Hate It or Love It

For the 2007 album by Chingy, see Hate It or Love It (album).

"Hate It or Love It" is a song by American rapper the Game featuring fellow American rapper 50 Cent. It was released as the third single from the former's debut studio album The Documentary (2005). The song was produced by Cool & Dre with additional production from Dr. Dre. The song features a music sample of "Rubber Band" by the Trammps from their album The Legendary Zing Album (1975).

"Hate It or Love It"
Single by the Game featuring 50 Cent
from the album The Documentary
Released	January 28, 2005
Recorded	2004
Genre	Hip hop R&B
Length	3:26
Label	G-Unit Aftermath Interscope
Songwriter(s)	Jayceon Taylor Curtis Jackson Andre Lyon Marcello Valenzano
Producer(s)	Cool & Dre Dr. Dre
The Game singles chronology
"How We Do" (2004) "Hate It or Love It" (2005) "Dreams" (2005)
50 Cent singles chronology
"Disco Inferno" (2004) "Hate It or Love It" (2005) "Candy Shop" (2005)

"Hate It or Love It" peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for five consecutive weeks, becoming the Game's second top ten song on the chart as a lead artist and 50 Cent's eighth. It is the Game's highest-charting single on the Billboard Hot 100 to date. The song was kept from the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100 by another 50 Cent single, "Candy Shop". "Hate It or Love It" reached the number one spot on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, making it yet again another top ten hit on the chart alongside "How We Do" which also featured 50 Cent. Outside of the United States, "Hate It or Love It" peaked within the top ten of the charts in multiple countries, including the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

At the 2006 48th Annual Grammy Awards, the song was nominated for two Grammy Awards, including Grammy Award for Best Rap Song and Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group but lost in both categories to Kanye West's "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" and the Black Eyed Peas' "Don't Phunk with My Heart", respectively.

Background and conception

The song first began to be conceived during the middle period of the recording process for The Documentary,^[1] in early 2004, during a recording process in which the Game would frequently fly to recording locations in New York City to work with 50 Cent: he would be given beats to hear along the way, to help inspire him. When he initially heard the production that would later become "Hate It or Love It", he did not display much interest, as he was "in a different mind frame" — conceiving more "hard hitting" records.^[1] However, on the flight home later that day, he took more of an interest and began to write the first components of the song.^[1]

The chorus is sung and written by 50 Cent, who helped with the rest of the writing process and recording for the song along with the Game at his mansion in Connecticut.^[1] The song was even suggested for 50 Cent's album The Massacre (2005),^[1] due to 50 Cent's large artistic input.

When the Game arrived at the mansion on the day of recording, 50 Cent presented him with several already part-completed records, with variously placed verses and choruses.^[1] The Game wrote his final verse first and worked backward, to avoid tiredness affecting his later verses.^[1] After 50 Cent heard the final version of the song after the recording process had finished, he was excited by its potential and felt the song would have to be one of the album's singles.^[1] It was later released as the album's third, after "Westside Story" and "How We Do", both of which also featured 50 Cent.

The original production for "Hate It or Love It" first surfaced on a compilation CD, put together by Cool & Dre (who had been in contact with the Game since early 2002),^[1] and released unofficially to the local rap community.^[1] After G-Unit Records producer Sha Money XL received a copy of this disc, he requested a meeting with the duo, feeling that the song had much potential to be a hit.^[1] After Dr. Dre heard the original production, he made sonic alterations and, according to Aftermath Entertainment A&R Mike Lynn, "made it sound like a record", a process he carried out on all of the other tracks on The Documentary.^[1] When Interscope Records chairman Jimmy Iovine later requested to hear the original production, he admitted could not tell the difference. Cool & Dre later praised the quality of Dr. Dre's mix, stating that "Dre brought it to life... [As a mixer is what] I think is his best quality... his ear for instrument placement is amazing".^[1]

Composition

Built around a sample of the song "Rubber Band" by the Trammps, "Hate It or Love It" is hip hop song that is backed by a soul-orientated production, which contains a "smoothed out R&B funk vibe".^[2][3]

Critical reception

"Hate It or Love It" received general acclaim from critics. Scott McKeating of Stylus Magazine wrote that "It's a great piece of warm soul-fuelled hip-hop, in which guest star 50 Cent manages to steal the show, considerably stepping up his lyrical content to squash together some great but clichéd lines against a level of his infamous smart arsed profundity."^[2] IGN described the song as "a smoothed out R&B funk vibe underneath the tales of the hood."^[3] Pitchfork listed the song as the 93rd best song of the 2000s.^[4]

The song has earned the Game award nominations. In 2006 "Hate It or Love It" was nominated at the 48th Annual Grammy Awards for both Grammy Award for Best Rap Song and Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group, but lost in both categories to Kanye West's "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" and the Black Eyed Peas' "Don't Phunk with My Heart", respectively. "Hate It or Love It" was named number one on About.com's Best Hip-Hop Songs of 2005 and was ranked at number 43 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop".

