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Lovers and Friends (song)

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"Lovers and Friends"
Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz are standing to the right side of the cover with a red light focused on them. The song title is written in large red font on the center of the cover, while the artist names are written in white font.
Single by Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz featuring Usher and Ludacris
from the album Crunk Juice
B-side
ReleasedNovember 9, 2004 (2004-11-09)
Studio
GenreR&B
Length4:27
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Lil Jon
Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz singles chronology
"What U Gon' Do"
(2004) 		"Lovers and Friends"
(2004) 		"Real Nigga Roll Call"
(2004)
Usher singles chronology
"My Boo"
(2004) 		"Lovers and Friends"
(2004) 		"Caught Up"
(2005)
Ludacris singles chronology
"Shake Dat Shit"
(2004) 		"Lovers and Friends"
(2004) 		"Get Back"
(2004)

"Lovers and Friends" is a song by American Southern hip-hop group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz featuring American singer Usher and American rapper Ludacris, from the group's fifth and final studio album, Crunk Juice (2004). The song was written by the artists alongside Michael Sterling, while produced by Lil Jon. It was released by BME and TVT Records in November 2004, as the third single from the album. An R&B slow jam, the song consists of a piano melody and hook, and contains a sample of Sterling's song of the same name. The lyrics depict the three artists attempting to seduce women.

"Lovers and Friends" received mixed reviews from music critics; some praised the production, while other reviewers criticized the commercial sound and track placement on Crunk Juice. The song peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100, number 10 on the UK Singles Chart, and at number 15 on the New Zealand Singles Chart. A music video was planned to be released, but never materialized. "Lovers and Friends" was sampled by DJ Khaled on "Do You Mind" and by Trevor Jackson on "Just Friends", while Pitbull and Prince Royce implemented elements of the song on "Quiero Saber".

Background and composition

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Lil Jon conceived the idea of recording "Lovers and Friends" after continuously hearing the original song by American singer Michael Sterling and noticing the positive reaction it received when played in strip clubs. He gave a rough version of "Lovers and Friends" to Usher for his fourth studio album Confessions (2004), but was not included since Usher had finished the album and did not listen to the song. Lil Jon subsequently re-recorded the beat in his Miami recording studio to create a version for inclusion on Crunk Juice. Usher decided to appear on "Lovers and Friends" and recorded his vocals in the studio from September to November 2004, while Lil Jon sent the song to Ludacris. Lil Jon was the final artist to record his vocals. TVT Records had not intended to commercially release "Lovers and Friends" as a single due to legal paperwork complications, such as Sterling's compensation for the song's chart success.[1] DJs began playing the song on the radio in 2004, despite it not having been released as an official single.[2] In a 2004 interview with Billboard, Lil Jon described "Lovers and Friends" as a "classic booty shake record" from the "Keith Sweat era" and revealed he deliberately chose Usher to appear since nobody would expect him to sing the song.[3] An accompanying music video was intended to be released, with Canadian director X expressing interest after having directed the video for the three artists' previous song "Yeah!" (2004).[1] However, it never came to fruition, as none of their record labels could come to terms on a contractual agreement.[4]

Musically, "Lovers and Friends" is an R&B[5][6][7] slow jam,[8][9][10] which samples Sterling's 1990 song of the same name.[11] It contains a soft melodic piano and hook, as Usher croons with a "rap-soul" style[12] and performs a falsetto coo.[13] Ludacris and Lil Jon additionally rap their verses on the song.[3] The former ad-libs during the closing refrain: "Please tell your lovers and friends that Usher, Jon and Luda had to do it again."[14][15] LaMarquis Jefferson and Craig Love play the guitars, while L-Roc uses the keyboard.[16] Writing for Rolling Stone, Jon Caramanica compared "Lovers and Friends" to the Mary J. Blige song "Everything" (1997), which he considered as a "liquid love song".[17] Rashaun Hall of Billboard wrote that the song is a "grooving ballad".[18] According to Tyson Mccloud of Lancaster New Era, the song's lyrics do not depict women in "an inferior or stereotypical role" in contrast to the other album tracks.[19] James Doolittle of The Morning Call stated that it is "a humorous attempt at being a mack daddy".[20]

