No More Drama

No More Drama is the fifth studio album by American R&B recording artist Mary J. Blige. The album was released by MCA on August 28, 2001.

No More Drama
The original release CD artwork for the album.
Studio album by Mary J. Blige
Released	August 28, 2001 (2001-08-28)
Recorded	2000–01
Genre	R&B
Length	71:50
Label	MCA
Producer	Mary J. Blige (also exec.) Ron Lawrence Charlemagne Dr. Dre Missy Elliott Kenny Flaw Irv Gotti Dame Grease Kiyamma Griffin Rich Harrison Gérald Isaac Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis K-1 Million Kenny Lav The Neptunes Rockwilder Swizz Beatz Chucky Thompson Mario Winans
Mary J. Blige chronology
Mary (1999) No More Drama (2001) Love & Life (2003)
Singles from No More Drama
"Family Affair" Released: June 12, 2001 "Dance for Me" Released: August 7, 2001 "No More Drama" Released: September 11, 2001 "Rainy Dayz" Released: January 29, 2002

Following the critical and commercial success of her fourth studio album Mary (1999), No More Drama was similarly well-received. It debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 and at number one on the R&B Albums chart, selling 324,000 copies in its first week.[1] It has spawned four singles that have attained Billboard chart success, including its lead single "Family Affair", which became Blige's first career number-one single on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and a worldwide number-one hit.

The album received two Grammy Award nominations for Best R&B Album and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (for "Family Affair") at the 44th Grammy Awards. Blige would win her first in the latter category for the track "He Think I Don't Know" the following year. As of December 2016, the album has been certified triple platinum for shipping over three million copies in the US by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Conception

The inspiration for No More Drama came largely from Blige's own confused and hectic life. In a later interview she confessed to living a life of alcohol and drug abuse at the time, and as a result getting involved in a series of abusive relationships. The album was an attempt to break free from this vicious circle, which was a result of a deprived childhood.[2]

Stylistically, the album diverged from Blige's typically blues-soaked R&B into the hip-hop beats and influences that had made her debut, 1992's What's the 411?, a hit. This is especially evident in the first single, "Family Affair". Rapper Eve appears on the track "Where I've Been" as well, and urban influences can be heard throughout the album.

Early in its development, the album carried the full title Mary Jane - No More Drama and was to be a sequel to 1999's Mary. Blige's then-manager hinted that the album would be the second in a trilogy and be followed by an album titled Mary Jane Blige.[3] During this time, the first single was supposed to be a song called "Rock Steady" featuring a rap from Jay-Z and Lenny Kravitz on guitar. The song was leaked to mixtapes around June 2001, two months before the album was scheduled to be released and subsequently did not make the final cut on the album.[4]

The original advance copy of No More Drama was slightly different from the later, official release. A vocal loop repeated throughout the whole of the version included with the intention of anti-piracy sings "Mary J. Blige, No More Drama!". The first publish of an AMG review printed in All Music Guide to Soul, a guide to R&B and soul, of No More Drama mistakenly pointed this out as if it were part of the actual album, calling it "as subtle and congruent as a consistent drum hit."[5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	77/100[6]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[7]
Entertainment Weekly	A[8]
The Guardian	[9]
Los Angeles Times	[10]
NME	7/10[11]
Q	[12]
Rolling Stone	[13]
Uncut	[14]
USA Today	[15]
Vibe	4/5[16]

No More Drama received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 77, based on 12 reviews.[6] AllMusic editor Liana Jonas complimented Blige's ability to write relatable lyrics, writing that she "has a killer instinct for creating gritty, thick, and soul-infused R&B fare. Her music is more than heard. It is felt, and audiences would be hard-pressed to not surrender to her groove."[7] Writing for The A.V. Club, Nathan Rabin believed "Blige sounds happier and more relaxed than ever. Boasting nearly as many producers as songs, No More Drama [is] a testament to Blige's force of personality and the authenticity of her vision that the disc feels as personal and intimate as the most heartfelt four-track demo."[17] Entertainment Weekly's David Browne felt that "from the Dre-produced theatricality of the single ”Family Affair” to refined funk and crisp quiet-storm R&B, the multi-producer arrangements are expansive yet warm, and Blige's pushy rasp has never sounded better."[8] Robert Marriott from Rolling Stone said the record "presents Blige more in touch with her roots, more grounded and ready for her next set of challenges, musical and otherwise, an analog soul thriving in a digital age."[13] Barry Walters from The Village Voice called it "Blige's most rhythm album ever, and even the ballads that can drag r&b down here bristle with bumping beats."[18]

The newspaper's Robert Christgau was somewhat less enthusiastic, finding the record "front-loaded",[19] highlighting the songs "PMS" and "Steal Away" while writing "positive attitude's a bitch, not to mention a drag".[20] Ethan Brown was unimpressed by Blige's more optimistic songs, writing in New York magazine that, "miserable, Blige can be penetrating and profound; happy, she comes off generic and bland."[21]

Commercial performance

In the United States, No More Drama opened to Blige's biggest first week sales up to then.[22]

