Не сдержать нас: Об истории сингла Кристины Агилеры и Lil' Kim

2003 single by Christina Aguilera

"Can't Hold Us Down" is a song recorded by American singer Christina Aguilera and rapper Lil' Kim for the former's fourth studio album, Stripped (2002). It was released by RCA Records on July 8, 2003, as the fourth single from the album. The track was written and produced by Scott Storch, with additional songwriting by Aguilera and Matt Morris. An R&B and hip hop song with a dancehall outro, "Can't Hold Us Down" criticizes gender related double standards. "Can't Hold Us Down" received mixed reviews from music critics. It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 2004 ceremony, but lost to "Whenever I Say Your Name" by Sting and Mary J. Blige. The single peaked at number 12 on the U. S. Billboard Hot 100 and charted within the top ten of record charts of several countries including Australia, Denmark, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The song was included on the setlists of Aguilera's four major concert tours: Justified and Stripped Tour (2003), the Stripped Tour (2003), Back to Basics Tour (2006–08) and the Liberation Tour (2018). A music video for "Can't Hold Us Down" was directed by David LaChapelle, inspired by the Lower East Side of New York City in the 1980s. The single has been widely recognized as a feminist anthem.

American singer Christina Aguilera rose to prominence with the successes of her first three studio albums Christina Aguilera (1999), Mi Reflejo (2000), and My Kind of Christmas (2000). However, she was dissatisfied with being marketed as what her then manager Steve Kurtz desired rather than Aguilera's own wish. In late 2000, Aguilera hired Irving Azoff as her new manager and announced that her forthcoming album would have more musical and lyrical depth. She named the album Stripped, explaining that the term represented "a new beginning, a re introduction of [herself] as a new artist". Hip hop producer Scott Storch wrote and produced several tracks for the album, including "Can't Hold Us Down". Additional writing credits for the song were provided by Aguilera and Matt Morris. "Can't Hold Us Down" was serviced to mainstream radio and rhythmic stations in the United States as the fourth single from Stripped by RCA Records on July 8, 2003. The song was distributed as a CD single from September to October 2003 in the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, and Italy by RCA Records and Sony Music Entertainment. A 12 inch edition of the song was released in the United States on September 9, 2003.

"Can't Hold Us Down" peaked at number 12 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 3 on the Pop Songs chart. In Australia, "Can't Hold Us Down" reached a peak position of number 5 on the Australian Singles Chart, On May 4, 2020, it was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry for shipments of 200,000 copies in the UK. The single charted at numbers 7 In the video, Aguilera wears a pink midriff shirt matching a sleeveless sports jacket and pair of shorts, a purple baseball cap embroidered with the words "Lady C", and white long socks.

Jason Heller from The A. V. Club criticized LaChappelle for "[swallowing] the message" of the track by following an unrelated concept in the clip. The music video for "Can't Hold Us Down" has received scholarly attention as an example of cultural appropriation. Murali Balaji, author of the article "Vixen Resistin': Redefining black womanhood in hip hop music videos" published in the Journal of Black Studies, noted that "blackness and sexuality" has become characteristics by which African American women are able to self define. Consequently, he opined that the inclusion of Lil' Kim in the clip represented an element of "'primitive' sexuality", which Aguilera intended to imitate through her own behavior in the video. In their article "Naughty girls and red blooded women: Representations of female heterosexuality in music video", published in Feminist Media Studies, Diane Railton and Paul Watson made specific note of the conflicting message raised by the lyrics "all my girls around the world", while "blackness and whiteness are clearly inscribed on and through the bodies of Aguilera and Kim." They suggested that this example detracted the message of the track by emphasizing the problem that "female heterosexuality" is confined to "the very limited range of ways" in mainstream culture, in this instance "gender and race [and] sexual behaviour".

Though Lil' Kim and Christina have not performed the song together, Aguilera performed "Can't Hold Us Down" on her Justified and Stripped Tour, which was held in support of Aguilera's Stripped and Justin Timberlake's album Justified (2002). In late 2003, the track was included on the setlist of the Stripped Tour, which acted as the Justified and Stripped Tour's extension and happened without Timberlake's acts. The performance in London was included on the singer's first full length DVD Stripped Live in the U. K. (2004). On her Back to Basics Tour (2006–08), Aguilera performed excerpts of "Can't Hold Us Down" in a medley with "Still Dirrty". In July 2021, Aguilera performed the song for two nights at the Hollywood Bowl with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She also sang excerpts from the song during the 47th People's Choice Awards,
and later made "Can't Hold Us Down" part of her setlist at the EuroPride concert in Malta in September 2023.

+ Release dates and formats for "Can't Hold Us Down" Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref. (Reference(s)) United States July 8, 2003 Contemporary hit radio, rhythmic contemporary radio RCA United States September 9, 2003 12 inch vinyl Sweden September 17, 2003 RCA Germany September 22, 2003 BMG