"I'm Gonna Be Alright" is a song by American singer

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...

from her second studio album, '' J.Lo'' (2001). It was written by Lopez, Lorraine Cheryl Cook,

Ronald LaPread Commodores, often billed as The Commodores, are an American funk and soul group. The group's most successful period was in the late 1970s and early 1980s when Lionel Richie was the co-lead singer. The members of the group met as mostly fresh ...

and producers Cory Rooney and Troy Oliver. "I'm Gonna Be Alright" was remixed by Poke & Tone of

Trackmasters The Trackmasters, also known as Poke & Tone, is an American hip hop production outfit composed of Poke (Jean-Claude Olivier born January 21, 1970; Brooklyn, New York ) and Tone (Samuel Barnes born January 20, 1969; Brooklyn, New York). Active fro ...

for Lopez's first remix album, ''

J to tha L–O! The Remixes ''J to tha L–O! The Remixes'' is a remix album by American singer Jennifer Lopez, released February 1, 2002 by Epic Records. It contains remixes from Lopez's first two studio albums: '' On the 6'' (1999) and '' J.Lo'' (2001). It features artis ...

'' (2002). It was released on April 1, 2002, by

Epic Records Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), cong ...

as the album's second single. The remix features rapper

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air (S ...

and peaked at number 10 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, becoming Lopez's sixth US top-10 single. The original Track Masters Remix features

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and television producer. Born in Queens, a borough of New York City, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 1996. In 1999–2000, ...

. At the time of the single release, Epic Records chose Nas for the radio version. Nas re-recorded new rap verses and the track was cut down to 2:52, becoming the Track Masters Remix Radio Edit. Nas replacing 50 Cent caused controversy; and the rappers, who were previously like "brothers" have resented each other since. The remix's beat contains re-adaptions of the instrumental used on

Luniz Luniz (pronounced Loonies) (formerly Luniz Toons and LuniTunes) is an American hip hop music, hip hop duo from Oakland, California, formed by West Coast rappers Yukmouth and Numskull. They were signed to Noo Trybe Records and C-Note Records, and ...

's 1995 song "

I Got 5 on It "I Got 5 on It" is a song by American Rapping, rap duo Luniz featuring Contemporary R&B, R&B singer Michael Marshall (singer), Michael Marshall, released in May 1995 by C-Note, Noo Trybe Records, Noo Trybe and Virgin Records, Virgin as the lead ...

" featuring Michael Marshall, a song which itself

sampled Sample or samples may refer to: * Sample (graphics), an intersection of a color channel and a pixel * Sample (material), a specimen or small quantity of something * Sample (signal), a digital discrete sample of a continuous analog signal * Sample ...

Club Nouveau's 1987 song " Why You Treat Me So Bad".

Music and production

"I'm Gonna Be Alright" has a length of three minutes and forty-four seconds (3:44). It was written by Jennifer Lopez, Lorraine Cheryl Cook,

and the song's producers, Cory Rooney and Troy Oliver. She recorded her vocals for the song at

Sony Music Studios Sony Music Studios was an American music recording and mastering facility in New York City. The five-story building was a music and broadcasting complex located at 460 W. 54th Street, at 10th Avenue, in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhat ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

with Robert Williams. The song was later mixed by Tony Maserati and mastered by

Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' '' Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Early life ...

at Sterling Sound studios. According to '' J.Los

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...

, the song contains a re-play of elements from the track " 8th Wonder" (1980) originally recorded by American

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 ...

trio

The Sugarhill Gang The Sugarhill Gang is an American hip hop group formed in Englewood, New Jersey, in 1979. Their hit " Rapper's Delight", released the same year they were formed, was the first rap single to become a top 40 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, rea ...

. Jean-Claude Olivier and Samuel Barnes served as additional writers for the

remix single version for the remix album ''

'', with Track Masters serving as producers along with Rooney. It features rapper,

. Of working with Nas, Lopez stated: "I love Nas icI've been a fan of his since his first album. I could eciteall the words by heart. It was just a dream to be able to work with him. He said he would do it and he did it just like that. as and Ishot the video here in

Spanish Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem, or , is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City, north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, Fifth Avenue to the west, and the East and Harlem Rivers to the east ...

a few days ago." The remix's beat contains re-adaptions of the instrumental used on

's 1995 song "

" featuring Michael Marshall, a song which itself

Club Nouveau's 1987 song " Why You Treat Me So Bad".

Controversy

Controversy ensued over the radio and album versions.

decided to place Nas on the radio version due to his popularity at the time instead of

. 50 Cent became angry at "former" friend Nas. Nas threatened him, stating: "So he's like a kid living in a hip-hop fantasy world. J.Lo is a friend of mine, if she wants to do a record, I'm doing a record with her ic50 was like a little brother to me." In response to 50 Cent's constant slamming of the collaboration, Nas stated: "To sum it all up, 50 is still a new artist. I would say he's got a good five to six more albums before I can really respond to him. With my other battles, it was different. This is not really my thing right here." 50 Cent held no hard feelings towards Lopez, but towards Nas only. According to Epic Records, the switch in artists made on the radio version was "purely business." The 50 Cent-featured version appears on the first American pressings of the ''J to tha L-O!: The Remixes'' album (the European version and later US pressings feature a no-rap version) while the Nas-featured version appears on the European pressing of Lopez's 2002 album, '' This Is Me... Then''. The

iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...

