I Shot the Sheriff (Warren G song)

"I Shot the Sheriff"
Single by Warren G
from the album Take a Look Over Your Shoulder
ReleasedFebruary 3, 1997 (1997-02-03)
GenreHip hop
Length4:10
LabelDef Jam
Songwriters
ProducerWarren G
Warren G singles chronology
"What's Love Got to Do with It"
(1996)
"I Shot the Sheriff"
(1997)
"Smokin' Me Out"
(1997)
Music video
"I Shot the Sheriff" on YouTube

"I Shot the Sheriff" is the lead single from American rapper Warren G's second album, Take a Look Over Your Shoulder. The song takes its title and samples Bob Marley's 1973 song of the same name with R&B singer Nancy Fletcher singing a version of the original chorus, though Warren G, who produced the song himself, replaces Marley's lyrics with those of his own, though Marley is giving sole songwriting credit. The song was a hit in several countries; in Warren G's native US, it peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It was a bigger hit overseas, peaking at number two in the United Kingdom and at number one in New Zealand.

The official remix was produced by EPMD member Erick Sermon, it is based around EPMD's "Strictly Business", which also sampled Clapton's version of the song.