Electric Circus (album)
Encyclopedia
Electric Circus is the fifth studio album
by rapper Common
, released December 10, 2002 on the now-defunct MCA Records
. The album was highly anticipated and praised by many critics for its ambitious vision. However, it was not as commercially successful as his previous album, Like Water for Chocolate
, selling under 300,000 copies. An eclectic album, Electric Circus featured fusions of several genres such as hip hop
, pop
, rock
, electronic
, and neo soul
. This was Common's second and last album for MCA, and the label's final release prior to it's absorption into Geffen Records
.
(who provided vocals for the album's lead single, "Come Close
"), The Neptunes
, Laetitia Sadier (of Stereolab
), Cee-Lo
, Bilal
and Jill Scott
. The music on Electric Circus challenges the boundaries of the hip hop
genre in a similar fashion to The Roots
' Phrenology
(2002) and Outkast
's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
(2003). This is especially the case on tracks like the grungy "Electric Wire Hustler Flower" (featuring P.O.D.
's Sonny Sandoval
in the chorus), the abstract "Aquarius", and the electronic "New Wave". Erykah Badu
joins Common
for a duet on ("Jimi Was A Rock Star"), which is a dedication to Jimi Hendrix
. The second Neptunes
collaboration on the record, the cross-genre "I Got A Right Ta", is a musical departure from the styles of both artists, and features Pharrell singing the hook in a blues-inspired style. A triumphant sounding Common proclaims himself "the only cat in hip hop that can go into a thrift shop, bring that get up to the ghetto
and get props
". The song was placed on the B-Side of "Come Close".
"Between Me, You & Liberation", in which Common discusses sexual abuse and its effects on a young woman, confronting his homophobia
after learning about the sexuality of a longtime friend, and the loss of a relative to cancer
, contains themes wholly unusual for a rap song, and is, perhaps, the rapper's most vulnerable moment on record. About "Liberation..." Pop Matters wrote that it's "one of those rare occasions when a male hip-hop artist owns up to his investment in some of the genre's more unsavory sexual politics". Musically, the song is very downbeat and moody, and features a guest spot from rapper/singer/producer Cee-Lo
(making this the pair's third collaboration after One Day It'll All Make Sense
' s "G.O.D.", and Like Water For Chocolate
's "A Song For Assata").
Following LWFCs tributes to Fela Kuti
, and Assata Shakur
, Electric Circus pays homage to someone altogether more familiar (Jimi Hendrix
) on "Jimi Was A Rock Star". The 8 minute-plus song is a duet between Common and his then-girlfriend Erykah Badu
, which gradually builds up into its cryptic, chanting finale. This song is Common's first all-singing performance. The center-piece of the album, the epic "Heaven Somewhere", features 6 vocalists who all give insight into what their interpretation of Heaven
is. Common's father Lonnie Lynn
ends the affair with an introspective look at his ideal place.
's I Want You and Richard Ashcroft
's Human Conditions
, both of which were experimental works that initially received mixed criticism. In a 2003 review, Nick Southall of Stylus Magazine
wrote of the album:
Official reviews were mostly positive. "Pushing past the accepted boundaries of contemporary black pop" is how PopMatters
described the album. Likewise, Play Louder agreed calling it "a brilliant, visionary album", as did Rolling Stone
who saw it as "breaking hip-hop rules with a freewheeling fearlessness". Ink Blot Magazine's Matt Cibula called it his "favorite record of 2002".
chart, 31 spots lower than Like Water for Chocolate's highest chart position. With "Come Close" as the only single, the album quickly fell off the charts altogether, and MCA Records
halted any further promotion. Part of the reason for its lack of promotion was MCA's absorption
under Geffen Records
in spring 2003, a mere four months after the album's release. Since both labels were under the Universal Music Group
, Common's record contract would be carried over to Geffen, but the handling of Electric Circus (an already under-performing album) was neglected. The lack of promotion may have also led to only 293,000 copies being sold based on 2005 Nielsen SoundScan
statistics.
