Candy (Foxy Brown song)

"Candy"
An image of a black woman wearing a pink swimsuit while sitting on a pink background. The song title and artists' names are included on the image.
Single by Foxy Brown featuring Kelis
from the album Broken Silence
A-side "Candy"
B-side "730"
Released August 21, 2001
Format
Genre
Length 3:45
Label Def Jam
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) The Neptunes
Foxy Brown singles chronology
"Oh Yeah"
(2001)		 "Candy"
(2001)		 "Stylin'"
(2002)

"Oh Yeah"
(2001)		 "Candy"
(2001)		 "Stylin'"
(2002)

"Candy" is a song by American rapper Foxy Brown, featuring collaborative vocals by American singer-songwriter Kelis, from her third studio album Broken Silence (2001). It was released on August 21, 2001, as the album's third single. The Neptunes produced "Candy" and co-wrote it with Brown. It is a R&B, hip hop, and dance-pop song and its lyrics revolve around cunnilingus. Music critics identified various musical influences on the single, including new wave music, soul music, and blues.

Critics praised "Candy" following its release and in retrospective reviews; its production and Brown and Kelis' vocals were highlighted. Commentators also compared the single to music by other singers, specifically Lil' Kim. "Candy" appeared on several Billboard charts. It was included on the 2002 soundtrack for the television drama Dark Angel and the 2003 compilation album XXX Hip Hop, and featured in the 2002 film Friday After Next and the 2005 film The 40-Year-Old Virgin.

Recording and release

An image of a woman wearing a silver dress and a large black bow on her head. She has her arm extended upwards while she is looking down.
Kelis is featured on "Candy"'s chorus.[1]

The Neptunes produced "Candy" and co-wrote it with Foxy Brown, credited under her legal name Inga Marchand.[2] It is one of two songs the Neptunes produced for Brown's third studio album Broken Silence (2001);[2][3] the other track is "Gangsta Boogie".[2] The single was recorded at Master Sound Recording Studios in Virginia Beach. The vocals were handled by David Hummel and Erik Steinert and mixed by Axel Niehaus at Avatar Studios in New York City. The song features collaborative vocals from Kelis.[2]

On June 5, 2001, Brown played "Candy" at the release party for Broken Silence held at the National Recording Center in New York City.[4] On August 21, 2001,[5] it was released as the album's third single.[1][6] It was made available as a 12-inch single and a CD single,[5][1][7] paired with the album track "730" as its b-side.[5][7] Brown also performed a portion of "Candy" at the end of the music video for the Broken Silence album track "Tables Will Turn".[8] The single was included on the 2002 soundtrack for the television drama Dark Angel,[9] and its season two episode "Some Assembly Required".[10] It was also part of the 2003 compilation album XXX Hip Hop.[11] "Candy" was featured in the 2002 film Friday After Next and the 2005 film The 40-Year-Old Virgin.[12][13]

Composition and lyrics

"Candy" is a R&B, hip hop, and dance-pop song that lasts three minutes and 45-seconds.[1][4][16] Including a Spanish guitar,[14] the composition was described by Colin Finan of Billboard as featuring a staccato beat frequently used by the Neptunes.[1] Music critics associated the single with different musical influences.[3][15][17] Vibe's Lola Ogunnaike compared the song to 1980s music and new wave music,[3][17] while Shaheem Reid of MTV News viewed it as a "sugary party track".[14] In her 2007 book Third Coast: Outkast, Timbaland, and How Hip-Hop Became a Southern Thing, author Roni Sari described "Candy" as "classic soul, blues, and pop bundled with twenty-first-century digital mayhem".[15] Finan wrote that Brown's vocals had a "sexy, husky boom" and Kelis' contributions to the chorus were a "high-pitched, childlike sound".[1]

