The Notorious KIM
Encyclopedia
The Notorious K.I.M. is the second studio album
by rapper Lil' Kim
, released on June 27, 2000. It debuted at number four on the U.S. Billboard 200
chart, selling 387,000 in its first week, among Kim's highest peaks and biggest first week sales yet, and reached the top of the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
chart. A commercial success, Notorious K.I.M. was certified platinum
by the RIAA
and has sold over one million copies in the U.S. and over 2.5 million copies worldwide.
The album has produced two singles that attained moderate Billboard
chart success. Lead single "No Matter What They Say
," peaked at number 60 on the U.S. Billboard
Hot 100 and number 15 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart. Second single "How Many Licks?
", featured R&B Sisqo
, performed the same reaching the bottom half of the Hot 100.
, The Notorious K.I.M. was in a "memorial" to the late rapper. "I felt Biggie's spirit while I was working on this album. I thought it was a perfect name for the album. Also, I am known in a notorious way, my style and lyrics. I've been known in a notorious way over the years.", Kim told Jet Magazine.
In a 2000 interview, Kim explaned to MTV
that she attempted to collaborate with the original producers of her first album "Hard Core" but she wasn't satisfied with the final results. "Some of the producers that I worked with, they just didn't know what I wanted, so I worked with new producers this time, and I kind of told them what I wanted", Kim told MTV. Without re-teaming with the collaborated of her debut album "Hard Core" (with the exception of Nasheim Myrick), Production for the album was handled primarily by Mario "Yellowman" Winans
, Fury, Richard "Younglord" Frierson, Rated R, Rockwilder
, Darren "Limitless" Henson, Shaft, Kanye West
, and Timbaland
.
, Kim explained, "I wanted to put out the best album possible for my fans, and I needed more time in the studio to do this." Sean "Puffy" Combs also explained "I am a perfectionist and so is Kim, and we will only put out an album when it's right."
s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
chart, and at number four on the official Billboard 200
, with a successful first week sales of 230,000 copies — more than half as much as her previous debut effort, Hard Core (1996), and ultimately a little over spent 25 weeks on that chart. While it became Kim's first album to reach the top of the R&B Albums Chart, it also scored her her highest peak position on the Billboard 200. Due to the success the number one single, "Lady Marmalade
" (which featured Mya
, Pink
, and Christina Aguilera
), the album re-entered the official Billboard 200 on June 1, 2001, it spent another 12 weeks on the charts, accumulating a total of 37 weeks on the Billboard 200.
The album has sold more than a million copies domestically, and received a platinum
certification by the RIAA. Outside the States, it opened at number 67 on the United Kingdom
and spent 11 weeks on the charts. It also peaked at number 70 on the France
chart and number 85 on the Netherlands
chart. It received a gold
certification by the CRIA
. The album has sold 3 million worldwide.
Altogether The Notorious K.I.M. spawned four singles: The lead album's first single, "No Matter What They Say
" made it to the bottom half on the U.S. Billboard
Hot 100 chart with a peak position of number 60, becoming Kim's first least successful single. It, however, reached number 15 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart, number 6 on the Hot Rap Tracks
chart, and number 35 on the UK Singles Chart
chart. The second from the album, "How Many Licks?
", featured Sisqo
, underquoted this success with peak positions of number 75 and 36 respectively on the Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. A third single, "Hold On", featured Mary J. Blige
was serviced to U.S. radio only.
journalist Tom Sinclair
gave the album a B+, stating "The Notorious K.I.M.'s barrage of aural sex is complemented by strong, often lush production and surprisingly, witty samples and interpolations." While some critics enjoyed the album's glossy production, some considered the album to be too over the top. Rolling Stone Magazine gave the album 3 stars, called the album "too weak and retro", and Devon Powers of Pop Matters called the album "overdone", stating "what Kim has overdone on this album is the camp - she's almost become a caricature of herself."
Critics were also not impressed with her references to the late Notorious B.I.G. Jam Music critic Mike Ross says of the album, "Were it not for the Notorious B.I.G.'s death, there wouldn't be much substance to this 'long-awaited' new album, the most blatant exploitation of the big rapper's memory since Puff Daddy's 'I'll Be Missing You'." In a review for the Rolling Stone
, journalist Rob Sheffield
says the vocal samples of The Notorious B.I.G. "just make you mourn the man and his moment, neither of which is ever coming back." Devon Powers, a journalist for Pop Matters, says "even her props to Biggie lose their sentimentality for being too easily commercial and convenient," and in the All Music
review for the album, Jason Birchmeier stated that "Biggie had played a large role in the success of Hard Core, and his absence here is gaping." However, Slant Magazine
critic Sal Cinquemani comments that the album "combines essential hip-hop elements - sex, guns, drugs, and cash - with a strange sense of vulnerability," and states her song "Hold On" is a "touching tribute to the late rapper."
