2011 single by Mary J. Blige
"25/8"
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Released
| September 1, 2011
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Recorded
| 2011
{Big Sean, June 2019}
{Yo Gotti, June 2019}
{Juicy J, June 2019}
{Robin Thicke, June 2019}
{Kirk - Love & Hip Hop Atlanta, June 2019}
{Joc - Love & Hip Hop Atlanta, June 2019}
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Genre
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Length
| 3
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56
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Label
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Songwriter(s)
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Producer(s)
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"25/8"
on
YouTube
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"
25/8
" is a song by American
R&B
recording artist
Mary J. Blige
. It was written by Blige,
Crystal Johnson
, Al Sherrod Lambert, and
Eric Hudson
for her tenth studio album,
My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1)
(2011), while production was handled by Blige and the latter. An R&B and soul song, "25/8" is built on
drum splashes
and a fluttering flute, and samples from
B. T. Express
's rendition of "
Now That We Found Love
", written by
Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff
. Lyrically, it features the female protagonist expressing her need to have more than
24 hours a day, 7 days a week
to spend time with her
love interest
.
"25/8" was generally well received by music critics, who noted it as one of the highlights from
My Life II
and complimented both Hudson's production and Blige's vocal performance. Selected as the album's first official single,
[1]
following the release of promotional buzz track "
Someone to Love Me (Naked)
,"
[2]
it was released digitally on September 1, 2011. Commercially, "25/8" became Blige's first lead single to miss the US
Billboard
Hot 100
, though it peaked at number 35 on the
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart and entered the top ten on
Billboard
'
s
Adult R&B Songs
chart. The song's accompanying music video was directed by
Diane Martel
.
Background
[
edit
]
"25/8" written by Blige,
Crystal Johnson
, Al Sherrod Lambert, and
Eric Hudson
, while production was helmed by Blige and Hudson.
[3]
Conceptualized by Johnson, it was created around its title when she experienced a long wait. She later elaborated: "I think I was leaving some hibachi spot and I think they had a long wait and I was like “ain’t enough hours in a day for this. I’m hungry, I need to eat now.” I kept saying 24/7, 24/7 and I was like what about, what comes after seven, oh yea eight. I literally think like that. So I’m like “25/8”... that sounds like a song. It’s a dope title but what does it mean."
[4]
Release and promotion
[
edit
]
"25/8" was released to iTunes and Amazon as a
digital download
on September 1, 2011.
[5]
Blige performed the song for the first time live on
Good Morning America
September 2, 2011.
[6]
Blige also performed "25/8" on
Dancing with the Stars
October 4, 2011.
[7]
Critical reception
[
edit
]
While critical reaction toward its parent album
My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1)
was generally mixed, "25/8" was lauded by contemporary music critics. Kanya King, writing for
CNN International
, felt that "25/8" was "a track that meets all of the criteria of what Mary J. Blige is all about: It's soul meets hip hop with her rough vocals complementing the track. A true great among us and like a fine wine, only gets better with age."
[8]
Allmusic
editor Andy Kellman wrote that "chest-beating pleader “25/8” clearly aims for classic status with a Gamble/Huff sample."
[9]
In his review for
PopMatters
, David Masciotra commented that the "feisty orchestral swing of "25/8" is a particular highlight," commending the "great looseness to Blige’s voice, a voice that has always sounded incredibly natural and pure and, in fact, she has never sounded better than on this record."
[10]
PopCrush
writer Trent Fitzgerald called "25/8" a "beautiful love anthem sounds like a strong R&B hit to our ears with its climatic violins, fluttering flutes and live drums." He compared the song to other
Motown era
compositions but "was remixed for our modern times."
[11]
The New York Times
found that the unhappiness on "25/8" still "motivates her best work," declared it a "fragile, baleful, speechy [...] upbeat, hip-hop/gospel" track.
[12]
Caryn Ganz of
Rolling Stone
rated the song three stars out of five, writing that "it's goopy stuff, but it's also far more neck-poppin' fun than
Beyonce
's '
1+1
'."
[13]
In his review of
My Life II
,
Consequence of Sound
editor Siobhan Kane found that while songs like “25/8” "don’t work as well (in the context of her classic record
My Life
) [...] they do showcase her powerful vocal, which is searing."
[14]
Music video
[
edit
]
Blige filmed the video for 25/8 in late September 2011.
[15]
The director of the video is
Diane Martel
. The video premiered on October 28, 2011.
