Family Affair (Mary J. Blige song)

"Family Affair"
Single by Mary J. Blige
from the album No More Drama
Released	June 12, 2001
Format	CD single maxi 12"
Recorded	2001[1]
Genre	R&B hip hop soul dance
Length	4:25 4:04 (Radio edit)
Label	MCA
Writer(s)	Mary J. Blige Andre Young Bruce Miller Camara Kambon Michael Elizondo
Producer(s)	Dr. Dre
Mary J. Blige singles chronology
"911" (2001) "Family Affair" (2001) "Dance for Me" (2001)

"Family Affair" is a song by American recording artist Mary J. Blige. It was written by Blige, her brother Bruce Miller, Camara Kambon, Michael Elizondo, and Dr. Dre for her fifth studio album No More Drama (2001), while production was overseen by the latter. "Family Affair" is a pumping R&B song that incorporates elements of hip hop and dance music. The music for the track was originally created in a jam session between Dre and musicians Mel-Man, Camara Kambon, Mike Elizondo and Scott Storch. Later, Blige heard the song that her brother Bruce Miller, Asiah The Continent and Luchi Lodge created the lyrics and melody to and decided on recording her vocals.

The single topped the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks starting from November 3, 2001, ending a ten-week lockup of the top two positions on the chart by Alicia Keys' "Fallin'" and Jennifer Lopez's "I'm Real (Murder Remix)", which combined have spent the previous eleven weeks atop the chart. It was Blige's first Hot 100 number-one single. In 2008, for Billboard magazine's 50th Anniversary, "Family Affair" was listed as the 79th-biggest single on the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs.^[2] while at the end of 2009 was named the 12th most successful song from 2000 to 2009, on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the Decade.^[3] Rolling Stone ranked it number ninety-five on their list of 100 Best Songs of the 2000s decade.^[4] The song was also responsible for the brief comeback of a new form of hip hop soul, a genre that she pioneered in the early 1990s.

The accompanying music video was directed by Dave Meyers. In 2007, this song was used on a Propel Fitness Water commercial. On September 6, 2012, Blige performed the song at the final night of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina.

A remix featuring rappers Jadakiss and Fabolous was later released promotionally but never commercially

Background

"Family Affair" was written by Blige, her brother Bruce Miller, Camara Kambon, Mike Elizondo, and Dr. Dre.^[5] Production was helmed by the latter.^[5] Dre created an initial version of the musical portion of "Family Affair" in studio on September 13, 2000, using a bass player and a keyboard player.^[6] His studio engineers entitled this version of the song "Fragile" for record-keeping purposes.^[6] Near the end of 2000, he sent Blige the instrumental track.^[6] Blige recorded vocals over the music based on lyrics penned by Miller, Kambon and Elizondo.^[6] Several weeks later, on January 10, 2001, a near-final but non-lyrical portion of "Fragile" was transferred from digital to analog format and renamed "Family Affair."^[6] In late May or early June 2001, at Dr. Dre's suggestion, Blige added a bridge to the song, for she penned the lyrics on the own.^[6]

Composition

Family Affair is written in the key of G-sharp minor with a moderate tempo of 93 beats per minute. The song follows a chord progression C♯m−G♯m7−C♯m−G♯m7, and Blige's vocals span from G♯₃ to B₄.^[7]

Formats and track listings

European CD single[8]
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Family Affair" (Radio Edit)	4:02
2.	"Family Affair" (Album Version)	4:28
3.	"Your Child" (Chucky Thompson's Late Nite Mix)	3:12
4.	"Your Child" (Music video)	3:43

US CD single[9]
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Family Affair" (Album version)	4:31
2.	"Family Affair" (Remix featuring Fabolous & Jadakiss)	4:03
3.	"Family Affair" (Instrumental)	4:29
4.	"Family Affair" (Acapella)	4:11
5.	"Checkin' for Me"	3:05

