The song was co-written and co-produced by Chad Elliott and group member Beyoncé Knowles, with additional writing from Rufus Moore and production assistance from Jovonn Alexander.

The music video for the song features the group's second lineup consisting of Knowles, Kelly Rowland and replacement members Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin.

[1] Producer Chad "Dr. Ceuss" Elliott received a phone call from Columbia Records A&R Teresa LaBarbera Whites, who wanted him to meet "this great group in Houston" prior to the release of its debut album.

He flew to Houston and met for dinner with the members of the group (Destiny's Child) and their manager Mathew Knowles, but was unable to send any productions in time for the album.

Elliott, alongside co-writer Rufus Moore and co-producer Jovonn Alexander, subsequently sent a disc of written tracks for potential inclusion on their second album.

Beyoncé heard this song and began writing to it; Mathew Knowles then sent a rough draft of the result to Elliott, who was impressed with the melodic, syncopated-rap delivery and the "democratic" message addressed to both men and women.

The completed product secured placement on that second album, The Writing's on the Wall, alongside another co-written Elliott song ("If You Leave"), and would ultimately become Elliott's highest-peaking and biggest-selling song in multiple global markets, as well as the first recording for which Beyoncé received a co-production credit.

[3][4] Knowles sings the lead vocal in rap-like style, something she is notable for doing in Destiny's Child as well as in her subsequent solo career.

[9] The video begins with a timelapse of evening drawing on in a city, intercut with close-up shots of women putting on lip gloss and nail polish.