Released October 28, 2000 Recorded 2000 | Format CD single Genre Dirty rap | |
Length Main Version 4:45
Radio Version 4:12 Label Fo'Reel, Derrty, Universal | ||
"E.I." is a single by American rapper Nelly. It was released in 2000, taken from Nelly's 2000 album Country Grammar. It peaked at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart and 16 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.
Contents
Remixes
"Tip Drill," or "E.I. (Remix) is the name of a 2003 remix of the song. It appeared as the fourth track on his 2003 remix album Da Derrty Versions: The Reinvention. An alternate version featuring vocals from Nelly's group, the St. Lunatics, which is listed as the "Tip Drill Remix", appears as the final track on Da Derrty Versions: The Reinvention. Both versions were produced by David Banner.
The song's music video, made for the version featuring the St. Lunatics, became controversial for its perceived overt depiction of women as sexual objects. It was meant to be a single, but withdrawn due to its potentially offensive content. Despite this, Nelly's solo version of the song received moderate airplay on urban contemporary radio stations in the United States and peaked at number 65 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in early 2004. Features cameo appearance by Jermaine Dupri.
In one interpretation of the song's meaning by Mark Anthony Neal, the phrase tip drill is a "ghetto colloquialism for the proverbial ugly girl with a nice body."
Controversy
In 2004, women's studies students at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia protested against misogyny in rap music and "Tip Drill" specifically. The students criticized the negative portrayal and sexual objectification of African-American women in the video, which showed women in bikinis dancing and simulating various sexual acts, men throwing money on women's breasts and buttocks, and Nelly swiping a credit card between a woman's buttocks after which it starts bouncing. Nelly's 4Sho4Kids Foundation was scheduled to hold a bone marrow drive on campus to help his sister who suffered from leukemia. Spelman Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance President Moya Bailey and Leana Cabral named Nelly the "Misogynist of the Month" and the flyers they and other members placed on campus prompted the foundation to cancel the drive. The president of the Student Government, Asha Jennings, said: "Nelly wants us to help his sister, but he's degrading hundreds of us." According to Spelman students, Nelly's Foundation refused to hold the drive unless the university promised that students would not confront the rap star about his song and the video. The Foundation canceled the drive.
In 2008, Nelly stated that his own daughter, Ayanda, had never seen the video.
Track listing
[1]
US Promo
UK Single
Video E.I.
Australia Maxi-CD