Apple Music Apple Music is an audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users can select music to stream to their device on-demand, or listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the sister internet radio stations Apple Musi ...

version only contains a no-rap version, despite the artists title. Of the original song from ''J.Lo'', Tom Sinclair of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' called the song "upbeat" but noted that: '"I'm Gonna Be Alright' for instance — which is based on the Sugarhill Gang's '8th Wonder' — is attributed to Lopez and eight other writers (presumably making Jen the ninth wonder.)"

Commercial performance

On the week ending April 27, 2002, "I'm Gonna Be Alright" debuted at number 69 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The following week, it jumped to 52, and to 36 the next week. On the week ending May 18, it moved three places to 33 on the Hot 100 and 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 advertis ...

'' Hot 100 Airplay chart. On the week ending June 1, it broke the top twenty, shifting 26-18 on the Hot 100 and moving to 20 on the Airplay chart. Two weeks later, it moved 14-11. The following week, "I'm Gonna Be Alright" peaked at number 10 on the Hot 100, becoming Lopez's sixth top-ten hit, and Nas' fourth top-ten. It remained at number 10 for five consecutive weeks. It peaked at 29 on the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. It was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007 as the standard record chart in Canada; a new chart ...

and six on the ''Billboard''

Pop Songs Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the U ...

chart. The song also achieved considerable success elsewhere. In Australia, "I'm Gonna Be Alright" debuted and peaked at sixteen on July 21, 2002. It was certified Gold by the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...

for sales exceeding 35,000 copies. It debuted at number three on the UK Singles Chart, selling nearly 45,000 copies in its first week on the chart. The song peaked at number nine in Belgian Flanders and six in Germany. In Norway, the song debuted at fifteen and peaked at ten. In New Zealand, "I'm Gonna Be Alright" debuted at 46 on the charted date of July 28, 2002, and peaked at 30 for two weeks. In France, the song debuted at 91 on September 14, 2002, and peaked at twelve, having charted for a total of sixteen weeks. Additionally, it entered the top ten in Denmark, Hungary, Netherlands, and Switzerland.

Music video

Lopez said that the music video of "I'm Gonna Be Alright" was reminiscent of her thriller film, '' Enough'' (2002). During the video, she had to leave a relationship with a "baddy". Lopez explained: "The song relates to the movie that's coming out at the same time icIt's about being in a relationship that you know is not good for you but you know you're gonna be OK nce you end it he videois basically about a day in the life of this girl who has this going on in her head. I also wanted the set in a neighborhood that was real and capture the essence of how I grew up. I grew up in the Bronx — it had the same kind of urban, city flavor. he video capturesall the essences — guys playing dominoes, girls sunning on the side of the street because they don't wanna take the bus to the beach." The music video was shot on April 16 and 17, 2002. The

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 "I'm Gonna Be Alright" was directed by Dave Meyers and filmed in

the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

, featuring Nas. The video begins with the atmosphere of a hot day in

. Lopez and Nas appear singing in front of a

barbed wire Roll of modern agricultural barbed wire Barbed wire, also known as barb wire or bob wire (in the Southern and Southwestern United States), is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the ...

fence. Lopez sings in the neighborhood about letting go of a relationship that is not good for her, as the local male residents look on and stare. She appears at a barber shop with her then-husband, Cris Judd, and later at a coin laundry and

record shop A record shop or record store is a retail outlet that sells Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music. Per the name, in the late 19th century and the early 20th century, record shops only sold gramophone records. But over the course of t ...

. She is also playing

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...

with men on the street. She later dumps one of her lovers on the street. The clip ends with Lopez winning the baseball game. In 2011, a writer from ''

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first ...

'' likened the sex appeal from her music video for " On the Floor" to that of "I'm Gonna Be Alright", writing: " opezonce told us in song that 'I’m Gonna Be Alright' and now she’s proved it. The curves she displayed when she recorded the hit video nine years ago have been replaced by a leaner, fitter look."

Track listings

Personnel

Personnel are adapted from the liner notes of '' J.Lo''. *

– vocals,

songwriting A songwriter is a person who creates musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music genre and film scoring. ...

* Troy Oliver – songwriting, production, drum and keyboard programming * Cory Rooney – songwriting, production, drum and keyboard programming * Jose Sanchez – drum and keyboard programming * Robert Williams – vocal production, vocal recording engineer * David Swope – assistant recording engineer * Tony Maserati – mixing * Peter Wade Keusch – assistant mixing *

– mixing * Shelene Thomas – backing vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control 2001 songs 2002 singles Jennifer Lopez songs Music videos directed by Dave Meyers (director) Nas songs Remix singles Songs written by Cory Rooney Songs written by Jean-Claude Olivier Songs written by Jennifer Lopez Songs written by Samuel Barnes (songwriter) Songs written by Sylvia Robinson Songs written by Troy Oliver