Jenny from the block

Jenny from the block
Jennifer Lopez feat. Jadakiss and Styles P.
publication	September 26, 2002
length	3:08
Genre (s)	R&B , hip-hop
Author (s)	Jennifer Lopez, Troy Oliver, Andre Deyo, Trackmasters (Jean-Claude Olivier and Samuel Barnes), Jose Fernando Arbex Miro, Lawrence Parker, Scott Sterling, Michael Oliver, Styles P , Jadakiss
album	This Is Me ... Then
Cover version
2013	Becky G : Becky from the Block

Jenny from the Block is a song by the American singer Jennifer Lopez . The song was written by Lopez, Jadakiss , Styles P , Troy Oliver, Andre Deyo, Trackmasters, Jose Fernando Arbex Miro, Lawrence Parker, Scott La Rock and Michael Oliver for their second studio album This Is Me… Then and released as their first single . The song was produced by Cory Rooney, Trackmasters and Troy Oliver. It contains numerous samples , including Heaven and Hell Is on Earth by the 20th Century Steel Band and South Bronx by Boogie Down Productions . A sample from Watch Out Now by The Beatnuts , who later attacked Epic Records and Lopez in the track Confused Rappers , was not given .

Musically, the song can be assigned to contemporary R&B and hip-hop . The text is about the fact that, despite her great success and wealth, Jennifer Lopez still stayed the same and has not forgotten where she comes from, namely from the Bronx . Jenny from the Block received mixed reception from critics. The song was internationally successful and reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 .

background

Jennifer Lopez in 2004, two years after the song was released

The album This Is Me ... Then was originally announced for December 2002. But a radio station in Hartford , Connecticut played the song Jenny from the Block with guest stars Jadakiss and Styles P. even before the official release and passed the song on to the Infinity Broadcasting Corporation . Therefore Lopez and her record company Epic Records preferred the release on November 26th. On this album, Lopez had more creative control than on her previous albums On the 6 (1999) and J.Lo (2001). The album also presented a more mature R&B sound than their previous releases. Most of the songs were about her relationship with Ben Affleck , the album itself was, according to the media, a declaration of love to the actor. Lopez later also confirmed that a number of the songs on the album were about her living conditions at the time and Affleck was a big part of it. This orientation did not meet with love from all critics. The Guardian described the album as "annoying".

During the production of the album, Affleck and Lopez were a prominent couple courted by the media but also chased by the paparazzi . Occasionally the couple was referred to as "Bennifer". This fact bothered the couple, but they tried to deal with it relaxed and to use the attention to their advantage. In fact, the couple have also been showered with ridicule and scorn, and overreporting has had a negative impact on both careers.

Music and lyrics

Castle Hill, where Lopez grew up

Jenny from the Block is an up-tempo contemporary R&B song with elements from old school hip hop . It has a length of 3:08 minutes. It was written by Lopez, Jadakiss and Styles P (then known as The Lox ), Troy Oliver, Andre Deyo, Trackmasters, Jose Fernando Arbex Miro, Lawrence Parker and Michael Oliver. It was produced by Cory Rooney, Oliver and the Trackmasters. The song begins with the sample "Children grow and women producing, men go working, some go stealing, everyone's got to make a living" (Eng. "Children grow up, women create them, men go to work, some steal, everyone tries to." survival ”) from the song Heaven and Hell Is on Earth by the 20th Century Steel Band. The sample is very popular in modern hip-hop and has also been used by Salt-n-Pepa , Lauryn Hill and the Black Eyed Peas . It comes from the compilation Ultimate Breaks and Beats , which is often used in the hip-hop scene and, like the text, is supposed to show Lopez's roots. Another sample comes from Boogie Down Productions ' South Bronx (1987) and Enoch Light and the Light Brigades' interpretation of Herbie Mann's Hi-Jack . The sample was taken from The Beatnuts Watch Out Now from the album A Musical Massacre (1999). Lopez did not give the sample. The Beatnuts later complained that the entire song idea had been stolen from Lopez and that Jenny from the Block was actually instrumental in a typical Beanuts song. Andre Deyo, the song's main songwriter, later defended himself in an e-book called Jenny & Becky from the Block explaining how he would have written the song and how each line came about.

The song is about the fact that Lopez remains true to her roots despite her immense success and the wealth that has been generated with it and still remains the "from the block" girl she once was. Lopez is saying that success hasn't changed her.

reception

Lopez with Jenny from the Block on the Dance Again World Tour in Paris on October 16, 2012

The song was received mostly negatively by the critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic rated the song negatively and described the lyrics as "laughable" and the song as "silly". Sal Cinquemani, on the other hand, described the song as a catchy tune and a collection of samples that should prove that Lopez is still the little Jenny from the block. Jon Caramanica of The Village Voice described the song as a continuation of their songs I'm Real from the album J.Lo and I'm Gonna Be Alright . It is a desperate attempt to be authentic while stealing the best samples from artists like Boogie Down Productions and The Beatnuts. It doesn't seem to matter that Styles P and Jadakiss actually come from Yonkers and not from the Bronx or that the most honest thing about the video is actually Ben Affleck. Yahoo Music's James Poletti also rated the track negatively. AOL Radio's Matthew Wilkening included the song in a list of the Top 100 Worst Songs of All Time.

