"Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" is the debut single by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

girl group A girl group is a music act featuring two or more women in music, female singers who generally vocal harmony, harmonize together. The term "girl group" is also used in a narrower sense in the United States to denote the wave of American female p ...

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...

, from their debut album, '' Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip'' (1992). It was released by

LaFace Records LaFace Records was an American record label based in Atlanta, Georgia, that operated as a unit of Sony Music Entertainment from 2008 to 2011 and was historically a part of Bertelsmann Music Group from 1989 to 2004. It was most active and achiev ...

on November 22, 1991 (promo) and late January 1992 (retail). The song would ultimately peak at number six on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number two on Billboard's

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

. The single also reached the top 20 in the UK Singles Chart. The song describes the group explaining that they don't mind begging for attention from their significant others. Songwriters

Dallas Austin Dallas L. Austin (born December 29, 1970) is an American songwriter, record producer, and film producer from Columbus, Georgia. Biography Early life During a 2019 interview with DJ Vlad, Dallas Austin detailed previously unknown or unconfir ...

and Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes received a nomination for the 1993

Grammy Award for Best R&B Song The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (sometimes known as the R&B Songwriter's Award) has been awarded since 1969. From 1969 to 2000, it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Song. Beyoncé has won it a record five times, while Bab ...

. The song appeared in video games ''

Dance Central 3 ''Dance Central 3'' is a 2012 rhythm game developed by Harmonix and Backbone Entertainment and published by Microsoft Studios for the Xbox 360 Kinect. It is the sequel to ''Dance Central 2'' (2011) and the third installment in the ''Dance Centra ...

'' and the 2022 reboot of ''

Saints Row ''Saints Row'' is a series of action-adventure video games created by Volition and published by THQ and Deep Silver. The series follows the 3rd Street Saints, a fictional street gang originally operating out of the Saints Row district, hence ...

''.

Critical reception

In a retrospective review, Daryl McIntosh from Albumism remarked that on the song, "the fresh look and unique sound of the southern fried trio exploded with flavor that satisfied every taste bud as Chilli’s sweet

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hertz, Hz to A5 in Choir, choral ...

contrasted

T-Boz Tionne Tenese Watkins (born April 26, 1970), also known by her stage name T-Boz, is an American singer. Watkins rose to fame in the early 1990s as a member of the girl-group TLC. She has won four Grammy Awards for her work with TLC. Early life ...

’s tangy

contralto A contralto () is a classical music, classical female singing human voice, voice whose vocal range is the lowest of their voice type, voice types. The contralto's vocal range is fairly rare, similar to the mezzo-soprano, and almost identical to ...

, and Left Eye’s spicy lyrics and natural charisma brought all of the ingredients together." He added, "Throw in

’s production, and you had the perfect musical gumbo that listeners never imagined could be enjoyed in a single serving."

Robert Hilburn Robert Hilburn (born September 25, 1939) is an American pop music critic, author, and radio host. As music critic and editor at the ''Los Angeles Times'' from 1970 to 2005, his reviews, essays, and profiles have appeared in publications worldwide ...

from ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' wrote, "The title may be borrowed from a ‘60s Motown hit, but the playful, kinetic

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

attitude--youthful with a feminist edge--is right to the minute."

Music video

The accompanying

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

for "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg", filmed and produced in late 1991, features the girls wearing

condom A condom is a sheath-shaped Barrier contraception, barrier device used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy or a Sexually transmitted disease, sexually transmitted infection (STI). There are both external condo ...

s, baggy clothes, and Lisa with a big hat and sunglasses. The video shows the girls singing, dancing and rapping and will occasionally have the girl's nicknames at the bottom of the screen. Some shots feature the group outside with people in the background and then them in front of a white background. In a

BET Black Entertainment Television (BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting Black American audiences. It is the flagship channel of the BET Media Group, a subsidiary of Paramount Global's CBS Entertainment Group. Originally launched ...

interview, T-Boz and Chilli said they were trying to warm-up to the cameras in this video because it was their first one, and that Lisa was a natural because it was her "big break" and what she had "been waiting for". T-Boz also said amusedly that you can see her playing with her side-burns in the beginning, and Chilli stated it was her least favorite video they did. The end of the video shows the girls in character as hillbillies. The radio edit of the song is used instead of the album version. Their then-manager, Pebbles, also appears at the end of the video.