In a 2006 interview concurrent with the release of The Roots
' album Game Theory
, Questlove, the album's executive producer, maintained that Common's relationship with Erykah Badu had little influence on the album and stated that the greater influence was the recording atmosphere at the famous Electric Lady Studios
(built by Jimi Hendrix
) and the group of artists that Common was collaborating with at the time:
' 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
, another work known for its experimental nature. The images (a mixture of known personalities, personal friends, and family of the artist) represent those directly or indirectly involved in, or influential to the making of the album. The people depicted in the photos are:
Common (in the center), (from top-left to bottom-right) Prince
, Leroy Matthais, Simon Johns, Chad Hugo
, Larenz Tate
, Stic.man
, Pharrell, Mattie Turner, Kenyetta Snyder, Big Daddy Kane
, Vinia Mojica
, Erykah Badu
, Rahsaan Abraham, James Poyser
, Tim Gane
, DJ Dumi, Questlove, Black Thought
, Grandma Gipson, Marie Daulne
, Richard Pryor
, Marlon Everett, Jay Dee (J Dilla), Mary Campbell, Steef Van De Gevel, M-1
, Don "Babatunde" Eaton, Tye Tribbett, Pino Palladino
, Abiodun Oyewole
, Andrew Dosunmu, Umar Bin Hassan
, The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan
, Joseph Sharrieff, Steve Mandel, Jimi The Cat, Dartanian Donaldson, Mary Hansen
, Steve Hess, Morgane Lhote, Kimberly Jones, Aunt Stella, Q-Tip
, Marc Baptiste, Grandma Mable Lynn, Derek Dudley, Uncle Charles, Uncle Steve, John Hancock, Bob Power, Koryan Wright, Ashaka Givens, Dwayne Lyle, Eevin Wright, Russ Elevado, Marcus Murray, Barbara Sims, Rachelle, Cee-Lo
, Jill Scott
, Bayatae Abraham, Charlie Malone, Jeff Lee Johnson, Assata Shakur
, Leslie Sims, Angela Murray, Kolleen "Queenie" Wright, Laetitia Sadier, Cousin Bianca, Omoye Lynn, Mary J. Blige
, Grandma Elva Brown, Millie Malone, Chris Webber
, Bilal
, Lonnie "Pops" Lynn
, Jimi Hendrix
, George Daniels, Fred Hampton Jr., Fred Hampton
, Omar
, Seven, Karriem Riggins
, Ma, Ralph.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by rapper Common
Common (rapper)
Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. , better known by his stage name Common , is an American hip-hop artist and actor....
, released December 10, 2002 on the now-defunct MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
. The album was highly anticipated and praised by many critics for its ambitious vision. However, it was not as commercially successful as his previous album, Like Water for Chocolate
Like Water for Chocolate (album)
Like Water for Chocolate is the fourth studio album by American hip hop rapper Common, released March 28, 2000 on MCA Records. It was a considerable critical and commercial breakthrough for Common, receiving generally favorable reviews from major magazine publications and selling 70,000 copies in...
, selling under 300,000 copies. An eclectic album, Electric Circus featured fusions of several genres such as hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
, pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, electronic
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
, and neo soul
Neo soul
The term neo soul was originally coined by Kedar Massenburg of Motown Records in the late 1990s as a marketing category following the commercial breakthroughs of artists such as D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Maxwell...
. This was Common's second and last album for MCA, and the label's final release prior to it's absorption into Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
.
Music
Common worked with a large (and eclectic) number of musicians on Electric Circus. Among them were Mary J. BligeMary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
(who provided vocals for the album's lead single, "Come Close
Come Close
"Come Close" is a single by rapper Common featuring guest vocals by Mary J. Blige. The song is produced by Chad Hugo and Pharrell's production team, The Neptunes. Peaking at #65 on the Billboard Hot 100, "Come Close" is the only song from Common's 2002 album Electric Circus to make an appearance on...
"), The Neptunes
The Neptunes
The Neptunes are a record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who are credited with contributing the sound for many successful hip hop, R&B and pop artists in the late-1990s and 2000s...
, Laetitia Sadier (of Stereolab
Stereolab
Stereolab are an alternative music band formed in 1990 in London, England. The band originally comprised songwriting team Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier , both of whom remained at the helm across many lineup changes...
), Cee-Lo
Cee-Lo
Thomas DeCarlo Callaway , better known by his stage name Cee Lo Green, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor...
, Bilal
Bilal (musician)
Bilal Sayeed Oliver , better known by his stage name Bilal, is an American neo soul/jazz singer-songwriter, musician and producer. He is also a core member of the loose collective, the Soulquarians. Bilal started out by singing in small clubs until he began classical training in jazz and big-band...
and Jill Scott
Jill Scott
Jill Scott is an American soul and R&B singer-songwriter, poet, and actress. In 2007, Scott made her cinematic debut in the films Hounddog and in Tyler Perry's feature film, Why Did I Get Married? That year, her third studio album, The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3, was released on...
. The music on Electric Circus challenges the boundaries of the hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
genre in a similar fashion to The Roots
The Roots
The Roots is an American hip hop/neo soul band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are famed for beginning with a jazzy, eclectic approach to hip hop which still includes live instrumentals...
' Phrenology
Phrenology (album)
Phrenology is the fifth studio album by American hip hop band The Roots, released November 26, 2002, on Geffen Records and MCA Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during June 2000 to September 2002...
(2002) and Outkast
OutKast
Outkast is an American hip hop duo based in East Point, Georgia, consisting of Atlanta native André "André 3000" Benjamin and Savannah, Georgia-born Antwan "Big Boi" Patton. They were originally known as Two Shades Deep but later changed the group's name to OutKast...
's Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below
Speakerboxxx/The Love Below is the fifth studio album by American hip hop duo OutKast, released September 23, 2003 on LaFace Records in the United States. Issued as a double album, it clocks in at over two hours and consists of a solo album from both of the group's members...
(2003). This is especially the case on tracks like the grungy "Electric Wire Hustler Flower" (featuring P.O.D.
P.O.D.
Payable on Death is an American Christian metal band formed in 1992. The band's line-up consists of vocalist Sonny Sandoval, drummer Wuv Bernardo, guitarist Marcos Curiel, and bassist Traa Daniels. Their Christian faith is an important part of their music.They have released seven studio albums and...
's Sonny Sandoval
Sonny Sandoval
Paul Joshua "Sonny" Sandoval is an American singer and rapper. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band P.O.D..-Biography:...
in the chorus), the abstract "Aquarius", and the electronic "New Wave". Erykah Badu
Erykah Badu
Erica Abi Wright , better known by her stage name Erykah Badu , is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Her work includes elements from R&B, hip hop and jazz. She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral musical...
joins Common
Common (rapper)
Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. , better known by his stage name Common , is an American hip-hop artist and actor....
for a duet on ("Jimi Was A Rock Star"), which is a dedication to Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
. The second Neptunes
The Neptunes
The Neptunes are a record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who are credited with contributing the sound for many successful hip hop, R&B and pop artists in the late-1990s and 2000s...
collaboration on the record, the cross-genre "I Got A Right Ta", is a musical departure from the styles of both artists, and features Pharrell singing the hook in a blues-inspired style. A triumphant sounding Common proclaims himself "the only cat in hip hop that can go into a thrift shop, bring that get up to the ghetto
Ghetto
A ghetto is a section of a city predominantly occupied by a group who live there, especially because of social, economic, or legal issues.The term was originally used in Venice to describe the area where Jews were compelled to live. The term now refers to an overcrowded urban area often associated...
and get props
Recognition (sociology)
Recognition in sociology is public acknowledgement of person's status or merits .When some person is recognized, he or she is accorded some special status, such as a name, title, or classification...
". The song was placed on the B-Side of "Come Close".
"Between Me, You & Liberation", in which Common discusses sexual abuse and its effects on a young woman, confronting his homophobia
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
after learning about the sexuality of a longtime friend, and the loss of a relative to cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, contains themes wholly unusual for a rap song, and is, perhaps, the rapper's most vulnerable moment on record. About "Liberation..." Pop Matters wrote that it's "one of those rare occasions when a male hip-hop artist owns up to his investment in some of the genre's more unsavory sexual politics". Musically, the song is very downbeat and moody, and features a guest spot from rapper/singer/producer Cee-Lo
Cee-Lo
Thomas DeCarlo Callaway , better known by his stage name Cee Lo Green, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor...
(making this the pair's third collaboration after One Day It'll All Make Sense
One Day It'll All Make Sense
One Day It'll All Make Sense is the third studio album by rapper Common, September 30, 1997 on Relativity Records. It was the follow-up to his critically acclaimed album Resurrection and the last Common album to feature producer No I.D.. Until 2011, Common stated No I.D...
Like Water for Chocolate (album)
Like Water for Chocolate is the fourth studio album by American hip hop rapper Common, released March 28, 2000 on MCA Records. It was a considerable critical and commercial breakthrough for Common, receiving generally favorable reviews from major magazine publications and selling 70,000 copies in...