[16]
Formats and track listings
[
edit
]
Credits and personnel
[
edit
]
Credits adapted from the liner notes of
My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1)
.
[18]
Charts
[
edit
]
Release history
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Cragg, Michael (2011-08-30).
"New music: Mary J Blige ? 25/8 | Music | guardian.co.uk"
. Guardian
. Retrieved
2011-10-11
.
- ^
"New Music: Mary J. Blige ? '25/8'
"
. Rap-Up.com. 2011-08-25
. Retrieved
2011-10-11
.
- ^
My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1)
(Standard Edition).
Mary J. Blige
.
Geffen
. 2011.
{{
cite AV media notes
}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link
)
- ^
Folk, Antwane (2013-09-09).
"INTERVIEW: Crystal Nicole Talks Debut Album, Calls Mary J.Blige Her Musical Soulmate, Transition From Songwriter to Artist"
. RatedR&B.com
. Retrieved
2016-09-11
.
- ^
"25/8: Mary J. Blige: MP3 Downloads"
.
Amazon
. Retrieved
2011-10-11
.
- ^
"Daily Buzz 8.31.11 | Welcome to"
. S2smagazine.com. 2011-08-31. Archived from
the original
on 2011-11-02
. Retrieved
2011-10-11
.
- ^
10/3/2011 by TeamIGA (2011-10-03).
"Mary J. Blige : News : Watch Mary J. Blige on Dancing With the Stars October 4th"
. Interscope.com
. Retrieved
2011-10-11
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (
link
)
- ^
King, Kanya (2011-12-13).
"Kanya King: MOBO founder's top 5 pop picks"
.
CNN International
. Retrieved
2016-09-15
.
- ^
Kellman, Andy (November 23, 2011).
"My Life II...The Journey Continues (Act 1) - Mary J. Blige"
.
AllMusic
. Review
. Retrieved
2011-11-24
.
- ^
Masciotra, David (December 9, 2011).
"As the Spirit Moves Mary: The Life and Art of Mary J. Blige"
.
PopMatters
. Retrieved
2011-12-10
.
- ^
Fitzgerald, Trent (2011-08-27).
"Mary J. Blige, '25/8′ ? Song Review"
.
PopCrush
. Retrieved
2016-09-15
.
- ^
Caramanica, Jon; Ratliff, Ben; Chinen, Nate (2011-11-21).
"Rihanna's 'Talk That Talk' Synth-Perfect for an Earlier Time"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
2016-09-15
.
- ^
Ganz, Caryn (13 September 2011).
"Song Review, "25/8"
"
.
Rolling Stone
. Archived from
the original
on 23 June 2018
. Retrieved
2 November
2011
.
- ^
Kane, Siobhan (2011-10-15).
"Mary J. Blige ? My Life II… The Journey Continues (Act 1)"
.
Consequence of Sound
. Retrieved
2016-09-15
.
- ^
"Mary J. Blige Finds 'Mr. Wrong' on Second Single"
. Rap-Up.com. 2011-09-29
. Retrieved
2011-10-11
.
- ^
Video
on
YouTube
- ^
"Mary J. Blige ? 25/8"
.
Discogs
. Retrieved
2015-11-19
.
- ^
My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1)
(Media notes).
Mary J. Blige
.
Geffen Records
. 2011.
{{
cite AV media notes
}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link
)
- ^
"Mary J. Blige Chart History (Japan Hot 100)"
.
Billboard
. Retrieved 2015-07-17.
- ^
"Mary J. Blige Chart History (Adult R&B Songs)"
.
Billboard
. Retrieved 2015-07-17.
- ^
"Mary J. Blige Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)"
.
Billboard
. Retrieved 2011-04-07.
- ^
"25/8: Mary J. Blige: MP3 Downloads"
. Amazon MP3. (
Amazon.com
). 2011-09-01
. Retrieved
2011-09-01
.
- ^
a
b
"Archived copy"
. Archived from
the original
on 2011-12-15
. Retrieved
2011-10-01
.
{{
cite web
}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (
link
)
- ^
"MARY J. BLIGE - 25/8 - Issue 856 - The Music Network"
.
www.themusicnetwork.com
. Archived from
the original
on 2012-04-06.
- ^
"Mary J. Blige: Amazon.co.uk: MP3 Downloads"
. Amazon.co.uk. 2011-11-20
. Retrieved
2011-10-31
.
External links
[
edit
]
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Studio albums
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Soundtrack albums
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Live albums
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Remix albums
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Compilation albums
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Concert tours
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Films
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Other
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