"Let It Go" is a song by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

R&B singer

Keyshia Cole Keyshia Myeshia Cole (née Johnson; born October 15, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, television personality and actress. Dubbed by critics as the " Princess of Hip-Hop Soul", she is known for her soulful voice and heartfelt lyrics. Bor ...

featuring American rappers

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the Contemporary R&B, R&B girl group 4 All the Sistas Arou ...

and

Lil' Kim Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974), Those giving 1974 include: * * * * * better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper. She was born and raised in New York City and lived much of her adolescent life on the streets after ...

. It was written by Cole, Jack Knight,

Cainon Lamb Cainon Renard Lamb (born March 22, 1978), professionally known as Lamb or Lamb Litty, is an American record producer and songwriter from Miami, Florida. He has worked with artists including Beyoncé, SWV, Missy Elliott, Monica, Keyshia Cole an ...

, and

for her second album '' Just Like You'' (2007) and samples "

Juicy Fruit Juicy Fruit is an American brand of chewing gum made by the Wrigley Company, a U.S. company that since 2008 has been a subsidiary of the privately held Mars, Incorporated. It was introduced in 1893, and in the 21st century the brand name is reco ...

" by

Mtume Mtume (pronounced ''em-tu-may'') was an American funk and soul group that rose to prominence during the early 1980s and had several R&B hits during its career. Its founder, former percussionist James Mtume, previously played and toured with Mil ...

, and "Don't Stop the Music" by

Yarbrough and Peoples Yarbrough and Peoples was an American urban contemporary duo from Dallas, Texas. The duo’s biggest-selling release was " Don't Stop the Music," a US ''Billboard'' R&B chart topper in 1981. Career Cavin Leon Yarbrough (January 22, 1954 – Ju ...

, while also interpolating " Juicy" by

The Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in the New York rap scene and gangsta rap tradi ...

, who also sampled "Juicy Fruit." An

uptempo A variety of musical terms is encountered in printed scores, music reviews, and program notes. Most of the terms are Italian, in accordance with the Italian origins of many European musical conventions. Sometimes, the special musical meanings ...

song written by all three artists with Jack Knight,

and

James Mtume James Forman (January 3, 1946 – January 9, 2022), known professionally as Mtume or James Mtume, was an American jazz and R&B musician, songwriter, record producer, activist, and radio personality. He came to prominence as a jazz musician, wo ...

and produced by Lamb and Elliott, it marked the first collaboration between any of the three artists with one another. Released as the album's lead single, it debuted at number 74 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 on the issue date of July 7, 2007, and peaked at number 7, becoming Cole's third top ten hit single altogether and first top ten ''Billboard'' Hot 100 single as a lead artist. It also became Cole's first number-one hit on the

R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 po ...

chart. It was nominated for a

Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration The Grammy Award for Best Melodic Rap Performance (awarded as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration until 2017, and Best Rap/Sung Performance from 2018 to 2020) is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and original ...

at the 50th annual ceremony, held in February 2008. "Let It Go" was ranked 59th on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

''s list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007. The single sold over two million copies in the US and was certified platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA).

Background

"Let It Go" was written and produced by rapper

and originally intended for singer

Fantasia Barrino Fantasia Monique Barrino-Taylor (born June 30, 1984), known professionally by her mononym Fantasia, is an American singer and actress. She rose to prominence in 2004 for her performance of the ''Porgy and Bess'' standard " Summertime" during th ...

's self-titled second album (2007). A song about female empowerment and failed relationships that talks about "letting go" of a relationship if one partner is not there for the other, and is not interested in showing love or respect, it failed to make the final tracklisting. After Elliott played the song to Cole she decided she wanted to record it for her sophomore album. On their collaboration, Elliott later said: "I tried to hurry up past it cause I felt Keyshia wouldn't want it. She said she wanted to work with me and I really didn't know what kind of direction she wanted to go in. But as soon as the chords came on she was like, 'Wait-wait-wait stop! Stop!' She was like all, who record is that? I was like, well antasiahad too many records on her album so I couldn't take it. And she wanted it." Rapper

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and television producer. Born in Queens, a borough of New York City, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 1996. In 1999–2000, ...

disclosed in an interview with radio station

Hot 97 WQHT (97.1 FM, ''Hot 97'') is a commercial radio station, licensed to New York, New York, which broadcasts an urban contemporary music format. The station is owned by Mediaco Holding, a subsidiary of the Standard General hedge fund. WQHT's st ...

that "Let It Go" was also offered to R&B singer

Olivia Olivia may refer to: People and fictional characters * Olivia (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Olivia (singer), American singer Olivia Longott (born 1981) * Olívia (basketball), Brazilian basketball playe ...

who picked "Cherry Pop", another track written by Elliot instead. Lil' Kim appears on the record to pay homage to

Biggie Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in the New York rap scene and gangsta rap tradit ...

