This week 15 years ago, Ciara – 2004’s burgeoning “it girl” in music – reigned over the Billboard Hot 100 with her inaugural hit, ‘Goodies.’
A reimagining of rapper Petey Pablo‘s signature hit, ‘Freek-a-Leek,’ ‘Goodies’ – which also saw Pablo featured – shared more than just sonic likeness with its ‘Freek’ predecessor, but also boasted the same producer: Lil Jon. Yet, while Jon -credited as the father of the Atlanta-inspired musical movement – was the craftsman behind launching a number of the era’s leading Crunk hits, ‘Goodies’ was among the first to enjoy crossover success on Pop charts.
A commercial smash that sat atop the Hot 100 for seven consecutive weeks (making it the longest-running #1 debut single by a female artist since 1977), the 3x Platinum song – despite being her only chart-topper (to date) – would not only launch Ci into an impressive R&B career that continues to thrive today, but would go on to stamp itself as a fan favorite among entries in her prized discography.
Sitting down with our friends at Certified recently, the 33-year-old reflected on ‘Goodies’ and its impact on her career a decade-and-a-half later. See it inside: