"Not Gon' Cry" is a 1996

1996 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1996.-January:* January – At the trial of two American teenagers, Nicholaus McDonald and Brian Bassett, for the murder of Bassett's parents and young brother, defense lawyers attempt to lay the blame for the murders on the fact...

 single by American R&B singer Mary J. Blige

Mary J. Blige

Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...

 from the soundtrack

Waiting to Exhale (soundtrack)

Upon release, Waiting to Exhale Soundtrack received critical acclaim. Stephen Holden and Jon Pareles of the New York Times praised Babyface's ability as composer and producer, both choosing the album as one of the top 10 albums of 1995...

 to the film Waiting to Exhale

Waiting to Exhale

Waiting to Exhale is a 1995 romance film starring Whitney Houston and Angela Bassett, directed by Forest Whitaker. The movie was adapted from the 1992 novel of the same name by Terry McMillan. Loretta Devine, Lela Rochon, Dennis Haysbert, Michael Beach, Gregory Hines, Donald Faison and Mykelti...

; the song is also featured on Blige's 1997

1997 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1997.-January:*January 9 – David Bowie performs his 50th Birthday Bash concert at Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA with guests Frank Black, The Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth, Robert Smith of The Cure, Lou Reed, and Billy...

 album, Share My World

Share My World

Share My World is the third studio album by American R&B singer-songwriter Mary J. Blige, released by MCA Records on April 23, 1997. The album serves as a follow-up to her Grammy-nominated critically acclaimed second album, My Life...

. The song was written and produced by Babyface and became a major hit for Blige in the US, where it peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

 and #1 on Billboard's

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks, where it became her fourth #1 single on that particular chart. The single was certified Platinum

RIAA certification

In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...

 by the RIAA where it has sold at 1.5 million copies in the United States.

The lyrics of the song are inspired by a storyline in the movie Waiting to Exhale revolving around one of the movie's main characters, Bernadine (portrayed by actress Angela Bassett

Angela Bassett

Angela Evelyn Bassett is an American actress. She has become well known for her biographical film roles portraying real life women in African American culture, including singer Tina Turner in the motion picture What's Love Got to Do with It, as well as Betty Shabazz in the films Malcolm X and...

), who gets abandoned by her philandering husband who tells her he is in love with another woman and chooses to be with her.

The music video, which incorporates clips from Waiting to Exhale, was directed by Wayne Maser and Elizabeth Bailey

Elizabeth Bailey

Elizabeth Ellery Bailey is an American economist. She is John C. Hower Professor of Business and Public Policy, at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and has been Director of Altria since 1989.-Biography:...

.

The song was later sampled in 2004 by rapper The Game

The Game (rapper)

Jayceon Terrell Taylor , better known by his stage name Game, formerly The Game, is an American rapper and actor. As a member of G-Unit, he rose to fame in 2005 with the success of his debut album, The Documentary, which earned him two Grammy Award nominations...

 for his own song "Don't Need Your Love" from his album The Documentary

The Documentary

The Documentary is the debut studio album by West Coast rapper Game, released on January 18, 2005, through Aftermath Entertainment, G-Unit Records and Interscope Records. After recovering from a shooting in late 2001, The Game pursued a rap career and was discovered by Dr. Dre who signed him to his...

. In 2009, R&B singer Monica covered the song at "The BET Honors 2009" as dedication to Blige, who was one of the honorees at the program.

Peak positions

Chart (1996)	Peak position
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart	12
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...	2
U.S. Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	1
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...	39

End of year charts

End of year chart (1996)	Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	32