I'm Not Havin' It
| "I'm Not Havin' It" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 7-inch vinyl of I'm Not Havin' It | ||||
| Single by Positive K and MC Lyte | ||||
| from the album The First Priority Music Family: Basement Flavor | ||||
| B-side | "A Good Combination" | |||
| Released | 1989 | |||
| Recorded | 1988 | |||
| Genre | Golden age hip hop | |||
| Length | 3:29 | |||
| Label | First Priority Music, Atlantic Records | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Darryl Gibson, Lana Moorer, Kirk Robinson and Nathaniel Robinson Jr.[1] | |||
| Producer(s) | Audio Two | |||
| MC Lyte singles chronology | ||||
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| Positive K singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "I'm Not Havin' It" on YouTube | ||||
"I'm Not Havin' It" is a song by American rappers Positive K and MC Lyte. It was included on the 1988 compilation album The First Priority Music Family: Basement Flavor and released as a single the following year. The B-side "A Good Combination", by Positive K as solo artist, is the main song in some versions of the single.[2][3]
Produced by rap duo Audio Two, on the song Positive K and Lyte have a rapping conversation in which she rejects his persistent courtship attempts.[4][5]
Although Lyte had already charted outside the United States thanks to his collaboration with Irish singer Sinead O'Connor on "I Want Your (Hands on Me)", with this song they both got their first appearance on a Billboard chart, peaking to No. 16 of the Hot Rap Singles in September of that year.[6] "I'm Not Havin' It" was included in Lyte's compilation album The Shit I Never Dropped (2003)[7] and in January 2019 they recorded a second version of the song.[8][9]
Conception and composition
Considered a safe-sex manifesto,[10] in the song Positive K insistently tries to woo Lyte, who rejects him on the grounds that "guys are running games, like the New York Knicks", "guys like you just wanna hit and run" and "There's just certain things you don't understand baby/Every woman wants to be treated like a lady". On the hook of the song Positive K tells Lyte "Excuse me miss", to which she replies "No, I'm not havin' it".[4][5]
As Positive K explained to Village People, at the time of creating the song "wanted to do something in rap that had never been seen before" and his main inspiration was the duets he grew up listening to such as Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell and Lionel Richie and Diana Ross's "Endless Love".[11]
In August 1991, regarding the content of songs like I'm Not Havin' It and Please Understand, Lyte told Deborah Gregory in an Essence interview "I’ve never let a man dog me and I never will, It’s just not gonna happen!".[10]
When asked about the recording of the song in a subsequent interview, Positive K responded "Always energentic! We were in the studio all the time! The vibe was great!!"[12] In a 2018 interview for Weekly Rap Gods Positive K described the song as "the Adam and Eve of hip hop duos" and that it "set the tone for hip hop" in the work of other artists such as "Doin' It" by LL Cool J and "You're All I Need to Get By" by Method Man and Mary J Blige.[13]
Samples
I'm Not Havin' It is built around a sample of Teddy Pendergrass's "Turn Off the Lights". The song also samples the hook from "Yes We Can Can" by Pointer Sisters.
Appearances
I'm Not Havin' It was used in HIV prevention public service announcements and in the Rock the Vote campaign.[10][14]
References
- ^ "ASCAP Repertory entry for this song". ASCAP. Retrieved June 23, 2021.
- ^ A Good Combination/I'm Not Havin' It (Vinyl, 12", 33 ⅓ RPM) (track listing). Positive K. First Priority Music, Atlantic. 1989. 0-96543.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ A Good Combination/I'm Not Havin' It (Cassette) (track listing). Positive K. First Priority Music, Atlantic. 1989. 0-96543.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ a b Jon Shecter (October 1996). Vibe Oct. 1996. Vibe Media Group. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- ^ a b "Positive K's Debut Album 'The Skills Dat Pay Da Bills' Turns 25 - Anniversary Retrospective". Albumism. November 3, 2017.
- ^ "MC Lyte - US Hot Rap Songs". billboard.com. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
- ^ "MC Lyte - The Shit I Never Dropped". AllMusic. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
- ^ "MC Lyte & Positive K Reunite After 30 Years & They're Still Not Havin' It (Video)". Ambrosia For Heads. January 24, 2019. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- ^ MC Lyte & Positive K Revamp A Classic With "I'm Still Not Havin' It" Video HipHopDX. Accessed on August 28, 2019.
- ^ a b c "MC, Lyte". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
- ^ "Positive K Says His 1992 Hit 'I Got a Man' Isn't Street Harassment". Village People (website). December 3, 2014. Retrieved July 10, 2021.
- ^ "Positive K interview". Hardcorejamz. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
- ^ "Hip Hop Icon, Positive K, Stops in to Talk About His Extensive History and Future Projects (Interview). Posted on June 1, 2018 by Weekly Rap Gods". weeklyrapgods.com. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
- ^ "mc Lyte". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved July 7, 2021.