"Hold It Don't Drop It" is a song recorded by American singer
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...
for her sixth studio album, ''
Brave'' (2007). It was written by
Kevin "Dirty Swift" Risto,
Waynne "Bruce Wayyne" Nugent, Lopez, Allen Phillip Lees, Tawanna Dabney (a.k.a. Frankie Storm), Janet Sewell, Cynthia Lissette,
Dennis Lambert
Dennis Earle Lambert (born 1947 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American musician, songwriter and record producer.
Career
Lambert began his music career in 1960 when he signed to Capitol Records as a recording artist. By the mid-1960s, he was w ...
, and
Brian Potter. Originally planned to be released as the first single from the album, it was released as the second single on October 26, 2007.
Background and release
On July 28, 2007, it was announced that "Hold It Don't Drop It" would be released as the lead single from her then-upcoming sixth studio album, ''
Brave'' (2007). It was also confirmed that she would perform the song live on
Fashion Rocks
Fashion Rocks is an annual international charity fundraiser event, which features fashions by the world's top designers presented as live performances by popular music acts.
Fashion Rocks Worldwide is the owner of the intellectual property rights ...
on September 7. Two days later, it was announced that the single would be released on October 1 in the United Kingdom. On August 7, it was revealed that "Hold It Don't Drop It" would be released alongside "
Do It Well
"Do It Well" (also known as "Doin' It Well") is a song recorded by American singer Jennifer Lopez for her sixth studio album, ''Brave (Jennifer Lopez album), Brave'' (2007). It was written by Ryan Tedder, Leonard Caston, Jr., Leonard Caston, Ani ...
" as a double single. "Do It Well" was ultimately released as the sole lead single from the album and "Hold It Don't Drop It" was chosen to be released as the second single in select countries. It was sent to
contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...
in Russia on October 26, 2007.
Composition
"Hold It Don't Drop It" is a
disco
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
song with a running length of three minutes and fifty-five seconds (3:55).
[ It was written by Kevin Risto, Waynne Nugent, Jennifer Lopez, Allen Phillip Lees, Tawanna Dabney, Janet Sewell, Cynthia Lissette and it samples the bassline from ]Tavares
Tavares may refer to:
Places Brazil
*Tavares, Paraíba
*Tavares, Rio Grande do Sul
*Rodovia Raposo Tavares, the longest highway in São Paulo
*Tavares Bastos (favela), a favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
*Tavares River
Jamaica
*Tavares Garden ...
' 1975 hit "It Only Takes a Minute
"It Only Takes a Minute" is a 1975 song by American soul/ R&B group Tavares, released as the first single from their third album, '' In the City'' (1975). The song was the group's only top-10 pop hit in the United States, peaking at number 10, a ...
" written by Dennis Lambert
Dennis Earle Lambert (born 1947 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American musician, songwriter and record producer.
Career
Lambert began his music career in 1960 when he signed to Capitol Records as a recording artist. By the mid-1960s, he was w ...
and Brian Potter.
Reception
Critical response
"Hold It Don't Drop It" received generally positive reviews from critics. Nick Levine of Digital Spy
Digital Spy (DS) is a British-based entertainment, television and film website and brand and is the largest digital property at Hearst UK. Since its launch in 1999, Digital Spy has focused on entertainment news related to television programmes, ...
awarded the song four out of five stars, calling the song one of "the most lusty, persuasive vocals of her career" as well as noting its effect to be "bold, brash and sassy". Slant Magazine
''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...
's Eric Henderson said, "the song thrashes your body mercilessly the first time, tickles your ears the second time, and compels you to track down that old "It Only Takes a Minute" vinyl by the third or fourth." Mike Joseph of PopMatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
noted that the song included "sizable chunks" from "It Only Takes a Minute". Later, Slant Magazine named "Hold It Don't Drop It" the thirty-fifth best song of 2007, praising "a surprisingly agile vocal performance from La Lopez, making it the singer's best single in years".
Commercial performance
"Hold It Don't Drop It" debuted at number 22 on the ''Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' Hot Dance Club Play
Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as t ...
chart on the week of September 22, 2007, as the "Hot Shot Debut".
Music video
The video was shot on November 16, 2007 and directed by Melina Matsoukas
Melina Matsoukas (born January 14, 1981) is an American music video, film, commercial and television director. She is a two-time Grammy Award winner and four-time MTV Video Music Awards winner for her "We Found Love" and "Formation" music video ...
. It was premiered December 4, 2007 on MTV Europe
MTV Global (formerly as MTV Europe) is the international version of the American TV channel MTV, a 24-hour music and entertainment TV channel that began broadcasting on August 1, 1987, as part of the worldwide MTV network.
Initially, MTV serve ...
and MTV Turkey
MTV Türkiye was a Turkish pay-television channel owned by Viacom. It launched on October 23, 2006.
History
Launch
MTV Türkiye's opening party was held on 17 November 2006 in Istanbul, with a Pussycat Dolls performance. It was officially laun ...
. Lopez was pregnant when the video was filmed.
In the video, Lopez starts off by dancing in a spotlight wearing a hat, flipping between close-ups of her face and of her sitting on top of a giant silver disco ball
A disco ball (also known as a mirror ball or glitter ball) is a roughly spherical object that reflects light directed at it in many directions, producing a complex display. Its surface consists of hundreds or thousands of facets, nearly all of ...
. Lopez is then standing with a microphone stand in a white room on podiums with three male back-up dancers in suits lined behind her. When the chorus lines kick in, the lights above and below the soundstage
A sound stage (also written soundstage) is a soundproof, large structure, building, or room with large doors and high ceilings, used for the production of theatrical film-making and television productions, usually located on a secured movie or ...
flash and when Lopez is singing, she occasionally picks up the mic stand to sing into it and waves it above her head. There are also scenes of her singing in the spotlight into a mic hanging down and of Lopez sitting on a white chair facing away from camera.
Track listings
Charts
Release history
See also
* List of number-one dance singles of 2007 (U.S.)
References
{{authority control
2007 songs
2008 singles
Disco songs
Funk songs
Jennifer Lopez songs
Music videos directed by Melina Matsoukas
Songs written by Jennifer Lopez
Songs written by Brian Potter (musician)
Song recordings produced by Cory Rooney
Songs written by Dennis Lambert
2007 singles