Remy Ma is a prominent figure in the New York hip hop scene, consistently representing The Bronx in her music. Known for her tough demeanor and vicious rap style, she started her career as a protégé of the legendary Big Pun, eventually joining his Terror Squad collective. She appeared on two songs from Pun’s posthumous album, 2000’s Yeeeah Baby.
As a member of the Terror Squad, Remy Ma and Fat Joe released “Lean Back” in 2004, eventually becoming one of the most iconic hip hop songs of the 2000s. She was also on the famous remix of M.O.P.’s “Ante Up” with Busta Rhymes and Teflon. Following her debut album in 2007, Remy Ma ran into label troubles and disagreements with Fat Joe. Additionally, she spent six years in prison from 2008 to 2014. Though prison hindered Remy Ma’s visibility, she came back swinging. She has since appeared on Love & Hip Hop and married Papoose, becoming one of hip hop's strongest power couples.
While Remy Ma has been a part of many impactful hip hop songs, her music catalog has gone underappreciated. While she only has one studio album to her name, Remy Ma has released several mixtapes and her reunion album with Fat Joe from 2017. This is a list of Remy Ma’s top five biggest hits, drawing from her discography, not including music as a part of Terror Squad. Take a look at the list below.
5. "Whuteva" (2005)
“Whuteva” was the first single from Remy Ma’s 2006 debut album, There’s Something About Remy: Based on a True Story. Much like her previous release and first-ever solo single, “Monster," "Whuteva” is a collaboration with Swizz Beatz, one of the hottest hip hop producers at the time. Production from Swizz Beatz was almost a guaranteed hit back then. Much like many songs he produced at the time, Swizz plays the hype man role on the track, encouraging people to put their hands up on the song’s chorus. Much like “Lean Back,” the chorus on “Whuteva” instructs people to move. The song is riddled with New York slang and references, which became a key characteristic of Remy Ma’s rap style.
4. "Melanin Magic (Pretty Brown)" feat. Chris Brown (2018)
“Melanin Magic (Pretty Brown)” still remains as Remy Ma’s biggest post-prison solo single. The song is an empowering celebration of Black people, especially Black women. The song notably samples Mint Condition’s “Breakin My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)” from 1991. The chorus from Chris Brown adds a soulful touch to the glamorous instrumental, contrasting nicely with Remy’s tough delivery.
3. "Feels So Good" feat. Ne-Yo (2006)
A hook from Ne-Yo on a rap collaboration made for an automatic hit song back in the 2000s, and “Feels So Good” is further evidence of that. The single from Remy Ma’s There’s Something About Remy: Based on a True Story is a pretty standard rap/R&B duet but has aged quite gracefully because of Remy Ma’s rapping ability and Ne-Yo’s hitmaking vocals. “Feels So Good” did not enter the Billboard Hot 100 but charted on the Hot Hip Hop/R&B Songs, Hot Rap Songs, and Rhythmic charts.
2. "Conceited (There's Something About Remy)" (2005)
“Conceited (There’s Something About Remy)” is the biggest single from Remy Ma’s debut album. Over a Scott Storch-produced instrumental reminiscent of “Lean Back.” Much like the title suggests, the song is quite conceited as Remy stunts on the listener. The song contains a few famous samples, including Right Said Fred’s “I’m Too Sexy” and Christina Millian’s “Dip It Low.” “Conceited (There’s Something About Remy)” was Remy Ma’s first solo single to appear on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
1. "All The Way Up" with Fat Joe feat. French Montana & Infrared (2016)
“All the Way Up” is easily the biggest hit song of Remy Ma’s career, released over 14 years after her debut single. It was Remy Ma’s first single to be released in ten years, following “Feels So Good.” The song was a comeback record for Remy Ma after her imprisonment. It marked her reunion with Fat Joe, serving as the lead single from their collaborative album, Plata O Plomo. The song is all about leveling up and achieving success, which made for the ultimate comeback song for Remy Ma. Fresh out of prison, she opens her verse with the lyric, “Just left the big house to a bigger house.”
The fact that “All the Way Up” is a collaboration with Fat Joe marked a full circle moment for their relationship, and features from French Montana and Infrared make the song a New York affair. The track is Remy Ma’s only Platinum single, first reaching the height in 2016 and now sitting at 3x Platinum status since 2021. It is also certified Gold in the UK and Platinum in France.
