"Back in the Day" is a 2003 hip-hop song by Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott, featuring guest vocals from Jay-Z and Elliott protégé Tweet. The song appears on her 2002 album Under Construction and was at one time planned for release as a single. It peaked at #86 on Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart in 2003 before being scrapped as a single. About the song Produced by Elliott's main producer and longtime collaborator Timbaland, "Back in the Day" is an ode to the classic era of old school hip-hop, when the hip-hop culture was, Elliott sings, fun and peaceful, compared to the more violent scope of modern-day hip-hop. "Back in the day/hip-hop has changed", she sings. During the bridge of the song she even makes a point of referencing "Self-Destruction", a 1989 collaborative benefit single for peace featuring a number of that era's hip-hop stars. Incidentally, MC Lyte's verse from "Self-Destruction" is sampled on another of Under Construction'''s album tracks, "Funky Fresh Dressed". Jay-Z contributes a rap verse in which he "creatively" references a number of hip-hop artists (for example, stating "I kill at will like solid water, dude", a reference to Ice Cube's 1990 EP Kill At Will). At one point during his verse, Jay-Z raps "so fuck Chuck Philips and Bill O'Reilly/if they try to stop hip-hop, we all gon' rally", a reference to two of hip-hop's most vocal critics. "Back in the Day" references Below is a list of old-school hip-hop people and items Elliott and Jay-Z namedrop in "Back in the Day": Hip hop fashions British Knights Gold chains Phat laces Dances Prep Cabbage Patch Hip hop artists Salt-N-Pepa Rakim Run-D.M.C. Big Daddy Kane Heavy D Slick Rick MC Lyte Raekwon Ghostface Killah Showbiz and A.G. Dr. Dre LL Cool J Public Enemy M.O.P Tag Team Ice Cube The Notorious B.I.G. 2Pac KRS-OneEPMDb Personnel Lead Vocals by Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott and Jay-Z Background Vocals by Tweet Whistle by Timbaland Written by Melissa Elliott, Timothy Mosley, and Shawn Carter Produced by Timbaland for Timbaland Productions; Co-produced by Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott 2002 songs Missy Elliott songs Jay-Z songs Hip hop soul songs Songs about nostalgia Song recordings produced by Timbaland Songs written by Jay-Z Songs written by Missy Elliott Songs written by Timbaland