The lyrics include innuendos about oral sex, specifically cunnilingus.[1][18] Ogunnaike called the single a "vagina monologue",[17] and Billboard's Rashaun Hall wrote that Brown "taunt[s] listeners with her sexual prowess" through a "musical striptease".[16] Throughout the song, candy is used as a metaphor for Brown's genitalia; she refers to her sexuality as "priceless" in the verses: "I'm real sweet like a candy corn / Picture me, t-shirt, no panties on / I'm priceless boy."[19] Other lyrics include: "When I lay on my stomach and throw my legs back / Y'all niggaz won't know how to act."[17] Brown also raps about "boy-meets-girl scenarios",[14] and her preference to adopt a dominant role during sex.[19] Gender studies scholars Jennifer Esposito and Bettina Love cited the line "let me know when you're ready to eat" as how Brown reverses negative cultural connotations toward sexually active women by "mak[ing] it clear that women can desire sex and can ask for pleasure".[19]

Critical reception

An image of a woman with brown hair and wearing a bra and jeans. She is singing into a microphone.
Critics compared "Candy" to music by Lil' Kim.[19][20]

On its release, "Candy" received positive reviews from music critics.[1][9][21] Joshua Clover of Spin praised the Neptune's song production, writing that they "return full force with their strange brew of threatening, hooky, sexy, creepy, and overwhelming". Clover also wrote that the single "captures [Brown's] discreet charm".[21] While reviewing the Dark Angel soundtrack, Jason Birchmeier of AllMusic commended "Candy" as a "sassy collaboration" and a "fun and naughty" track. He identified the song as an album highlight, and felt it strengthened the project.[9] Colin Finan responded positively to the composition and the artists' vocals, but wrote that the sexual content could deter radio play and be criticized by more conservative audiences.[1] Despite the positive critical response, Nadine Graham of The Boombox wrote that: "the streets hated it".[6]

"Candy" has also been the subject of praise from several retrospective reviews.[6][22][23] In a 2012 article, Graham referenced the single as a "sugary sweet, poppy cut".[6] In 2014, Jeff Benjamin of Fuse named it a "fiery female collaboration",[22] while MTV News' Emilee Linder included it on a playlist for National Candy Day.[24] In a 2017 list, The Fader's Patrick D. McDermott cited "Candy" as one of his favorite Kelis collaborations, and praised the hook as "unshakeable, and lightyears ahead of its time".[23]

Some critics compared "Candy" to music released by other artists. Ron Sari likened its sound to Beyoncé's 2002 single "Work It Out" and Common's 2002 track "I Got a Right Ta".[15] Arion Berger of The Washington Post wrote that Macy Gray's song "Harry", a track from her second studio album The Id (2001), contains "a sexual boast as bold as Foxy Brown's supremely nasty 'Candy'".[25] Jennifer Esposito and Bettina Love viewed the single's candy metaphor as similar to Lil' Kim's song "Kitty Box", a track from her debut album Hard Core (1996).[19] A contributor for The Dallas Morning News felt that the song showcased Brown's "salacious side", but wrote that it was not as provocative as Lil' Kim's singles.[20]

Commercial performance

"Candy" appeared on several Billboard charts.[26][27][28] It peaked at number ten on the Hot Rap Songs Billboard chart on September 8, 2001, and stayed on the chart for three weeks.[26] On the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay Billboard chart, it reached number 48 on September 15, 2001, and remained on there for eight weeks.[27] The single also peaked at number 48 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Billboard chart on the same day, and stayed on the chart for ten weeks.[28]

Track listing

12" single[5][7]
No.TitleLength
1."Candy (Radio Edit)"3:45
2."Candy (LP Version)"3:43
3."Candy (Instrumental)"3:43
4."730 (Radio Edit)"4:00
5."730 (LP Version)"4:12
6."730 (Instrumental)"4:11

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Broken Silence.[2]

Recording locations
  • Master Sound Recording Studios (Virginia Beach)
  • Avatar Studios (New York City)
Personnel
  • Featuring – Kelis
  • Mixed By – Axel Niehaus
  • Producer – The Neptunes
  • Recorded By – David Hummel
  • Recorded By [Vocals] – Erik Steinert
  • Written-By – C. Hugo, I. Marchand, P. Williams

Charts

Chart (2001) Peak
position
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[28] 48
US Hot Rap Songs[26] 10
US R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay[27] 48

