Father (LL Cool J song)

"Father" is the third single from LL Cool J's seventh album, Phenomenon. It was released on January 13, 1998 for Def Jam Recordings and was produced by the Trackmasters.

"Father"
Single by LL Cool J
from the album Phenomenon
B-side	"4, 3, 2, 1"
Released	January 13, 1998
Recorded	1996
Genre	Hip hop gospel
Length	4:44
Label	Def Jam
Songwriter(s)	James Todd Smith Jean-Claude Olivier Samuel Barnes George Michael
Producer(s)	Trackmasters
LL Cool J singles chronology
"'4, 3, 2, 1'" (1997) "Father" (1998) "'Candy'" (1998)

"Father", which was an auto-biographical song that detailed LL's abuse from his mother's boyfriend, would prove to be the most successful single from the album, it made it to #18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became his eighth single to reach #1 on the Hot Rap Singles. It sold 500,000 copies.[1] The song's main sample is "Father Figure" by George Michael.

The music video was directed by Samuel Bayer.

Track listing

A-Side

1. "Father" (Radio Edit)- 3:57
2. "Father" (Instrumental)- 4:42

B-Side

1. "4,3,2,1" (Remix Instrumental)- 5:00
2. "4,3,2,1" (Instrumental)- 4:15

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1998)	Peak position
Billboard Hot 100	18
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	12
Billboard Hot Rap Singles	1
Billboard Rhythmic Top 40	23

End of year charts

End of year chart (1998)	Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[2]	97
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks[3]	80
Billboard Hot Rap Singles[4]	14

References

1. "Best-Selling Records of 1998". Billboard. BPI Communications Inc. 111 (5): 75. January 30, 1999. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved June 3, 2015.
2. "Billboard Top 100 - 1998". Archived from the original on 2009-03-09. Retrieved 2010-08-28.
3. Billboard Year-End Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks - 1998. 26 December 1998 – 2 January 1999. Retrieved 2011-09-11.
4. Billboard Year-End Hot Rap Singles - 1998. 26 December 1998 – 2 January 1999. Retrieved 2011-09-11.