Critical reception

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USA Today writer Steve Jones described "Lovers and Friends" as "smooth",[7] while Caramanica stated that any R&B artist "would be grateful" to include the song on their album.[17] Soren Baker of Los Angeles Times opined that it lyrically consists of a "little more than boasts and threats", but praised the production's "intense, satisfying feeling".[21] Writing in album reviews for Crunk Juice, music critics were surprised by the placement of "Lovers and Friends" on the track listing. The Augusta Chronicle writer C. Samantha McKevie stated that the song alters the pace of the album and "show[s] a softer side" of Lil Jon.[22] Orisanmi Burton of AllHipHop wrote that it "disrupt[s] the rhythm" and is "contrived",[23] while Heather Kuldell and Craig Seymour of Creative Loafing described "Lovers and Friends" as "something they [would] play at an eighth-grade dance" and noted that a Chris Rock introduction is the "lead-in".[24] Writing for The New York Times, Kelefa Sanneh critiqued that the previous song is a Rick Rubin produced "head-banging, Slayer sampling rant" which segues into "an almost comically light piano ballad".[25]

Some reviewers were more critical. Cyclone Wehner of the Herald Sun negatively compared "Lovers and Friends" to Usher's 2004 B-side ballad "Red Light", expressing a desire for it to be more similar to "Yeah!".[26] The Washington Post writer Andy Battaglia considered the song to be a "chart bait [...] sex ballad" and described Usher's appearance as "listless",[27] while Matt Cibula of Stylus Magazine regarded it to be "blatantly commercial" and similar sounding to Lil Jon's 2004 song "Real Nigga Roll Call".[10] Writing for PopMatters, Lee Henderson stated that the slow jam is "an ode to ass-fucking" and believed that Lil Jon insulted hip hop admirers.[28]

Commercial performance and legacy

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"Lovers and Friends" debuted at number 16 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart dated November 27, 2004, which was attributed to high airplay despite the lack of a retail release.[29]

The song peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated January 22, 2005, on which it lasted for 22 weeks.[30] On the UK Singles Chart, "Lovers and Friends" debuted and peaked at number 10 on the issue dated May 14, 2005, and charted for eight weeks.[31] In Australia, the song debuted at its peak of number 36 on the ARIA Singles Chart dated April 3, 2005, and remained on the chart for eight weeks.[32] On the New Zealand Singles Chart, "Lovers and Friends" bowed at number 15 on the chart dated March 28, 2005, and charted for five weeks.[33]

DJ Khaled sampled "Lovers and Friends" on the 2016 song "Do You Mind",[34] which consequently sampled Sterling's song too.[35][36] "Do You Mind" featured artists including Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, Jeremih, Future, August Alsina, and Rick Ross.[34][35][36] Alsina incorporated elements of Usher's verse in his part on the song.[11] In October 2018, rapper Pitbull and Dominican bachata singer Prince Royce revised "Lovers and Friends" into "Quiero Saber".[37] American actor and singer Trevor Jackson sampled it on the 2020 song "Just Friends",[5][6] which was released as the lead single from his debut studio album The Love Language (2021).[38][39] During a Verzuz webcast against T-Pain in April 2020, Lil Jon played 90 seconds of "Lovers and Friends", with him requesting for the rapper's verse to be played after the song was cut short.[40] A music festival was named Lovers and Friends Festival after the song.[41][42]

Track listing

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Credits and personnel

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Credits adapted from the back cover of "Lovers and Friends".[16]

Recording

Personnel

  • Lil Jon – vocals, songwriting, mixing
  • Ludacris – featured vocals, songwriting
  • Usher – featured vocals, songwriting
  • Michael Sterling – songwriting
  • LaMarquis Jefferson – bass
  • Craig Love – guitar
  • L-Roc – keyboards
  • John Frye – mixing
  • Warren Bletcher – mixing, assistant mixing engineer
  • Chris Carmouche – recording
  • Mark Vinten – recording
  • Gary Fly – recording, assistant recording engineer

