Back in the Day (Ahmad song)

"Back in the Day"
Single by Ahmad
from the album Ahmad
Released March 29, 1994
Format 12" maxi single; CD single
Recorded 1993
Genre West Coast hip hop
Length 5:18
Label Giant/Reprise/Warner Bros. Records
41416
Songwriter(s) Ahmad A. Lewis
Producer(s) Kendal, Barr 9 Productions & Ahmad

"Back in the Day" is a 1994 West Coast hip hop single by Ahmad. Released when Ahmad was only 18, the song is a nostalgic remembrance of childhood and young teenage years, from a somewhat jaded adult perspective. "Back in the Day" was Ahmad's only major hit single, making it to #26 on The Billboard Hot 100, #19 on the US R&B chart on the strength of its hook - a sample of the Teddy Pendergrass song "Love TKO"—and Ahmad's quirky vocal style, reminiscent of Fatlip of the Pharcyde fame, and #3 on the US rap chart. It was the first single of his 1994 self-titled album and was RIAA-certified gold.

The TKO Remix of "Back in the Day" (Produced By Maurice Thompson of Barr 9 Productions) is featured as the single and on the soundtrack of The Wood, a 1999 motion picture.

Charts

Peak positions

Chart (1994) Peak
Position
US Billboard Hot 100[1] 26
US Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales (Billboard)[2] 15
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[3] 19
US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[4] 3
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[5] 13

End of year charts

End of year chart (1994) Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[6] 93

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
United States (RIAA)[7] Gold 500,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Legacy

Mariah Carey's 12th studio album, Memoirs of an Imperfect Angel, featured an interpolation of "Back in the Day" on the track "Candy Bling". Travie McCoy's debut studio album Lazarus features a song titled "Akidagain" which interpolates "Back in the Day". On J. Cole's mixtape The Come Up, his song "School Daze" also interpolates "Back in the Day". Cassidy did an interpolation of this song entitled "Back in the day". In 2013, Complex added the song in its list of nineteen great songs made by teenage rappers in the last 19 years. Complex editor Kyle Kramer said "The blueprint for many songs by nostalgic teenagers since, "Back in the Day" perfectly captures the wistful vibe of the rearview look with its warm chorus and deeply descriptive verses. As a result, ever since back in the day, the song's been a classic."[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Ahmad Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Ahmad - Ahmad | Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Ahmad Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Ahmad Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Ahmad Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved April 15, 2015.
  6. ↑ "Billboard Top 100 - 1994". Archived from the original on 2009-03-01. Retrieved 2010-08-27.
  7. ↑ "American single certifications – Ahmad – Back in the Day". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved October 12, 2014. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  8. ↑ Kramer, Kyle (July 6, 2013). "Nineteen Great Songs Made By Teenage Rappers in the Last 19 Years: Ahmad "Back In the Day" (1994)". Complex. Complex Media. Retrieved October 11, 2014.
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