Released December 10, 2001 Genre R&B
hip hop
funk
disco Label Virgin | Format CD single, 12" single Length 3:37 | |
Writer(s) Mariah Carey, DJ Clue, Duro, Mystikal, Tom Browne, Carrollyne Smith | ||
"Don't Stop (Funkin' 4 Jamaica)" is a song by American singer and songwriter Mariah Carey, featuring Mystikal, from her first soundtrack album Glitter (2001). It was written and produced by herself, DJ Clue, Duro, and Mystikal. The song is built around a sample of the 1980 song "Funkin' for Jamaica (N.Y.)" produced by Tom Browne and Toni Smith. Mystikal raps about wild times during the song's verses, while Carey repeatedly tells him "don't stop" in the chorus. It was released as the album's third single on December 10, 2001 by Virgin Records America.
Contents
"Don't Stop (Funkin' 4 Jamaica)" received mixed reviews from music critics who were ambivalent towards its sample usage. Like the preceding singles from the album, "Don't Stop (Funkin' 4 Jamaica)" was a commercial disappointment. It did not chart on the US Billboard Hot 100, but it appeared at number 23 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart. It reached the top forty in the UK and Australia, as part of a double A-side with "Never Too Far". The music video for the song directed by Sanaa Hamri decipts Carey and Mystikal in "southern style".
Background
In April 2001, Carey signed a US$100 million record deal with Virgin Records (EMI Records). Following commencement for Glitter — her first album under the new label — and the film of same name, Carey embarked on a short promotional campaign for the project. On July 19, 2001, Carey made a surprise appearance on the MTV program Total Request Live (TRL). She came out onto the filming stage, pushing an ice cream cart while wearing an oversized shirt. Seemingly anxious and exhilarated, Carey began giving out individual bars of ice cream to fans and guests on the program, while waving to the crowd down below on Times Square, while diverging into a rambling monologue regarding therapy. Carey then walked to Daly's platform and began a striptease, in which she shed her shirt to reveal a tight yellow and green ensemble, leading him to exclaim "Mariah Carey has lost her mind!".
Following other appearances on which her publicist Cindy Berger said the singer was "not thinking clearly", on July 26, she was hospitalized, citing "extreme exhaustion" and a "physical and emotional breakdown". Following her induction at an un-disclosed hospital in Connecticut, Carey remained hospitalized and under doctor's care for two weeks, followed by an extended absence from the album's promotion.
Composition
"Don't Stop (Funkin' 4 Jamaica)" was composed by Carey and DJ Clue, and interpolates "Funkin' for Jamaica (N.Y.)" by Tom Browne. Featuring guest verses from Mystikal, with the former declaring "Ain't nothin' you could do with the man / Except for shake your ass and clap your hands", while Carey responds "Don't stop bay-beee, its ex-ta-see / Turn me up a little." Mystikal's vocals were compared to those of James Brown.
Critical reception
Larry Nager from The Cincinnati Enquirer commented that Carey "grooves with less success to Tom Browne's '80s fusion hit, 'Funkin' for Jamaica'". Slant Magazine editor Sal Cinquemani wrote that "not all of Glitter is, ahem, gold. Carey is relegated to a virtual hood ornament of Don't Stop." Natalie Nichols from Los Angeles Times gave a mixed statement, commenting how the song was "almost campy", but "guilty fun". People magazine was more negative, stating that the song borrowed "a little too lazily" from its sampled song.
Music video
The accompanying music video for "Don't Stop (Funkin' 4 Jamaica)" was directed by Sanaa Hamri and filmed at the Maple Leaf Bar and a swamp outside New Orleans, Louisiana. The song's radio version was used in the video. The word "ass" was removed in the version. The time length of the radio edit is same as the album and instrumental versions. The video has the theme of southern bayous and lifestyles and presents Carey and Mystikal in "southern style" clothes and hairstyles. Some shots feature three versions of Carey singing into one microphone on the screen at one time. "Don't Stop (Funkin' 4 Jamaica)" appears in a scene of the film Glitter, when producer Julian "Dice" Black has met Billie Frank (played by Carey) and invites her to an impromptu freestyle jam session in his club.
Formats and track listings
European CD single
- "Never Too Far" (Edit)
- "Don't Stop (Funkin' 4 Jamaica)" (featuring Mystikal)
Australian/European CD maxi-single
- "Never Too Far" (Edit)
- "Don't Stop (Funkin' 4 Jamaica)" (featuring Mystikal)
- "Loverboy" (Drums Of Love)
- "Never Too Far" (The Video)
US CD promo-single
- "Don't Stop (Funkin' 4 Jamaica)" (featuring Mystikal) (Radio Edit)
- "Don't Stop (Funkin' 4 Jamaica)" (featuring Mystikal)
- "Don't Stop (Funkin' 4 Jamaica)" (featuring Mystikal) (Instrumental Version)
- "Don't Stop (Funkin' 4 Jamaica)" (featuring Mystikal) (Call Out Hook)