# Why R U > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Why_R_U > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Why_R_U.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_R_U > Source revision: 1350943736 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Infobox song | name = Why R U | cover = Ameriewhyruhq.jpg | alt = | type = single | artist = [Amerie](/source/Amerie) | album = [In Love & War](/source/In_Love_%26_War_(Amerie_album)) | released = June 15, 2009 | recorded = 2009 | studio = | genre = | length = 3:18 | label = [Def Jam](/source/Def_Jam) | writer = * [Cedric Miller](/source/Ced-Gee) * Amerie * Herbert Rooney * [Keith Thornton](/source/Kool_Keith) | producer = [The Buchanans](/source/The_Buchanans) | prev_title = [Fly Like Me](/source/Fly_Like_Me) | prev_year = 2007 | next_title = [Heard 'em All](/source/Heard_'em_All) | next_year = 2009 | misc = {{Audio sample | type = single | file = Amerie Why R U sample.ogg }} }} "'''Why R U'''" is a song by American [R&B](/source/Contemporary_R%26B) singer Amerie. The song was recorded for her fourth studio album, ''[In Love & War](/source/In_Love_%26_War_(Amerie_album))'', and serves as the lead single from the album. The song contains excerpts of [Ultramagnetic MCs](/source/Ultramagnetic_MCs)' "Ego Trippin'". The song is also Amerie's first single under the [Island Def Jam Music Group](/source/Island_Def_Jam_Music_Group).{{Cite news |last=Cline |first=Georgette |title= Amerie Asks 'Why R U?' on New Single |url=http://www.rap-up.com/2009/05/12/amerie-asks-why-r-u-on-new-single/ |publisher=Rap-Up|date=May 12, 2009 |access-date=2009-05-13}} ==Background== The song samples [Ultramagnetic MCs](/source/Ultramagnetic_MCs)' "Ego Trippin" from their 1988 release ''[Critical Beatdown](/source/Critical_Beatdown)'' (which also samples Melvin Bliss' "[Synthetic Substitution](/source/Synthetic_Substitution)"). An official remix premiered on Hot 97 on July 21, it features [Nas](/source/Nas), [Jadakiss](/source/Jadakiss), [Rick Ross](/source/Rick_Ross_(rapper)) and Kain. The remix samples [Whodini](/source/Whodini)'s "One Love." Amerie spoke about "Why R U" in an interview with ''The Green Magazine'' : "I wrote the song when I was riding in a car. It was a really rainy day in New York. I always love to start out, if I can, recording in New York. Sometimes I’ll record the entire time there. This is the first time I didn’t record the majority of the album in New York, so I was kind of curious as to how things would come out. The song to me felt like a greater representation of who I am as an artist. Even when I was writing it I just felt like it was a special record. I wasn’t really thinking in terms of singles or not. I just knew that ideally if people could hear anything from me first since it’s been a few years, this was the record to me that would best show who I am right now."[http://www.thegreenmagazine.com/content/more-one-thing?page=0,1 Amerie, Why R U], 2 September 2009 ==Music video== The video for "Why R U" was shot during the second week of May 2009 in [Los Angeles](/source/Los_Angeles) with director [Ray Kay](/source/Ray_Kay). Amerie's idea behind the video, "I wanted to go with something really abstract but not too far out there, something that would look graphic."{{cite web|author=8 juni 2009 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5405Ve0PHKM |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211220/5405Ve0PHKM |archive-date=2021-12-20 |url-status=live|title=Amerie "Why R U" Video Shoot Behind The Scenes |via=YouTube |date= 8 June 2009|access-date=2009-10-01}}{{cbignore}} The video premiered on [106 & Park](/source/106_%26_Park) on [BET](/source/Black_Entertainment_Television) on June 8. The video ranked at number 90 on [BET](/source/Black_Entertainment_Television)'s ''Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2009'' countdown. ==Charts== {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |+ Chart performance for "Why R U" ! scope="col"| Chart (2009) ! scope="col"| Peak
position |- ! scope="row"| Germany ([Deutsche Black Charts](/source/Deutsche_Black_Charts)){{cite web |author=Die Deutschen Trend Charts |url=http://www.trendcharts.de/de/trendcharts.html?dl=deutsche_black_charts.html |title=Deutsche Black Charts (updated weekly) |publisher=Trendcharts.de |date= |access-date=2009-10-01 |archive-date=2012-03-29 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120329044954/http://www.trendcharts.de/de/trendcharts.html?dl=deutsche_black_charts.html |url-status=dead }} | style="text-align:center;"|13 |- ! scope="row"|Japan ([Japan Hot 100](/source/Japan_Hot_100)){{cite web |url=https://www.billboard-japan.com/charts/detail?a=hot100&year=2009&month=11&day=23|title=Billboard Japan Hot 100 [2009/11/18 公開]|work=[Billboard Japan](/source/Billboard_Japan) |language=Japanese|access-date=April 6, 2022}} | style="text-align:center;"|85 |- ! scope="row"|US [Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs](/source/Hot_R%26B%2FHip-Hop_Songs) (''[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))''){{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/amerie/chart-history/bsi/|title=Amerie Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)|magazine=[Billboard](/source/Billboard_(magazine))|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211117171203/https://www.billboard.com/artist/amerie/chart-history/bsi/|archive-date=November 17, 2021|access-date=April 17, 2023}} | style="text-align:center;"|55 |} ==Release history== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |+ Release history for "Why R U" ! Country ! Release date ! Format ! Label |- ! scope="row"| United States |June 15, 2009 |[Airplay](/source/Airplay), [digital download](/source/music_download) |rowspan="2"|[Def Jam](/source/Def_Jam) |- ! scope="row"| United Kingdom |September 21, 2009 {{cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/singlesreviews/ |title=Music - - Singles Release Diary |publisher=Digital Spy |date= |access-date=2009-10-01}} |[CD single](/source/CD_single) |} == References == {{Reflist}} {{Amerie}} Category:2009 singles Category:2009 songs Category:Amerie songs Category:Music videos directed by Ray Kay Category:Def Jam Recordings singles Category:Songs written by Amerie --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Why R U](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_R_U) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Why_R_U?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.