"I Wanna Love You" (originally titled "I Wanna Fuck You")[1] is a song written and recorded by American singer
Akon featuring American rapper
Snoop Dogg. It was released in October 2006 as the second single from his second studio album, Konvicted. It is also featured on Snoop Dogg's eighth album, Tha Blue Carpet Treatment. This song was Akon's first #1 single on the
Billboard Hot 100 and was also Snoop's second #1 on the same chart. It also reached a peak of #3 on the
UK Singles Chart. The track originally had Akon as a featured artist and was performed by rapper
Plies from
Fort Myers, Florida, but his verse was replaced by Snoop's and his name has been left out from the writers' credits. This song was #88 on MTV Asia's list of Top 100 Hits of 2007.[2] The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the
50th Grammy Awards in 2008.
In the edited version of the song, the word "fuck" is replaced with "love", and a line in the chorus ("I see you winding and grinding, up on that pole") is rewritten as "up on the floor". "Pussy" and "nigga" are played backwards, and "dick" and "titties" are blanked out. However, despite the self-censorship, a
Parental Advisory label was still printed on the cover.
Background
Florida rapper
Plies was the original performer on this song, but Akon replaced his verses with those of
Snoop Dogg's for commercial reasons. Plies was arrested on July 2, 2006, for illegal gun possession while two of his people were charged with attempted murder after a shooting broke out at 238 West Nightclub in
Gainesville, Florida. Plies was performing a concert when he was informed that his show would be cut 15 minutes short in order to give time to
Lil' Boosie to perform right after. In response, Plies' entourage started to fire at the crowd, resulting in the injury of five people with non-life-threatening wounds. Shortly after, Plies was released after paying $50,000 bail.[3] Akon wished to continue to promote his song, but remained worried that the recent incident involving Plies would reflect poorly on his label. Since the version with Snoop Dogg already circulated unofficially in the mixtape scene, Akon replaced the single and album edit since Snoop Dogg was already a well-received name, as opposed to that of an up-and-coming, controversial artist. Akon and Snoop Dogg's management also agreed to participate on each other's forthcoming albums. In an interview with Akon on
Hot 97, he said that the song was sent for
Trick Daddy but somehow ended up in the hands of Plies. It was said that Plies was not the originator of the song and should have never recorded to that beat in the first place. To make up for this, Akon recorded and produced the single "
Hypnotized" for Plies, being featured on it also. This reached #14 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Samples of the Roland
TR-808 drum machine provide the song's bass drum, clap and hi-hat sounds. The song was covered in 2007 by
CocoRosie.[4] Their version of the song is written from the perspective of the pole dancer, who is described as a victim of childhood sexual abuse and her own drug addiction (and implicitly, of all the men who are only interested in her as a sexual object).
"I Wanna Love You" ((featuring
Snoop Dogg) (Clean))
Aliaune "Akon" Thiam
Akon
4:07
2.
"I Wanna Love You" ((featuring Snoop Dogg) (Dirty))
Akon
Akon
4:07
3.
"I Wanna Love You" ((featuring Snoop Dogg) (Instrumental)
Akon
Akon
4:07
Total length:
12:21
I Wanna Love You — United Kingdom CD single
No.
Title
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
Length
1.
"I Wanna Love You" (featuring Snoop Dogg)
Aliaune "Akon" Thiam
Akon
4:11
2.
"Struggle Everyday"
Akon
Akon
4:16
Total length:
8:27
I Wanna Love You — Australia CD single
No.
Title
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
Length
1.
"I Wanna Love You" (featuring Snoop Dogg and
Sean Paul) (Clean))
Aliaune "Akon" Thiam
Akon
4:07
2.
"I Wanna Love You" (featuring Snoop Dogg) (Explicit))
Akon
Akon
4:07
3.
"Struggle Everyday"
Akon
Akon
4:17
4.
"I Wanna Love You" (Video)
Akon
Akon
4:07
Total length:
16:38
Official versions
Several remixes of the song exist. The official remix features
Tego Calderón and Snoop Dogg and is included in the album as an
iTunes album-only bonus track. The first, titled the 'Six Minute Remix', features additional vocals and production by
Plies. The second, titled the 'Seven Minute Remix', features both Plies and rapper
Trina. The third version, titled the 'International Remix', features Portuguese rapper
Boss AC. A video also exists for this version.[5] The fourth remix, the 'Australian Remix', features both Snoop Dogg and
Sean Paul performing vocals. The fifth remix, the 'Walmart Remix', features
Tego Calderón,
Don Omar and Cynthia Antigua, and appears as a bonus track on the Walmart version of Konvicted. A further remix, the 'Female Mix', features new vocals by
Nivea and
Rasheeda.
Personnel
Written by C. Broadus, A. Thiam
Produced by Aliaune "Akon" Thiam for Upfront/Konvict
Publishers: My Own Chit Publishing/EMI Blackwood Music (BMI); Byefall Music/Famous Music Publishing (ASCAP)
Recorded by Akon and Mark "Exit" Goodchild at Konkast Recording Studios, Atlanta, Georgia, Patchwerks Studio, Atlanta, Ga, Record Plant Studios, Los Angeles, California
Snoop's vocals recorded by Chris Jackson at The Cathedral
Assisted by Rick DeVarona
Mixed by Leslie Brathwaite at PatchwerksStudio, Atlanta, Georgia
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^"
ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 200515 into search.