#ludacris

Today in Hip Hop History:

Usher featuring Lil Jon and Ludacris - Yeah! 2004

"Yeah!" is a song by American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor Usher featuring American rappers Lil Jon and Ludacris. The song is written by the featured artists alongside Sean Garrett, Patrick "J. Que" Smith, Robert McDowell, and LRoc, and is produced by Lil Jon. The song incorporates crunk and R&B — creating an all new form which Lil Jon coined as crunk&B — in the song's production. The song was released as the lead single from Usher's fourth studio album Confessions on January 10, 2004. The record label had "Burn" on queue for the lead single. Lil Jon, who is also a DJ, then decided to leak the record to DJs across the country after the record companies shut down for Christmas break. By the time they got back to business in January, the record already had thousands of radio plays with no label involvement. Usher still opted to go with "Burn" as the lead single as a music video was already planned, however, the responses to "Yeah!" were overwhelmingly favorable, and "Yeah!" was released as the first single.

"Yeah!" topped the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for 12 consecutive weeks, before being dethroned by Usher's follow-up single "Burn". "Yeah!" was the longest-running number one single in 2004, subsequently topping the year-end chart on the Hot 100. It was thirteen-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The song received a similar response in other countries, topping in other twelve charts worldwide. It was certified platinum in several countries, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Germany, and Norway, and received a two-times platinum certification in New Zealand. The song peaked in the top 10 in several year-end charts.

"Yeah!" won a Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 47th Annual Grammy Awards, while being nominated for Record of the Year. At the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards, Usher won the awards for Best Dance Video and Best Male Video. The song ranked second on the Billboard Hot 100 2000–2009 Decade-end chart. As of February 2024, the song has sold over 13 million copies in the US.

"Yeah!" received a total of 80,5% yes votes!