The single topped the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks starting from November 3, 2001, becoming Blige's first and only Hot 100 number-one single as well as her first top-10 single in five years. It was the 12th-biggest song of the 2000s decade in the US and the 99th-biggest song of all-time in the country as of 2018. Rolling Stone ranked it number 95 on their list of 100 Best Songs of the 2000s decade.[4] Outside the United States, the song reached number one in France and the top 10 in 14 additional countries across Europe and Oceania, peaking at number two on the Eurochart Hot 100.
Dr. 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.[5] His studio engineers entitled this version of the song "Fragile" for record-keeping purposes.[5] Near the end of 2000, he sent Blige the instrumental track.[5]
Blige recorded vocals over the music based on lyrics penned by Miller, Kambon and Elizondo.[5] 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".[5] In late May or early June 2001, at Dr. Dre's suggestion, Blige added a bridge to the song, for which she alone crafted the lyrics.[5] A remix featuring rappers Jadakiss and Fabolous appears on the US CD single.[6]
Sheet music for "Family Affair" sets the key of G♯ minor with a moderate tempo of 94 beats per minute. The song follows a chord progression C♯m–G♯m7–C♯m–G♯m7, and the vocals span from G♯3 to B4.[7]
"Family Affair" received critical acclaim. Alexis Petridis from The Guardian declared the song one "of the all-time great pop-R&B party bangers. Everything about "Family Affair" is perfection: Dr Dre’s simple but devastatingly effective production; Blige’s economical, understated vocal; the fact that every melody line sounds like a hook."[8]Billboard critic Chuck Taylor called "Family Affair" a "finger-poppin' jam" as well as a "smash waiting to happen." He found that "[Blige] sashays over Dr. Dre's muscular funk groove with notable confident ease. She's not even breaking a sweat by screaming big, overblown notes; rather she opts for an authoratative, guttural growl that is countered by layers of sleek, deep-voiced harmonies."[9] Sal Cinquemani, writing for Slant Magazine, remarked that "the song is the latest in a recent slew of club-ready superstar anthems, celebrating the joy and unity of dance. “Let’s get crunk ‘cause Mary’s back,” she sings. Mary’s back, indeed, in full form for the first time since 1997’s Share My World."[10]
Da'Shan Smith from uDiscoverMusic found that "Family Affair "was a "reminder that [Blige] could still get down" and that "she started a new era that summer by inviting fans to her dancerie and reminding them they "don’t need no hateration, holleration," over Dr. Dre’s G-Funk production."[11]Stereogum editor Tom Breihan noted that Dr. Dre's "beat is an absolute product of its time, and it also sounds like it’s always existed. The track hits hard, all churning strings and booming drum-sounds and the staccato pianos that Dre loved at the time. It sounds expensive and somehow warlike — the type of thing that should soundtrack a movie scene of military forces mobilizing. In its majestic stomp, “Family Affair” sounds vaguely stressful."[12]Entertainment Weekly's Craig Seymour wrote: "Lyrically, the song celebrates such party virtues as dressing up and hitting the dance floor. But Blige’s bluesy vocal grit adds depth to the track, hinting at the everyday hardships that make partying so rejuvenating and worthwhile."[13]BET.com wrote of the song: "This momentous Dr. Dre-produced banger may have been the first time that Mary really let her hair down and just had fun (you'd have to be having fun to come up with words like "dancery" and "hateration")."[14]Vibe found that "Family Affair" combines a "funky mix of R&B and hip-hop as well as some interesting vocabulary with listeners being told about a “dancery” where “holleration” and “hateration” would not be tolerated."[15]
The accompanying music video was directed by Dave Meyers.[citation needed] The video begins with Blige at a nightclub, wearing skin-revealing outfits. The video was filmed at the nightclub in 2001.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^Rolling Stone Staff (June 17, 2011). "100 Best Songs of the 2000s". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 4, 2022. The self-proclaimed (and universally recognized) Queen of Hip-Hop Soul delivers a perfect dance song about the spiritual bliss of perfect dance songs.
^Family Affair (US 12-inch single vinyl disc). Mary J. Blige. MCA Records. 2001. 088 155 859-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Family Affair (UK CD single liner notes). Mary J. Blige. MCA Records. 2001. MCSTD 40267, 155 889-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Family Affair (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Mary J. Blige. MCA Records. 2001. MCST 40267, 155 889-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Family Affair (UK cassette single sleeve). Mary J. Blige. MCA Records. 2001. MCSC 40267, 155 888-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Family Affair (European CD single liner notes). Mary J. Blige. MCA Records. 2001. 155 862-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Family Affair (Australasian CD single liner notes). Mary J. Blige. MCA Records. 2001. 155 863-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Family Affair (Japanese CD single liner notes). Mary J. Blige. MCA Records. 2001. UICC-5005.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^No More Drama (US CD album booklet). Mary J. Blige. MCA Records. 2001. 088 112 616-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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