Charts

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References

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  1. ^ a b Reid, Shaheem (January 24, 2005). "Lil Jon, Usher, Luda ... How 'Bout Another Video?". MTV News. Archived from the original on January 27, 2005. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  2. ^ Reid, Shaheem (November 30, 2004). "Usher, Ludacris, Lil Jon Back On Radio With 'Lovers & Friends'". MTV News. Archived from the original on December 5, 2004. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Hall, Rashaun (November 20, 2004). "Lil Jon Is Juiced For New Release" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 116, no. 47. pp. 7, 92 – via World Radio History.
  4. ^ Murray, Sonia (May 12, 2005). "Sound Check: Lil Jon, Whitney project a 'surprise'". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. P7. ISSN 1539-7459.
  5. ^ a b Cho, Regina (November 5, 2020). "Trevor Jackson samples an R&B classic on his new single 'Just Friends'". Revolt. Archived from the original on November 5, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Hodge, Danica (March 30, 2021). "'Grown-ish' Actor Trevor Jackson Drops New Music And Talks About Finding His 'Love Language'". BET. Archived from the original on April 1, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  7. ^ a b Jones, Steve (November 16, 2004). "Snoop paints a rap 'Masterpiece' ; Lil Jon, Chingy serve up more raucous rhymes". USA Today. p. D.7. ISSN 0734-7456. Archived from the original on October 27, 2005. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  8. ^ Moody, Nekesa Mumbi (May 23, 2005). "Lil Jon is ready to get wild on the road". Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 26, 2005. Retrieved August 10, 2024 – via MSNBC.
  9. ^ Hay, Travis (December 20, 2004). "Lil Jon's Charisma Is A No-Show". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. E3. ISSN 0745-970X. Archived from the original on December 23, 2004. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Cibula, Matt (January 19, 2005). "Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz - Crunk Juice - Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on February 16, 2005. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  11. ^ a b Adam, Fleischer (July 28, 2016). "DJ Khaled Revamped An Early 2000 R&B Classic For His Latest Anthem". MTV News. Archived from the original on July 29, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  12. ^ Juon, Steve 'Flash' (November 23, 2004). "Lil Jon & the Eastside Boyz :: Crunk Juice :: TVT Records". RapReviews. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  13. ^ Stephenson, Philip A. (August 18, 2005). "50 Cent Gives Crowd Its Money's Worth". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. W-16. ISSN 1068-624X. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
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  15. ^ Atkinson, Katie (September 25, 2016). "Usher Reunites With Ludacris & Lil Jon, Plus 26 More Things You Need to See From iHeartRadio Festival Day 2". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  16. ^ a b c Lovers and Friends (back cover). Lil Jon. Australia: Method Recordings. 2005. METHOD058.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ^ a b Caramanica, Jon (December 15, 2004). "Lil Jon: Crunk Juice". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 12, 2005. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
  18. ^ Hall, Rashaun (December 4, 2004). "Billboard Album Reviews". Billboard. Vol. 116, no. 49. p. 28. Archived from the original on November 25, 2004. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  19. ^ Mccloud, Tyson (March 24, 2005). "Lil' Jon pours out the energetic party rap in 'Crunk Juice'". Lancaster New Era. p. 1 – via ProQuest.
  20. ^ Doolittle, James (December 18, 2004). "Ja Rule "R.U.L.E." (Def Jam) (and) Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz "Crunk Juice" (TVT)". The Morning Call. p. D.7. ISSN 0884-5557. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  21. ^ Baker, Soren (November 23, 2004). "Record Rack; First solo effort leaves some doubt". Los Angeles Times. p. E3. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  22. ^ McKevie, C. Samantha (December 2, 2004). "Lil John Has Array Of Contributors With Latest Tip From His Crunk Cup". The Augusta Chronicle. p. O09. ISSN 0747-1343. Retrieved August 11, 2024 – via Newslibrary.
  23. ^ Burton, Orisanmi (November 28, 2004). "Crunk Juice". AllHipHop. Archived from the original on December 4, 2004. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  24. ^ Kuldell, Heather; Seymour, Craig (November 18, 2004). "Sippin' on some syrup". Creative Loafing. Archived from the original on March 10, 2005. Retrieved August 19, 2024.
