“Family Affair” by Mary J. Blige
The song, “Family Affair”, is a jam about having fun, about ‘crunking’ which means getting crazy drunk. This song looks like Mary J. Blige sang it for her family, friends and fans.
She talks about making people feel good because she’ll be there to have fun with them. To crunkit up and to feel free. To let lose and have crazy fun. She makes it obvious that in her company, you’ll definitely loosen up and let your body loose.
She mentions that it’s not just about having fun but it’s also about celebrating no more drama in their lives. Basically, this is a tune about that focuses on the celebration of life… taking a break from the problems of life. Leaving the problems and situations at the door and coming in to move their bodies and dance with other people like themselves.
Furthermore, Mary talks about not needing any haters, loving one another and having a good time. She urges her people to work hard and make money. She’s going to have fun with them irrespective of who they are as long as they leave the problems outside. And this is what Mary J Blige’s “Family Affairs” is all about.
Writing Credits for “Family Affair”
Mary penned this classic with the legendary hip hop music producer Dr. Dre. In writing this song, the pair worked with the following songwriters: Bruce Miller, Camara Kambon and Mike Elizondo. Dr. Dre also handled the production of “Family Affair”. He produced it all by himself.
Release Date of “Family Affair”
“Family Affair” was released by MCA Records on the 12th day of June, 2001. It was the first single that Mary released from her fifth studio album (No More Drama).
Usage in Movies and TV Shows
This hit has appeared in multiple films and TV series. For example it was used in the 2002 comedy film Friday After Next. Another of this song’s notable appearance was in “Johnny Cakes” (which is the title of an episode from the hit TV series The Sopranos).
Did “Family Affair” win a Grammy?
No. However, it earned a Grammy nomination at the 44th Grammy Awards. It was nominated in the category of the “Best Female R&B Vocal Performance”. Mary J. lost that award to Alicia Keys’ “Fallin’“.
The “No More Drama” Album
Mary had “No More Drama” released on August 28 of 2001 as her 5th studio album.
The album produced the hit song of the same name, “No More Drama”. It was produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
“No More Drama”'(the album) was released through MCA Records, an American record label owned by Universal Music Group.
294,000 copies of the album were sold in the US within the first seven days of its release. By August of 2003, over 1.1 million copies of the album’s special edition which was released in 2002 and 1.9 million copies of the standard edition had been sold in the US.
It has been certified 2× Platinum in the US, 2× Platinum in Canada, Platinum in the UK and Platinum in Switzerland. It qualified for Gold certifications in France, Japan, Netherlands and South Africa.
In 2002, “No More Drama” won Mary nominations for the following Grammy Awards. She lost the said award on the night.
