Just Be a Man About It

"Just Be a Man About It" is a song by American singer Toni Braxton from her third studio album, The Heat (2000). It was released on June 20, 2000, as the album's second single.

"Just Be a Man About It"
Single by Toni Braxton
from the album The Heat
ReleasedJune 20, 2000 (2000-06-20)
Recorded1999
StudioNoontime (Atlanta, Georgia)
GenreR&B
Length4:50
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Teddy Bishop
  • Toni Braxton (co.)
  • Bryan-Michael Cox (co.)
Toni Braxton singles chronology
"He Wasn't Man Enough"
(2000)		 "Just Be a Man About It"
(2000)		 "Spanish Guitar"
(2000)

Background

"Just Be a Man About It" is a telephone breakup song, where Braxton questions the status of a partner's manhood and Dr. Dre plays the wayward lover breaking the news to her.[1] According to producer Teddy Bishop, Martin Lawrence and Will Smith were originally considered to perform the speaking parts of the song. However, due to scheduling conflicts, it never happened. Dr. Dre was asked to appear on the song due to being in the studio next door while the song was being recorded.[2]

Critical reception

The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic called it "an instant classic" and picked it one of the best songs of the album, alongside "He Wasn't Man Enough" and "Spanish Guitar".[1] CD Universe wrote that "[e]ven Dr. Dre's guest appearance on 'Just Be a Man About It' nods to the sensual recitatives and bedside manners of '70s love men like Barry White."[3] Bog Roget wrote for Amazon that Braxton "delivers a tough take on reality with 'Just Be a Man About It,' which pits her against Dr. Dre in a breakup scenario that carries much more force than weightless trifles".[4]

Music video

The music video for "Just Be a Man About It", directed by Bille Woodruff, opens with Braxton's boyfriend (played by rapper Dr. Dre, who also provides additional vocals to the track) leaving a Hawthorne, California, strip club named Bare Elegance, accompanied by a woman. He stops at a payphone to call up Braxton, who is in their apartment. She looks happy at first, but as he tells her not to wait up for him that night alleging he needs space, her facial expression suddenly changes. The following scenes show Braxton wandering about the apartment, talking on the phone, standing next to the balcony, lying on a couch, and throwing objects such as vases and a picture frame containing a photo of Dre. At one point, Dre hangs up on Braxton, which infuriates her. Toward the end of the video, a man (Q-Tip) shows up to visit Braxton; they hug each other and proceed to cuddle on the couch, much to Dre's annoyance by the time he arrives home. When Dre questions Braxton about the man, she remains indifferent, causing him to give her the finger and leave.

Track listing
  1. "Just Be a Man About It" (music video)
  2. "Spanish Guitar" (music video)

Charts

Release history
Region Date Format Label Ref.
United States June 20, 2000 Urban adult contemporary radio
[10]
November 21, 2000 DVD single [5]
France February 27, 2001 BMG [11]
gollark: Perhaps I'll have to offload all my programming to GTech™ bee neuron intelligences.
gollark: > First steps of a proper documentation will land before the end of the year: stay tuned musical_noteWow, how useful.
gollark: https://github.com/ducdetronquito/h11 somewhat.
gollark: https://github.com/Vexu/routez is what I found after 22μs of duckduckgo.
gollark: Probably? I haven't checked.

References
  1. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Heat – Toni Braxton". AllMusic. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  2. "Interview: Radio Constantly Changes But Teddy Bishop's Ability To Diversify Allows The Quality Of His Music To Stay The Same". YouKnowIGotSoul.com. February 20, 2012. Retrieved August 17, 2013.
  3. "Toni Braxton - Heat CD Album". CD Universe. Retrieved February 16, 2012.
  4. Roget, Bob. "The Heat: Toni Braxton". Amazon (US). Retrieved February 15, 2012.
  5. "Toni Braxton – Just Be a Man About It/Spanish Guitar (DVD Single)". Amazon (US). Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  6. "Toni Braxton Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  7. "Toni Braxton Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  8. "Toni Braxton Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  9. "R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2000". Billboard. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  10. "Urban AC: Going For Adds (6/20/00)" (PDF). Radio & Records. June 16, 2000. p. 109. ISSN 0277-4860. Retrieved April 26, 2018 – via American Radio History.
  11. "Toni Braxton – Just Be a Man About It : Spanish Guitar & interview exclusive [DVD Single]". Amazon (France) (in French). Retrieved April 26, 2018.
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