Following LWFCs tributes to Fela Kuti
Fela Kuti
Fela Anikulapo Kuti , or simply Fela , was a Nigerian multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, pioneer of Afrobeat music, human rights activist, and political maverick.-Biography:...
, and Assata Shakur
Assata Shakur
Assata Olugbala Shakur is an African-American activist and escaped convict who was a member of the Black Panther Party and Black Liberation Army...
, Electric Circus pays homage to someone altogether more familiar (Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
) on "Jimi Was A Rock Star". The 8 minute-plus song is a duet between Common and his then-girlfriend Erykah Badu
Erykah Badu
Erica Abi Wright , better known by her stage name Erykah Badu , is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Her work includes elements from R&B, hip hop and jazz. She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral musical...
, which gradually builds up into its cryptic, chanting finale. This song is Common's first all-singing performance. The center-piece of the album, the epic "Heaven Somewhere", features 6 vocalists who all give insight into what their interpretation of Heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
is. Common's father Lonnie Lynn
Lonnie Lynn
Lonnie Lynn, nicknamed "Pops" , is a retired American basketball player.At 6'7" and 215 lb, he was a forward and played basketball at DuSable High School on Chicago's south side before moving on to Wilberforce University and Upper Iowa University.Lynn was drafted by the St...
ends the affair with an introspective look at his ideal place.
Critical
The album's style tended to divide critics; most praised its ambitious vision while some criticized it for the same reason. Most of the criticism tended to revolve around the album's experimental nature. Some felt Common had strayed too far from his previous sound. Longtime Common fans also viewed his relationship with Erykah Badu as having an overly experimental influence on him, while some critics compared the album to Marvin GayeMarvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
's I Want You and Richard Ashcroft
Richard Ashcroft
Richard Paul Ashcroft is an English singer-songwriter. He was the lead singer and occasional guitarist of alternative rock band The Verve from their formation in 1990 until their split in 1999, and continues as a lead vocalist working with guitars and keyboards...
's Human Conditions
Human Conditions
Human Conditions is the second solo album by English singer-songwriter, Richard Ashcroft, released in October 2002 .-Release and reception:Human Conditions generally received negative reviews...
, both of which were experimental works that initially received mixed criticism. In a 2003 review, Nick Southall of Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog....
wrote of the album:
Official reviews were mostly positive. "Pushing past the accepted boundaries of contemporary black pop" is how PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
described the album. Likewise, Play Louder agreed calling it "a brilliant, visionary album", as did Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
who saw it as "breaking hip-hop rules with a freewheeling fearlessness". Ink Blot Magazine's Matt Cibula called it his "favorite record of 2002".
Commercial
Despite the critical approval, the record debuted at #47 on the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart, 31 spots lower than Like Water for Chocolate
Music Corporation of America
MCA, Inc. was an American talent agency. Initially starting in the music business, they would next become a dominant force in the film business, and later expanded into the television business...
halted any further promotion. Part of the reason for its lack of promotion was MCA's absorption
Mergers and acquisitions
Mergers and acquisitions refers to the aspect of corporate strategy, corporate finance and management dealing with the buying, selling, dividing and combining of different companies and similar entities that can help an enterprise grow rapidly in its sector or location of origin, or a new field or...
under Geffen Records
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
in spring 2003, a mere four months after the album's release. Since both labels were under the Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group
Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations...
, Common's record contract would be carried over to Geffen, but the handling of Electric Circus (an already under-performing album) was neglected. The lack of promotion may have also led to only 293,000 copies being sold based on 2005 Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
statistics.
In a 2006 interview concurrent with the release of The Roots
The Roots
The Roots is an American hip hop/neo soul band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are famed for beginning with a jazzy, eclectic approach to hip hop which still includes live instrumentals...
' album Game Theory
Game theory
Game theory is a mathematical method for analyzing calculated circumstances, such as in games, where a person’s success is based upon the choices of others...
, Questlove, the album's executive producer, maintained that Common's relationship with Erykah Badu had little influence on the album and stated that the greater influence was the recording atmosphere at the famous Electric Lady Studios
Electric Lady Studios
Electric Lady Studios, at 52 West 8th Street, in New York City's Greenwich Village, is a recording studio originally built by Jimi Hendrix and designed by John Storyk in 1970...
(built by Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
) and the group of artists that Common was collaborating with at the time:
Album cover
The album's cover appears to be a nod to The BeatlesThe Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the eighth studio album by the English rock band The Beatles, released on 1 June 1967 on the Parlophone label and produced by George Martin...
