Anything (To Find You)

"Anything (To Find You)" was written by longtime contributor Missy Elliott along with singer Jazmine Sullivan and producer Cainon Lamb, all of which had contributed to Monica's previous single "Everything to Me" (2010), with additional writing by Henry Fuse, Miguel Castro, and William Roberts. The song contains portions The Notorious B.I.G.'s 1995 record, "Who Shot Ya?", written by Christopher Wallace, Sean Combs, Nashiem Sa-Allah Myrick, Herbert Magidson and Allie Wrubel, which again samples from 1972's "I'm Afraid the Masquerade Is Over", as performed by David Porter. ==Release==

{{multiple image On July 7, 2011, the full song was leaked onto the internet, featuring guest vocals by both rappers Lil' Kim and Rick Ross. Having initially recorded sixteen additional bars to the eight bars that appeared on the track, Kim's part was reportedly cut to make room for a second guest part, contributed by Ross. When the song made its debut on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in the week of July 14, 2011, Kim's name was not listed however. In a statement, J Records later confirmed that they were forced to remove her vocals from the official version at the last minute due to contractual issues as the sample that she used in her part — an excerpt of The Notorious B.I.G.'s controversial 1995 song "Who Shot Ya?" – was revoked by his mother Volleta Wallace, the head of B.I.G's estate. Addressing the issue on her Twitter account, Monica wrote: I am just finding out what has happened to my single and myself and Missy are beyond hurt that Lil Kim was removed. She's our friend, a legend, and Lil Kim will get the respect she deserves at all cost. The clearance was revoked and I'm fighting to get it reinstated by the Biggie Estate ... I am as thorough as they come and I Love Lil Kim, bottom line is Ms Wallace has the final say and she said No. If we put it out we get sued. The original version of the song, featuring all sixteen bars recorded by Lil' Kim, was leaked on July 30, 2011. ==Reception==

The single has been generally well received by critics. Rap-Up favored the track stating that "Monica takes listeners back to R&B's glory days with her soulful voice, Rozay channels Biggie, and the Queen Bee delivers a short, yet stinging verse." Billboard called the track "a throwback to '90s hip-hop," adding: "Monica arrives with lyrics that combine attitude and vulnerability ... With "Anything (To Find You)", she das issued another soft jam to secure her status as an R&B queen in the company of Mary J. Blige." Before being released as a digital download and rhythmic radio, "Anything (To Find You)" instantly debuted at number 71 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart on July 14, 2011, based on airplay alone. Afterwards it jumped from number fifty-seven to fifty-one on that particular chart, before eventually entering the top 30. Reaching its peak position of number 25, it became Monica's least successful lead single since 2002's "All Eyez on Me.". However, the song became Monica's sixteenth top forty entry on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Tracks chart, and due to digital downloads debuted and peaked at number 19 in the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles. ==Music video==

Background The music video for "Anything (To Find You)" was directed by frequent collaborator Chris Robinson. As reported by herself on Twitter, Monica and rapper Rick Ross filmed the clip in Los Angeles, California, on August 18, 2011. Based on a concept developed by the singer and Robinson, the video shoot called for multiple flashy 1990s fashions, boomboxes, colorfully dressed dancers, and jewelry by designer Simone I. Smith. Monica summed the retro-themed video as being about "paying homage to the era that made [her] – 90s baby." The full music video exclusively premiered through the Vevo network on September 11, 2011, a day earlier than planned, on Monica's Vevo account. It made its television debut on September 12, 2011, during an episode of BET's format 106 & Park, where it eventually reached the top spot on the show's music video countdown. Synopsis Summed up by Essence magazine, "Monica channels the '90s in her latest video [for] "Anything (To Find You)", [presenting] a heavy influence from Mary J. Blige." The video opens in a lit warehouse, with Brown walking in the passageway before it cuts to her standing with her arms folded. She then kneels down and began to sing the into verse of the song. The clip then shows Rick Ross in his own scene rapping his verse to the song. Monica goes into her first verse with three girls choreographed routines with a 1980s vibe. Doing the first run of the hook, Monica is seen singing on a bed and sitting on a curb with gold lights in the background. The video then continues with another scene of Monica singing behind a gold background with a black tank top and with a white jumpsuit. After the scenes quickly jumped from another, the video then ends with Monica 2-stepping and singing her final lines from the song. ==Credits and personnel==

Credits are taken from New Life liner notes. • Miguel "Pro" Castro – engineering, keyboards • Missy Elliott – engineering, production • Henry "Henny" Fuse – keyboards • Chris Galland – mixing assistance • Cainon Lamb – co-production • Erik Madrid – mixing assistance • Manny Marroquin – mixing • Taurian "TJ" Osbourne – keyboards ==Charts==