I Won't Tell

For the Jay Sean song, see My Own Way (album).

"I Won't Tell" is a song by American rapper Fat Joe. It was released as the first single of his eight album The Elephant in the Room (2008), and features R&B singer J. Holiday. It was released on November 8, 2007 on Fat Joe's MySpace page. It was released through iTunes on December 4, 2007. It is a hip hop and contemporary R&B song.

"I Won't Tell"
Single by Fat Joe featuring J. Holiday
from the album The Elephant in the Room
Released	November 8, 2007
Recorded	2007
Genre	Hip hop, R&B
Length	3:47
Label	Terror Squad/Imperial/Virgin
Songwriter(s)	Deric Angelettie, Joseph Cartagena, Levar Coppin, Nahum Thorton Grymes, Delano Matthews, Mario Winans[1]
Producer(s)	The Hitmen
Fat Joe singles chronology
"We Takin' Over" (2007) "I Won't Tell" (2007) "Ain't Sayin' Nothin'" (2008)
J. Holiday singles chronology
"Suffocate" (2007) "I Won't Tell" (2007) "It's Yours" (2009)

The song received a mixed reception from critics. The single peaked at number 37 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The accompanying music video for the single was directed by Gil Green.

Critical reception

"I Won't Tell" received mixed reviews from music critics. Reviewing the album, David Jeffries of AllMusic praised the song for being one of the album's better radio singles that bring "sweet relief."^[2] Jesal Padania of RapReviews found the lyrics middling but praised J. Holiday's appearance and The Hitmen's production for being soothing.^[3] HipHopDX staff writer Mcooper criticized the song along with "You Ain't Sayin Nothin'" for targeting mainstream radio, saying that, "These songs find Joe short on creativity, but eager for radio spins."^[4]

Chart performance

"I Won't Tell" peaked at number 37 on the US Billboard Hot 100, giving Joe his fifth top 40 hit on the chart. The song also peaked at numbers three and 12 on the US Hot Rap Songs and US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts respectively.

Music video

The music video for "I Won't Tell" (directed by Gil Green) was released on December 18, 2007 on Fat Joe's MySpace video page. Cameo appearances include Bow Wow, LL Cool J, Diddy, Christina Milian, LeToya Luckett, Junior Reid, Mario Winans, Pitbull, Scott Storch, Flo Rida, E-Class (Poe Boy Entertainment Manager), Akon, DJ Khaled, Slim Thug, Sheek Louch, Dre, and Brisco.

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2008) Peak position US Billboard Hot 100[5] 37 US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[6] 12 US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[7] 3 US Rhythmic (Billboard)[8] 18 US Pop 100 (Billboard)[9] 68

Year-end charts Chart (2008) Position US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[10] 51

References

1. "I Won't Tell" at BMI
2. Jeffries, David. "The Elephant in the Room - Fat Joe". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
3. Padania, Jesal (March 18, 2008). "Feature for March 18, 2008 - Fat Joe's "The Elephant in the Room"". RapReviews. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
4. Mcooper (March 10, 2008). "Fat Joe - Elephant in the Room". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
5. "J. Holiday Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
6. "J. Holiday Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
7. "J. Holiday Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
8. "J. Holiday Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved February 16, 2021.
9. "The Elephant in the Room - Fat Joe | Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 12, 2013. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
10. "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved February 16, 2021.