Hate Me Now
1999 song by Nas ft. Puff Daddy
title: "Hate Me Now" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1998-songs", "1999-singles", "christianity-related-mass-media-and-entertainment-controversies", "crucifixion", "music-videos-directed-by-hype-williams", "music-video-controversies", "nas-songs", "religious-controversies-in-music", "sean-combs-songs", "song-recordings-produced-by-trackmasters", "songs-written-by-nas"] description: "1999 song by Nas ft. Puff Daddy" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hate_Me_Now" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary 1999 song by Nas ft. Puff Daddy ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox song"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Hate Me Now |
| cover | Hate me now.jpg |
| caption | US cover |
| type | single |
| artist | Nas featuring Puff Daddy |
| album | I Am... |
| B-side | *"If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)" |
| released | |
| recorded | 1998 |
| genre | Hip hop |
| length | |
| label | Columbia |
| writer | *Jones |
| producer | *D-Moet |
| chronology | Nas |
| prev_title | Nas Is Like |
| prev_year | 1999 |
| next_title | Did You Ever Think |
| next_year | 1999 |
| misc | {{Extra chronology |
| artist | Puff Daddy |
| type | single |
| prev_title | All Night Long |
| prev_year | 1999 |
| title | Hate Me Now |
| year | 1999 |
| next_title | P.E. 2000 |
| next_year | 1999 |
| :: |
::callout[type=note] the Nas song ::
| name = Hate Me Now | cover = Hate me now.jpg | caption = US cover | alt = | type = single | artist = Nas featuring Puff Daddy | album = I Am... | B-side = *"If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)"
- "Street Dreams" | released = | recorded = 1998 | studio = | genre = Hip hop | length = | label = Columbia | writer = *Jones
- Gavin Marchand | producer = *D-Moet
- Pretty Boy
- Trackmasters | chronology = Nas | prev_title = Nas Is Like | prev_year = 1999 | next_title = Did You Ever Think | next_year = 1999 | misc = {{Extra chronology | artist = Puff Daddy | type = single | prev_title = All Night Long | prev_year = 1999 | title = Hate Me Now | year = 1999 | next_title = P.E. 2000 | next_year = 1999
"Hate Me Now" is the second and final single by rapper Nas featuring Puff Daddy, from Nas' third studio album I Am.... The backbeat is inspired by, and contains some samples from, Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana". It was ranked 119 on XXL's 250 Best Songs of the 1990s.
Production and release
In a 2007 interview with Rolling Stone, Nas recalled the making of the song: "It was a track D-Moet produced for Foxy Brown, and she didn't want the record, she didn't like it. It fit with my album, I Am..., so I did the D-Moet track and it sounded perfect for Puff to be on, so I gave it to him, went to the studio, and he rocked it, knocked it out."
"Hate Me Now" was released as a single in the U.S. by Columbia Records on April 6, 1999.
Composition
Biographer Ronin Ro describes Combs's persona in "Hate Me Now" as "the angry young rapper battling jealous critics," a theme that would influence Combs's 1999 album Forever. The beat samples "Carmina Burana" by Carl Orff.
Critical reception
For RapReviews.com, Steve Juon said that "Hate Me Now" was the "only truly overpowering song" from I Am...: "It may be yet another mad track about playa hating, but the rebuttal of the hate is crisp and well defined - owing little to cliche." In 2013, Complex ranked the "Hate Me Now" video no. 8 in its "50 Best Rap Videos of the '90s" list.
Charts
Weekly charts
::data[format=table] | Chart (1999) | Peak position | Australia (ARIA) | |---|---|---| | 55 | | | ::
Year-end charts
::data[format=table]
| Chart (1999) | Position | Germany (Official German Charts) | Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) | Netherlands (Single Top 100) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 99 | ||||
| 114 | ||||
| 93 | ||||
| :: |
Music video and Sean Combs assault incident
The music video for the single, directed by Hype Williams and featuring Nas being crucified, was the subject of extreme controversy, as the original edit also featured Sean Combs, then known as Puff Daddy, on the cross. Puffy, who was a Catholic, had demanded that his crucifixion scene be excluded from the broadcast edit of the video. However, the wrong edit was incorrectly sent to MTV, which aired that version on the April 15, 1999, edition of TRL. Within minutes of the broadcast, Combs had barged into the offices of Nas' former manager, Steve Stoute, with several bodyguards, and struck Stoute over the head with a champagne bottle. In June 1999, Stoute sued Combs, resulting in a $500,000 out-of-court settlement from Combs.
Combs released a statement afterwards where he said: “I’m glad to get this whole incident behind me. And it’s now time for me to do what I do best – concentrate on my album and give back to my fans.”
Use in media
- The song was used as the entrance song for Nate Diaz at finale of the 5th season of The Ultimate Fighter
- The song was used as the entrance song for Marcus Aurelio at UFC 102.
- The song was used during a promo package for professional wrestler The Miz at WrestleMania XXVII.
- The song was used in Skam Season 3 Episode 6 "Escobar Season".
- The song was used in the soundtrack for basketball video game NBA 2K14
- The song was used in a musical production in Episode 9 of Dear White People (TV series)
- A remix of the song is featured in the first official trailer for the 2023 film Gran Turismo, based on the racing simulation video game series of the same name.
References
References
- XXL Magazine. (2011). "XXL Special Edition "250 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs 1990-1999: Rap's Best Decade Ever". Harris.
- "Nas' "Greatest Hits": A Track-By-Track Journey".
- "Hate Me Now - Nas | Releases | AllMusic".
- Ro, Ronin. (2001). "Bad Boy: The Influence of Sean "Puffy" Combs on the Music Industry". Pocket Books.
- Powers, Ann. (June 14, 1999). "Not Medieval but Eternal; In Its Sixth Decade, 'Carmina Burana' Still Echoes". The New York Times.
- (April 1999). "Nas: I Am...".
- (February 24, 2013). "The 50 Best Rap Videos of the '90s".
- {{cite Ryan
- "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". [[GfK Entertainment]].
- "Jaarlijsten 1999". [[Dutch Top 40]].
- "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1999".
- (15 April 2014). "Today In Hip-Hop: Nas Premiered Controversial "Hate Me Now" Video On TRL". [[XXL (magazine).
- Kangas, Chaz. (January 10, 2013). "How Have We Not Seen Diddy Crucified in "Hate Me Now?"". [[The Village Voice]].
- (April 16, 1999). "Sean "Puffy" Combs Possibly Being Investigated Over Alleged Label Exec Beating". MTV News.
- (September 8, 1999). "Puff Daddy Pleads Guilty To Reduced Charge In 'Hate Me Now' Case". Sonicnet.
- (June 17, 1999). "Puffy Settles with Battered Record Exec". E! Online.
- Italiano, Laura. (1999-09-09). "PUFFY BEATS ASSAULT RAP IN BOTTLE-BASH INCIDENT".
- (2007-06-23). "Ultimate Finale V".
- (2009-08-29). "UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira".
- Ali, Reyan. (4 April 2014). "The Real King of Pro Wrestling? The Ordinary Video Editor". Wired.
- Andem, Julie. (2016-11-18). "Escobar Season".
- Sarkar, Samit. (July 26, 2013). "NBA 2K14 soundtrack curated by cover athlete LeBron James". [[Polygon (website).
- (22 September 2021). "'Dear White People' Final Season Musical Moments, Ranked".
- "GRAN TURISMO - Official Trailer (HD)".
- (2 May 2023). "'Orlando Bloom and David Harbour Train a Video Game Expert for Real-Life Racing in 'Gran Turismo' Trailer".
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