.

Song Stories

“Still Not a Player”

Big Punisher feat. Joe | 1998

Big Punisher combined his "I'm Not a Player" single with Joe's "Don't Wanna Be a Player" and the result was 1998's "Still Not a Player." The single features Big Pun's claim that "I'm not a player, I just crush a lot" as Joe imitates Earth Wind & Fire's vocal arrangement from "Beijo," and producer Knobody speeds up Brenda Russell's "A Little Bit of Love." "In 1997, my production partner Sean became A&R at Loud [Records], and he played one of my tracks to Big Pun, who was just getting in the game then," Knobody explained. "We recorded Pun's first hit, "Still Not a Player" and that became huge — my biggest record. The album sold 5 million copies."

prev
Song Stories Main Next

blog comments powered by Disqus

Song Stories

“Time to Pretend”

MGMT | 2008

Listening to MGMT’s breakthrough song, one might interpret it as being about the excesses of rock stardom, but it’s actually about the duo’s pet praying mantis. Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden told Rolling Stone they got the idea from the insect's jerky movements. The mantis died, but the two bandmates kept the egg sack and allowed the hundreds of eggs to hatch. “We tried to name them all, but they died after a day,” said Goldwasser, with VanWyngarden chiming in, “But the praying mantis dance inspired us.”

More Song Stories entries »