Upon the release of her 2001 album, fittingly titled “No More Drama,” Mary J. Blige had been crafting music about loss, trauma, and toxic relationships for nearly a decade, per udiscovermusic. However, in the lead single from “No More Drama,” “Family Affair,” Blige wanted to simply dance the drama and pain away. You’ll hear this call for fun in Blige’s playful lyrics and dance-ready beats laid down on the track by Dr. Dre. “Come on baby, just, party with me. Let loose and set your body free. Leave your situations at the door. So when you step inside jump on the floor,” Blige sings in “Family Affair,” according to Genius. Over two decades since its release, “Family Affair” still remains one of the most popular songs to play in the club — and for good reason.
Far away from the club, Blige recently revealed to Elle that she is considering bringing “Family Affair” to the stage at the Super Bowl halftime show. Blige feels like this song might be the perfect pick to perform at the halftime show, given the fact that hip hop is more of a “Family Affair” than other genres of music, in her opinion. “We are the culture; [hip-hop artists] give people a way to speak,” Blige told Elle. We give people a way to walk. We give people a way to talk. We give people a way to think. That’s what hip-hop and hip-hop soul have done for our culture since [the beginning].”
