Songfacts®:

• In "Danger," Mystikal is at the club, which means the heat is on. Now he just needs the DJ to play his music so the place can really get jumping.
  
  With Mystikal, even his party songs are menacing. His shouts of "danger" are a warning to any of his opps he might encounter.
• The female singer on this track is Nivea, who was just 18 when the song was released. Like Mystikal, she was signed to Jive Records, which used this feature as a launching pad. Her debut album came out in 2001 and included "Don't Mess With My Man," a collaboration with Brian and Brandon Casey of Jagged Edge.
  
  This was a time when rough-hewn rappers were doing will with sweet-sounding female vocalists singing their hooks. Ja Rule played this card repeatedly, landing hits with Jennifer Lopez, Ashanti, and Christina Milian.
• Mystikal was one of the stars of No Limit Records (Master P's label) but left in 2000 and went to Jive, where he released the album Let's Get Ready that year. It made an immediate impact, debuting at #1 in America. The first single was "Shake Ya Ass," followed by "Danger (Been So Long)." Both songs crossed over to the pop charts, expanding Mystikal's listener base considerably. He wasn't able to keep the momentum going: His next album was hitless and he ran into a trouble with the law. Mystikal ended up serving a six-year sentence that ran from 2004-2010.
• Most rappers with high-volume, gruff deliveries were based in New York, notably DMX. But Mystikal is from New Orleans, known more for jazz than hip-hop. He was part of the Dirty South movement but didn't sound much like Ludacris, Nelly, and the other emerging stars of the genre. But none of these guys could shout "Danger!" that way he does here, with a sense of urgency.
• "Danger (Been So Long)" was produced and co-written by The Neptunes early in their historic run of hits. Comprised of Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams, their beats were lively but spacious, giving the vocalists lots of room to maneuver. Their talents didn't go unnoticed for long. They were soon hired to work with top-selling artists like Usher ("U Don't Have To Call"), LL Cool J ("Luv U Better") and No Doubt ("Hella Good"). They also produced "Shake Ya Ass," which features vocals from Pharrell.
• The music video was directed by Director X (Julien Lutz) and set in the dessert, where Mystikal and Nivea find an oasis in the form of party-ready beauties, one of whom licks Mystikal's face.
  
  The guy responsible for the vivid imagery was the director of photography, Claudio Miranda, who later earned an Oscar for his work on the movie Life Of Pi.
• In 2002 a Detroit group called the Electric Six released "Danger! High Voltage," which also features screams of "Danger!" in their case by guest vocalist Jack White.
• "Danger (Been So Long)" shows up in the movies The After Party (2018) and Knocked Up (2007), and in the 2001 "Eric Visits Again" episode of the TV series Undeclared.
• Like "Shake Ya Ass," the radio edit for this song - which is the version used in the video - is considerably cleaner than the one you'll find on the album.