Sexy Little Thug

"Sexy Lil' Thug" is a remake by Beyoncé, of 50 Cent’s hit single "In da Club". Recorded and released just weeks after the original, it samples the original’s instrumental and melody, with Beyoncé singing her own, newly-added verses.[1]

Upon its radio release in March 2003, the song quickly became a staple, receiving heavy airplay and high demand. It, in fact, became so popular that it started to outsell 50 Cent’s version – this caused him to force radio stations to stop playing Beyoncé’s version, and having his label, Interscope, intervene by issuing a cease-and-desist to Beyoncé and her team.[2]

Consequently, this disallowed “Sexy Lil' Thug” from becoming a hit, since a full release was prohibited; however, it isn’t known if the song was actually meant to serve as the first single from Beyoncé’s upcoming solo album Dangerously in Love, or if it was put out simply for promotion. Yet, perhaps due to contractual reasons, Beyoncé’s father and manager Mathew Knowles did state to MTV News in April, that the song was just a buzz cut and would not appear on the album.[3]

But despite the impending permission issues, the song managed to stay on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for 7 weeks, peaking at #67,[4] as well as the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart for 4 weeks, where it also peaked at #67.[5]

The song eventually received an official release in November 2005, on Beyoncé's Speak My Mind mixtape.[6]