Make Me Better

"Make Me Better"
Single by Fabolous featuring Ne-Yo
from the album From Nothin' to Somethin'
Released	June 9, 2007 (global)
Format	CD single (global) Digital download (global) Vinyl single (North America)
Recorded	Brooklyn, New York, United States and Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States
Genre	Hip hop
Length	4:13
Label	Def Jam Records
Writer(s)	John Jackson/Timothy Mosley/Shaffer Smith
Producer	Timbaland
Certification	Platinum (RIAA)
Fabolous singles chronology
"Return of the Hustle" (2007) "Make Me Better" (2007) "Baby Don't Go" (2007)

"Make Me Better" is the third single from Fabolous' album From Nothin' to Somethin'. The song features Ne-Yo on the hook and is produced by Timbaland.

Song Content

Timbaland is quoted as saying that:

"the beat is unique sounding and the strings are so good that they will have to be used on future songs".

The strings are sampled from Sherine's "Al Sa'ban Aleh". A similar sample was used both by the RZA on Raekwon's 1995 track "Rainy Dayz" and by Funkmaster Flex for the Busta Rhymes freestyle on The Mix Tape Volume 1: 60 Minutes of Funk. Because of the sample, Raekwon himself appeared on the remix to the song. The track finds Fab in a very familiar mode, talking to the ladies. As for the lyrics, Fab and Ne-Yo tell ladies they are forces to be reckoned with on their own — but with their ladies upgrading them, they're that much better.

"You want a girl that completes you and makes you better," he explained. "You don't want a girl who brings more arguments and more bills. ... You want a girl who, when you're walking around with your tie crooked, she fixes your tie. .... That's the kind of [woman] I'm looking for. Whether she's a celebrity or non-celebrity don't really matter. You just need somebody you can connect with. "It touches so many places," Fab added of the song. "It's a sexy record, plus a swagger record, an anthem record all in one. ... I played it for a couple of dudes a week ago, and they was like, 'I'mma tell my shorty that: "Yo, shorty, you make me better. I'm cool, I'm fly and sh--, but us together, we make a great pair." "Dudes can take it — it's giving them some game. I felt it could work on all levels."

The full song was leaked to the internet on April 9, 2007.

Music Video

A video was released on May 23, 2007. You may watch it here. Roselyn Sánchez appears as Fabolous's love interest in the video. This video was premiered on BET on May 25, 2007. This video also includes the rapper Red Cafe and a guest star Dwight Freeney as a person who is challenged by a drunken man.

Chart Success

On the issue date of June 9, 2007 the single debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 96 and has peaked at number 8 ^[1]. The single has spent 14 weeks at number 1 in the Billboard Hot 100 Rap Tracks. This is a record for 2006 and 2007 on this chart.

In its January 2008 issue, VIBE Magazine named "Make Me Better" the best song of 2007 on its list of the top 44 ^[2].

Formats

Album

1. "Make Me Better" (album version) featuring Ne-Yo

Promo

1. "Make Me Better" (radio edit) featuring Ne-Yo
2. "Make Me Better" (instrumental)

Remixes

1. "Make Me Better" (Greg Street Remix #1) featuring Jagged Edge (Official Remix)
2. "Make Me Better" (Greg Street Remix #2) featuring Lil' Mo ^[3]
3. "Make Me Better" featuring Angela Via^[4]

Charts

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "Fabolous f Ne-Yo Make Me Better global chart positions and trajectories". aCharts.us. Retrieved June 30, 2007.
2. ^ The 44 Best Songs of 2007
3. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nMUhmEJdAB4 Make Me Better Remix f Lil Mo
4. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQ0qyzbiimg Agela Via on Fabolous remix

External links

• Billboard Link
• “Make Me Better” by Fabolous celebrates true love in Hip-Hop