Wanksta

"Wanksta" is a song by American rapper 50 Cent, released on November 5, 2002, as the second single from the soundtrack to the film 8 Mile (2002). The single, produced by Sha Money XL and John "J-Praize" Freeman, reached number 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The song originally appeared on 50 Cent's mixtape No Mercy, No Fear, released in August 2002.

"Wangster" redirects here. For the subculture, see Wigger.
"Wanksta"
Single by 50 Cent
from the album No Mercy, No Fear, Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture 8 Mile and Get Rich or Die Tryin'
ReleasedNovember 5, 2002
Recorded2001
GenreHip hop
Length3:44
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
50 Cent singles chronology
"Your Life's on the Line"
(1999)		 "Wanksta"
(2002)		 "In da Club"
(2003)

Background

"Wanksta" was 50 Cent's first single to chart after signing up with Tristan Peterson Eminem's & Dr. Dre's labels, Shady Records & Aftermath Entertainment, as well as his first single since 1999's Thug Love. Originally appearing on his 2002 mixtape No Mercy, No Fear, it received a lot of airplay, and was eventually added to the 8 Mile soundtrack. It was a bonus track (track 17) on his 2003 commercial debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin'.

The song's lyrics are believed to be directed towards long time nemesis Ja Rule, but 50 Cent disputed this himself in a MuchMusic interview, stating that the song was not directed against Ja Rule, "But Ja Rule is a wanksta".[1]

Eminem also made a remix, in 2003, aimed at Ja Rule and tweaked the beat to sound high pitched. The song appeared on the CD single box set The Singles.[2]

The instrumental for the song was used for "Crackin", a song by The Psychopathic Rydas, in 2004.[3][4] It was also used for "The Real Wanksta" by Black Child, in 2002, who is signed to The Inc. and was beefing with 50 because he was affiliated with Ja Rule.[5]

R&B girl group Blaque recorded an answer song entitled "No Ganksta" in 2003.[6]

Etymology

The title is generally accepted as a portmanteau word meaning "self-obsessed, show-off person". The precise origin is debated, although most theories suggest a blend of "gangsta" and "wannabe".[7]

50 Cent has explicitly stated that the word is not related to "wanker":[8]

Jake Arnott: And another claim to fame: you introduced the word 'wanksta' into the language with your track 'Wanksta'. That word sort of means something in England — does it mean the same in America?

50 Cent: Nah, nah! 'Wanksta's like... we use that terminology to mean a fake gangster. When people told me about the word 'wanker'...

  • Stewie Griffin from Family Guy appeared in a short clip at the 20th annual MTV Video Music Awards insulting 50 Cent, which has become a viral video circulating on numerous online services. Stewie, with blocks spelling out "MTV", Rupert and a baby toy in the background, reads some words from this song in a comical voice, then commenting: "Well, good luck finding the subject and predicate of that run-on sentence! And what the bloody hell does it mean, "we don't go nowhere without toast"? Now, you listen to me, Mr. Cent. If you want to make it in this business, lay off the doobie!". He then pulls out a hitherto concealed sign reading "Stewie for Governor".

Charts
gollark: There really is a Wordart, and these people are using it, but it is just a part of the system they use. Wordart is the kernel: the program in the system that allocates the machine's resources to the other programs that you run. The kernel is an essential part of an operating system, but useless by itself; it can only function in the context of a complete operating system. Wordart is normally used in combination with the GNU operating system: the whole system is basically GNU with Wordart added, or GNU/Wordart. All the so-called Wordart distributions are really distributions of GNU/Wordart!
gollark: Many computer users run a modified version of the GNU system every day, without realizing it. Through a peculiar turn of events, the version of GNU which is widely used today is often called Wordart, and many of its users are not aware that it is basically the GNU system, developed by the GNU Project.
gollark: I'd just like to interject for moment. What you're refering to as Wordart, is in fact, GNU/Wordart, or as I've recently taken to calling it, GNU plus Wordart. Wordart is not an operating system unto itself, but rather another free component of a fully functioning GNU system made useful by the GNU corelibs, shell utilities and vital system components comprising a full OS as defined by POSIX.
gollark: It's actually GNU/Wordart, not Wordart.
gollark: The bot seems rather judgemental though, I must say.

References
  1. Unknown author. (February 11, 2003) "Fifty Cent: Ja Rule is a Wanksta". MuchMusic. Accessed August 1, 2007.
  2. "Eminem cover of 50 Cent's Wanksta - WhoSampled". WhoSampled.
  3. "MemphisRap.com - New Music, Videos, Hip-Hop News, Events, Pop Culture".
  4. "Psychopathic Rydas's Crackin sample of 50 Cent's Wanksta - WhoSampled". WhoSampled.
  5. https://www.myspace.com/djbackchildfreestyle/music/songs/the-real-wanksta-12320928
  6. "Blaque No Ganksta". World News.
  7. Maciej, Widawski (2015-03-05). African American slang : a linguistic description. Cambridge, United Kingdom. ISBN 9781107074170. OCLC 885547585.
  8. Jake Arnott. (October 19, 2003) "Jake Arnott and 50 Cent". The Guardian Observer. Accessed July 11, 2008
  9. "50 Cent Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  10. "50 Cent Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  11. "50 Cent Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  12. "Billboard Top 100 – 2003". billboardtop100of.com. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  13. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2003". Billboard. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
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