Number One Spot


"Number One Spot" is a song by American rapper Ludacris from his fifth studio album The [Red Light District]. The song heavily samples Quincy Jones' composition "Soul Bossa Nova", which was later made famous as the theme tune to the Mike Myers List of [James Bond parodies and spin-offs|James Bond parody] film series Austin Powers; the films' references play a major part in the song and its music video.
In the song's first verse, Ludacris says: "Respected highly, hi, Mr. O'Reilly/Hope all is well, kiss the plaintiff and the wifey". This line is a response to Bill O'Reilly's criticism of Pepsi for featuring Ludacris in a TV commercial in 2002; it is a reference to a sexual harassment lawsuit brought against O'Reilly by a former employee in 2004.
"Number One Spot" reached #19 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and #30 in UK. The song was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance at the Grammy Awards of 2006, but it lost to Kanye West's "Gold Digger". A remix to the song features Kardinal Offishall.

Music video

The music video features spoofs of scenes from the Austin Powers films, with Ludacris taking the roles of Austin Powers, Fat Bastard, Goldmember and Dr. Evil. The video also features LisaRaye and Verne Troyer, who plays Mini-Me in the film franchise. Quincy Jones, Slick Rick, Katt Williams and DJ Green Lantern also make appearances in the music video. The subsequent single entitled "The Potion" was the conclusion to the music video. The video won the MTV [Video Music Award for Best Rap Video] in 2005.

Track listing

; CD Single
  1. "Number One Spot" – 4:34
  2. "Number One Spot" – 4:34
; 12" single
  1. "Number One Spot" – 4:34
  2. "The Potion" – 3:54
  3. "Get Back" – 4:30
  4. "Get Back" – 4:11

    Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history