taping of a 2012 episode of a CBS sitcom, the cast and crew erupted into a flash mob, and danced to “Gold Digger,” among other songs. So if seeing Howard and Raj lip-sync the Jamie Foxx andKanye Westparts of the song fulfills some long-held fantasy of yours, this video is for you.
10. But that’s not even the best sitcom connection
Titled “The Word,” the second-season premiere ofBlack-ishalso featured “Gold Digger” — and some insightful commentary about the part of the song’s lyrics that get bleeped in the radio edit. On the show, young Jack (Miles Brown) performs the song as part of a talent show but uses the actual lyrics, prompting his school to suspend him for using hate speech. Parents Dre (Anthony Anderson) and Rainbow (Tracee Ellis Ross) have opinions on this, of course. Hearing the actual lyrics might have been a surprise to anyone who’d only heard the censored version. Though didn’t you ever wonder what a “broke broke” was?
source: people.com
