Family Affair

Album

Brand New Day

Label

MCA Records

Genre

Hip hop

Duration

4:00

Composer(s)

Mary J. Blige;Andre Young;Bruce Miller;Camara Kambon;Michael Elizondo

Entered Chart

Jul 28, 2001

Peak Date

Nov 3, 2001

Released

July 24, 2001

Recorded

Studio Record One (Sherman Oaks, California) Quad (Manhattan, New York)

Catalog #

MCA 155894

B-Side

Checkin' for Me

The title never appears in the lyric - you know it by the opening chorus lines: Let's get it crunk, we gon' have fun Up on up in this dancerie That and the line, "Mary J. is in the spot tonight." Mary J. Blige's mentor, Sean Combs, referred to his crew as "The Family," and using such a benign title helped earn the song airplay on adult-skewing radio stations that might balk at a song about getting crunk on the dance floor. That title is also a proven winner from a previous generation: Sly & the Family Stone had a #1 hit in 1971 with their "Family Affair." Dr. Dre produced this track. In the '90s, he was known as the architect of G-Funk, but in 2001, he proved he could do dance music as well. That year, he also worked on "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" by Eve. Dre worked remotely with Blige because at the time he was busy filming the movie Training Day. Mary J. Blige had already landed three #1 hits on the R&B chart, but "Family Affair" was her first #1 on the Hot 100 (the song also topped the R&B chart, giving Blige her fourth #1 on that tally). It went to the top on November 3, 2001 and stayed for six weeks. According to Billboard, Blige didn't usually look at the charts, but when the song remained at the summit for a sixth week she checked the tally for the first time and said, "Whoa, this is really real!" The music for the song was originally created during a jam session between producer Dr. Dre and musicians Camara Kambon, Mel-Man and Michael Elizondo. It was just a skeleton of an idea and was originally earmarked for the rapper Rakim. Blige got to hear the demo and decided she wanted to write something to it, so together with her brother Bruce Miller, Asiah The Continent and Luchi Lodge, they contributed the lyrics and melody. Dr. Dre thought the song about cutting loose on the dance floor needed a bit more depth and asked Blige to write a bridge. "That's the most spiritual part of the song," Blige told Billboard magazine, "because it's saying we don't need haters, we're just trying to love one another: We're here on this Earth together and we have to get along, so please leave your problems outside and try to make it work." This was used in the 2002 comedies Friday After Next, starring Ice Cube, and Undercover Brother, starring Eddie Griffin. It was also featured on The Sopranos in the Season 6 episode "Johnny Cakes." This song introduced the words dancerie, hateration, and holleration into the lexicon. Here are our translations: Dancerie: A dance club Hateration: The act of hating on someone or something Holleration: The act of hollering in a belligerent fashion These all come together in one line: "Don't need no hateration, holleration in this dancerie." Blige performed this at the 2012 Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. Blige, who struggled with a drug and alcohol addiction throughout most of her career, wondered if the clubbing song made her an irresponsible role model. "One reason I turned my life around is that I realized millions of fans were following my example. I don't want to be responsible for killing us. I want to be responsible for uplifting us. In the song 'Family Affair,' I sing about getting drunk," she told Oprah in an O Magazine interview. "When some people hear those lyrics, they use it as a reason to have another shot of liquor. Later I thought, 'Should I take the word drunk out of that record?' Music has power." For many, this was the first time they heard the word "crunk" ("Let's get it crunk, we gonna' have fun..."). The word means "crazy drunk" and was also a new form of music popularized by Lil' Jon that blew up the following year with the song "Get Low." Blige sang "Family Affair" at the Super Bowl halftime show in 2022, where Dr. Dre also performed. She then went into another one of her big hits, "No More Drama."

Let's get it crunk up on
Have fun up on, up in this dancery
We got ya'll open, now ya floatin'
So you gots to dance for me
Don't need no hateration
Holleration in this dancery
Let's get it percolatin', while you're waitin'
So just dance for me

Come on, everybody get on up
'Cause you know we gots to get it crunk
Mary J. is in the spot tonight
And I'ma make it feel alright (make it feel alright)
Come on baby, just, party with me
Let loose and set your body free (oh)
Leave your situations at the door
So when you step inside jump on the floor

Let's get it crunk up on (let's get crunk up on)
Have fun up on, up in this dancery
We got ya'll open, now ya floatin'
So you gots to dance for me (gots to dance for me)
Don't need no hateration
Holleration in this dancery (holler, holler, holler)
Let's get it percolatin', while you're waitin'
So just dance for me

Ooh, it's only gonna be about a matter of time
Before you get loose and start lose your mind
Cop you a drink, go head and rock your ice
'Cause we celebratin' no more drama in our life
With the Dre track pumpin', everybody's jumpin'
Go ahead and twist your back and get your body bumpin'
I told you, "Leave your situations at the door"
So grab somebody and get your ass on the dance floor

Let's get it crunk up on
Have fun up on, up in this dancery (in this dancery)
We got ya'll open, now ya floatin'
So you gots to dance for me (and you gots to dance for me)
Don't need no hateration
Holleration in this dancery
Let's get it percolatin', while you're waitin'
So just dance for me

We don't need no haters (y'all we don't need 'em, no)
We're just tryin' to love one another (love)
We just want y'all have a good time (mm-hmm)
No more drama in your life (mm-mm, no)
Work real hard to make a dime
If you got beef, your problem, not mine (yeah, not mine)
Leave all that B-S outside
We're gonna celebrate all night (all night)
Let's have fun, tonight, no fights
Turn that Dre track way up high (turn it up, turn it up)
Makin' you dance all night and I (all night long)
Got some real heat for ya this time (real heat for ya)
Doesn't matter if you're white or black (doesn't matter, doesn't matter)
Let's get crunk 'cause Mary's back

Let's get it crunk up on (let's get it crunk up on )
Have fun up on, up in this dancery (in this dancery, hey)
We got ya'll open, now ya floatin'
So you gots to dance for me (so you gotta dance for me)
Don't need no hateration (dance for me)
Holleration in this dancery (dance for me)
Let's get it percolatin', while you're waitin' (let's get it, let's get it, let's get it)
So just dance for me

Let's get it crunk up on (dance for me)
Have fun up on, up in this dancery (let's get crunk up on)
We got ya open, now ya floatin' (all I want y'all to do)
So you gots to dance for me (is just dance, just dance)
Don't need no hateration (come on, come on)
Holleration in this dancery (come on, come on, come on, come on)
Let's get it percolatin', while you're waitin'
So just dance for me

Let's get it crunk up on
Have fun up on, up in this dancery (oh, yeah)
We got ya'll open, now ya floatin'
So you gots to dance for me (you gotta dance for me)
Don't need no hateration (just dance for me)
Holleration in this dancery (just dance for me)
Let's get it percolatin', while you're waitin' (dance for me, dance for me)
So just dance for me (dance for me, yeah)

Let's get it crunk up on (dance for me)
Have fun up on, up in this dancery (come on y'all dance)
We got ya open, now ya floatin' (dance, dance, dance, dance, dance, oh)
So you gots to dance for me
Don't need no hateration
Holleration in this dancery (we don't need no haters, we just want y'all to holla)
Let's get it percolatin', while you're waitin' (holla if you hear me, get it percolatin')
So just dance for me (yeah)