, another work known for its experimental nature. The images (a mixture of known personalities, personal friends, and family of the artist) represent those directly or indirectly involved in, or influential to the making of the album. The people depicted in the photos are:
Common (in the center), (from top-left to bottom-right) Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
, Leroy Matthais, Simon Johns, Chad Hugo
Chad Hugo
Charles Edward Hugo is an American musician and record producer. He is best known as one half of the music production and writing duo The Neptunes and as a member of the funk/rock band N.E.R.D. He is a saxophonist, pianist and guitarist...
, Larenz Tate
Larenz Tate
Larenz Tate is an American film and television actor.-Early life:Tate was born on the west side of Chicago, Illinois, the son of Peggy and Larry Tate. He is the youngest of three siblings whose family moved to California when he was nine years old...
, Stic.man
Stic.man
Khnum Muata ”STIC” Ibomu or Clayton Gavin, better known as stic.man, is an American emcee, activist and author known for his work as one half of the political hip-hop duo dead prez.-History:...
, Pharrell, Mattie Turner, Kenyetta Snyder, Big Daddy Kane
Big Daddy Kane
Antonio Hardy better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper who started his career in 1986 as a member of the rap group the Juice Crew. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential and skilled MC's in Hip Hop...
, Vinia Mojica
Vinia Mojica
Vinia Mojica is a singer from Queens, New York, best known for her collaborations with the Native Tongues collective and other hip hop artists....
, Erykah Badu
Erykah Badu
Erica Abi Wright , better known by her stage name Erykah Badu , is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Her work includes elements from R&B, hip hop and jazz. She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral musical...
, Rahsaan Abraham, James Poyser
James Poyser
James Poyser in Sheffield, England is a multi-Grammy winning songwriter, musician and multi-platinum producer.Poyser has written and produced songs for various legendary and award-winning artists including Erykah Badu, Mariah Carey, John Legend, Lauryn Hill, Common, Anthony Hamilton, D'Angelo,...
, Tim Gane
Tim Gane
Tim Gane is the leader of the rock band, Stereolab.He started his musical career as a purveyor of harsh noise in the early 1980s under the alias Unkommuniti releasing self financed cassettes on Black Dwarf Wreckordings along with fellow Unkommuniti members Kallous Boys and other noise projects....
, DJ Dumi, Questlove, Black Thought
Black Thought
Tariq Trotter , better known as Black Thought, is an American hip-hop artist who is the lead MC of the Philadelphia-based hip hop group The Roots and occasional actor...
, Grandma Gipson, Marie Daulne
Marie Daulne
Marie Daulne born in Isiro, Haut-Uele District, Democratic Republic of the Congo to a Belgian who was killed that same year by Simba rebels, and to a local Bantu woman...
, Richard Pryor
Richard Pryor
Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor was an American stand-up comedian, actor, social critic, writer and MC. Pryor was known for uncompromising examinations of racism and topical contemporary issues, which employed colorful vulgarities, and profanity, as well as racial epithets...
, Marlon Everett, Jay Dee (J Dilla), Mary Campbell, Steef Van De Gevel, M-1
M-1 (rapper)
Mutulu Olugbala also known by his stage name M-1 is a rapper, activist and author known for his work as one half of the political hip hop duo Dead Prez along with his friend stic.man...
, Don "Babatunde" Eaton, Tye Tribbett, Pino Palladino
Pino Palladino
Pino Palladino is a Welsh bass guitarist who gained fame playing primarily rock and roll, blues rock, and rhythm and blues music, although he has been lauded for his ability to play most genres of popular music, including jazz, neo soul, and funk...
, Abiodun Oyewole
Abiodun Oyewole
Abiodun Oyewole , is a poet, teacher and founding member of the American music and spoken-word group The Last Poets that developed into what is considered the first ever hip hop group....
, Andrew Dosunmu, Umar Bin Hassan
Umar Bin Hassan
Umar Bin Hassan is an African-American poet associated with The Last Poets. He sold his younger sister's record player to purchase a bus ticket to New York City, where he joined the Last Poets...
, The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan Muhammad, Sr. is the leader of the African-American religious movement the Nation of Islam . He served as the minister of major mosques in Boston and Harlem, and was appointed by the longtime NOI leader, Elijah Muhammad, before his death in 1975, as the National Representative of...
