Mary J. Blige's hit single “Not Gon' Cry,” from the film Waiting to Exhale, is from the Nineties. The song appeared on the film's soundtrack, released on 14 November 1995, placing it firmly in the decade's influential R&B and hip-hop era.
Babyface wrote and produced the track, which was performed by Blige for the soundtrack. Its lyrics describe a woman deciding to stop mourning a failed relationship and reclaim her independence, matching the film's focus on the emotional lives of four female friends.
“Not Gon' Cry” became one of Blige's signature songs and helped establish her as a major mainstream R&B star. It was also part of an unusually successful soundtrack that generated several major hits, including Whitney Houston's “Exhale (Shoop Shoop),” Toni Braxton's “Let It Flow,” and Brandy's “Sittin' Up in My Room.”
A common mix-up is placing the song in the 2000s because Blige continued releasing prominent music in later decades. The original soundtrack release, however, belongs to 1995; the song was later included on her 1997 album Share My World.