Tasty
Encyclopedia
Tasty is the third studio album
by American recording artist Kelis
, released on December 9, 2003 by Star Trak Entertainment
and Arista Records
. Considered the breakthrough of Kelis' career, she was able to expand her success across Europe while aching new markets in Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. Unlike her previous albums, Tasty opted for a more pop
-yet-alternative
-oriented tune which led to a greater success outside Europe with "Milkshake
" being the first single from Kelis to receive critical acclaim in the US and a peak position of number three on the Billboard Hot 100
.
", proved successful on radio and music video channels in Europe, and went to the top ten in many European countries during mid-2004. However, the song did not enjoy success in America, where its music video was not released because her US label Arista Records
folded at the same time that Tasty was released. Kelis was then transferred to Jive Records
, who were not interested in continuing with the album.
This album is Kelis' second to bear the Parental Advisory
label (the first being her 1999 debut album Kaleidoscope); as noted on the Parental Advisory sticker attached to the jewel case, an edited version was also available. However, there were only two small changes made to the edited version. A sexual reference was cut out of the song "Trick Me", and Kelis' hidden outro appended to the end of "Marathon" on the explicit version is omitted. In the outro she says "Okay, now, swallow." On the album's Parental Advisory warning, there is note of strong sexual content. Ironically enough, on the edited version, the very sexually explicit song "In Public" remains unchanged and is exactly the same version as that on the explicit version. Other explicit songs that have not been modified on the edited version are "Flashback", "Millionaire", and "Stick Up".
The success of Tasty was most obvious in the United Kingdom, where the four singles from the album were released. After "Milkshake" and "Trick Me" came "Millionaire
" and "In Public
". Her European label, Virgin Records, who she had been with since the start of her career there, decided to persist with the album. Due to her various splits with US labels, promotion for both of her previous projects Kaleidoscope and Wanderland
were ended prematurely, just as she was finally breaking through in the UK. Virgin UK did not want her to lose the fan base that she was building up yet again by ending promotion early, because of the US and other territories deciding not to continue with the album. This paid off and Kelis finally cemented her UK status, with four top twenty hits from the album (including three top three hits) and Tasty going platinum there.
, which assigns a normalized
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
score of 80, based on 18 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Andy Kellman of Allmusic stated that "[d]espite all the new assistance, Tasty is formatted much like Kaleidoscope and Wanderland, constantly swinging back and forth between bouncy pop and laid-back (not throwback) soul." Rolling Stone
s Ernest Hardy regarded Tasty as Kelis' best work, saying it is "lighter and more cohesive than her ill-fated second album, 2001's Wanderland, more focused and mature than her 2000 debut, Kaleidoscope. Take away the Dallas Austin-produced tracks [...], two Neptunes rock attempts and 'Milkshake,' and you have a solid R&B album, one that's thickly speckled with hip-hop influences and nods to early Prince
and Eighties Latin freestyle music
." Hardy also praised her "raggedly sexy singing" on the song "Millionaire" as "her best performance on the album". Neil Drumming from Entertainment Weekly
gave Tasty an A- rating, stating that the album is "Kelis' past—big beats, out-there imagery, and sex appeal—refined" and that "much of the beauty of Tasty is in witnessing Kelis rise to the challenge of working with multiple imaginative maestros."
In a review for the NME
, Tony Naylor viewed the album as "[f]ar more complete than Wanderland or Kaleidoscope" and wrote that "such vacuum-packed musical freshness is maintained throughout." Dorian Lynskey of The Guardian
described Kelis as a "parallel universe Beyoncé
" and remarked that she "exploits her husky croon like never before, pouring it over lascivious double entendre [...] and, well, lascivious single entrendre [...]. The likes of the Neptunes, Dallas Austin and OutKast's Andre 3000 weigh in with assorted flavours of pre- and post-coital soul, sighing to a close with Raphael Saadiq's Massive Attack
-echoing 'Marathon'." The Independent
noted that she "certainly takes the sexual initiative in several songs", but "[m]ostly, though, Kelis keeps a watchful eye on her affections in songs such as 'Protect My Heart' and 'Trick Me', and has developed a decidedly jaundiced view of hip hop's lop-sided sexual politics, judging by 'Keep It Down'." Joseph Patel of Blender
commented that Kelis is "as good playing a hair-twisting, gum-popping tart on 'Sugar Honey Iced Tea' as an all-grown-up cock-blocker on the crackling funk ditty 'Trick Me.'" Slant Magazine
reviewer Sal Cinquemani felt that few of the tracks on the album are "as immediately thirst-quenching as the insta-classic lead single 'Milkshake'", and Scott Plagenhoef of Pitchfork Media
opined that Tasty is "far from all doom-and-gloom". Adam Webb from Yahoo! Music
believed that the album is "not as far out wild as Kaleidoscope but it is a consistently inventive and brilliant record."