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Finan, Colin (August 25, 2001). "R&B". Billboard. 113 (34): 18. Archived from the original on February 14, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Broken Silence (Media notes). Foxy Brown. Def Jam. 2001.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Ogunnaike, Lola (July 2001). "revolutions". Vibe. 9 (7): 129. Archived from the original on February 14, 2018.
  4. 1 2 Nomatazele (April 23, 2001). "Foxy Brown Comes Back Hard on Broken Silence". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on May 13, 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Candy". Amazon.com. Archived from the original on March 15, 2016.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Graham, Nadine (March 13, 2012). "Deaf History Month 2012: Foxy Brown Suffers Loss, Bounces Back Video". The Boombox. Archived from the original on March 9, 2017.
  7. 1 2 3 "Candy ; 730". WorldCat. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Foxy Brown - Tables Will Turn ft. Baby Cham". YouTube. June 16, 2009. Archived from the original on August 9, 2017.
  9. 1 2 3 Bichmeier, Jason. "AllMusic Review by Jason Birchmeier". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 30, 2017.
  10. ↑ Writer: Robert Doherty. Director: Nick Marck. (November 16, 2001). "Some Assembly Required". Dark Angel. Season 2. FOX.
  11. ↑ Sendra, Tim. "AllMusic Review by Tim Sendra". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 23, 2017.
  12. ↑ Judd Apatow (director) (2005). The 40-Year-Old Virgin (Film). Universal Pictures.
  13. ↑ Marcus Raboy (director) (2002). Friday After Next (Film). New Line Cinema.
  14. 1 2 3 4 Reid, Shaheem (April 23, 2001). "Foxy Returns to Street With Broken Silence". MTV News. Archived from the original on March 12, 2017.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Sarig (2007)
  16. 1 2 Hall, Rashaun (July 28, 2001). "Reviews & Previews". Billboard. 113 (30): 22. Archived from the original on February 14, 2018.
  17. 1 2 3 4 Ogunnaike, Lola (August 2001). "Dark Angel". Vibe. 9 (8): 110, 112. Archived from the original on February 14, 2018.
  18. ↑ Morrissey, Tracie Egan (May 21, 2009). "20 Songs About Cunnilingus". Jezebel. Archived from the original on July 2, 2017.
  19. 1 2 3 4 5 Esposito & Love (2009): pp. 43-44
  20. 1 2 "Reviews of releases by Foxy Brown, Perry Farrell, Jaguares". The Dallas Morning News. August 7, 2001. Archived from the original on February 14, 2018. (subscription required)
  21. 1 2 Clover, Joshua (October 2001). "Show Us Your Hits". Spin. 17 (10): 133. Archived from the original on February 14, 2018.
  22. 1 2 Benjamin, Jeff (May 7, 2014). "35 Fiery Female Collaborations From Iggy & Ariana to Mariah & Whitney". Fuse. Archived from the original on December 9, 2014.
  23. 1 2 McDermott, Patrick D. (November 14, 2017). "10 perfect Kelis collaborations". The Fader. Archived from the original on December 25, 2017.
  24. ↑ Lindner, Emilee (November 4, 2014). "Here's Your National Candy Day Playlist". MTV News. Archived from the original on September 2, 2016.
  25. ↑ Berger, Arion (October 3, 2001). "Macy Gray's 'Id': Pure Pleasure". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 14, 2018. (subscription required)
  26. 1 2 3 "Hot Rap Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018.
  27. 1 2 3 "R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018.
  28. 1 2 3 "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018.

Book sources

  • Esposito, Jennifer; Love, Bettina (2008). "More Than A Video Ho: Hip Hop as a Site of Sex Educatin about Girls' Sexual Desires". In  Boyles, Deron. The Corporate Assault on Youth: Commercialism, Exploitation, and the End of Innocence. New York: Peter Lang. p. 27-50. ISBN 978-1-4331-0084-0.
  • Sarig, Roni (2007). Third Coast: Outkast, Timbaland, and How Hip-Hop Became a Southern Thing. Boston: Da Capo Press. ISBN 978-0-306-81430-3.
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