No More Drama debuted and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200, the official albums chart in the United States, on September 6, 2001 – second only to Aaliyah's self-titled third album.[23] The album sold 294,351 units in its first week of release.[23] No More Drama was Blige's highest debut week album sales, until it was surpassed by The Breakthrough (2005), which sold 729,000 copies in its first week.[24] By the end of 2001, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), and became the seventy-third best-selling album of that year in the United States. The album's commercial performance was reinforced by the subsequent release of a reissue. The release of the special edition helped No More Drama to re-enter the top ten in February 2002, gaining more than 200 percent in sales at a total of 61,000 copies.[22] The same month, No More Drama was certified double platinum by the RIAA. As of August 2003, the album has sold 1.9 million copies in the US, while the special edition moved an additional 1.1 million units.[25]

In Germany, the album was her most successful one in her career in this country, reaching #13 and staying in the German Albums Chart for 35 weeks [26] Estimated worldwide sales for the album are at 6,500,000.[27]

Track listing

No More Drama – Standard edition

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Love"	Blige Bruce Miller Ron Lawrence Kwame Holland	Amen-Ra K-1 Million	2:46
2.	"Family Affair"	Blige Bruce Camara Kambon Andre Young Mike Elizondo	Dr. Dre	4:28
3.	"Steal Away" (featuring Pharrell and No Malice)	Pharrell Williams Chad Hugo Gene Thornton	The Neptunes	4:27
4.	"Crazy Games"	Blige Kenny Dickerson	Blige Kenny Lav	3:23
5.	"PMS"	Blige Terri Robinson Tara Tillman Chucky Thompson Al Green	Thompson	5:33
6.	"No More Drama"	James Harris III Terry Lewis Perry Botkin, Jr., Barry de Vorzon	Jimmy Jam Lewis	5:26
7.	"Keep It Moving"	Blige Bruce Miller	Rockwilder	4:15
8.	"Destiny"	Blige Benny Benjamin Gloria Caldwell Sol Marcus Brian Reeves	Kiyamma Griffin	4:14
9.	"Where I've Been" (featuring Eve)	Blige Eve Jeffers	Swizz Beatz	5:11
10.	"Beautiful Day"	Miller	Kenny Flaw	3:33
11.	"Dance for Me"	Blige Miller Ahkim Miller Sting	Dame Grease	4:47
12.	"Flying Away"	Blige Brenda Russell	Griffin	5:00
13.	"Never Been"	Missy Elliott Henri Charlemagne Gene McFadden John Whitehead Jerry Cohen	Missy Elliott Charlemagne	4:03
14.	"2U"	Blige	Griffin	4:45
15.	"In the Meantime"	Blige Robinson	Rich Harrison	4:14
16.	"Forever No More" (Poem)	Blige	Blige	1:41
17.	"Testimony"	Blige Michelle Bell Kenny Dickerson	Flav	5:00

Japanese bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
18.	"Girl From Yesterday"	Cecil Ward Thompson	Thompson	4:37

No More Drama – 2002 re-release

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Love"	Blige Bruce Miller Ron Lawrence Kwame Holland	Amen-Ra K-1 Million	2:46
2.	"Family Affair"	Blige Bruce Camara Kambon Andre Young Mike Elizondo	Dr. Dre	4:28
3.	"Steal Away" (featuring Pharrell & Boo Bonic)	Blige Pharrell Williams	The Neptunes	4:27
4.	"He Think I Don't Know"	Gérald Isaac	Isaac	5:37
5.	"PMS" (Edit)	Blige Terri Robinson Tara Tillman Chucky Thompson Al Green	Thompson	4:50
6.	"No More Drama"	James Harris III Terry Lewis Perry Botkin, Jr., Barry de Vorzon	Jimmy Jam Lewis	5:26
7.	"Rainy Dayz" (featuring Ja Rule)	Irving Lorenzo Jeffrey Atkins	Irv Gotti	4:36
8.	"Where I've Been" (Edit featuring Eve)	Blige Eve Jeffers	Swizz Beatz	4:34
9.	"Beautiful Day"	Miller	Kenny Flaw	3:33
10.	"Dance for Me" (featuring Common)	Blige Miller Lonnie Lynn Sting	Dame Grease	3:25
11.	"No More Drama" (Remix featuring P. Diddy)	James Harris III Terry Lewis Perry Botkin, Jr., Barry de Vorzon Sean Combs Mario Winans	Combs Winans	4:05
12.	"Flying Away"	Blige Brenda Russell	Kiyamma Griffin	5:00
13.	"Never Been"	Missy Elliott Henri Charlemagne Gene McFadden John Whitehead Jerry Cohen	Missy Elliott Charlemagne	4:03
14.	"2U"	Blige	Griffin	4:45
15.	"In the Meantime"	Blige Robinson	Rich Harrison	4:14
16.	"Forever No More" (Poem)	Blige	Blige	1:41
17.	"Testimony"	Blige Michelle Bell Kenny Dickerson	Flav	5:00

International bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
18.	"Dance for Me" (Plutonium Remix featuring Common)	Blige Miller Lonnie Lynn Sting	Dame Grease	3:25

