"I Wish" is a song written and performed by American rapper Skee-Lo. It was released on March 27, 1995, via Scotti Brothers Records as the lead single from the rapper's debut studio album of the same name. Recording sessions took place at Sunshine Studios in Hollywood, California. Production was handled by Walter "Kandor" Kahn and Skee-Lo himself.
In the United States, the single peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America for selling 600,000 copies domestically. Internationally, the song reached number 4 in Sweden and Norway, number 5 in Finland, number 6 in the Netherlands, number 10 in Switzerland, number 14 in Germany and New Zealand, number 15 in the UK, and made it to the Top 25 in Belgium and France.
Most of the song's instruments are sampled from "Spinnin'" by Bernard Wright, and the song features a vocal sample of people shouting from the track "Buffalo Gals" by Malcolm McLaren.
The song was nominated for Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance at the 38th Annual Grammy Awards but lost to Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise". Blender listed "I Wish" as number 359 on its list of "500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born". The music video, directed by Marty Thomas, was nominated for three Billboard Music Video Awards: "Best Rap Clip", "Best Rap New Artist Music Video" and "Maximum Vision Clip of the Year".
Last Updated: June 12, 2021
