| "Posse on Broadway" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Sir Mix-a-Lot | ||||
| from the album Swass | ||||
| B-side | Sir-Money-By-Lot | |||
| Released | December 4, 1988 | |||
| Format | 7", 12", Cassette single, CD single | |||
| Recorded | March - August 1988 | |||
| Genre | Hip Hop, 80's Music | |||
| Length | 2:38 (Album Version - 4:21) | |||
| Label | Nastymix Records | |||
| Writer(s) | Sir Mix-a-Lot | |||
| Producer | Sir Mix-a-Lot | |||
| Sir Mix-a-Lot singles chronology | ||||
|
||||
Posse on Broadway is a Hip Hop song first recorded by Sir Mix-a-Lot on his 1988 debut album Swass.
The Broadway in the song is not New York City's famed thoroughfare, but the Seattle street of the same name in the Capitol Hill district (Sir Mix-a-Lot is a Seattle native).
The geography of the song is quite specific, going north up Rainier Valley on Rainier Avenue S., then east to "23rd and Jackson," a major intersection in Seattle's traditionally black Central District or "CD," then cruising east to Martin Luther King Jr. Way S. where "the set looks kinda dead" so "we need a new street," then by "23rd and Union" (still in the CD, but northeast), and then to Broadway. "The college" is Seattle Central Community College near the south end of the Broadway commercial strip, from which they drive to Taco Bell at the north end, which "was closed" (a local joke, as that particular restaurant has a never-lit and wholly inaccurate "Open 24 Hours" sign built into the wall) so they "go back the other way" to Dick's Drive-In, a local fast food institution and, according to the song, "the place where the cool hang out."
There are two versions out there by Sir Mix-a-Lot: the "Radio Edit", which was played on air and the "Godzilla Remix Edit", which featured Godzilla's signature "roar" and a sample of the guitar riff from David Bowie's "Fame". The lyrics are slightly different between the two, most notably Mix-a-Lot references the "Gatorback" tires on his limo, instead of the "50-Series" in the radio edit and refers to the vehicle as "the Bistro" in the Godzilla version.
Contents |
| Chart (1988/1989) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 70 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 44 |
Soulja Boy Tell 'Em sampled the instrumental for a song known as "Poppin' On Myspace".[1]
Rapper Nelly covered the song as "Natural Bridge and King's Highway," set it in St. Louis with his crew, the St. Lunatics.
Insane Clown Posse recorded a cover of "Posse on Broadway" for the Take a Bite Outta Rhyme rock/rap covers compilation. ICP's version modifies the lyrics in the band's gory style and to represent the geography of their native Detroit. A slightly different version of their cover (adding a spoken intro and changing the hook, renaming it "Posse On Vernor") was released on their rare track compilation Forgotten Freshness Volume 3.
The Portland, Oregon Christian rap group Acts 29 covered the song as "Posse on Burnside".
Houston's South Park Mexican covered the song, applying it to the Broadway in the Southeast, Harris County.
Bay Area rapper E-40 recorded a remake titled "Big Ballin' With My Homies'" on his 1999 album Charlie Hustle: The Blueprint of a Self-Made Millionaire.
DJ and producer Diplo included a version of "Posse on Broadway" on his 2008 Santigold mixtape collaboration, "Top Ranking".
The song was remade by Dipset, titled "145th and Broadway (dipsetblockbitch)" with references to Harlem.[2]
Sir Mix-a-Lot, himself sampled the instrumental for the track Man U Luv Ta Hate on his 1996 album Return of the Bumpasaurus.
In 2009 Sir Mix-a-Lot released a Posse on Broadway remake titled "Posse on Broadway (Thunder Mix)" on an album titled Playlist: The Very Best Of Sir Mix-a-Lot.[3]
In 2009 Rapper Anonymous AKA Tha Loco sampled the instrumental and featured Sir Mix-A-Lot in the song 'Rollin Rainier' on the Mean Streets album. Sir Mix-A-Lot repeats the Rollin' Rainier phrase said in Posse On Broadway adding streets like Yesler to the mix.[3]
GLC sampled a line from Posse On Broadway for his song "Clockin' Lotsa Dollaz" ft. Bun B.