In a review of the album on Laut.de, Dorothee von Peterffy described the song as follows:

"All I Have" with LL Cool J , the upcoming single, and "Jenny From The Block" with Styles and Jadakiss, the current release, are characteristic of Jennifer Lopez's new record . Both songs are heavily hip-hop and R'n'B-heavy. The tracks go off to a certain extent - at least that's what you think at the beginning - but they quickly lose their momentum due to boring choruses. At least the melodies catch your ear. "

- Dorothee von Peterffy : Laut.de

Commercial win

On October 12, 2002, the song debuted at number 67 on the Billboard Hot 100 . On December 7th, the song reached number 3, its best placement on the Billboard Hot 100. In Switzerland, Jenny from the Block reached number 4, and the song was also awarded gold there. In the UK, the song also reached number 3 on the charts. In Germany it reached number 7 and in Austria number 7 on the official single charts. In Canada, Jenny from the Block became Jennifer Lopez's third consecutive number one hit after If You Had My Love (1999) and Love Don't Cost a Thing (2001).

Charts

Chart (2003)	Top ranking
Germany	7th
Austria	7th
Switzerland	4th
United Kingdom	3
United States	3
US Billboard Pop Songs	2
US Billboard Radio Songs	3
US Billboard Hot Rhythmic Songs	3

Sales figures and awards

Country / Region	Award	Sales
Awards for music sales (country / region, Award, Sales)
Australia (ARIA)	platinum	70,000
Belgium (BEA)	gold	25,000
France (SNEP)	gold	250,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)	gold	5,000
Norway (IFPI)	platinum	10,000
Switzerland (IFPI)	gold	25,000
United Kingdom (BPI)	silver	200,000
All in all	1 × silver 4 × gold 2 × platinum	585,000

Main article: Jennifer Lopez / Music Sales Awards

Music video

Origin and content

The director of the video was Francis Lawrence . The video shows how the media invaded Lopez's life, especially during the relationship with Ben Affleck , who is also featured in the video. The video was filmed in various US cities from October 1st through October 24th. It premiered on November 5, 2002 on MTV's Total Request Live .

The video shows recordings from the couple's private life, filmed through the eye of a surveillance camera or from the field of view of supposed paparazzi. Affleck and Lopez discover the paparazzi and are annoyed. You can also see Lopez through an apartment window dancing "unobserved" to an MP3 player . Several appearances by Lopez were cut in between, for example on the streets of New York with Jadakiss and Styles P together. A second version of the video was released without the appearances and rap passages by Styles P and Jadakiss . Instead, Lopez and a band can be seen through a surveillance camera performing to the chorus of Loving You . When they notice the paparazzo there is a cut back to the original video.

controversy

After breaking up with her fiancé, Lopez tried to prevent the video from being broadcast on VH1 and MTV. Ben Affleck later described the video as a mistake. He'd come across like a crude, irritable fool in it. Some media mentions that the video almost ruined Affleck's career. Justine Ashley Costanza of the International Business Times named the video one of the five " trashiest " of all time.

Cover versions and other uses

In fact, the title of the song became a nickname for Lopez, which is still used by various journalists. There is an allusion to this name cult in an episode of American Dad . A figure similar to her is introduced as "Jenny Fromdabloc".

A cover version of Becky G titled Becky from the Block was released in 2013. The video for this was filmed on March 6, 2013 in Los Angeles and had its premiere on Vevo on April 8, 2013. Lopez and Casper Smart had a cameo at the end of the video. In addition, some passages and a sample of the original video have been taken over. The text is a parody . The rapper Sido quoted the song in the track Sido aus'm Block on his album Maske .