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 American recording artist Kelis
Kelis
Kelis Rogers Kelis Rogers Kelis Rogers (born August 21, 1971 is an American musical artist. She is a BRIT Award, Q Award and NME Award winner and has been nominated for two Grammy Awards. She has had nine top 10 singles on the UK Singles Chart...
, released on December 9, 2003 by Star Trak Entertainment
Star Trak Entertainment
Star Trak Entertainment is a record label, founded by record producers Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams in 2001. Today it operates as a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, and is distributed by Interscope Records.-Beginnings:...
and Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
. Considered the breakthrough of Kelis' career, she was able to expand her success across Europe while aching new markets in Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. Unlike her previous albums, Tasty opted for a more 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...
-yet-alternative
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
-oriented tune which led to a greater success outside Europe with "Milkshake
Milkshake (song)
"Milkshake" is a song by American recording artist Kelis and the lead single from her third studio album, Tasty. The song was released in the United States on August 25, 2003, by Star Trak and Arista Records, and internationally on November 24. It was written and produced by The Neptunes, a duo...
" being the first single from Kelis to receive critical acclaim in the US and a peak position of number three on the 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...
.
Album information
Both the album and its singles immediately found success in Europe. The album's second single, "Trick MeTrick Me
"Trick Me" is a song by American recording artist Kelis. It was released as the second single from her third studio album, Tasty in April 2004. It was not released in the United States as her American label, Arista, folded after the release of Tasty, and she was transferred to Jive. In Europe, she...
", proved successful on radio and music video channels in Europe, and went to the top ten in many European countries during mid-2004. However, the song did not enjoy success in America, where its music video was not released because her US label Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
folded at the same time that Tasty was released. Kelis was then transferred to Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
, who were not interested in continuing with the album.
This album is Kelis' second to bear the Parental Advisory
Parental Advisory
Parental Advisory is a message affixed by the Recording Industry Association of America to audio and recordings in the United States containing excessive use of profane language and/or sexual references. Albums began to be labeled for "explicit lyrics" in 1985, after pressure from the Parents...
label (the first being her 1999 debut album Kaleidoscope); as noted on the Parental Advisory sticker attached to the jewel case, an edited version was also available. However, there were only two small changes made to the edited version. A sexual reference was cut out of the song "Trick Me", and Kelis' hidden outro appended to the end of "Marathon" on the explicit version is omitted. In the outro she says "Okay, now, swallow." On the album's Parental Advisory warning, there is note of strong sexual content. Ironically enough, on the edited version, the very sexually explicit song "In Public" remains unchanged and is exactly the same version as that on the explicit version. Other explicit songs that have not been modified on the edited version are "Flashback", "Millionaire", and "Stick Up".
The success of Tasty was most obvious in the United Kingdom, where the four singles from the album were released. After "Milkshake" and "Trick Me" came "Millionaire
Millionaire (song)
"Millionaire" is a song by American R&B singer–songwriter Kelis, featuring American singer–rapper André 3000—half of the hip hop duo OutKast. Written by Kelis and André 3000 who also served as the producer, the song was released in October 2004 as the third single from Kelis' third studio album,...
" and "In Public
In Public
"In Public" is a song by American R&B singer-songwriter Kelis, featuring American rapper Nas. It was written by Rockwilder and Kelis and produced by Rockwilder for Kelis' third studio album, Tasty . As the song title implies, its lyrics deal with public sex.The song was released in the United...