Music video

The setting of the music video alternates between Compton, California and Jamaica, Queens, New York City. The video recalls the rough childhoods of 50 Cent and the Game, showing where they come from, what it was like living in their neighborhoods, and the struggles they overcame as kids to become rappers. Tequan Richmond portrays the Game and Zachary Williams plays 50 Cent in their youth. In one scene, the two are caught spraypainting "N.W.A" on a wall, resulting in their arrest by two policemen. Big Fase 100, members of Black Wall Street, Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks make cameo appearances.

This video was nominated at the MTV Video Music Awards of 2005 for Best Rap Video, but lost to the video for Ludacris' song "Number One Spot".

The music video was directed by the Saline Project.

Remixes

There have been several remixes of the track:

• The official remix appears as track 22 on 50 Cent's album The Massacre as "Hate It or Love It (G-Unit Remix)" as a bonus track. It features the rest of the G-Unit members: Lloyd Banks, Young Buck and Tony Yayo. The first time the chorus is performed in this version, it is identical to the original, but the consecutive choruses have 50 Cent's line followed by another member of G-Unit rapping the Game's original line. While 50 Cent's opening verse and bridge are included in this version (though the bridge is altered), the Game's second verse is omitted and replaced with new lyrics. It is the only song recorded with all five members of G-Unit. This version has been certified Platinum by the RIAA.
• Mary J. Blige covers the song on the single "MJB Da MVP" from her multi-platinum album The Breakthrough, with 50 Cent rapping his chorus line and Blige continuing with an altered version of the Game's original line. The Game is featured on the remix of the song. This is the second official remix.
• The Game's mixtape, You Know What It Is, Vol. 3, remastered into a diss towards G-Unit called "Hate It or Love It (G-Unot Remix)". On this, the lyrics are insulting all the members of G-Unit.
• The Re-Up Gang featured a remix of the track on their mixtape, We Got It 4 Cheap: Vol. 2. The song features the four members of the group rapping about their troubles in the past.

Awards

Year	Ceremony	Award	Result
2005	BET Awards	Best Collaboration^[5]	Nominated
	MTV Video Music Awards	Best Rap Video^[6]	Nominated
2006	Grammy Awards	Best Rap Song^[7]	Nominated
		Best Rap Performance By a Duo or Group^[7]	Nominated

Charts

Weekly charts 2005 weekly chart performance for "Hate It or Love It" Chart (2005) Peak position Australia (ARIA)^[8] 21 Australian Urban (ARIA)^[9] 11 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[10] 23 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[11] 19 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)^[12] 22 Canada CHR/Pop Top 30 (Radio & Records)^[13] 9 Czech Republic (IFPI)^[14] 12 Denmark (Tracklisten)^[15] 17 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[16] 12 France (SNEP)^[17] 42 Germany (Official German Charts)^[18] 14 Greece (IFPI)^[19] 14 Ireland (IRMA)^[20] 5 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[21] 5 Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[22] 5 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[23] 3 Norway (VG-lista)^[24] 19 Scotland (OCC)^[25] 4 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[26] 12 UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)^[27] 2 UK Singles (OCC)^[28] 4 US Billboard Hot 100^[29] 2 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)^[30] 1 US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)^[31] 1 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)^[32] 16 US Rhythmic (Billboard)^[33] 1 2022–2023 weekly chart performance for "Hate It or Love It" Chart (2022–2023) Peak position Latvia (LAIPA)^[34] 7 Lithuania (AGATA)^[35] 19 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[36] 73

Year-end charts 2005 year-end chart performance for "Hate It or Love It" Chart (2005) Position Australia (ARIA)^[37] 95 Germany (Official German Charts)^[38] 80 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)^[39] 78 Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[40] 73 New Zealand (RIANZ)^[41] 21 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[42] 97 UK Singles (OCC)^[43] 49 UK Urban (Music Week)^[44] 20 US Billboard Hot 100^[45] 24 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)^[46] 28 2022 year-end chart performance for "Hate It or Love It" Chart (2022) Position Lithuania (AGATA)^[47] 72

