Back in 2003, Hip Hop star Busta Rhymes and R&B star Mariah Carey joined forces for “I Know What You Want” featuring Flipmode Squad. Busta is commemorating the It Ain’t Safe No More… song’s legacy with a new short film.
DIVINE: The 18 Year Anniversary Celebration was published on YouTube this week. The 21-minute documentary shines a spotlight on the influence “I Know What You Want” had on R&B and Hip Hop.
Filmmaker Chris Robinson and actor Michael Jai White as well as rappers Spliff Star, Rah Digga, Rampage, Baby Sham, and Trippie Redd were interviewed for DIVINE.
“This is classic… make a record that will last you 10 years, 15 years, and if you ever chose to remake that record again on your own, you can because remember, the first time you did it it was the s###,” said Spliff Star.
“I Know What You Want” peaked at #3 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart. The collaboration also made it into the Top 5 of Billboard‘s Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs, Hot Rap Songs, R&B/Hip Hop Airplay, and Rhythmic Airplay charts.
In addition, Busta Rhymes and Mariah Carey’s Gold-certified hit spent 21 weeks in the Hot 100’s Top 40. It was ranked #17 on the Hot 100 year-end chart for 2003.
The official “I Know What You Want” music video has over 197 million views on YouTube. Plus, “I Know What You Want” has garnered over 500 million streams to date. Spotify users have played the Rick Rock-produced record more than 17 million times.
Busta Rhymes and Mariah Carey reunited for “Where I Belong” off Busta’s 2020 album Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God. The “Where I Belong” visuals have totaled 16 million YouTube views since premiering on the platform in April.
“We took [the song] up another notch without compromising what the legacy of the original was. That’s important to me – don’t touch the classic if you can’t make it just as dope, if not better,” stated Busta Rhymes.