The " Murder Remix " also received favorable reviews from music critics . William Ruhlmann of '' Allmusic '' picked the song as one of the best from the album , while Sal Cinquemani of '' Slant Magazine '' called it " edgy , often sexy remix " , naming it " a significant departure from the retro-hued album version " . Ian Wade of '' Yahoo! Music '' wrote that " only the Ja Rule assisted ' I 'm Real ' and ' Ai n't It Funny ' , that makes something vaguely special out of the original versions , Jen 'd be better off just hooking up with him for good and they could become a Cristal-sipping , foulmouthed and bling-blinging Sonny & Cher . " While reviewing Ja Rule 's '' Pain Is Love '' album , Soren Baker of '' Los Angeles Times '' noted " I 'm Real " to be " one of the album 's stronger songs , as Rule 's rough voice and Lopez 's sugary tones make a surprisingly appealing blend " . In 2011 , the remix version was names the sixth-biggest duet of all time by '' Billboard '' " I 'm Real " debuted at number 66 on the U.S. '' Billboard '' Hot 100 on the week ending July 7 , 2001 , earning the " Hot Shot Debut of the Week " title and debuting on the '' Billboard '' Hot 100 Airplay at number 55 . " I 'm Real " jumped to number 40 in its second week on the Hot 100 and moved up to number 32 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart . In its third week , the song continued to steadily increase , reaching number 25 on the Hot 100 and 20 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart . By its fourth week , the song had reached the top twenty , fueled by increasing airplay . On September 8 , 2001 , " I 'm Real " replaced Alicia Keys ' " Fallin ' " as the leader of both the '' Billboard '' Hot 100 and Hot 100 Airplay chart . It was the number one song in the United States during the September 11 attacks . Rooney recalled : " I did n't get a chance to celebrate the success of " I 'm Real " so much because of all that was going on . The focus shifted . I remember it putting a really dark cloud over everything . " " I 'm Real " spent the next three charting weeks at the summit and was subsequently knocked out of the top spot by " Fallin ' " , which boasted an additional three consecutive weeks at number one . After three weeks stalled at number two , " I 'm Real " returned to number one again for a final two weeks , through October 27 , 2001 . " I 'm Real ( Murder Remix ) " was a staple on R&B / hip hop and pop radio during the summer and fall of 2001 , spending fifteen weeks in the top five of the '' Billboard '' Hot 100 . In 2009 the single was named the 30th most successful song of the 2000s , on the '' Billboard '' Hot 100 Songs of the Decade
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
I'm Real (Jennifer Lopez song)