I'm Real (Murder Remix)

Urban radio stations were disappointed that J. Lo had not produced a single that catered to their audiences, and Epic Records knew that they needed the support of both urban and pop radio. After the album began to decline on the charts, Rooney suggested to Tommy Mottola that the song be remixed, which prompted Mottola to enlist Ja Rule of Murder Inc. Records. Ja Rule admitted that he was "thrown" when he heard the song, saying: "I don't do dance music, so what do you want me to do to this?" Though initially enlisted to remix the song, he decided to write a new song with the same title instead, saying: "OK, I don't need to hear that, scratch that, 'cause we're gonna do our own thing" after hearing the original track. J.Lo was reissued on July 24, 2001 (Lopez's thirty-second birthday), now containing "I'm Real (Murder Remix)". Following the release of "I'm Real (Murder Remix)", Lopez's personal sound had shifted away from a pure pop sound to more of an R&B/hip-hop sound. Ja Rule noted that her audience now wanted a different sound from her, "It's J. Lo now because of 'I'm Real' [...] It's gonna put her in another zone. After this one, they gonna be expecting hot crossover R&B joints from J. Lo. They ain't gonna want the pop version of J. Lo no more, they gonna want the 'I'm Real' version." Rule described it as a "real collaboration" by saying "Sometimes when you do a collaboration with an artist it's not real collaborations [...] 'Send me a reel here. I'll fly it back here.' Me and J. Lo's record was a real collaboration." ==Critical response==

"I'm Real (Murder Remix)" 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 'Ain'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 named the sixth-biggest duet of all time by Billboard. ==Chart performance==

Despite being two different songs, "I'm Real" and "I'm Real (Murder Remix)" were not treated separately by most charts. The success of "I'm Real (Murder Remix)", which became the biggest hit of Lopez's career at the time, "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. == Accolades ==

The music video for "I'm Real (Murder Remix)" was directed by Dave Meyers. The music video features a variety of settings including a dilapidated house, swimming pool and basketball court. Meyers stated that: "I was really up to capturing the less polished version of the two. The Murder Inc. crew at that time was all about having a good time, and I think Jennifer certainly was infected by that energy as well." CNN's Marianna Cerini noted that the tracksuit "created a craze -- and one of the most ubiquitous looks of the decade", with Vogue crediting the music video with putting Juicy Couture, previously a "little-known LA-based brand", "firmly on the map". Complex magazine wrote that the video "completely dominated TRL and pretty much all of MTV with a visual that perfectly encapsulated the '00s aesthetic of a Juicy sweatsuit and big sunglasses." The music video opens with Lopez leaning on a gate of an urban home in Los Angeles and singing in front of a red backdrop along with Ja Rule, who is also seen walking the streets of LA, with a basketball. Men and women are then seen in various locations such as a park and swimming pool. Lopez and Ja Rule are then seen together in a basketball court in the chorus of the song. These locations are shown for a prominent part of the video, until both of them are later at a party; and sitting together at a park watching children play. The music video won the award for Best Hip-Hop Video at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards. ==Live performances==

Lopez and Ja Rule performed "I'm Real (Murder Remix)" at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards. Lopez performed the Murder remix as part of her medley during the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards on August 20, 2018, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. ==Controversies==

Irv Gotti, who produced the Murder remix of "I'm Real", openly admitted during an interview with XXL magazine that Mottola contacted him with instructions to create a song that sounded exactly like a song he had made with Mariah Carey for the Glitter soundtrack entitled "If We", also featuring Ja Rule. Furthermore, some in the African American community were outraged by Lopez's use of the racial slur "nigga" in the Murder remix. She said "I tell them niggas, mind they biz, but they don't hear me, though." A free New York concert drew banner-carrying protesters, angry at the lyrics for "I'm Real". In response to this, Lopez said in between performances "For anyone to think or suggest that I'm racist is really absurd and hateful to me. The use of the word in the song—it was actually written by Ja Rule—it was not meant to be hurtful to anybody." Ja Rule also responded to this, defending Lopez by stating "I think it's silly [...] I think the whole thing, like everything else, is being blown out of proportion." Julian Kimble of the website Genius noted in 2016, "Other Latino performers had said the word and ducked the backlash, primarily because their reach didn't compare to Lopez's. To that effect (and apparently unbeknownst to her at the time), the Bronx native's position as world-renowned pop star limited what she could do and say." Kimble observed that her 2002 single "Jenny from the Block" "has always rung like a response to everyone who derided her for the 'I'm Real' remix." ==Credits and personnel==

Credits adapted from the liner notes of J to tha L–O! The Remixes. • JD Andrew – engineering assistance • Seven Aurelius – production • Jeffrey Atkins – composition, guest vocals • Milwaukee Buck – engineering • Tom Coyne – mastering • Leshan David Lewis – composition • Eddie Delena – Pro Tools • Ashanti Douglas – background vocals • Jay Goin – engineering assistance • Rick James – composition • Jennifer Lopez – composition, lead vocals • Irv Gotti – composition, production, mixing • Troy Oliver – composition • Marty Osterer – bass • Brian Spencer – mixing • Brian Springer – engineering ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts Decade-end charts All-time charts ==References==