Despite the album's flaws, critics remained impressed with her raunchy lyrics and attitude. Sheffield of Rolling Stone states "Lil' Kim still has an admirably tough and nasty mouth on her, and it's good to hear a Queen Bee sting." Cinquemani states "despite ventures into solemn territory and gangsta rap, the album continues down Kim's path of female sexual liberation."
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 Lil' Kim
Lil' Kim
Kimberly Denise Jones , better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and actress who was a member of the group Junior M.A.F.I.A.....
, released on June 27, 2000. It debuted at number four on the U.S. 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...
chart, selling 387,000 in its first week, among Kim's highest peaks and biggest first week sales yet, and reached the top of the 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...
chart. A commercial success, Notorious K.I.M. was certified platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the RIAA
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...
and has sold over one million copies in the U.S. and over 2.5 million copies worldwide.
The album has produced two singles that attained moderate Billboard
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
chart success. Lead single "No Matter What They Say
No Matter What They Say
"No Matter What They Say" is a song by Lil' Kim, released as the first single from her second album The Notorious K.I.M., released in 2000. It reached number 60 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 35 on the UK Singles Chart.-Samples:...
," peaked at number 60 on the U.S. Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100 and number 15 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart. Second single "How Many Licks?
How Many Licks?
"How Many Licks?" is a Rap-R&B song with electronic hop influences released as the second single from Lil' Kim's 2000 Lil' album The Notorious K.I.M.. The song is about Lil' Kim bragging about the various men she's been with and the effects her "dolls" have on men...
", featured R&B Sisqo
Sisqó
Mark Durrell Andrews , known by his stage name Sisqó, is an American R&B singer and actor. He is best known as the lead singer of R&B group Dru Hill, and also for "Thong Song", a song from his first solo LP, Unleash the Dragon, that became an international hit. - Biography :Sisqó was born Mark...
, performed the same reaching the bottom half of the Hot 100.
Production and title
In dedication to The Notorious B.I.G.The Notorious B.I.G.
Christopher George Latore Wallace , best known as The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper. He was also known as Biggie Smalls , Big Poppa, and The Black Frank White .Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough...
, The Notorious K.I.M. was in a "memorial" to the late rapper. "I felt Biggie's spirit while I was working on this album. I thought it was a perfect name for the album. Also, I am known in a notorious way, my style and lyrics. I've been known in a notorious way over the years.", Kim told Jet Magazine.
"This album to me is more creative and more versatile than my last album. I think that's what people have been looking for. My whole image, to me, the reason why I came out with 'Hard Core,' the sexy thing, was to make me different from every other female rapper that was out. That's exactly what I'm trying to do now, is make myself different, because now we have a lot of rappers doing the same thing that I did when I came out the first time. What I'm trying to do is separate myself again from the rappers that are out now."—Kimberly Jones, MTV News
In a 2000 interview, Kim explaned to MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
that she attempted to collaborate with the original producers of her first album "Hard Core" but she wasn't satisfied with the final results. "Some of the producers that I worked with, they just didn't know what I wanted, so I worked with new producers this time, and I kind of told them what I wanted", Kim told MTV. Without re-teaming with the collaborated of her debut album "Hard Core" (with the exception of Nasheim Myrick), Production for the album was handled primarily by Mario "Yellowman" Winans
Mario Winans
Mario Winans is an American R&B singer, songwriter, music producer, and multi-instrumentalist. Born Mario Brown, he is the son of gospel recording artist Vickie Winans and her first husband, Bishop Ronald Brown. He is also the stepson of his mother's second husband, gospel singer, Pastor Marvin...
, Fury, Richard "Younglord" Frierson, Rated R, Rockwilder
Rockwilder
Rockwilder 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"...
, Darren "Limitless" Henson, Shaft, Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
, and Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
.
Partial delay
In the summer of 1999, 12 songs from Notorious K.I.M. were widely available through Internet file-sharing services and bootleg outlets. As a result, Kim went back into the recording studio and recorded 11 songs in three weeks. The set was initially scheduled for several release delays since 1999 (August and November 1999, and April 25, 2000), due to bootlegging and legal problems involving her record label. In a statement to Entertainment Weekly OnlineEntertainment 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...
, Kim explained, "I wanted to put out the best album possible for my fans, and I needed more time in the studio to do this." Sean "Puffy" Combs also explained "I am a perfectionist and so is Kim, and we will only put out an album when it's right."
Commercial performance
One week after its release, The Notorious K.I.M. debuted atop the U.S. BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s 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...
chart, and at number four on the official 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...
, with a successful first week sales of 230,000 copies — more than half as much as her previous debut effort, Hard Core (1996), and ultimately a little over spent 25 weeks on that chart. While it became Kim's first album to reach the top of the R&B Albums Chart, it also scored her her highest peak position on the Billboard 200. Due to the success the number one single, "Lady Marmalade
Lady Marmalade
"Lady Marmalade" was also covered by Italian pop star Sabrina. It was released in 1987 as the album's second single by Baby Records. In some countries, including France and the Netherlands, the song was known as "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi? " and was released in 1988.-Track listings:7" maxi#...