Certifications

Certifications for "Hate It or Love It"

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)^[48]	3× Platinum	210,000^‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)^[49]	Platinum	90,000^‡
Germany (BVMI)^[50]	Platinum	300,000^‡
Italy (FIMI)^[51]	Gold	50,000^‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)^[52]	4× Platinum	120,000^‡
United Kingdom (BPI)^[53]	2× Platinum	1,200,000^‡
United States (RIAA)^[54]	Gold	500,000^*
Streaming
Greece (IFPI Greece)^[55]	Platinum	2,000,000^†
^* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. ^† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label	Ref.
United States	March 14, 2005	Urban contemporary radio	G-Unit, Aftermath, Interscope	^[56]
	March 21, 2005	Contemporary hit radio		^[57]
Germany	May 9, 2005	Maxi CD		^[18]
	May 13, 2005	CD

See also

• List of number-one R&B singles of 2005 (U.S.)

References

1. "The Making of The Game's "The Documentary | "Hate It or Love It" f. 50 Cent". Complex. Complex Media. Retrieved July 30, 2011.
2. McKeating, Scott (January 28, 2005). . Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on October 6, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
3. Staff (January 28, 2005). . IGN. Archived from the original on June 29, 2008. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
4. "The Top 500 Tracks of the 2000s: 100-51". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
5. . About.com. 2005. Archived from the original on November 7, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2009.
6. . MTV. Archived from the original on September 26, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2009.
7. "Complete list of Grammy Award nominations". USA Today. December 8, 2005.
8. "The Game feat. 50 Cent – Hate It or Love It". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
9. "Issue 801" ARIA Top 40 Urban Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
10. "The Game feat. 50 Cent – Hate It or Love It" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
11. "The Game feat. 50 Cent – Hate It or Love It" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
12. "The Game feat. 50 Cent – Hate It or Love It" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
13. "R&R Canada CHR/Pop Top 30" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1606. May 13, 2005. p. 28. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
14. (in Czech). ČNS IFPI. Archived from the original on August 30, 2005. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
15. "The Game feat. 50 Cent – Hate It or Love It". Tracklisten. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
16. "Hits of the World: Eurocharts". Billboard. Vol. 117, no. 23. June 4, 2005. p. 71.
17. "The Game feat. 50 Cent – Hate It or Love It" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
18. "The Game feat. 50 Cent – Hate It or Love It" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
19. . Archived from the original on July 17, 2004. Retrieved July 18, 2005.
20. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Hate It or Love It". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
21. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 23, 2005" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
22. "The Game feat. 50 Cent – Hate It or Love It" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
23. "The Game feat. 50 Cent – Hate It or Love It". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
24. "The Game feat. 50 Cent – Hate It or Love It". VG-lista. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
25. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
26. "The Game feat. 50 Cent – Hate It or Love It". Swiss Singles Chart.
27. "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 1, 2024.
28. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 3, 2011.
29. "The Game Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
30. "The Game Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
31. "The Game Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard.
32. "The Game Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
33. "The Game Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
34. "Mūzikas Patēriņa Tops/ 41. nedēļa" (in English and Latvian). LAIPA. October 16, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
35. "2023 42-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. October 20, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
36. "Veckolista Singlar, vecka 27". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
37. "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2005". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
38. "Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 2005" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
39. "Top 100–Jaaroverzicht van 2005". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
40. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 2005" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
41. . Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. Archived from the original on November 4, 2012. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
42. "Swiss Year-End Charts 2005" (in German). Swiss Music Charts. 2005. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
43. "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2005". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
44. "2005 Urban Top 40" (PDF). Music Week. January 14, 2006. p. 22. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
45. "2005 Year End Charts: The Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. November 26, 2005. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
46. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2005". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
47. "2022 metų klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
48. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2022 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
49. "Danish single certifications – The Game – Hate It or Love It". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved November 10, 2022.
50. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (The Game feat. 50 Cent; 'Hate It or Love It')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
51. "Italian single certifications – The Game feat. 50 Cent – Hate It or Love It" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
52. "New Zealand single certifications – The Game feat. 50 Cent – Hate It or Love It". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
53. "British single certifications – Game ft 50 Cent – Hate It or Love It". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
54. "American single certifications – The Game – Hate It or Love It". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 20, 2023.
55. (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
56. "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1597. March 11, 2005. p. 47. Retrieved December 10, 2023.
57. "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1598. March 18, 2005. p. 21. Retrieved December 10, 2023.

External links

• "Hate It or Love It" music video on YouTube