Can't Nobody Hold Me Down
"Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" is the debut single by American rapper Puff Daddy. It was released by his label Bad Boy Records, an imprint of Arista Records on January 7, 1997, also serving as lead single for the rapper's debut studio album No Way Out (1997). It was written by Bad Boy newcomer Mase, who co-performs the song, while production was handled by the label's in-house producers Stevie J, Carlos Broady and Nashiem Myrick, as well as Puff Daddy himself.
"Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at number 32 in early 1997, and later spent six weeks at number one. It was the beginning of Combs' and Bad Boy Records' chart domination during the year—the Combs-produced "Hypnotize" by The Notorious B.I.G. would follow this song at number one, and the B.I.G. tribute song "I'll Be Missing You" spent eleven weeks at number one during the summer, only to be followed by another B.I.G. song, "Mo Money Mo Problems" and then the Combs-produced "Honey" by Mariah Carey. "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" was the mainstream debut for Mase, who signed with the label months prior.
First released to rhythmic radio in December 1996, Puff Daddy had found success as B.I.G.'s label boss at Bad Boy Records prior to the song's release. He first appeared as a recording artist on Lil' Kim's 1996 single "No Time", which peaked within the Billboard Hot 100's top 20.
Content
The song combines elements of several previous singles, the most obvious being a slowed-down rhythm track sampling from Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five's "The Message". The track's chorus is an interpolation of "Break My Stride", a top-five single by Matthew Wilder from 1983. The track also contains a sample of opening drums of Michael Jackson's 1979 single "Rock with You".
Music video
The music video was directed by Paul Hunter and it was released in January 1997. The music video features cameos by The Notorious B.I.G. and Eddie Griffin.