Wikipedia:WikiProject Jennifer Lopez/Sandbox/I'm Real (Murder Remix)

"I'm Real (Murder Remix)" is a song recorded by American entertainer Jennifer Lopez. It was first released as a bonus track on the re-release of her second studio album J.Lo (2001). and later as an album track on her first remix album J to tha L–O! The Remixes (2002).

Background
Ja Rule praised Lopez while working with her on the track, stating "She's mad cool. She goes in, knocks the sh-- out, no problem [...] I love artists like that," and also said 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 stated that he enjoyed working with Lopez, and that it was 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."

Controversy
Some in the African American community were outraged by Lopez's use of the word "nigga" in the Murder Remix. 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." Rule said that Lopez was not the first Latino to use the word in a song, and that it hadn't been in an issue previously, adding it was something to let people get a chance to "poke her."

Live performances
Lopez and Ja Rule performed the murder remix version of the song at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards.

Music video
A separate video clip was shot for the Murder remix of "I'm Real" featuring Ja Rule. It opens with Lopez leaning on a gate of a suburban house and singing in front of a red backdrop along with Ja Rule, who is also seen walking the streets, with a basketball. Males and females 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.