It was released on August 21, 1992, and reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the group's third consecutive top-10 single.

A remix to the single, titled "What About Your Friends (Extended Mix)" includes the first ever appearance by the Atlanta hip-hop duo Outkast.

"What About Your Friends" was written by Dallas Austin and TLC member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes,[2] and features lead vocals by T-Boz and Chilli.

Daryl McIntosh from Albumism noted that "What About Your Friends" "calls into question the topic of loyalty and true friendship, making you evaluate the character of those within your inner circle.

"[3] The main performance scenes of the music video for "What About Your Friends" was directed by Lionel C. Martin, and features the girls walking in an alley surrounded by backup dancers, underneath a bridge, on an outside staircase, on an apartment roof, in a slushie bar and wearing graffiti clothes in front of a graffiti-covered wall.