"Dear John" is a single by MC Lyte featuring Common & 10Beats from her subsequent eighth solo album Legend.
| "Dear John" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by MC Lyte featuring Common & 10Beats | ||||
| from the album Legend | ||||
| Released | September 10, 2014[1] | |||
| Genre | Conscious Rap | |||
| Length | 3:20 | |||
| Label | Sunni Gyrl Inc. | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) | Loudbox | |||
| MC Lyte singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Dear John" on YouTube | ||||
The song seeks to give a positive message about maintaining a father-son relationship and also serves as the official anthem of #EducateOURMen, the scholarship arm of the MC Lyte foundation's Hip Hop Sisters Network.[3] It chart on the real-time US Billboard + Twitter Trending 140, where it peaked No. 3,[4] being Lyte's first solo work to appear on a chart since her album Da Undaground Heat, Vol. 1.
Content edit
The track is an open letter to men, asking, "You wanna be ballas, shot-callers, dippin 'in the Benz straight lawless?/Or, would you rather be fathers to your daughters, even though it's getting harder?".[5]
Release and promotion edit
The song had a music video featuring a collection of photos ranging from dads spending time with their children, to images of black community pillars like Cornel West, W. E. B. Du Bois, Harry Belafonte, Bill Cosby, Arthur Ashe, B.B. King, Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, Russell Simmons, and Jackie Robinson.[5] In October 14, 2014, MC Lyte performed Dear John to President Barack Obama in the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the legislation that created the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Endowment for the Arts.[6][7]
Charts edit
| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard + Twitter Trending 140 (Billboard)[4] | 3 |
References edit
- ^ "MC Lyte Teams Up With Common for New Song, 'Dear John'". BET (website). September 10, 2014. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
- ^ "ASCAP Repertory entry for this song". ASCAP. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
- ^ "Check Out MC Lyte And Common's Video For "Dear John"". XXL Mag. October 23, 2014. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
- ^ a b "MC Lyte Returns, Charts With 'Dear John' From Next Album". Billboard.com. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- ^ a b "MC LYTE AND COMMON DROP A NEW SONG TO EMPOWER THE BLACK COMMUNITY". freddyo.com. October 25, 2014. Retrieved October 2, 2021.
- ^ "President Obama celebrates American music with "eclectic bunch"". CBS News. October 14, 2015. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- ^ muzline (January 10, 2016). MC Lyte - Dear John / Cha Cha Cha (Live 2016). Retrieved October 1, 2021 – via YouTube.