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2001) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[10] 8 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[11] 20 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[12] 5 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[13] 2 Denmark (Tracklisten)[14] 4 France (SNEP)[15] 1 Germany (Official German Charts)[16] 10 Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[17] 9 Ireland (IRMA)[18] 3 Italy (FIMI)[19] 18 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[20] 3 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[21] 2 Norway (VG-lista)[22] 8 Poland (Polish Airplay Charts)[23] 12 Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[24] 7 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[25] 4 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[26] 8 US Billboard Hot 100[27] 1 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[28] 1 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[29] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2001) Position Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[30] 35 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[31] 24 Germany (Official German Charts)[32] 70 Italy (FIMI)[33] 36 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[34] 18 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[35] 9 UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[36] 59 US Billboard Hot 100 31 Chart (2002) Position US Billboard Hot 100 17 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[37] 63 Decade-end charts Chart (2000-2009) Position US Billboard Hot 100[38] 12

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[39]	Gold	35,000^^
France (SNEP)[40]	Gold	420,000[41]
New Zealand (RMNZ)[42]	Gold	5,000^*
Sweden (GLF)[43]	Gold	15,000^^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[44]	Platinum	40,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[45]	Silver	200,000^^
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title.jsp?stid=454449&category=Misc Notes
2. "The Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-24.
3. Hot 100 Decade Songs
4. "100 Best Songs of the Aughts: Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
5. No More Drama (Standard Edition). Mary J. Blige. MCA. 2001.
6. "Jones v. Blige 558 F.3d 485 (6th Cir. 2009)". USC Gould School of Law. Retrieved 2016-09-12.
7. http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtdFPE.asp?ppn=MN0040425
8. "Mary J. Blige — Family Affair (European CD Single)". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-11-19.
9. "Mary J. Blige — Family Affair (US CD Single)". Discogs. Retrieved 2015-11-19.
10. "Australian-charts.com – Mary J Blige – Family Affair". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
11. "Austriancharts.at – Mary J Blige – Family Affair" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
12. "Ultratop.be – Mary J Blige – Family Affair" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
13. "Ultratop.be – Mary J Blige – Family Affair" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
14. "Danishcharts.com – Mary J Blige – Family Affair". Tracklisten. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
15. "Lescharts.com – Mary J Blige – Family Affair" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
16. "Musicline.de – Mary J. Blige Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
17. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 2010-12-08.
18. "Chart Track: Week 01, 2001". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
19. "Italiancharts.com – Mary J Blige – Family Affair". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
20. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Mary J Blige search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
21. "Charts.org.nz – Mary J Blige – Family Affair". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
22. "Norwegiancharts.com – Mary J Blige – Family Affair". VG-lista. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
23. "Polish Airplay Charts - Lista krajowa 50/2001". PiF PaF Production. Archived from the original on October 25, 2007. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
24. "Swedishcharts.com – Mary J Blige – Family Affair". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
25. "Swisscharts.com – Mary J Blige – Family Affair". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
26. "Mary J. Blige: Artist Chart History" Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2013-01-19.
27. "Mary J. Blige – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Mary J. Blige. Retrieved 2011-05-05.
28. "Mary J. Blige – Chart history" Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs for Mary J. Blige. Retrieved 2011-05-05.
29. "Mary J. Blige – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for Mary J. Blige. Retrieved 2011-05-05.
30. "Jaaroverzichten 2001 (Flanders)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-08-27.
31. "Rapports Annuels 2001 (Flanders)" (in French). Ultratop 50. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-08-27.
32. "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts (2001)" (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 2016-08-27.
33. "The best-selling single of 2001 in Italy". Federation of the Italian Music Industry. Hit Parade Italy. Retrieved 2016-08-27.
34. "Laarlijsten 2001". MegaCharts (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-08-27.
35. "Swiss Year End Charts 2001". Swiss Music Charts. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-08-27.
36. "2001 UK Singles Chart" (PDF). ChartsPlus. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
37. "R&B/Hip-Hop Songs — Year End 2002". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2016-09-11.
38. "The Top 20 Billboard Hot 100 Hits of the 2000s". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 10, 2011.
39. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2001 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association.
40. "French single certifications – Mary J Blige – Family Affair" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
41. "Les Certifications (Albums) du SNEP (Bilan par Artiste) > "BLIGE M.J." > "OK". InfoDisc. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
42. "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". The Official New Zealand Music Chart. Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
43. "Sverigetopplistan > "Mary J. Blige" > "Sök" > "Family Affair" > "Visa". Sveriges Officiella Topplista. Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
44. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Mary J. Blige; 'Family Affair')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
45. "British single certifications – Mary J. Blige – Family Affair". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Family Affair in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics