What Happened to That Boy

"What Happened to That Boy" is a song by American rapper Baby, released as the second single from his debut studio album Birdman (2002), featuring rap duo Clipse.

"What Happened to That Boy"
Single by Baby featuring Clipse
from the album Birdman
Released	2002
Recorded	2002
Genre	Hip hop
Length	4:17
Label	Cash Money
Songwriter(s)	Bryan Williams Pharrell Williams Chad Hugo Terrence Thornton Gene Thornton
Producer(s)	The Neptunes
Baby singles chronology
"Do That..." (2002) "What Happened to That Boy" (2002) "Hell Yeah" (2003)

Critical reception

Paul Wong of The Michigan Daily praised Baby's rapping on "What Happened to That Boy", noting that he "runs the show with his slick southern delivery".^[1]

Music video

The music video for "What Happened to That Boy" was directed by Benny Boom and filmed in New Orleans.^[2] The video had to be recorded twice: following the completion of the original shoot, it transpired that the cinematographer had placed the film reel into the camera backwards, meaning none of the shoot had been captured.^[2] Clipse agreed to return to New Orleans for a second shoot, which was this time successful: the video ultimately took a week to produce.^[2]

Role in Clipse vs. Cash Money feud

"What Happened to That Boy" is rumored throughout the hip-hop community to have sparked the long-running feud between Clipse and Cash Money Records, although the artists involved have not confirmed this publicly.^[3][4][5][6] According to Hot 97 hip-hop DJ Ebro Darden, The Neptunes never received the payment they were promised from Cash Money for producing "What Happened to That Boy"; as a result, Pharrell Williams is alleged to have refused to work with the label in the future, leading Clipse member Pusha T to repeatedly attack Cash Money artists – mainly Lil Wayne at first, then Drake throughout the 2010s – in his music over the following years, out of loyalty to Williams.^[4][6]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2002–2003) Peak position US Billboard Hot 100[7] 45 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[8] 14 US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[9] 11 US Rhythmic (Billboard)[10] 38

Year-end charts Chart (2003) Position US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[11] 79

References

1. Wong, Paul (December 10, 2002). "Breaking records: Baby a.k.a. The #1 Stunna, Birdman, Cash Money/Universal". The Michigan Daily. Archived from the original on November 29, 2022. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
2. Reid, Shaheem (January 29, 2003). "Baby, Clipse Shoot 'What Happened' Video – Twice". MTV News. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
3. "The story of Drake and Pusha-T". Red Roll. June 17, 2018. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
4. Romano, Aja (June 29, 2018). "Pusha T vs. Drake: the long history of rap's feud of the moment". Vox. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
5. Schwartz, Zachary (June 12, 2018). ""They Say Death Multiplies by Threes": The Prophecy of Pusha-T & the Fall of Cash Money". DJBooth. Archived from the original on July 10, 2022. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
6. Tesema, Feleg. "A Brief History Of The Lil Wayne Vs. Pusha-T Beef (Because Lil Wayne Can't Remember)". Highsnobiety. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
7. "Birdman Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
8. "Birdman Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
9. "Birdman Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
10. "Birdman Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
11. "Year-End Charts – Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – 2003". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2022.