Hay (song)

"Hay" is a song written and performed by American hip hop group Crucial Conflict, released as the lead single from their debut full-length album The Final Tic. It was recorded at The Barn in Chicago, Illinois and produced by member Wildstyle, who used a sampled of Funkadelic's "I'll Stay". "Hay" became the group's breakthrough hit, peaking at number 18 in the United States and number 3 in New Zealand. The single was certified gold by the RIAA on July 18, 1996, and helped the album reach gold status less than two months later. Complex placed the song at number 4 on their 50 Greatest Chicago Rap Songs.[1]

"Hay"
Single by Crucial Conflict
from the album The Final Tic
B-side	"Showdown"
Released	April 23, 1996
Recorded	1995
Studio	The Barn (Chicago, Illinois)
Genre	Midwest hip hop
Length	4:20
Label	Universal
Songwriter(s)	Wondosas Martin Marrico King Corey Johnson Ralph Leverston
Producer(s)	Shorty Capone (exec.) Fab 5 Freddy (exec.) Roy "Black Prince" Cormier (exec.) Wildstyle
Crucial Conflict singles chronology
"Hay" (1996) "Ride the Rodeo" (1996)
Music video
"Hay" on YouTube

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Hay" (Album version)	4:20
2.	"Hay" (Instrumental)	4:20
3.	"Showdown" (Album version)	4:40
4.	"Hay" (Accapella)	4:21

Personnel

• Wondosas "Kilo" Martin – songwriter, vocals
• Marrico "Never" King – songwriter, vocals
• Corey "Coldhard" Johnson – songwriter, vocals
• Ralph "Wildstyle" Leverston – songwriter, vocals, producer, engineering
• Fred Brathwaite – executive producer
• Roy "Black Prince" Cormier – executive producer
• Shorty Capone – executive producer
• Andrew Griffin – assistant engineering (track 1)
• QBall – assistant engineering (track 3)
• Chris Shepherd – mixing (track 1)
• Ron Lowe – mixing (track 3)
• Tom Carlyle – mixing (track 3)
• Dennis Ferrante – mastering
• Daniel Hastings – photography
• Miguel Rivera – design

Chart history

Weekly charts Chart (1996) Peak position New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[2] 3 US Billboard Hot 100[3] 18 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[4] 10 US R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay (Billboard)[5] 24 US R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs (Billboard)[6] 19 US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[7] 2 US Rhythmic (Billboard)[8] 36

Year-end charts Chart (1996) Position New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[9] 26 US Billboard Hot 100[10] 93

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[11]	Gold	500,000[12]
^*sales figures based on certification alone

References

1. Barber, Andrew (December 1, 2010). "The 50 Greatest Chicago Rap Songs". Complex. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
2. "Charts.nz – Crucial Conflict – Hay". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
3. "Crucial Conflict Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
4. "Crucial Conflict Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
5. "Crucial Conflict Chart History (R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
6. "Crucial Conflict Chart History (R&B/Hip-Hop Streaming Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
7. "Crucial Conflict Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
8. "Crucial Conflict Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
9. "Top Selling Singles of 1996 - The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Official New Zealand Music Chart. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
10. "Top 100 Songs of 1996 - Billboard Year End Charts". Bob Borst's Home of Pop Culture. Retrieved October 1, 2018.
11. "American single certifications – Crucial Conflict – Hay". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
12. "Best-Selling Records of 1996". Billboard. BPI Communications Inc. 109 (3): 61. January 18, 1997. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved October 1, 2018.

External links

• Crucial Conflict – Hay at Discogs (list of releases)
• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics