Can't Nobody Hold Me Down

"Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" is the debut single by rapper Puff Daddy. It appears on Puff Daddy's debut studio album No Way Out and it was released as his first single in 1997. The single was released through BMG Music, Arista Records and Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Records.

"Can't Nobody Hold Me Down"
Single by Puff Daddy featuring Mase
from the album No Way Out
Released	January 3, 1997^[1]
Recorded	1996
Studio	Daddy's House Recording Studios (New York City)
Genre	Hip hop
Length	3:52
Label	BMG Arista Bad Boy
Songwriter(s)	Sean "Puffy" Combs Steve Jordan Carlos Broady Nasheim Myrick Mason Betha
Producer(s)	Nashiem Myrick Carlos Broady Sean "Puffy" Combs Stevie J
Puff Daddy singles chronology
"No Time" (1996) "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" (1997) "I'll Be Missing You" (1997)
Mase singles chronology
"Only You" (1996) "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" (1997) "Just the Way You Like It" (1997)
Music video
"Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" on YouTube

The song entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at number thirty-two in early 1997 and eventually spent six weeks at number one.^[2] 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.

Combs was already a successful songwriter, producer and record label owner (Bad Boy Records) before he released his debut album as a performer. His first U.S. chart single, "No Time", was a top-twenty hit for Lil' Kim on which Puff Daddy was credited as a featured vocalist. "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" is the debut chart appearance for rapper Mase.

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.^{[citation needed]} The music video features cameos by The Notorious B.I.G. and Eddie Griffin.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1997)	Peak Position
Australia (ARIA)^[3]	27
Germany (Official German Charts)^[4]	23
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)^[5]	8
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[6]	59
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[7]	11
Scotland (OCC)^[8]	60
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[9]	37
UK Singles (OCC)^[10]	19
UK Dance (OCC)^[11]	4
UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)^[12]	2
US Billboard Hot 100^[13]	1
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)^[14]	1
US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)^[15]	1
US Rhythmic (Billboard)^[16]	6

Year-end charts

Chart (1997)	Position
Germany (Official German Charts)^[17]	82
UK Urban (Music Week)^[18]	11
US Billboard Hot 100^[19]	5
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)^[20]	4

Decade-end charts

Decade-end chart performance for "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down"

Chart (1990–1999)	Position
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)^[21]	16
US Billboard Hot 100^[22]	27

All-time charts

Chart (1958–2018)	Position
US Billboard Hot 100^[23]	286

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[1]	2× Platinum	2,700,000^[24]

See also

• List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1997 (U.S.)
• R&B number-one hits of 1997 (USA)

References

1. "American single certifications – P. Diddy – Can't Nobody Hold Me Down". Recording Industry Association of America.
2. "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down". Billboard. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
3. "Puff Daddy feat. Mase – Can't Nobody Hold Me Down". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
4. "Puff Daddy feat. Mase – Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
5. "Tipparade-lijst van week 22, 1997". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
6. "Puff Daddy feat. Mase – Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
7. "Puff Daddy feat. Mase – Can't Nobody Hold Me Down". Top 40 Singles.
8. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
9. "Puff Daddy feat. Mase – Can't Nobody Hold Me Down". Swiss Singles Chart.
10. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
11. "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
12. "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
13. "Diddy Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
14. "Diddy Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
15. "Diddy Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard.
16. "Diddy Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard.
17. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
18. "The Urban Top 40 Tracks Of 1997" (PDF). Music Week. January 10, 1998. Retrieved August 6, 2023.
19. . Archived from the original on June 11, 2009. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
20. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1997". Billboard. from the original on August 3, 2015. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
21. Lwin, Nanda. . Jam!. Archived from the original on August 29, 2000. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
22. Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). 1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade - The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s. Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
23. "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
24. "Best-Selling Records of 1997". Billboard. BPI Communications Inc. 110 (5): 76. January 31, 1998. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved May 9, 2015.