# 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 the song was released to Rhythmic contemporary radio in December 1996 and was physically released on January 7, 1997. The single was released through BMG Music, Arista Records and Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Records.
The song entered the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 at number thirty-two in early 1997 and eventually spent six weeks at number one. 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. The music video features cameos by The Notorious B.I.G. and Eddie Griffin.

## Charts
### Weekly charts

| Chart (1997) | Peak Position |
| Australia (ARIA) | 27 |
| Germany (GfK) | 23 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade) | 8 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100) | 59 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) | 11 |
| Scotland (OCC) | 60 |
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) | 37 |
| UK Singles (OCC) | 19 |
| UK Dance (OCC) | 4 |
| UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC) | 2 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard) | 1 |
| US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard) | 1 |
| US Rhythmic (Billboard) | 6 |

### Year-end charts

| Chart (1997) | Position |
| Germany (Official German Charts) | 82 |
| UK Urban (Music Week) | 11 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 5 |
| US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard) | 4 |

### Decade-end charts

Decade-end chart performance for "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" :
| Chart (1990–1999) | Position |
| Canada (Nielsen SoundScan) | 16 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 27 |

### All-time charts

| Chart (1958–2018) | Position |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 286 |

## Certifications

| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| United States (RIAA) | 2× Platinum | 2,700,000 |

## Release history

Release dates and formats for "Can't Nobody Hold Me Down" :
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref(s). |
| United States | December 13, 1996 | Rhythmic contemporary radio | Bad Boy EntertainmentArista | |
| United States | January 7, 1997 | CD | Bad Boy EntertainmentArista | |