Just Playing (Dreams)

Just Playing (Dreams) is a promotional single by American hip hop artist The Notorious B.I.G. for his 1994 debut album Ready to Die. It was produced by Rashad Smith, and contains samples of James Brown's "Blues and Pants" from Hot Pants. Complex magazine ranked the song number two on its list of "The 50 Funniest Rap Songs".[1]

"Just Playing (Dreams)"
Promotional single by The Notorious B.I.G.
from the album Ready to Die
ReleasedSeptember 13, 1994
Recorded1994
GenreEast Coast hip hop
Length2:42
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Rashad Smith

Although the song does not appear on the original pressing of Ready to Die, it appears on the 2004 remastered version.

Background

Some of the lyrics initially appeared on Mary J. Blige's "What's the 411?" remix,[2][3][4] The song was released as a promotional single for Biggie's debut album Ready to Die in 1994.[5]

Composition

"Just Playing (Dreams)" was written by The Notorious B.I.G. and Rashad "Ringo" Smith. The song is built upon a sample of "Blues and Pants" written by James Brown, and it's production was done by Ringo [6]

In the song, Biggie takes aim at 20 of his favorite R&B singers and lists what he’d like to do to them.[7] The list includes female R&B singers Mary J. Blige, Patti LaBelle, Mariah Carey, Rupaul and Chaka Khan, who didn't take offense to the song.[8] Raven-Symoné was 8 years old when he rapped the line, “make Raven-Symoné call date rape.”[9]

Atlanta '90s R&B quartet Xscape didn't appreciate the song, which contained the line "those ugly-ass Xscape bitches."[7] Group member Kandi Burruss said in a 2009 interview that her bandmate Tameka "Tiny" Cottle had run into Biggie on the evening of his death, and he apologized for the lyric.[10]

Cover versions and remixes
  • In 1996, Lil Kim's song "Dreams Freestyle" sampled the lyrics of "Just Playing" on her debut studio album Hard Core.
  • In 2015, rapper Young M.A dropped her "Dreams Freestyle" from her debut 13-track mixtape Sleep Walkin.
  • In 2018, rapper Nicki Minaj sampled the song for her studio album Queen in the song "Barbie Dreams". The single reached number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 36 on the UK Singles Chart.

References
  1. "The 50 Funniest Rap Songs2. The Notorious B.I.G. "Just Playing (Dreams)" (1993)". Complex.
  2. "Mary J. Blige, 'What's The 411?' at 20: Classic Track-By-Track Review".
  3. "Mary J. Blige (Ft. K-Ci, The Notorious B.I.G. & Puff Daddy) – What's The 411? (Remix)".
  4. "The Notorious B.I.G.: Ready to Die Album Review - Pitchfork". pitchfork.com.
  5. https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22952-ready-to-die/
  6. "Review: Nicki Minaj's "Barbie Dreams" is Hilariously Rude". 10 August 2018.
  7. "Notorious B.I.G.'s 'Just Playing' Showed His 'Greatness'".
  8. "The Best Notorious B.I.G. Songs24. The Notorious B.I.G. "Just Playing (Dreams)" (1993)". Complex.
  9. "Drama 'Queen': The Walking Contradictions and Multiple Personalities of Nicki Minaj". The Ringer.
  10. http://theboombox.com/notorious-big-xscape/
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