"Don't Be Afraid" is a song by American singer Aaron Hall. It was produced by Hank Shocklee and Gary G-Wiz. It was one of the singles taken from the soundtrack for the 1992 film Juice starring 2Pac. The song's drum loop is sampled from Sing a Simple Song by Sly and the Family Stone.
| "Don't Be Afraid" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Aaron Hall | ||||
| from the album Juice and The Truth | ||||
| Released | March 31, 1992 | |||
| Recorded | October 1991 | |||
| Genre | New jack swing[1] | |||
| Length | 5:19 (LP version) 4:50 (single version) | |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Aaron Hall, Floyd F. Fisher[2] | |||
| Producer(s) | Gary G-Wiz, Hank Shocklee, The Bomb Squad(Nasty Man's Groove remix) | |||
| Aaron Hall singles chronology | ||||
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Background
editThe song has four versions. The original uptempo version featured on the Juice soundtrack, the second called "Jazz You Up version," has a different beat and updated lyrics and instead of the female backing vocals, Aaron sings the respective vocals in their place. The song as a whole was met with controversy due to its overtly sexual nature. In response, an alternate version to the song was released, called the "Sex You Down Some Mo'" and features a slower tempo and different lyrics and a 4th version which is the Nasty Man's Groove version. One version is on the Juice soundtrack, with the Jazz You Up and Sex You Down Some Mo versions featured on Hall's The Truth album the year after and the fourth on the single. A fifth version, the Pressure Point Remix, features on the single.
Chart performance
edit"Don't Be Afraid" spent two weeks at #1 on the US R&B chart (making it Aaron Hall's highest charting R&B hit) and peaked at #44 on the Billboard Hot 100.[3]
Charts
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Weekly chartsedit
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Year-end chartsedit
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See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Josephs, Brian (July 20, 2012). "The 25 Best New Jack Swing Songs". Complex. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
- ^ "www.45cat.com". 45cat.com. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 242.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
- ^ "Aaron Hall Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
- ^ "Aaron Hall Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
- ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 1992". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 3, 2015. Retrieved November 9, 2021.