Rubber Band Man

For the song by The Spinners, see The Rubberband Man.

"Rubber Band Man" is a song by American rapper T.I., released December 30, 2003 as the third single from his second studio album Trap Muzik (2003). Production from David Banner was noted by music reviewers,^[1][2] particularly the ascending organ riff that has been described as 'hypnotic' and 'pure halftime show'.^[3][4] Upon release, it charted reasonably well, peaking at number 30 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming T.I.'s first top 40 charting single.^[5] The song is included in the hits collections Totally Hits 2004,^[6] Crunk Hits Volume 1,^[7] and Hip Hop Hits Volume 9.^[8] It was listed at number 34, on Complex Magazine's "Best Atlanta Rap Songs of all Time" and number 61, on their "Best Songs of the Decade."

"Rubber Band Man"
Single by T.I.
from the album Trap Muzik
Released	December 30, 2003
Recorded	2003
Studio	Patchwerk Recordings, Atlanta, GA
Genre	Southern hip hop trap gangsta rap
Length	5:48 (album version) 4:35 (clean version) 3:58 (video version)
Label	Grand Hustle Atlantic
Songwriter(s)	Clifford Harris Lavell Crump
Producer(s)	David Banner
T.I. singles chronology
"Be Easy" (2003) "Rubber Band Man" (2003) "Let's Get Away" (2004)

Background

T.I. says the song's title is a reference to his habit of wearing rubber bands around his wrist, a habit that dates back to when he was a drug dealer. There is also a previous song by soul group The Spinners with the same title which was made before T.I. was even born. ^[9] The rubber bands are used to hold big wads of money together because they won't fit into a normal pocket wallet. Publicity efforts for the single were derailed by T.I.'s arrest in August 2003.^[10] At the end of the song, there is a skit advertisement for "buster card" and the number is reversed, so if you play that skit in reverse, the number is 404-349-5000 which is the number for a Subway Restaurant in Atlanta, GA.^[11]

Music video

The song's music video was directed by Darren Grant. David Banner, Lil Duval, Michael Vick, Usher, Bow Wow, Jagged Edge, Steve Rudolph, Atlanta-based comedian Shawty, Youngbloodz, Big Gipp, P. Diddy and Jazze Pha, all make cameo appearances in the video. The video also features several prominent shots of suburban Atlanta, including Bankhead courts and College Park.

Remix

The song was officially remixed and released in 2004, featuring verses from fellow American rappers Mack 10, Trick Daddy and Twista.^[12]

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2004) Peak position US Billboard Hot 100[13] 30 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[14] 15 US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[15] 11 US Rhythmic (Billboard)[16] 21

Year-end charts Chart (2004) Position US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[17] 45

References

1. Rollie Pemberton (2004). "T.I.: "Rubber Band Man" [Track Review]". Pitchfork Media. Archived from the original on December 24, 2007. Retrieved April 16, 2007.
2. Andy Kellman (2004). "Allmusic: Ruberband Man review". Allmusic. Retrieved February 21, 2009.
3. Dominic Umile (2003). "T.I. Trap Muzik". Prefix Magazine. Retrieved April 16, 2007.
4. Jonah Weiner (2004). "Various Artists: Fat Joe, Fabolous, T.I., Juvenile, Trick Daddy". Blender Magazine. Retrieved April 16, 2007.
5. "Artist Chart History - T.I." Billboard Magazine. Retrieved April 16, 2007.
6. "Amazon.com: Totally hits 2004, Volume 1". Amazon. Retrieved April 16, 2007.
7. "Amazon.com: Crunk Hits". Amazon. Retrieved April 16, 2007.
8. "Various Artists Source Presents Hip Hop Hits Vol. 9 CD". CD Universe. 2004. Retrieved April 16, 2007.
9. Nooreen Kara. "T.I." The Situation. Archived from the original on March 29, 2007. Retrieved April 16, 2007.
10. Joseph Patel (2004). "'Rubber Band Man' Rapper T.I. Gets Three Years In Prison". MTV. Archived from the original on June 15, 2004. Retrieved April 16, 2007.
11. "Subway Restaurant". Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
12. "T.I. Featuring Twista, Trick Daddy And Mack 10 – Rubber Band Man (Remix) (2004, CD) - Discogs". Discogs. 2004.
13. "T.I. Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
14. "T.I. Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
15. "T.I. Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
16. "T.I. Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
17. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2004". Billboard. Retrieved October 2, 2021.