"No Diggity" is a song by American R&B group Blackstreet
featuring Dr. Dre and Queen Pen. It reached #1 on the Billboard
Hot 100 and #9 in the UK. It ranked at #91 on
Rolling Stone and MTV: 100 Greatest Pop Songs. It sold
1.6 million copies in 1996, and won the 1998 Grammy Award for
Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and was
nominated for Best R&B Song. It ranked at #32 on
VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the '90s.
Between BLACKstreet's sung verses are rap verses performed
by Dre, Teddy Riley and Queen Pen, in that order, as well as
backing vocals from Shaquana Elam. Despite the fact that some
of Dr. Dre & Queen Pen's lyrics are censored, there are no
"dirty" versions of the song.
The song's hook is an altered sample from the beginning of
"Grandma's Hands" by R&B hitmaker Bill Withers.
The official remix of the song is a cover to the pop artist
Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean", it's later became a
tribute.
The video is directed by Hype Williams and features said
artists in front of a beachhouse standing in the sand, dancers
in a wet road surrounded by black limousines, and a marionette
resembling former Nike spokesman Lil' Penny playing the piano
sample in a club. It was nominated for Best R&B Video and
Best Rap Video on 1997's MTV Video Music Awards. Video
production and casting was handled in house by Future Recording
Studios manager Tony Brown who also worked closely with
puppeteers to develop marionettes of Teddy Riley and Chauncey
Black.
On November 9, 1996, "No Diggity" overtook "Macarena" for
the Billboard 100 Single's number one spot. Also, the term
"I'll go Blackstreet on your ass", which is credited to
Chauncey "Black as the street" Black began to appear in
American slang as an expression of one's desire to "throw down"
or initiate a confrontation.
Published by Donrill Music/Zomba Enterprises, Inc.
(ASCAP/Chauncey Black Music for Smokin' Sounds [ASCAP]/Queenpen
Music (ASCAP)/Sidi Music (BMI)/Sony Songs Inc./Ain't Nothin'
Goin' On But Fuckin' (ASCAP)
Track recorded by George Mayers, John Hanes, Serban Genea
and Sean Poland for Future Recording Studios, Virginia Beach,
VA. Track mastered by Herb Powers at Hit Factory, New York,
NY.
Queen Pen appears courtesy of Funky Mama
Productions/Interscope Records. Dr. Dre appears courtesy of
Aftermath Entertainment.
Track contains portions of "Grandma's Hands" written by Bill
Withers and published by Interior Music Corp./Avant Garde Music
Publishing, Inc. (BMI); performed by Bill Withers, used
courtesy of Sony Music Entertainment
"Billie Jean" written by Michael Jackson.