". Her European label, Virgin Records, who she had been with since the start of her career there, decided to persist with the album. Due to her various splits with US labels, promotion for both of her previous projects Kaleidoscope and Wanderland
Wanderland
Wanderland is the second studio album by American recording artist Kelis, released in October 2001 by Virgin Records.Kelis was living in Europe at the time of the album's release. Wanderland was more experimental than her previous album, Kaleidoscope, and was a modest success chartwise...
were ended prematurely, just as she was finally breaking through in the UK. Virgin UK did not want her to lose the fan base that she was building up yet again by ending promotion early, because of the US and other territories deciding not to continue with the album. This paid off and Kelis finally cemented her UK status, with four top twenty hits from the album (including three top three hits) and Tasty going platinum there.
Critical reception
Tasty received very positive reviews from critics. At MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.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,...
, which assigns a normalized
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score of 80, based on 18 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Andy Kellman of Allmusic stated that "[d]espite all the new assistance, Tasty is formatted much like Kaleidoscope and Wanderland, constantly swinging back and forth between bouncy pop and laid-back (not throwback) soul." 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...
s Ernest Hardy regarded Tasty as Kelis' best work, saying it is "lighter and more cohesive than her ill-fated second album, 2001's Wanderland, more focused and mature than her 2000 debut, Kaleidoscope. Take away the Dallas Austin-produced tracks [...], two Neptunes rock attempts and 'Milkshake,' and you have a solid R&B album, one that's thickly speckled with hip-hop influences and nods to early 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...
and Eighties Latin freestyle music
Freestyle music
Freestyle or Latin freestyle, sometimes referred to as Latin hip hop, is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in the early 1980s. Mostly popular during the mid 80s to the early 90s...
." Hardy also praised her "raggedly sexy singing" on the song "Millionaire" as "her best performance on the album". Neil Drumming from Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
gave Tasty an A- rating, stating that the album is "Kelis' past—big beats, out-there imagery, and sex appeal—refined" and that "much of the beauty of Tasty is in witnessing Kelis rise to the challenge of working with multiple imaginative maestros."
In a review for the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, Tony Naylor viewed the album as "[f]ar more complete than Wanderland or Kaleidoscope" and wrote that "such vacuum-packed musical freshness is maintained throughout." Dorian Lynskey of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
described Kelis as a "parallel universe Beyoncé
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
" and remarked that she "exploits her husky croon like never before, pouring it over lascivious double entendre [...] and, well, lascivious single entrendre [...]. The likes of the Neptunes, Dallas Austin and OutKast's Andre 3000 weigh in with assorted flavours of pre- and post-coital soul, sighing to a close with Raphael Saadiq's Massive Attack
Massive Attack
Massive Attack are an English DJ and trip hop duo from Bristol, England consisting of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. Working with co-producers, as well as various session musicians and guest vocalists, they make records and tour live. The duo are considered to be of the trip...
-echoing 'Marathon'." The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
noted that she "certainly takes the sexual initiative in several songs", but "[m]ostly, though, Kelis keeps a watchful eye on her affections in songs such as 'Protect My Heart' and 'Trick Me', and has developed a decidedly jaundiced view of hip hop's lop-sided sexual politics, judging by 'Keep It Down'." Joseph Patel of Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
commented that Kelis is "as good playing a hair-twisting, gum-popping tart on 'Sugar Honey Iced Tea' as an all-grown-up cock-blocker on the crackling funk ditty 'Trick Me.'" Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
reviewer Sal Cinquemani felt that few of the tracks on the album are "as immediately thirst-quenching as the insta-classic lead single 'Milkshake'", and Scott Plagenhoef of Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
opined that Tasty is "far from all doom-and-gloom". Adam Webb from Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music, owned by Yahoo!, is the provider of a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming...
believed that the album is "not as far out wild as Kaleidoscope but it is a consistently inventive and brilliant record."
Track listing
Sample credits- "Keep It Down" contains excerpts and samples from "I Used to Love H.E.R.I Used to Love H.E.R."I Used to Love H.E.R." is a hip hop song by the Chicago-born rapper Common. Released on the 1994 album Resurrection, "I Used to Love H.E.R." has since become one of Common's best known songs. Produced by No I.D., its jazzy beat samples "The Changing World" by George Benson. A video directed by...
" by Common. - "Millionaire" contains excerpts and samples from "La Di Da DiLa Di Da Di"La Di Da Di" is a rap song performed by Doug E. Fresh the beatboxer, and MC Ricky D as the rapper. It was originally released in 1985 as the B-side to "The Show". The song has since gained a reputation as an early hip hop classic, having been referenced in other hip hop songs.There are two...