On August 24, 2013 Taylor Swift performed with Lopez as a surprise guest with this song on their tour.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Chart positions by Jennifer Lopez. Billboard.com , accessed November 23, 2014 . 
2. ↑ Corey Moss: J. Lo Sets Release Date For LP After Song Leaks Out . MTV News ( Viacom ). September 27, 2002. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
3. ↑ J-Lo disc declares her love . In: The Age , theage.com.au, November 27, 2002. Retrieved January 29, 2012. 
4. ↑ ^{a b} Jennifer Lopez Feels Ben Affleck's Love, Sports Big Pink Rock To Prove It . VH1 . Retrieved February 20, 2012.
5. ↑ Betty Clarke: CD: Jennifer Lopez: This Is Me ... Then | Culture , The Guardian. November 29, 2002. Retrieved March 30, 2012. 
6. ↑ Top Celebrity Super Couples of All Time . Comcast / Comcast Interactive Media . 2009. Retrieved December 5, 2009.
7. ^ Liane Bonin: Pot Pan's Kettle. Madonna calls J. Lo overexposed. The Material Girl says Bennifer could have avoided the media meltdown that postponed their wedding , Entertainment Weekly . October 31, 2003. Retrieved July 6, 2009. 
8. ↑ Stephen M. Silverman: Overexposed? Is There Too Much J.Lo? . In: People , December 9, 2002. Retrieved July 6, 2009. 
9. ↑ Shyam Dodge: She's back! Jenny From The Block is resurrected as Jennifer Lopez appears in new Becky G tribute video . In: Daily Mail , April 9, 2013. 
10. ↑ ^{a b c} Jennifer Lopez: Liner Notes for This Is Me ... Then . Ed .: Epic Records . 2003.
11. ↑ ^{a b c} This is Me ... Then Slant Review Slant Retrieved November 25, 2010
12. ↑ Tim Perlich: The Beatnuts | NOW Magazine . Nowtoronto.com. February 11, 2009. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
13. ^ Jenny and Becky from the Block on iTunes
14. ↑ J-Lo disc declares her love . In: The Age , ( Fairfax Media ), November 27, 2002. Retrieved November 9, 2012. 
15. ↑ This is Me ... Then Entertainment Weekly Review , entertainment Weekly , accessed November 25, 2010
16. ↑ This Is Me Then on Allmusic (English). Retrieved November 24, 2014.
17. ↑ This is Me ... Then . The Village Voice's Review. Village Voice. Retrieved November 25, 2010.
18. ↑ This is Me ... Then Yahoo Review Yahoo Retrieved November 25, 2010
19. ↑ Wilkening, Matthew: 100 Worst Songs Ever . AOL radio. September 11, 2010. Retrieved December 19, 2010.
20. ↑ Dorothee von Peterffy: Latin Queen on the wrong track. Laut.de , accessed on November 24, 2014 . 
21. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/2002-12-07
22. ↑ http://hitparade.ch/song/Jennifer-Lopez-feat.-Jadakiss-and-Styles/Jenny-From-The-Block-5399
23. ↑ http://hitparade.ch/awards.asp?year=2002
24. ↑ http://www.officialcharts.com/archive-chart/_/1/2002-11-30/
25. ↑ Jennifer Lopez - Chart Tracking. (No longer available online.) Musicline.de, archived from the original on November 29, 2014 ; Retrieved November 24, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
26. ↑ Chart following Jennifer Lopez. austriancharts.at, accessed on November 24, 2014 . 
27. ↑ Jennifer Lopez Chart History: Latin Pop Songs. Retrieved April 21, 2015 . 
28. ↑ Jennifer Lopez Chart History: Radio Songs. Retrieved April 21, 2015 . 
29. ↑ Jennifer Lopez Chart History: Hot Rhythmic Songs. Retrieved April 21, 2015 . 
30. ↑ Video: Jennifer Lopez - Waiting for Tonight . In: MTV . Viacom. February 13, 2007. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
31. ↑ Melissa Ng: The price of fame and fortune , Pqasb.pqarchiver.com. January 10, 2003. Retrieved November 10, 2012. 
32. Jump up ↑ Dance Again ... the Hits . In: DVD . Epic Records , 2012.
33. ↑ October 10, 2004 7:05:03 AM UTC: J.Lo's video 'Block' . TeenMusic.com. October 10, 2004. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
34. ↑ Loading ...: Ben Affleck: 'Jenny From The Block Video Nearly Ended My Career' - Celebrity Gossip, News & Photos, Movie Reviews, Competitions . Entertainmentwise. May 12, 2008. Archived from the original on April 9, 2011. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 5, 2012. 
35. ↑ Jennifer Lopez's 'Dance Again' Video Stirs Controversy: Her Five Trashiest Videos . Ibtimes.com. April 9, 2012. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
36. ↑ Jennifer Lopez's New Video 'I'm Into You': Watch . HispanicBusiness.com. May 3, 2011. Archived from the original on January 3, 2013. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 5, 2012. 
37. ↑ Throwback Track: Jennifer Lopez is Still 'Jenny From the Block' - on . Desihits.com. August 9, 2011. Archived from the original on August 11, 2011. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved May 5, 2012. 
38. Jump up ↑ American Dad, season 7, episode 16
39. ↑ Shyam Dodge: She's back! Jenny From The Block is resurrected as Jennifer Lopez appears in new Becky G tribute video . In: DailyMail , April 9, 2013. 
40. ↑ Jake Updegraff: Jennifer Lopez & Casper Smart Make Cameos In 'Becky from the Block' Music Video . In: RyanSeacrest.com . Retrieved April 9, 2013.
41. ↑ Sido : mask X . Aggro Berlin , 2005.
42. ↑ Miriam Coleman: Taylor Swift Sings "Jenny From the Block" With Jennifer Lopez. August 25, 2013. Retrieved November 24, 2014 .