"Keep On, Keepin' On" is a song by American rapper

MC Lyte Lana Michele Moorer (born October 11, 1970), better known by her stage name MC Lyte, is an American rapper. Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, MC Lyte first gained fame in the late 1980s, becoming the first female rapper to release a ...

featuring American girl group Xscape. It was produced and co-written by

Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music at the age of nine. He discovered th ...

and samples

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

's 1989 single " Liberian Girl". It was featured on the soundtrack to '' Sunset Park'', starring

Rhea Perlman Rhea Jo Perlman (born March 31, 1948) is an American actress and author. She is well-known for playing head waitress Carla Tortelli in the sitcom ''Cheers'' (1982–1993). Over the course of eleven seasons, Perlman was nominated for ten Emmy Awar ...

, and later appeared also on MC Lyte's fifth studio album, '' Bad As I Wanna B'' (1996). The song became her highest charting single in the US, peaking at No. 10 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and it also became her second single to achieve a gold certification from the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

, earning the award on May 31, 1996. In November of the same year, Lyte performed the song when she appeared in the second season of the UPN sitcom ''

Moesha ''Moesha'' (, ) is an American television sitcom that aired on UPN from January 23, 1996, to May 14, 2001. The series stars Contemporary R&B, R&B singer Brandy Norwood, Brandy as Moesha Denise Mitchell, an African-American teenager living with ...

'' alongside Xscape themselves.

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 musi ...

from ''

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 ...

'' felt that the soundtrack to '' Sunset Park'' "gets an excellent introduction with this ticking jeep cruiser that is fueled by Lyte's reliably sharp, smart, rhymes, Xscape's shimmering harmonizing, and deft use of a sample from

's " Liberian Girl".

produced the cut with a spare, diamond-hard heat and delicate Caribbean keyboard flavors. Will likely begin a healthy commercial ruin with

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 ...

enthusiasts before making a much deserved transition into the mainstream pop arena." Alan Jones from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...

'' noted that "Keep On, Keepin' On" "has been cleaned up for radio and is a splendid rap, further decorated by Xscape's soulful interjections. Based on a looped portion of Michael Jackson's Liberian Girl, it's a strong contender." A reviewer from ''

People Magazine ''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''Peopl ...

'' said it is "so ridiculously snappy that you half expect the 26-year-old rapper to finally drop her guard and burst into song."

Single track listing

:A1: "Keep On, Keepin' On" - 4:33 :A2: "Keep On, Keepin' On" (Clean Version) - 4:33 :B1" "Keep On, Keepin' On" - 4:33 :B2: "Keep On, Keepin' On" (Instrumental) - 4:33 :B3: "Keep On, Keepin' On" (Acappella) - 4:31

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control MC Lyte songs 1996 singles Song recordings produced by Jermaine Dupri Songs written by Michael Jackson Songs written by Jermaine Dupri 1996 songs Elektra Records singles Songs written by MC Lyte