"Everything's Gonna Be Alright" is the second single released from American hip hop group Naughty by Nature's self-titled second album. The song is titled "Ghetto Bastard" on uncensored versions of the eponymous album. While not as successful as their previous single, " O.P.P.", "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" managed to make it to 53 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and 9 on the

Hot Rap Singles Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by '' Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stat ...

. The song would later appear on both of the group's compilation albums, 1999's '' Nature's Finest: Naughty by Nature's Greatest Hits'' and 2003's '' Greatest Hits: Naughty's Nicest''. It was rerecorded for the 2011 release, ''

Anthem Inc. Elevance Health, Inc. is an American health insurance provider. The company's services include medical, pharmaceutical, dental, behavioral health, long-term care, and disability plans through affiliated companies such as Anthem Blue Cross and ...

'' The song's chorus is derived from

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

's "

No Woman, No Cry "No Woman, No Cry" is a reggae song by Bob Marley and the Wailers. The song was recorded in 1974 and released on the studio album ''Natty Dread''. The live recording of this song from the 1975 album '' Live!'' was released as a single and is ...

". The bass line in the song "

Holy Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

" by

Justin Bieber Justin Drew Bieber ( ; born March 1, 1994) is a Canadian singer. Bieber is recognized for his genre-melding musicianship and has played an influential role in modern-day popular music. He was discovered by American record executive Scooter ...

is almost identical to the one in this song.

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

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'' wrote, "Follow-up to platinum single "O.P.P." is not as light and fluffy, though it will establish rap act as lyricists to be reckoned with. Story lines about surviving fatherless homes seem to be all the rage at the moment. Here, topic is handled with an intelligent and optimistic hand." A reviewer from ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' noted that the "talented rap crew" had replaced the

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

beat of the

song with a modern

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groove, complimenting it as "easy programmable."

Retrospective response

Jesse Ducker from Albumism said in his 2021 retrospective review of the '' Naughty by Nature'' album, that "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" is "the stronger and more incisive recording predecessor.html" ;"title="O.P.P._(song).html" ;"title="han its O.P.P. (song)">predecessor">O.P.P._(song).html" ;"title="han its O.P.P. (song)">predecessor" He described it as "unremittingly bleak", adding, "I can think of few songs that are better at presenting a first-person account of despair and poverty." Jean Rosenbluth from ''Los Angeles Times'' wrote that in the "bittersweet" song, the group delivered "an astonishingly powerful song (melody and all)" that is second in life-in-the-ghetto resonance only to the Geto Boys' "Mind Playing Tricks on Me".

Music video

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

was produced to promote the single, featuring the band rapping as they walk on sidewalks throughout the inner city. While hanging out they chase away a drug dealer and scare him with a machete. The video was later published on

Tommy Boy Records Tommy Boy Entertainment is an American independent record label and multimedia brand founded in 1981 by Tom Silverman. The label is credited with helping and launching the music careers of Queen Latifah, Afrika Bambaataa, Stetsasonic, Digital U ...

' official

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channel in June 2018. It has amassed more than 2,8 million views as of October 2021.

Single track listing

A-Side

#"Everything's Gonna Be Alright" (LP Version)- 4:51 #"Everything's Gonna Be Alright" (Radio Mix)- 4:14

B-Side

#"O.P.P." (Live)- 6:15 #"Everything's Gonna Be Alright" (Everything's OK)- 4:50 #"Everything's Gonna Be Alright" (Everything's OK Instrumental)- 4:14

Charts

References

{{authority control 1991 singles Naughty by Nature songs 1991 songs Tommy Boy Records singles Songs written by Treach Songs written by KayGee Songs written by Vin Rock Song recordings produced by Naughty by Nature