" by Doug E. FreshDoug E. FreshDouglas E. Davis , better known by the stage name Doug E. Fresh, is an American rapper, record producer, and beat boxer, also known as the Human Beat Box...
and Slick RickSlick RickRichard Walters , better known by his stage name Slick Rick is a Grammy-nominated English-American rapper...
.
Personnel
- Kelis – vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, executive producerExecutive producerAn executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production... - Vincent Alexander – engineerAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
(track 8) - André 3000André 3000André Lauren Benjamin , better known by his stage name André 3000 is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and actor, best known for being part of American hip-hop duo OutKast alongside fellow rapper Big Boi...
– rapRappingRapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
, producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, programmingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
(track 8) - Greg "Ruckus" Andrews – DJDisc jockeyA disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
(tracks 2, 4) - Chris Athens – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
- Dallas AustinDallas AustinDallas Austin is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician, based in Atlanta, Georgia. Some of his most notable clients include Michael Jackson, TLC, Boyz II Men, Pink, Monica, Madonna, Gwen Stefani, Stacie Orrico, Another Bad Creation, Fishbone, Sugababes, Anastacia, Namie Amuro, Kim...
– producer, arrangerArrangementThe American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
(tracks 2, 4) - Daniel Betancourt – assistant engineer (tracks 3, 10)
- Dame Blackmon "Grease"Dame GreaseDamon Blackmon, or Dame Grease, is a Harlem, New York based video and music producer.Before becoming a staple on every mixtape, The LOX relied on the sounds of Grease in order to acquire the street buzz that landed them their deal on Bad Boy Records in 1996...
– producer (track 13) - Warren Bletcher – assistant engineer (track 8)
- Gerry BrownGerry BrownGerry “The Gov.” Brown is a recording engineer and producer based in Los Angeles credited on over 47 Platinum and Gold Records. He has received over 15 Grammy bids, including five nominations for Alicia Keys’ “Songs In A Minor,” a Song of the Year Award for Erykah Badu’s “Love of My Life,” two...
– engineer (tracks 9, 11, 14) - Andrew "Drew" Coleman – engineer (tracks 3, 6, 7, 10, 12)
- Regina Davenport – production coordinator (track 8)
- Kevin "KD" Davis – mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
(tracks 2, 4) - Andrew Dawson – mixing assistant (track 8)
- Martha Georghiou – legal representation
- Serban GheneaSerban GheneaSerban Ghenea is a four-time Grammy Award and three-time Latin Grammy Award-winning mixer. He has mixed songs for such artists as Michael Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Faith Hill, Carrie Underwood, Jewel, Santana, Ozomatli, Shakira, Jill Scott, R. Kelly, Rod Stewart, and Dave Matthews Band...
– mixing (track 6) - Cesar Guevara – assistant engineer (tracks 2, 4)
- Doug Harms – assistant engineer (tracks 2, 8)
- Jake and the PhatmanJake and the PhatmanJake and the Phatman are Grammy Award-winning, multi-platinum producers, songwriters, DJ's and Multi-Instrumentalists....
– co-producer (tracks 9, 11, 14); drums (tracks 9, 11); percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, scratchesScratchingScratching is a DJ or turntablist technique used to produce distinctive sounds by moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable while optionally manipulating the crossfader on a DJ mixer. While scratching is most commonly associated with hip hop music, since the late 1980s, it has been used...
(track 11); drum programmingDrum machineA drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
(track 14) - Kevin Kendricks – keyboards, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
(track 8) - Markus Klinko and IndraniIndrani (photographer)Indrani is an Indian-Canadian director, photographer, and digital artist. She is known for her work for celebrities, beauty firms, advertising agencies, and fashion magazines...
– photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film... - Mike Koch – engineer (track 5)
- Marcus Logan – marketingMarketingMarketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
- Carlton Lynn – engineer (tracks 2, 8)
- James Majors – engineer (track 8)
- Joe Mama-Nitzberg – creative directionCreative DirectorA creative director is a position often found within the graphic design, film, music, fashion, advertising, media or entertainment industries, but may be useful in other creative organizations such as web development and software development firms as well....
- Glen Marchese – engineer, mixing (track 13)
- Rene McLean – management
- Kenneth Meiselas – legal representation
- NasNasNasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
– rap (track 5) - The NeptunesThe NeptunesThe 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...
