"You Played Yourself" is a song performed by American recording artist Ice-T. It was released on April 5, 1990, as a single from the rapper's third studio album The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech...Just Watch What You Say through Sire Records. The song was written and produced by Ice-T and Afrika Islam, who sampled James Brown's "The Boss", which was written by James Brown, Charles Bobbit and Fred Wesley.[1] The single peaked at number 64 in the UK.

"You Played Yourself"
Single by Ice-T
from the album The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech... Just Watch What You Say!
B-side
  • "Freedom Of Speech"
  • "My Word Is Bond"
ReleasedApril 5, 1990
Recorded1989
Studio
Genre
Length4:12
LabelSire Records
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Ice-T singles chronology
"What Ya Wanna Do"
(1989)
"You Played Yourself"
(1990)
"Dick Tracy"
(1990)
Music video
"You Played Yourself" on YouTube

Background

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The song tells details several failures through hubris. One goes uneducated thinking he is a gangster when really he is nothing. Another is a rapper who offends his fans because he thinks he is above them but they turn on him - he is left unemployed with no one because he has offended them all. Another is a drug addict, paranoid and doesn't eat. He rips off his family for drug money and they disown him. He then tries to do an armed robbery to get money but accidentally kills someone and ends up on death row.

Track listing

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7" (UK version)
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."You Played Yourself" 
2."My Word Is Bond"
  • T. Marrow
  • C. Glenn
  • Afrika Islam
  • Ice-T
 
12", Maxi single (UK version)
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."You Played Yourself" (Remix) 
2."You Played Yourself" (Instrumental)(Remix)
  • T. Marrow
  • C. Glenn
  • J. Brown
  • C. Bobbit
  • F. Wesley
  • Afrika Islam
  • Ice-T
 
3."You Played Yourself" (LP Version)
  • T. Marrow
  • C. Glenn
  • J. Brown
  • C. Bobbit
  • F. Wesley
  • Afrika Islam
  • Ice-T
 
4."Freedom Of Speech" (featuring Jello Biafra)T. Marrow
  • Afrika Islam
  • Ice-T
 
12", Maxi single
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."You Played Yourself"4:12
2."Freedom Of Speech" (featuring Jello Biafra)T. Marrow
  • Afrika Islam
  • Ice-T
4:10
3."You Played Yourself" (Remix)T. Marrow
5:10
4."You Played Yourself" (Dub)T. Marrow
  • Afrika Islam
  • Ice-T
  • DJ Aladdin (add.)
  • King Tee (add.)
4:30

Personnel

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Chart positions

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Chart (1990) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)[2] 64

References

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  1. ^ "You Played Yourself by Ice-T on WhoSampled". WhoSampled. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  2. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2018-02-26.
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