Mesmerize
Encyclopedia
"Mesmerize" is the second single by Ja Rule
from his album The Last Temptation. The song was produced by Irv Gotti and features R&B artist Ashanti
. The song peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 making it Ashanti's and Ja Rule's fourth top ten hit as a duet.
The song was certified platinum by the ARIA for selling 70,000 units in 2003.
. The video begins with a group of men dressed in black discussing their plan for a revolution in a strategy room. Ja Rule enters dressed in a preppy sweater, much to the surprise of the other men. He explains that his girl wants him to leave the street life behind. Meanwhile, some of Ashanti's friends are having a slumber party and playing Scrabble
when Ashanti emerges dressed in flashy black leather attire. She explains that her guy wants her to be more street. The song begins and we see the two meeting up at an amusement fair. As they sing, they partake in various carnival attractions, such as game booths and bumper cars. The song ends abruptly with Ja Rule's friends emerging from a black van and asking him if he's riding with them. After he hesitates and turns to Ashanti, she says she's riding if he's riding. They enter the van and after a few quick cuts they emerge and Ja Rule begins rapping "Destiny," an uptempo "hardcore" street song that contrasts with the more mellow "Mesmerize." The video ends with a crowd of African-American men marching the streets and holding up various signs, including tributes to late rapper Tupac
and DJ Jam-Master Jay
.The street scene was filmed outside Cathedral High on Bishops Road (formerly Stadium Way) an up-hill climb towards Dodger Stadium.
The carnival scenes were filmed in Los Angeles at Cathedral High School's Graveyard Field. The entire campus was the site of the Old Calvary Cemetery Northeast of Downtown Los Angeles.
Ja Rule
Jeffrey Atkins , better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American rapper, singer, and actor.Born in Hollis, Queens, he began his career in the group Cash Money Click and debuted in 1999 with Venni Vetti Vecci and its single "Holla Holla"...
from his album The Last Temptation. The song was produced by Irv Gotti and features R&B artist Ashanti
Ashanti (singer)
Ashanti Shequoiya Douglas is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer, actress, and model. She rose to fame in the early 2000s. Ashanti is most famous for her eponymous debut album, which featured the hit song "Foolish", and sold over 503,000 copies in its first week of release...
. The song peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 making it Ashanti's and Ja Rule's fourth top ten hit as a duet.
The song was certified platinum by the ARIA for selling 70,000 units in 2003.
Music video
The music video was inspired by the film GreaseGrease (film)
Grease is a 1978 American musical film directed by Randal Kleiser and based on Warren Casey's and Jim Jacobs's 1971 musical of the same name about two lovers in a 1950s high school. The film stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, and Jeff Conaway...
. The video begins with a group of men dressed in black discussing their plan for a revolution in a strategy room. Ja Rule enters dressed in a preppy sweater, much to the surprise of the other men. He explains that his girl wants him to leave the street life behind. Meanwhile, some of Ashanti's friends are having a slumber party and playing Scrabble
Scrabble
Scrabble is a word game in which two to four players score points by forming words from individual lettered tiles on a game board marked with a 15-by-15 grid. The words are formed across and down in crossword fashion and must appear in a standard dictionary. Official reference works provide a list...
when Ashanti emerges dressed in flashy black leather attire. She explains that her guy wants her to be more street. The song begins and we see the two meeting up at an amusement fair. As they sing, they partake in various carnival attractions, such as game booths and bumper cars. The song ends abruptly with Ja Rule's friends emerging from a black van and asking him if he's riding with them. After he hesitates and turns to Ashanti, she says she's riding if he's riding. They enter the van and after a few quick cuts they emerge and Ja Rule begins rapping "Destiny," an uptempo "hardcore" street song that contrasts with the more mellow "Mesmerize." The video ends with a crowd of African-American men marching the streets and holding up various signs, including tributes to late rapper Tupac
Tupac
Tupac is a relatively uncommon male name. Notable people with the name include:*Túpac Inca Yupanqui , tenth Sapa Inca of the Incan Empire*Túpac Amaru , last indigenous leader of the Inca people in Peru...
and DJ Jam-Master Jay
Jam-Master Jay
Jason William Mizell , better known by his stage name Jam Master Jay, was an American musician and rapper. He was the DJ of the influential hip hop group Run-D.M.C. and helped define the sound of the band, the style of the black hats and Adidas shoes that came to be the band's trademark. During the...
.The street scene was filmed outside Cathedral High on Bishops Road (formerly Stadium Way) an up-hill climb towards Dodger Stadium.
The carnival scenes were filmed in Los Angeles at Cathedral High School's Graveyard Field. The entire campus was the site of the Old Calvary Cemetery Northeast of Downtown Los Angeles.
Chart performance
| Chart (2002–2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
5 |
| Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders) | 8 |
| Belgian Singles Chart (Wallonia) | 6 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 33 |
| French Singles Chart | 66 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 3 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 79 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
12 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
5 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Tracks Hot Rap Tracks Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single... |
2 |