Released July 13, 2004 Recorded 2004 Length 4:03 | Format 12" single, CD Genre Gangsta rap, g-funk Label Koch | |
"Certified Gangstas" is the debut single of Harlem-based rapper Jim Jones off his album On My Way to Church. The song features Cam'ron and Jay Bezel.
Contents
Background
The song was released as the first single from Jim Jones' On My Way to Church. The song features fellow Dipset member Cam'ron and Jay Bezel. A music video was created and was directed by Jim Jones.
The song was fairly successful compared to the next single, Crunk Muzik. It reached number 80 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in the United States. Jim Jones commented that the song is an ode to Eazy-E's single "Boyz-n-the-Hood" The song also samples Boyz-n-the-Hood.
Two remixes were released. The first remix Lil Flip replaces Cam'ron. The second and more popular remix scraps off Jay Bezel and replaces it with a verse from The Game and Lil Eazy-E. The second remix was used for the music video.
Part 2
A sequel to Certified Gangstas was released in January 2010 entitled "Certified Gangstas Pt. 2". The lead artist of the song is once again Jim Jones and it features Game, Mel Matrix (of Diplomat Records) and Sen City. It is currently unknown if it will appear on Jones' next album.
Music video
The music video was released in 2004. The video was directed by Jim Jones. It includes cameo appearances by Lil Eazy-E. The Game includes his own verse in this video, because the video is of the second remix (mentioned in the paragraph above). The video also features a parody of the opening scene of the 1993 film Menace II Society where O-Dog is confronted by the Asian owners of the convenience store.