Check Yo Self

"Check Yo Self"
Single by Ice Cube featuring Das EFX
from the album The Predator
Released	July 20, 1993
Format	12" single
Recorded	1992
Genre	Hip hop, West Coast hip hop, G-Funk
Length	3:42
Label	Priority 53816
Writer(s)	O. Jackson
Producer	DJ Muggs
Certification	Platinum (RIAA)
Ice Cube singles chronology
"It Was A Good Day" (1992) "Check Yo Self" (1993) "You Know How We Do It" (1994)

"Check Yo Self" is the second hit single from Ice Cube's third solo album The Predator. It was released in July 1993 and features New York rappers Das EFX. It topped both the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop and Rap charts while also reaching number 20 on the Hot 100 chart.^[1] The song retains two main versions, the original and a remix which utilizes the same beat as Grandmaster Flash's "The Message," titled "Check Yo Self (The Message Remix)". The supporting vocals in this song are featured by the Wu-Tang Clan.

The song is featured on Ice Cube's Bootlegs & B-Sides album and was later released on his Greatest Hits album. The clean version of "Check Yo Self (The Message Remix)" can be found within the popular videogame Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, playing on the West Coast Hip hop radio station Radio Los Santos and in the soundtrack of the movie Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay. The original version of the song was featured in the 2010 film Due Date. In January 2010, Snoop Dogg released a cover version of the song.

Music video

The music video for "Check Yo Self" makes use of the remix version. Similar to the video for his previous single "It Was A Good Day," most of the scenes follow and illustrate respective lyrics of the song. The video continues where "It Was A Good Day" left off, with Ice Cube's home being surrounded and invaded by the LAPD before he is handcuffed and taken under arrest, presumably for murder. Ice Cube is then brought to L.A. County jail where he spends the majority of the video experiencing the conflict described in the lyrics, such as disputes between cellmates and breaking up with his girlfriend. After six months pass, Ice Cube is able to win over the female guard watching him who helps him break out by dressing him up in a uniform. The two make their way outside to a police cruiser and drive off into the night.

Track listing

1. Check Yo' Self (radio remix "The Message")
2. Check Yo' Self (remix instrumental)
3. It Was a Good Day (radio remix edit)
4. It Was a Good Day (remix instrumental)
5. 24 with a L

Charts

Peak positions Chart (1993) Peak position U.S. Billboard Hot 100[1] 20 U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[1] 1 U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Tracks[1] 1 UK Singles Chart 36

End of year charts End of year chart (1993) Position U.S. Billboard Hot 100[2] 86

Samples

Original version:

• "Mustang Sally" by Wilson Pickett
• "The New Style" by Beastie Boys
• "I'm Blue" by The Sweet Inspirations

Remix version:

• The Message by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five
• "Deeez Nuuuts" by Dr. Dre feat. Snoop Doggy Dogg, Dat Nigga Daz, Nate Dogg and Warren G

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Ice Cube - Billboard Singles. Allmusic.
2. ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1993". http://longboredsurfer.com/charts.php?year=1993. Retrieved 2010-08-27. 

See also

• R&B number-one hits of 1993 (USA)