Are You That Somebody ? - Wikipedia Are You That Somebody ? `` Are You That Somebody ? '' Single by Aaliyah from the album Dr. Dolittle Released June 16, 1998 Format CD single, maxi single, vinyl record Recorded 1998 ; The Village Recorder ( Los Angeles, California ) Genre R&B, pop Length 4 : 26 Label Blackground / Atlantic Songwriter ( s ) Static Major, Tim `` Timbaland '' Mosley Producer ( s ) Timbaland Aaliyah singles chronology `` Journey to the Past '' ( 1998 ) `` Are You That Somebody ? '' ( 1998 ) `` I Do n't Wanna '' ( 1999 ) `` Journey to the Past '' ( 1998 ) `` Are You That Somebody ? '' ( 1998 ) `` I Do n't Wanna '' ( 1999 ) Timbaland singles chronology `` Hot Like Fire '' ( 1997 ) Hot Like Fire 1997 `` Are You That Somebody ? '' ( 1998 ) Are You That Somebody ? 1998 `` Get on the Bus '' ( 1998 ) Get on the Bus 1998 Audio sample file help `` Are You That Somebody ? '' is a Grammy nominated single performed by American singer Aaliyah, recorded for the Dr. Dolittle soundtrack. The song was written and composed by Static Major, who also sang backing vocals, and Timbaland, who, in addition to writing the song, produced and performed a guest rap for it. The song was sent to U.S. pop radio stations on September 29, 1998 ( see 1998 in music ). The song samples the sound of a baby cooing from producer Jac Holzman 's 1964 track `` Happy Baby '' from Authentic Sound Effects Volume 8 ( later used in Perrey and Kingsley 's 1966 hit `` Countdown at 6 '' ) and also samples The Meters ' 1974 single `` People Say '' and D. Train 's 1982 dance classic `` You 're the One for Me ''. The song was listed 387th on The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born, a list of songs compiled by Blender magazine. Rolling Stone ranked the song at number 24 on its `` 50 Best songs of the nineties list '' It was also ranked 18th on Spin magazine 's Top 20 Singles of the 1990s, and 5th on The Village Voice 's 1998 Pazz & Jop critics ' poll. Pitchfork Media included the song at number 8 on their Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s. Slant Magazine ranked the song at number 19 on their 100 best singles of the 1990s list. This song earned Aaliyah a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Contents 1 Writing and recording 2 Music video 3 Reception 4 Charts performance 5 Charts 5.1 Weekly charts 5.2 Year - end charts 6 Certifications 7 Covers and interpolations 8 References 9 External links Writing and recording According to a Static Major article in Vibe magazine, when Timbaland first presented the song to Aaliyah, she initially showed disdain for it. However, she eventually agreed to record it. In a behind the scenes video featuring Timbaland, he reveals that the record was recorded in a couple of hours after a show and that the record almost did n't happen. Many of the unusual beats and loops used on the song were cut at the now defunct Hit Factory in New York City by Timbaland, NYLA and Danger Jay. Music video The music video for `` Are You That Somebody ? '' was directed by Mark Gerard, and with choreography by Fatima Robinson. It begins with Timbaland and a crew of men riding motorcycles to a cave where Aaliyah and other women are waiting. As Timbaland and the crew arrive, a hologram of a metal door seals the opening of the cave. The men notice that the seal is a hologram and drive through it. Inside the underground cave clips of Dr. Dolittle are projected on several walls in the background. As Aaliyah 's first verse starts she holds a large bird on her arm and everyone begins to perform the choreography. There are scenes with just the women dancing, just the men dancing, both the women and men dancing, and Aaliyah performing alone. There are no scenes with just the men and Aaliyah dancing. Also shown is Timbaland rapping with the group Playa in the background. The video ends with Aaliyah and the dancers performing a flamenco dance. The video was retired on MTV 's TRL and was the third most - played clip on MTV in 1998. There are two versions of the video, one incorporating footage from Dr. Dolittle on the wall, and second without the scenes and with slightly different editing ( this version was released on I Care 4 U DVD ). The video was shot in a real cave at Griffith Park in Los Angeles. Reception Larry Flick from Billboard felt that Aaliyah was on her way to becoming `` the New Queen of soundtrack hits '' because of this song. Flick also praised the song for its smooth melody and clever lyrics saying `` At the same time it has a smooth melody and clever lyrics that will connect with folks who require traditional structure in their pop music '' In its album guide, Rolling Stone commented that the song `` remains one of ' 90s ' R&B 's most astounding moments. '' In 1999 Spin included the song on their Top 20 singles list and they felt that Aaliyah 's vocals and timbalands production on the song was like `` an R&B singin in the rain ''. Charts Performance `` Are You That Somebody ? '' was in the midst of its chart run when Billboard changed its policy to allow airplay - only singles to chart on the Hot 100 and Hot R&B / Hip - Hop charts. It climbed to number four on the Hot 100 Airplay chart and number one on the Hot R&B / Hip - Hop Airplay chart. In New Zealand, it jumped from number forty - three to number one ; the song with biggest jump to number - one of that year. In the Netherlands, it peaked at number three and stayed in the chart for twenty - two weeks ; it also became one of her most successful songs there. in Germany the song peaked at number thirty - one. It also reached the top twenty in the United Kingdom, becoming her highest - charting hit at that point in her career. The song also reached the top 10 in Canada. Charts Weekly charts Chart ( 1998 ) Peak position Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Flanders ) 42 Belgium ( Ultratop 50 Wallonia ) 40 Canada ( Canadian Singles Chart ) 11 Canada Top 30 Urban ( RPM ) Europe ( European Hot 100 Singles ) 60 Germany ( Official German Charts ) 31 Netherlands ( Dutch Top 40 ) Netherlands ( Single Top 100 ) New Zealand ( Recorded Music NZ ) Scotland ( Official Charts Company ) 56 Switzerland ( Schweizer Hitparade ) 41 UK Singles ( Official Charts Company ) 11 UK Dance ( Official Charts Company ) UK R&B ( Official Charts Company ) US Billboard Hot 100 21 US Mainstream Top 40 ( Billboard ) 6 US Radio Songs ( Billboard ) US Rhythmic ( Billboard ) US R&B / Hip - Hop Airplay ( Billboard ) Year - end charts Chart ( 1998 ) Position New Zealand ( Recorded Music NZ ) 26 Netherlands ( Dutch Top 40 ) 40 Netherlands ( Mega Single Top 100 ) 28 Certifications Region Certification Certified units / Sales New Zealand ( RMNZ ) Gold 15,000 sales figures based on certification alone shipments figures based on certification alone Covers and interpolations In March 2007, American Indie rock band, Gossip, covered the song on BBC 's music program 6music. A full studio version was leaked in 2009 and later released on the Ministry of Sound Volume 2 compilation in 2010. In 2009, Canadian rapper Drake interpolated a portion of the song 's chorus in his verse on Young Money Entertainment 's `` BedRock '' ; `` Girl I got ta watch my back, ' cause I 'm not just anybody. '' In 2012, Danny ! incorporated elements of Timbaland 's beatboxing into `` Myintrotoletuknow '' along with the cooing baby from Perrey and Kingsley 's `` Countdown at 6 ''. In 2011, a cover with a rap verse by Wax was recorded by The Red Ribbon Army. Samples from the song have been used in numerous electronic, and, most recently, dubstep tracks. One prominent use of the sample was by James Blake on the track `` CMYK '' from his 2010 EP of the same name. In club radio stations, Australian artist Gotye mixes the song with his song `` Somebody That I Used To Know '' with Kimbra. In 2013, American rapper Lil Wayne interpolated a part of the song into the chorus for his song `` Love Me '' singing the lines `` cause I really need somebody, tell me you 're that somebody ''. During the same year, a Nigerian artist `` Valentina Amour '' used a sample of the chorus on her single `` Sometimes ''. In 2014, singer Banks performed an acoustic version of this song on a BBC radio 1 Live Lounge. In 2018, U.S. a cappella group Pentatonix recorded the song as a medley combined with New Rules, by Dua Lipa, for their new album PTX Presents : Top Pop, Vol. I. References ^ Jump up to : `` Rolling Stone Album Guide : Aaliyah ''. Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 20, 2010. ^ Jump up to : `` 50 Best Songs of the Nineties ''. Rolling Stone. Jump up ^ `` Who Was the Baby on Aaliyah 's ' Are You That Somebody ? ' ''. Red Bull Music Academy Daily. July 2016. Jump up ^ `` Are You That Somebody ? sampled People Say ''. WhoSampled. Jump up ^ `` The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born : 351 - 400 Article on Blender : : The Ultimate Guide to Music and More ''. March 22, 2009. Jump up ^ `` The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s : 20 - 01 - Pitchfork ''. pitchfork.com. Jump up ^ `` The 100 Best Singles of the 1990s - Feature - Slant Magazine ''. Jump up ^ `` Are You That Somebody ? by Aaliyah ''. Songfacts. Retrieved October 12, 2010. Jump up ^ PerceptionMediaGroup ( March 25, 2012 ). `` Timbaland talks about creating `` Are you that somebody '' '' -- via YouTube. Jump up ^ `` mvdbase.com - Aaliyah - `` Are you that somebody ? '' ``. www.mvdbase.com. Jump up ^ Are You That Somebody by Aaliyah music video & lyrics -- MuVids Archived April 21, 2007, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media ( May 30, 1998 ). `` Billboard ''. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. -- via Google Books. Jump up ^ LLC, SPIN Media ( September 1, 1999 ). `` SPIN ''. SPIN Media LLC -- via Google Books. Jump up ^ RIANZ Archive -- October 11, 1998 Archived February 10, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ AALIYAH -- ARE YOU THAT SOMEBODY ? ( NUMMER ) Archived July 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. dutchcharts.com Jump up ^ `` Ultratop.be -- Aaliyah -- Are You That Somebody ? '' ( in Dutch ). Ultratop 50. Retrieved November 27, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Ultratop.be -- Aaliyah -- Are You That Somebody ? '' ( in French ). Ultratop 50. Retrieved November 27, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Aaliyah - Chart history - Billboard ''. November 8, 2015. Jump up ^ Canada, Library and Archives ( July 17, 2013 ). `` Image : RPM Weekly ''. Jump up ^ `` Euro Chart Hot 100 '' ( PDF ). Music & Media. 1998 - 09 - 19. p. 11. Retrieved March 11, 2018. Jump up ^ `` Musicline.de -- Aaliyah Single - Chartverfolgung '' ( in German ). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH. Retrieved November 27, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Nederlandse Top 40 -- week 48, 1998 '' ( in Dutch ). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved December 8, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Dutchcharts.nl -- Aaliyah -- Are You That Somebody ? '' ( in Dutch ). Single Top 100. Jump up ^ `` Charts.org.nz -- Aaliyah -- Are You That Somebody ? ''. Top 40 Singles. Retrieved November 27, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 ''. Official Charts Company. Jump up ^ `` Swisscharts.com -- Aaliyah -- Are You That Somebody ? ''. Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved November 27, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Aaliyah : Artist Chart History ''. Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 29, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40 ''. Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 28, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40 ''. Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 4, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Aaliyah Chart History ( Hot 100 ) ''. Billboard. Jump up ^ `` Aaliyah Chart History ( Pop Songs ) ''. Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Aaliyah Chart History ( Radio Songs ) ''. Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Aaliyah Chart History ( Rhythmic ) ''. Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Aaliyah Chart History ( Hot R&B / Hip - Hop Airplay ) ''. Billboard. Retrieved May 26, 2017. Jump up ^ `` End of Year Charts 1998 ''. Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 4, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Jaarlijsten 1998 '' ( in Dutch ). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved December 13, 2017. Jump up ^ dutchcharts ( 1998 ). `` Jaaroverzichten 1998 ''. Retrieved December 13, 2017. Jump up ^ `` New Zealand single certifications -- Aaliyah -- Are You That Somebody ? ''. Recorded Music NZ. Jump up ^ `` Why Everybody Loves Covering Aaliyah ''. March 20, 2014. Jump up ^ `` A History of Drake 's Obsession With AaliyahDrake References `` Are U That Somebody '' On `` BedRock '' ``. Complex. Jump up ^ `` Are You That Somebody ? ( feat. Wax ) -- Single on iTunes ''. Retrieved May 25, 2011. Jump up ^ `` James Blake : CMYK EP Album Review - Pitchfork ''. pitchfork.com. Jump up ^ `` Lil Wayne feat. Future and Drake 's ' Love Me ' - Discover the Sample Source ''. WhoSampled. Jump up ^ `` The Perfect Aaliyah Cover ? BANKS Just Nailed It ''. External links `` Are You That Somebody ? '' at Discogs ( list of releases ) Aaliyah.com -- official site Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics Preceded by `` Without a Doubt '' by Che Fu RIANZ ( New Zealand ) number - one single October 11, 1998 -- October 18, 1998 Succeeded by `` No Matter What '' by Boyzone Aaliyah Discography Songs Awards and nominations Studio albums Age Ai n't Nothing but a Number One in a Million Aaliyah Compilation albums I Care 4 U Ultimate Aaliyah Singles `` Back & Forth '' `` At Your Best ( You Are Love ) '' `` Age Ai n't Nothing but a Number '' `` Down with the Clique '' `` The Thing I Like '' `` Are You Ready ? '' `` If Your Girl Only Knew '' `` Got to Give It Up '' `` One in a Million '' `` 4 Page Letter '' `` Hot Like Fire '' `` The One I Gave My Heart To '' `` Journey to the Past '' `` Are You That Somebody ? '' `` I Do n't Wanna '' `` Try Again '' `` Come Back in One Piece '' `` We Need a Resolution '' `` More Than a Woman '' `` Rock the Boat '' `` Miss You '' `` I Care 4 U '' `` Do n't Know What to Tell Ya '' `` Come Over '' `` Enough Said '' Featured singles `` I Need You Tonight '' `` Live and Die for Hip Hop '' `` Up Jumps da Boogie '' `` Do n't Think They Know '' Other songs `` Summer Bunnies ( Summer Bunnies Contest Extended Remix ) '' `` Your Body 's Callin ' ( His & Hers Extended Remix ) '' `` No One Knows How to Love Me Quite Like You Do '' `` Choosey Lover '' Related topics Gladys Knight Rashad Haughton Barry Hankerson R. Kelly Death of Aaliyah Aaliyah : The Princess of R&B Book Timbaland singles Discography Production discography Tim 's Bio `` Here We Come '' Shock Value `` Give It to Me '' `` The Way I Are '' `` Throw It on Me '' `` Apologize '' `` Scream '' Shock Value II `` Morning After Dark '' `` Say Something '' `` Carry Out '' `` If We Ever Meet Again '' `` Marchin On '' Opera Noir `` Know Bout Me '' Featured singles `` What About Us ? '' `` Hot Like Fire '' `` Are You That Somebody ? `` Get on the Bus '' `` Ryde or Die, Bitch '' `` We Need a Resolution '' `` Ugly '' `` Ching Ching '' `` Cry Me a River '' `` Deliverance '' `` Headsprung '' `` Are You Feelin ' Me ? '' `` Promiscuous '' `` SexyBack '' `` Wait a Minute '' `` Ice Box '' `` Anonymous '' `` Ayo Technology '' `` Elevator '' `` 4 Minutes '' `` Dangerous '' `` Return the Favor '' `` I Do n't Need It '' `` Long Gone '' `` Scream '' `` Krazy '' `` Get Involved '' `` 9th Inning '' `` Triple Threat '' `` Coke Bottle '' Other songs `` Pass at Me '' `` Release '' Songs Production work Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Are_You_That_Somebody%3F&oldid=840786006 '' Categories : 1998 singles Aaliyah songs Songs written for films Song recordings produced by Timbaland Timbaland songs Number - one singles in New Zealand Songs written by Timbaland Songs written by Static Major Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links CS1 Dutch - language sources ( nl ) Use mdy dates from June 2012 Music infoboxes with deprecated parameters Articles with hAudio microformats All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from March 2018 Singlechart usages for Flanders Singlechart usages for Wallonia Singlechart usages for Germany Singlechart usages for Dutch40 Singlechart called without artist Singlechart called without song Singlechart usages for Dutch100 Singlechart usages for New Zealand Singlechart usages for Scotland Singlechart usages for Switzerland Singlechart usages for UKsinglesbyname Singlechart usages for UKdance Singlechart usages for UKrandb Singlechart usages for Billboardhot100 Singlechart usages for Billboardpopsongs Singlechart usages for Billboardradiosongs Singlechart usages for Billboardrhythmic Singlechart usages for Billboardrandbhiphopairplay Certification Table Entry usages for New Zealand Articles with unsourced statements from July 2016 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Italiano Magyar Nederlands Polski Português Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 12 May 2018, at 04 : 22. 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Question: who wrote are you that somebody by aaliyah
Answer: Static Major