, Joseph Sharrieff, Steve Mandel, Jimi The Cat, Dartanian Donaldson, Mary Hansen
Mary Hansen
Mary Hansen was a guitarist and singer with Stereolab.Born in Maryborough north of Brisbane in Queensland, Australia, Hansen moved to London in the late 1980s and became a backing singer with the Essex-based indie band, The Wolfhounds.She met Stereolab founder Tim Gane when the Wolfhounds played...
, Steve Hess, Morgane Lhote, Kimberly Jones, Aunt Stella, Q-Tip
Q-Tip (rapper)
Kamaal Ibn John Fareed , better known by his stage name Q-Tip, is an American hip hop artist, producer, singer, and actor from St. Albans, Queens, New York, part of the critically acclaimed group A Tribe Called Quest...
, Marc Baptiste, Grandma Mable Lynn, Derek Dudley, Uncle Charles, Uncle Steve, John Hancock, Bob Power, Koryan Wright, Ashaka Givens, Dwayne Lyle, Eevin Wright, Russ Elevado, Marcus Murray, Barbara Sims, Rachelle, Cee-Lo
Cee-Lo
Thomas DeCarlo Callaway , better known by his stage name Cee Lo Green, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor...
, Jill Scott
Jill Scott
Jill Scott is an American soul and R&B singer-songwriter, poet, and actress. In 2007, Scott made her cinematic debut in the films Hounddog and in Tyler Perry's feature film, Why Did I Get Married? That year, her third studio album, The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol. 3, was released on...
, Bayatae Abraham, Charlie Malone, Jeff Lee Johnson, Assata Shakur
Assata Shakur
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Track listing
Writing credits by Allmusic.com.Personnel
By Allmusic.com.- James Yancey: (J Dilla ) Drums, Moog, Keyboards, Producer
- ?uestlove: Assistant, Drums, Executive Producer, Handclapping, Mixing, Producer
- Jon Adler: Assistant
- Marc Baptiste: Photography
- Anthony Bell: Engineer
- Damen Bennett: Flute
- Bilal: Vocals (Background)
- Mary J. Blige: Vocals
- Jill Scott: Vocals (Background)
- Erykah Badu: Vocals (Background)
- Jim Bottari: Assistant
- Josh Butler: Vocal Engineer
- Cee-Lo: Vocals
- Michael Chavez: A&R
- Jeff Chestek: Assistant, Engineer, String Engineer
- Andrew Coleman: Engineer
- Common: Executive Producer
- Tom Coyne: Mastering
- Tim Day: Engineer
- Timothy Day: Engineer
- Derek Dudley: Executive Producer
- Russell Elevado: Mixing
- Todd Fairall: Assistant, Engineer
- Larry Gold: String Arrangements
- Alicia Graham:A&R
- Kenny J. Gravillis: Design
- The Guess Who: A&R
- Nick Howard: Assistant
- Bobbi Humphrey: Flute
- Femi Jiya: Assistant, Engineer
- Jef Lee Johnson: Guitar, Producer
- Scott Kieklak: Vocal Engineer
- Koski Budabin, Dylan: Assistant
- Dustin Kreidler: Assistant
- Joe Lepinski: Assistant
- Steve Mandel: Assistant, Engineer
- Mark McLaughlin: Assistant
- Shinobu Mitsuoka: Assistant
- Ryan Moys: Engineer
- Pino Palladino: Bass, Producer
- Nicholas Payton: Trumpet
- Bob Power: Mixing
- Bob Powers: Mixing
- James Poyser: Associate Executive Producer, Guitar, Handclapping, Keyboards, Piano, Producer
- Prince: Guitar, Keyboards
- Karriem Riggins: Producer
- Steve Russell: Vocal Engineer
- Chris Steinmetz: Engineer
- Phil Tan: Mixing
- Greg Tardy: Cornet
- Shawn Taylor: Assistant
- Mike Tocci: Assistant, Engineer
- G.A.: Vocals (Background)
- Tye Tribett: Vocals (Background)
- Steef Van De Gevel: Assistant
- Patrick Viala: Mixing
- Blair Wells: Digital Editing
- Pharrell Williams: Vocals (Background)
Album
| Year | Album | Peak positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums | ||
| 2002 | Electric Circus | #47 | #9 |
Singles
| Year | Song | Peak positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Hot Rap Singles | ||
| 2002 | "Come Close" | #65 | #21 | #18 |
External links
- Electric Circus at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...