Track listing

* US CD promo (LFPCD-4008; Released: 1991) # "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Single Version) - 4:10 # "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Album Version) - 5:36 # "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Instrumental) - 5:36 * US CD promo (LFPCD-4009; Released: 1992) # "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Album Version) - 5:39 # "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Smoothed Down Radio Remix) - 4:37 # "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Smoothed Down Extended Remix) - 5:53 # "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Left Eye's "3 Minutes And Counting") - 5:47 # "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Rap Version) - 4:52 * US 12" vinyl (73008-24009-1; Released: 1992) :A: "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Smoothed Down Extended Remix) - 5:52 :AA: "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Album Version) - 5:38 :B: "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Dallas' Dirt Mix) - 5:52 :BB: "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Left Eye's "3 Minutes And Counting") - 5:41 :BBB: "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Rap Version) - 4:51 :BBBB: "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Instrumental) - 5:37 * UK CD (665 265; Released: 1992) # "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (U.S. 7" Edit) - 4:10 # "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Skratch 7" Edit) - 4:20 # "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Ben Liebrand 12" Club Mix) - 6:20 # "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Smoothed Down Extended Remix) - 5:55 * UK CD (665 265; Released: 1992) # "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (U.S. 7" Edit) # "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Skratch Mix 7" Edit) # "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Smoothed Down Extended Mix) # "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Ben Liebrand 12" Club Mix) # "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Left Eye's "3 Minutes And Counting") * UK 12" vinyl (615 265; Released: 1992) :A: "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Smoothed Down Extended Remix) :AA: "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Left Eye's "3 Minutes And Counting") :AAA: "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Rap Version) :B: "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Ben Liebrand 12" Club Mix) :BB: "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Ben Liebrand 12" Dub Mix) * UK 12" vinyl promo (TLC 1; Released: 1992) :A: "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Smoothed Down Extended Remix) :AA: "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Left Eye's "3 Minutes And Counting") :AAA: "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Rap Version) :B: "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Ben Liebrand 12" Club Mix) :BB: "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Ben Liebrand 12" Dub Mix) * DEU 7" vinyl (115 265; Released: 1992) :A: "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (U.S. 7" Edit) - 4:10 :B: "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Skratch 7" Edit) - 4:20 * DEU 12" vinyl (615 265; Released: 1992) :A: "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Ben Liebrand 12" Club Mix) - 6:20 :AA: "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Ben Liebrand 12" Dub Mix) - 5:44 :B: "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Smoothed Down Extended Remix) - 5:55 * US CD (73008-24009-2; Released: 2001; Reissue) # "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Album Version) - 5:39 # "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Smoothed Down Radio Remix) - 4:37 # "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Smoothed Down Extended Remix) - 5:53 # "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Dallas' Dirt Mix) - 5:56 # "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Left Eye's "3 Minutes And Counting") - 5:47 # "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" (Rap Version) - 4:52

Sample credits

The song uses seven samples. The most notable sample used is a sped-up sample of "

School Boy Crush "School Boy Crush" is a song from Average White Band's 1975 album, '' Cut the Cake''. It has been heavily sampled in hip hop, rap and R&B songs such as: #" Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" by TLC #" Wanna B Where U R (Thisizzaluvsong)" by Floetry #" Wat ...

" by

Average White Band The Average White Band (also known as AWB) was a Scottish funk and R&B band that had a series of soul and disco hits between 1974 and 1980. They were best known for their million-selling instrumental track " Pick Up the Pieces", and their alb ...

. This same sample was used on

Floetry Floetry were an English contemporary R&B, R&B duo comprising Marsha Ambrosius ("the Songstress") and The Floacist, Natalie Stewart ("the Floacist"). The group recorded two studio albums, one live album, and sold over 1,500,000 records worldwid ...

's " Wanna B Where U R", "

Microphone Fiend "Microphone Fiend" is the second single released from the hip hop duo Eric B. & Rakim's second album '' Follow the Leader''. The song became a signature song for rapper Rakim, and AllMusic's Steve Huey says the song "weaves references to substanc ...

" by Eric B. & Rakim and

Immature Mature is the adjectival form of maturity, as immature is the adjectival form of immaturity, which have several meanings. Mature or immature may also refer to: *Mature, a character from ''The King of Fighters'' series *"Mature 17+", a rating in ...

's " Watch Me Do My Thing".

, Eric B. & Rakim and

also sped up their sample. The song also samples " Jungle Boogie" by

Kool & the Gang Kool & the Gang is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B, soul music, soul, and funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964. Its founding members include brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell (musician), Ronald Bell (also known as " ...

, "Escapism" by

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

, " Fly, Robin, Fly" by

Silver Convention Silver Convention were a German Euro disco recording act of the 1970s. The group was originally named Silver Bird Convention or Silver Bird. History The group was initiated in Munich, then West Germany, by producers and songwriters Michael Kun ...

, "Get Me Back on Time, Engine Number 9, Pt. 1" by

Wilson Pickett Wilson Pickett (March 18, 1941 – January 19, 2006) was an American singer and songwriter. A major figure in the development of soul music, Pickett recorded more than 50 songs that made the US R&B charts, many of which crossed over to the '' ...

, "Take Me to the Mardi Gras" by Bob James and "

I Want to Take You Higher "I Want to Take You Higher" is a song by the soul/rock/funk band Sly and the Family Stone, the B-side to their top 30 hit "Stand!". Unlike most of the other tracks on the ''Stand!'' album, "I Want to Take You Higher" is not a message song; instead ...

" by Sly and the Family Stone.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 1991 debut singles TLC (group) songs Song recordings produced by Dallas Austin Songs written by Dallas Austin Songs written by Lisa Lopes 1991 songs LaFace Records singles Arista Records singles Songs written by Ronald Bell (musician) Songs written by Claydes Charles Smith