  25. ^ Sanneh, Kelefa (November 28, 2004). "Lil John Crunks Up the Volume". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 28, 2015. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  26. ^ Wehner, Cyclone (December 16, 2004). "Lil' Jon & the Eastside Boyz - Crunk Juice (Shock)". Herald Sun. p. I10. ISSN 1038-3433.
  27. ^ Battaglia, Andy (November 17, 2004). "Hip-Hop's Dirty Martini; In Lil Jon's 'Crunk Juice,' A Triple Shot of Venom". The Washington Post. p. C05. ISSN 0190-8286.
  28. ^ Henderson, Lee (December 6, 2004). "Lil' Jon is the Raffi of Gangsta Rap". PopMatters. Archived from the original on December 14, 2004. Retrieved August 11, 2018.
  29. ^ Pietroluongo, Silvio; Patel, Minal; Jessen, Wade (November 27, 2004). "Mainstream Top 40 Embraces Eminem" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 116, no. 48. p. 60. Retrieved August 11, 2024 – via World Radio History.
  30. ^ a b "Lil Jon Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  31. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  32. ^ a b "Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz feat. Usher & Ludacris – Lovers and Friends". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  33. ^ a b "Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz feat. Usher & Ludacris – Lovers and Friends". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  34. ^ a b "DJ Khaled's Luxe 'Do You Mind' Video with Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, Future & More: Watch". Fuse. October 4, 2016. Archived from the original on July 8, 2021. Retrieved July 6, 2021.
  35. ^ a b Platon, Adelle (July 28, 2016). "DJ Khaled Flips Lil Jon's 'Lovers & Friends' Feat. Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, August Alsina, Future & Rick Ross". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 27, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  36. ^ a b Josephs, Brian (July 28, 2016). "DJ Khaled's 'Do You Mind' Superteam Includes Jeremih, Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj, Rick Ross, August Alsina, and Future". Spin. Archived from the original on May 20, 2020. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  37. ^ Leight, Elias (January 22, 2019). "Latin Artists Changed Trap Music Forever - R&B Is Next". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  38. ^ George, Rachel (January 29, 2021). "The Men of R&B: Here's new music from PARTYNEXTDOOR, Eric Bellinger, Brent Faiyaz and Trevor Jackson". ABC News Radio. Archived from the original on July 8, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  39. ^ "Trevor Jackson's 'Just Friends' Music Video Shows Love's Twisted Reality". Vibe. January 26, 2021. Archived from the original on July 8, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  40. ^ Wicker, Jewel (April 10, 2020). "For Atlanta's hip-hop and R&B artists, Instagram Live has become an unexpected source of community". Atlanta. Archived from the original on January 28, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  41. ^ Williams, Aaron (April 6, 2020). "Lil Jon Previewed His New Song With Ludacris And Usher During His Battle With T-Pain". Uproxx. Archived from the original on January 17, 2021. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  42. ^ Kreps, Daniel (April 10, 2020). "Usher Reunites With Ludacris, Lil Jon for New Song 'SexBeat'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
  43. ^ Lovers and Friends (back cover). Lil Jon. Europe: TVT Records. 2005. 9870881.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  44. ^ "Issue 801" ARIA Top 40 Urban Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved February 27, 2022.
  45. ^ "Lil Jon – Lovers and Friends" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  46. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Get Low / Lovers & Friends". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  47. ^ "Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz feat. Usher & Ludacris – Lovers and Friends". Top Digital Download. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  48. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  49. ^ "Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz feat. Usher & Ludacris – Lovers and Friends". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
  50. ^ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  51. ^ "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  52. ^ "Lil Jon Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2023.
  53. ^ "Lil Jon Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  54. ^ "Lil Jon Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  55. ^ "2005 Year End Charts – Hot 100 Songs". Billboard. November 26, 2005. Archived from the original on January 19, 2012. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
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