– producers (tracks 3, 6, 7, 10, 12) - Tim Olmstead – mixing assistant (track 3)
- Dave Pensado – mixing (track 5)
- Lylette Pizarro – managementTalent managerA talent manager, also known as an artist manager or band manager, is an individual or company who guides the professional career of artists in the entertainment industry...
- Nicole Plantin – A&RA&RArtists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
coordinator - Tony Reyes – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
(track 2) - Geoffrey Rice – mixing assistant (track 13)
- RockwilderRockwilderRockwilder is an American hip hop and R&B record producer, rapper, and R&B Singer. A long term friend of Def Jam rapper Redman, Rockwilder got his start producing for East Coast Hip Hop artists in the mid 1990s. In 1999 Rockwilder produced Method Man & Redman's hit single "Da Rockwilder"...
– producer (track 5) - Daniel Romero – mixing (tracks 9, 11, 14)
- Raphael SaadiqRaphael SaadiqRaphael Saadiq is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Saadiq has been a standard bearer for "old school" R&B since his early days as a member of the multiplatinum group Tony! Toni! Toné! He also produced songs of such artists as TLC, Joss Stone, D'Angelo, Mary J...
- producer, guitar (tracks 9, 11, 14); vocals (tracks 9, 11); bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(tracks 9, 14) - Jeffrey Schulz – artworkCover artCover art is the illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book , magazine, comic book, video game , DVD, CD, videotape, or music album. The art has a primarily commercial function, i.e...
, layout design - Anette Sharvit – production coordinator (tracks 11, 14)
- Rick Sheppard – engineer (tracks 2, 4)
- Dexter Simmons – mixing (track 8)
- Matthew Still – engineer (track 8)
- Phil TanPhil TanPhil Tan is an Atlanta, GA-based music/audio engineer.He is a 3-time Grammy Award recipient, as mixing engineer for Mariah Carey's "The Emancipation of Mimi" , Ludacris' "Release Therapy" and Rihanna's "Only Girl " .Among the artists on Tan's list of credits: Jill Scott, Jennifer...
– mixing (tracks 3, 7, 10, 12) - John Tanksley – engineer, mixing assistant (tracks 9, 11, 14); assistant engineer (track 14)
- Pat "Pat 'Em Down" Viala – engineer (track 7)
- Barbara Wesotski – A&R administrator
- Kelvin Wooten – co-producer, keyboards (tracks 9, 11, 14); piano, sitarSitarThe 'Tablaman' is a plucked stringed instrument predominantly used in Hindustani classical music, where it has been ubiquitous since the Middle Ages...
(track 9); bass, guitar (track 11)
Weekly charts
| Chart (2003–04) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
41 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 20 |
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... (Flanders) |
35 |
| Danish Albums Chart IFPI Denmark IFPI Denmark is the Danish branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Denmark.-Gold and platinum awards:... |
15 |
| Dutch Albums Chart MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
16 |
| French Albums Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
60 |
| German Albums Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
51 |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
15 |
| Italian Albums Chart Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
43 |
| Japanese Albums Chart Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
42 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
48 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
19 |
| Swedish Albums Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
48 |
| Swiss Albums Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
14 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
11 |
| US 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... |
27 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
7 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
Gold |
| United Kingdom British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... |
Platinum |
| United States Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
Gold |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2004) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 | 161 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 40 |
Release history
| Country | Date | Label |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | December 5, 2003 | EMI EMI The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major... |
| Switzerland | December 8, 2003 | |
| United Kingdom | Virgin Records Virgin Records Virgin Records is a British record label founded by English entrepreneur Richard Branson, Simon Draper, and Nik Powell in 1972. The company grew to be a worldwide music phenomenon, with platinum performers such as Roy Orbison, Devo, Genesis, Keith Richards, Janet Jackson, Culture Club, Lenny... |
|
| United States | December 9, 2003 | Star Trak Entertainment Star Trak Entertainment Star Trak Entertainment is a record label, founded by record producers Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams in 2001. Today it operates as a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, and is distributed by Interscope Records.-Beginnings:... , Arista Records Arista Records Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records... |
| Netherlands | EMI | |
| Italy | January 9, 2004 | |
| Japan | January 16, 2004 | |
| Australia | February 2, 2004 | |
| Scandinavia | February 11, 2004 | |
| Canada | February 17, 2004 |