"Dreams" is a song by American rapper
the Game, from his debut album, The Documentary. It was released as the fifth official single from the album in all territories except France, which saw "
Higher" released there first. The song was produced by
Kanye West and features a
sample of "No Money Down" by
soul music singer
Jerry Butler. The song is dedicated to
Yetunde Price (the elder half-sister of tennis stars
Serena Williams and
Venus Williams), who was shot dead on September 14, 2003; the Williams' also came from the Game's hometown of
Compton, California. The lyrics cite the
Dr. Dre album 2001 being released "in 2001", when it was actually released in 1999. The song was placed 5th on
About.com's Best Hip-Hop Songs of 2005.
"Dreams" debuted at No. 97 and peaked at No. 32 on the
Billboard Hot 100 and at No. 1 on the
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The single was also commercially successful in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 8 on the
UK Singles Chart.
Music video
The music video was directed by
Phillip Atwell and it features cameos by R&B singer and actress
Mýa,
Dr. Dre, veteran singer
Jim Gilstrap and comedian
Michael Colyar. It also features
graffiti that memorializes the deceased artists and historical figures mentioned in the song.
There is also another official remix of the song with
Trey Songz in which Trey Songz sings the second verse.
An unreleased version of Dreams leaked onto the internet in October 2011. This version features similar lyrics to the final version with revised themes and content, with the Game reflecting on events in his own life as opposed to reflecting on the legacies left by rap legends. It leaked labeled as "Original Version".