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No Pigeons

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"No Pigeons"
Single by Sporty Thievz
from the album Street Cinema
B-side"Cheapskate (You Ain't Gettin' Nada)"
ReleasedMay 1999
RecordedMarch 1999; D.A.R.P. Studios[1]
(Atlanta, Georgia)
GenreHip hop, R&B, Dance-pop
Length4:24 (album version)
3:26 (mix version)
LabelRuffhouse
Songwriter(s)Diallo "Mr. Wood$" Edmond, Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, Kandi Burruss, Tameka Cottle, Marlon "Robin Hood" Brando
Producer(s)Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs
Sporty Thievz singles chronology
"Cheapskate (You Ain't Gettin' Nada)"
(1998) 		"No Pigeons"
(1999)

"No Pigeons" is the second and final single by Sporty Thievz, released from their 1999 album Street Cinema. A rebuttal to TLC's smash hit single "No Scrubs", it received heavy radio play at the time of its release and peaked at #12 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, at about the same time the TLC single was enjoying a successful chart run.

Song information

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"No Pigeons" was originally written & recorded by rap artist Mr. Wood$ alongside DJ Rhude. Both wanted to create a male-aimed response after the widespread international success of TLC's song "No Scrubs," which discusses the unwillingness of women to engage in a relationship with unemployed, grimy, unsophisticated, or poorly-mannered men. The song was then titled "No Vultures" and released independently via mix tape, which DJ Rhude was known for in the early-to-late 1990s.

"No Vultures" landed into the hands of WQHT/Hot 97's DJ & On Air Personality Funkmaster Flex, who quickly realized that the record would be a perfect hit for a group that he produced and mentored called Sporty Thievz. Flex quickly contacted Mr. Wood$ & DJ Rhude to re-record the record along with the Sporty Thievz to be released nationally under the name "No Pigeons" after taking a unanimous vote that a pigeon would work better commercially, as being called a "vulture" could potentially offend some female listeners.

Nationally released as "No Pigeons" by the Sporty Thievz featuring Mr. Wood$, the song discusses the dilemma that "No Scrubs" alluded to, but referring to women as "pigeons" instead of "scrubs". Throughout the song, the artists on the track make overt references to unsightly, substandard women, accusing them of wearing hair weaves, having "more than one baby father" and poor personal hygiene, receiving public assistance, and stripping "all week to go clubbing".

Produced by Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, the entire song uses a slightly faster instrumental of the original "No Scrubs" (also produced by Briggs) with added bass.

The song references the talk show The Jenny Jones Show.[2]

In 2007, California indie band Brighten covered the song for a Warped Tour compilation album entitled "Yo! Indie Rocks Raps," which was never released via retail outlets but was available for purchase at tour stops. Several of the tracks from this project (except for "No Pigeons") were eventually re-released on the Fearless Records compilation album Punk Goes Crunk.

Music video

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Shot in March 1999 and partially filmed in the Parkchester section of the Bronx, the video features female rapper Eve, Gang Starr's Guru, Ras Kass & Harlem World rapper Blinky Blink.

Charts and certifications

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Weekly charts

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Chart (1999) Peak
position
Canadian Digital Sales[3] 3
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[4] 57
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[5] 58
UK Singles (OCC)[6] 16
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[7] 12
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[8] 5
U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Singles[9] 1
U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales[10] 1

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[12] Gold 600,000[11]

References

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  1. ^ http://www.discovered.com/viewimages?release=1849163 [dead link]
  2. ^ Gracie, Bianca (April 11, 2019). "The 13 Most Gloriously Dated Lyrics of 1999". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 7, 2023.
  3. ^ Top Music Charts - Hot 100 - Billboard 200 - Music Genre Sales
  4. ^ "Sporty Thievz – No Pigeons" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  5. ^ "Sporty Thievz – No Pigeons". Singles Top 100. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  6. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  7. ^ Top Music Charts – Hot 100 – Billboard 200 – Music Genre Sales
  8. ^ Top Music Charts – Hot 100 – Billboard 200 – Music Genre Sales
  9. ^ Top Music Charts – Hot 100 – Billboard 200 – Music Genre Sales
  10. ^ Top Music Charts – Hot 100 – Billboard 200 – Music Genre Sales
  11. ^ "Best-Selling Records of 1999". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 4. BPI Communications Inc. January 22, 2000. p. 63. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  12. ^ "American single certifications – Sporty Thievz – No Pigeons". Recording Industry Association of America.
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