Genre Crunk
hip hop
R&B Label Columbia
Music World | Length 2:55 | |
Released August 7, 2007 (2007-08-07) Format Digital download
12" single Recorded 2006;
Hit Factory Criteria
(Miami, Florida) | ||
"Ghetto" is a song by American recording artist Kelly Rowland, featuring vocals by rapper Snoop Dogg. It was written by Durrell "Tank" Babbs, Calvin Broadus, Lonny Bereal and Rowland, and produced by the former for Rowland's second solo album Ms. Kelly (2007). A mid-paced R&B ballad which was originally recorded for her shelved My Story album, "Ghetto" is influenced by the Crunk&B subgrene in the early to mid-2000s. Its instrumentation consists essentially of synthesizers and a drum machine rhythm and lyrically, finds Rowland, as the protagonist, singing sensually about becoming attracted to dangerous men.
Contents
One of Rowland's favorites on Ms. Kelly, "Ghetto" was released as the album's second single to US radios on August 7, 2007, while "Work" was serviced as the album's second international single. The song performed weakly on the Billboard charts, reaching number nine on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart only, ranking it among Rowland's lowest-selling single to date. An accompanying music video was directed by Andrew Gura and shot in Los Angeles, California in August 2007.
Recording
The song is one out of two recordings singer and songwriter Tank and partner Joseph "Lonny" Bereal produced for the album. One of her favorites on the album, Rowland has described "Ghetto" as "about good girls who dig bad boys," adding: "As soon as Tank played it, I knew and recorded it in an hour. [It] is just so laid back and that's why I had to have Snoop [Dogg]." Originally recorded without Snoop Dogg for the delayed 2006 My Story album, it was not until months prior to the Ms. Kelly release, that the rapper was consulted to contribute additional vocals to the track. "He's the King of Cool, so I was honoured when he said yes to do the record. It was like a dream come true," Rowland stated in an interview with Blue & Soul in 2007. "He [just] put his Snoop-a-fied player-isms on the track [...] He just gives it that something. I like it when a song can make you feel good."
Music video
The music video for "Ghetto" was directed by Andrew Gura and shot in Los Angeles, California on August 23, 2007. It features cameo appearances by rappers MC Eiht, Kam, and Soopafly. "It's ghetto," Rowland said about filming. "It's really fly. I feel like everybody has some sort of element of ghetto in them. Think about it. Right? Wouldn't you say so? And everyone knows what the ghetto is."
The final version world premiered at the end of the September 10, 2007 episode of BET's Access Granted.
Commercial performance
Released in North America only, "Ghetto" went for radio ads in August 2007 and was added by about twenty-eight urban contemporary stations and very few rhythmic contemporary stations. On September 1, 2007, it debuted on the US Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart at number nine which is equivalent to number 109 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. As it neither managed to climb any higher on that particular chart, nor made it to any other official chart, the songs ranks as Rowland's lowest-selling single to date. Although Rowland noted that it was her decision to pick the track as the album's second single, she somewhat regretted to release it retrospectively.
Formats and track listings
These are the formats and track listings of major single-releases of "Ghetto".
- "Ghetto" (Junior Vasquez & Gomi's Jazzy radio mix) – 3:29
- "Ghetto" (Junior Vasquez & Gomi's Jazzy main mix) – 7:56
- "Ghetto" (Junior Vasquez In Da Club mix) – 9:52
- "Ghetto" (Junior Vasquez In Da Dub mix) – 8:07
- "Ghetto" (Junior Vasquez & Gomi's Jazzy Radio TV track) – 3:28
- "Ghetto" (Junior Vasquez & Gomi's Jazzy Main TV track) – 7:56