, as the song is similar to his 1994 hit single " Juicy" which also contains excerpts from

's 1983 song "

." Elliott also produced the official "Let It Go" remix that features vocals by rappers

T.I. Clifford Joseph Harris Jr. (born September 25, 1980), known professionally as T.I. or Tip, is an American rapper and singer raised in Atlanta, Georgia. Harris is credited as a pioneer of the hip hop subgenre trap music, along with fellow Georgi ...

and

Young Dro D'Juan Montrel Hart (born January 15, 1979), better known by his stage name Young Dro, is an American rapper. Best known for his association with fellow Atlanta-based rapper T.I., Dro signed with his label, Grand Hustle Records, an imprint of ...

instead of Lil' Kim. It was also included on the '' Just Like You'' album as the final track. Another remix featuring rapper

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after National Football League, NFL and Canadian Football Lea ...

and extended verses by Lil' Kim leaked in 2011. An extended version of the song that runs for 5 minutes and 15 seconds which has Lil Kim's full verse was released on the single. This version was not used for the album or video.

Music video

Cole reunited with director

Benny Boom Benny Douglas (born July 22, 1971), professionally known as Benny Boom, is an American director who has worked in music, television, and film. His most commercially successful film was the 2017 Tupac Shakur biopic '' All Eyez on Me''. Career Do ...

, director of several videos from her '' The Way It Is'' era, to produce a visual for "Let It Go." Filming took place at the

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

nightspots Guesthouse and Home in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on June 22, 2007. Rappers

Angie Martinez Angela "Angie" Martinez (born January 9, 1971) is an American radio personality, podcaster, singer, former rapper and actress. Dubbed "The Voice of New York", Martinez is widely known for her 28-year run at New York City station WQHT, Hot 97 ( ...

and

Fat Joe Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper. He began recording as a member of Hip-hop, hip hop group D.I.T.C., Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.) in 1992, and pursued a sol ...

make

cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...

s in the video. When asked about the treatment of the video, Cole explained in an interview with ''

MTV News MTV News was the news production division of MTV. The service was available in the US with localized versions on MTV's global network and an online news team. In 2016, MTV refreshed the MTV News brand to compete with the likes of BuzzFeed and ...

'' that "the concept of the video was you know, I'm chillin' at home, I just want to go out, they want me to go out, so I go out. I go do my thing and have a good time, basically. It's a party concept: This is what you need to do when you hear this song come on at the club. That's what you need to do with this record: Let it go."

Chart performance

Upon its release, "Let It Go" became Cole's highest-charting single as a lead artist. Her only solo top ten hit on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, it peaked at number 7. "Let It Go" also reached number one the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart, becoming Cole's first song to do so, and entered the top three of the

Rhythmic Songs The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, and previously named Rhythmic Songs, Rhythmic Top 40 and CHR/Rhythmic) is an airplay chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on ...

chart. ''Billboard'' ranked the song 65th on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 year-end chart and twelfth on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs year-end chart in 2007. On December 6, 2007, "Let It Go" was certified platinum by the

(RIAA).

Track listings

Sample credits *"Let It Go" contains excerpts from "

" as performed by

. Notes * signifies co-producer * signifies additional producer

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Just like You''. *Scott Berger-Felder – assistant engineer *Keyshia Cole – vocals, writer *

Melissa Elliott Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the R&B girl group Sista during the 1990s, who were part ...

– producer, vocals, writer *Paul Falcone – engineer * Jack Knight – writer *

– co-producer, writer *

– vocals, writer *Prince Maestro – keys *

– writer (sample) *Taurian Osborne – keys *

Soul Diggaz Soul Diggaz is an American R&B and hip-hop production team composed of Karriem "K-Mack" Mack, Shaun "Bless" Owens and songwriter Corté "The Author" Ellis. Corté Ellis is the younger cousin of hip hop musician Missy Elliott. They have added c ...

– DJ scratches

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{authority control 2007 singles Keyshia Cole songs Lil' Kim songs Missy Elliott songs Music videos directed by Benny Boom Songs written by Missy Elliott Songs written by Keyshia Cole Songs written by James Mtume 2007 songs Geffen Records singles Songs written by Lil' Kim Songs written by Cainon Lamb