Japanese bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
18.	"Girl from Yesterday"	Cecil Ward Thompson	Thompson	4:37
19.	"Checkin' for Me"	Cecil Ward Thompson	Thompson	3:06

Sample credits

• "Love" contains sample from "In the Hall of the Mountain King" (1875), composed by Edvard Grieg.
• "PMS" contains excerpts from "Simply Beautiful" (1972), written and performed by Al Green.
• "No More Drama" embodies portions of "The Young and the Restless Theme" (1971), written by Perry Botkin and Barry de Vorzon.
• "Dance for Me" contains a sample from "The Bed's Too Big Without You" (1979), written by Sting and performed by The Police.
• "Flying Away" contains a sample from "God Bless You" (1979), written and performed by Brenda Russell.
• "Never Been" contains a sample from "Why Oh Why" (1980), written and performed by McFadden & Whitehead.
• "No More Drama (Remix)" contains a sample from "Just Out Of Reach" (1981), performed by Chic.
• "Checkin' for Me" contains a sample from "They Were Overcome (By the Word)". performed by The Clark Sisters.

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2001–02) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[28] 36 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[29] 17 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[30] 32 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[31] 24 Canadian Albums (Billboard)[32] 5 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[33] 10 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[34] 9 French Albums (SNEP)[35] 8 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[36] 13 Italian Albums (FIMI)[37] 18 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[38] 31 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[39] 19 Scottish Albums (OCC)[40] 8 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[41] 2 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[42] 7 UK Albums (OCC)[43] 4 UK R&B Albums (OCC)[44] 1 US Billboard 200[45] 2 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[46] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2001) Position Dutch Albums (Hitlisten)[47] 71 French Albums (SNEP)[48] 62 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[49] 43 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[50] 62 UK Albums (OCC)[51] 101 US Billboard 200[52] 85 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[53] 32 Chart (2002) Position Dutch Albums (Hitlisten)[47] 49 French Albums (SNEP)[54] 115 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[50] 74 UK Albums (OCC)[55] 49 US Billboard 200[56] 73 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[57] 32

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[58]	2× Platinum	200,000^^
France (SNEP)[59]	Gold	287,900[60]
Japan (RIAJ)[61]	Gold	100,000^^
Netherlands (NVPI)[62]	Gold	40,000^^
Sweden (GLF)[63]	Gold	40,000^^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[64]	Platinum	40,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[65]	Platinum	300,000^^
United States (RIAA)[66]	2× Platinum	2,000,000^^
^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. HITS Daily Double: Previous Album Sales Chart Archived 2012-06-04 at Archive.today
2. Brown, Helen (2008-07-02). "Mary J Blige: Proud to shout it out without selling out on 'Growing Pains'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
3. Reid, Shaheem (2001-04-03). "Mary J. Blige Wants 'No More Drama' On Fifth LP". MTV.com. Retrieved 2009-02-24.
4. "Blige May Cut Leaked Jay-Z/Kravitz Track From Album". MTV News.
5. "All Music Guide to Soul: The Definitive Guide to R&B and Soul". Google Books.
6. "Reviews for No More Drama by Mary J. Blige". Metacritic. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
7. Jonas, Liana. "No More Drama – Mary J. Blige". AllMusic. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
8. Browne, David (September 7, 2001). "No More Drama". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on September 2, 2019. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
9. Lynskey, Dorian (August 24, 2001). "Mary J Blige: No More Drama (Universal)". The Guardian. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
10. "Choices From the Charts". Los Angeles Times. November 22, 2001. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
11. Ward, Christian (September 6, 2001). "Blige, Mary J: No More Drama". NME. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
12. "Mary J. Blige: No More Drama". Q. No. 182. October 2001. p. 117.
13. Marriott, Robert (August 20, 2001). "No More Drama". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
14. "Mary J. Blige: No More Drama". Uncut. No. 54. November 2001. p. 102.
15. Jones, Steve (August 28, 2001). "Mary J. Blige, No More Drama". USA Today. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
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28. "Australiancharts.com – Mary J. Blige – No More Drama". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
29. "Austriancharts.at – Mary J. Blige – No More Drama" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
30. "Ultratop.be – Mary J. Blige – No More Drama" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
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53. "2001 Year-End Chart – Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2014-06-30.
54. "Classement Albums – année 2002" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP). Retrieved 2016-08-27.
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57. "2002 Year-End Chart – Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2014-06-30.
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60. https://www.infodisc.fr/Ventes_Albums_Depuis_2000.php?debut=300
61. "Japanese album certifications – MAry J. Blige – Share My World" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan.
62. "Dutch Album certifications – Mary J. Blige – No More Drama" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved September 20, 2018. Enter No More Drama in the "Artiest of titel" box.
63. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2001" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Retrieved 2016-08-19.
64. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Mary J. Blige; 'No More Drama')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2017-06-18.
65. "British album certifications – Mary J. Blige – No More Drama". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2016-08-19. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type No More Drama in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
66. "American album certifications – Mary J. Blige – No More Drama". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2016-08-19. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 

External links

• No More Drama at Metacritic