" (which featured Mya
Mya
-A person:* Bo Mya , Chief Commander of the Karen National Union* Mýa , American R&B singer-songwriter and actress** Mýa , a 1998 album by Mýa-A code:* Burmese language, ISO 639-3 code is mya* Moruya Airport's IATA code...
, Pink
Pink (singer)
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
, and Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera is an American recording artist and actress. Aguilera first appeared on national television in 1990 as a contestant on the Star Search program, and went on to star in Disney Channel's television series The Mickey Mouse Club from 1993–1994...
), the album re-entered the official Billboard 200 on June 1, 2001, it spent another 12 weeks on the charts, accumulating a total of 37 weeks on the Billboard 200.
The album has sold more than a million copies domestically, and received a platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
certification by the RIAA. Outside the States, it opened at number 67 on the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and spent 11 weeks on the charts. It also peaked at number 70 on the France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
chart and number 85 on the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
chart. It received a gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
certification by the CRIA
Cria
A cria is the name for a baby camelid such as a llama, alpaca, vicuña, or guanaco. It comes from the Spanish word cría, meaning "baby". Its false cognate in English, crya , was coined by British sailors who explored Chile in the 18th century and were quick to describe the camelids onomatopoeically...
. The album has sold 3 million worldwide.
Altogether The Notorious K.I.M. spawned four singles: The lead album's first single, "No Matter What They Say
No Matter What They Say
"No Matter What They Say" is a song by Lil' Kim, released as the first single from her second album The Notorious K.I.M., released in 2000. It reached number 60 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 35 on the UK Singles Chart.-Samples:...
" made it to the bottom half on the U.S. Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100 chart with a peak position of number 60, becoming Kim's first least successful single. It, however, reached number 15 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart, number 6 on the Hot Rap Tracks
Hot Rap Songs
Rap Songs is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations and sales in hip hop-focused or exclusive markets. From 1989 through 2001, it was based on how much the single...
chart, and number 35 on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
chart. The second from the album, "How Many Licks?
How Many Licks?
"How Many Licks?" is a Rap-R&B song with electronic hop influences released as the second single from Lil' Kim's 2000 Lil' album The Notorious K.I.M.. The song is about Lil' Kim bragging about the various men she's been with and the effects her "dolls" have on men...
", featured Sisqo
Sisqó
Mark Durrell Andrews , known by his stage name Sisqó, is an American R&B singer and actor. He is best known as the lead singer of R&B group Dru Hill, and also for "Thong Song", a song from his first solo LP, Unleash the Dragon, that became an international hit. - Biography :Sisqó was born Mark...
, underquoted this success with peak positions of number 75 and 36 respectively on the Hot 100 and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. A third single, "Hold On", featured Mary J. Blige
Mary 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...
was serviced to U.S. radio only.
Critical response
The Notorious K.I.M. received generally mixed reviews from most professional music critics. Many critics were displeased with the album's '80s retro camp and tributes to the late Notorious B.I.G. while some critics praised the album's use of samples and raunchy lyrics. Jam Music critic Mike Ross stated "failed to live up to its hype." Entertainment WeeklyEntertainment 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...
journalist Tom Sinclair
Tom Sinclair
Tom Sinclair was the 1979 NCAA Division I national champion for the javelin throw . He competed for the University of Washington. At Washington, Sinclair was a multi-year All-American...
gave the album a B+, stating "The Notorious K.I.M.'s barrage of aural sex is complemented by strong, often lush production and surprisingly, witty samples and interpolations." While some critics enjoyed the album's glossy production, some considered the album to be too over the top. Rolling Stone Magazine gave the album 3 stars, called the album "too weak and retro", and Devon Powers of Pop Matters called the album "overdone", stating "what Kim has overdone on this album is the camp - she's almost become a caricature of herself."
Critics were also not impressed with her references to the late Notorious B.I.G. Jam Music critic Mike Ross says of the album, "Were it not for the Notorious B.I.G.'s death, there wouldn't be much substance to this 'long-awaited' new album, the most blatant exploitation of the big rapper's memory since Puff Daddy's 'I'll Be Missing You'." In a review for the 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...
, journalist Rob Sheffield
Rob Sheffield
Rob Sheffield is an American music journalist and author. He is currently a contributing editor at Rolling Stone, writing music reviews and essays on pop culture. Prior to that, he was a contributing editor at Blender before the print version of the magazine folded in 2009, and at Spin...
says the vocal samples of The Notorious B.I.G. "just make you mourn the man and his moment, neither of which is ever coming back." Devon Powers, a journalist for Pop Matters, says "even her props to Biggie lose their sentimentality for being too easily commercial and convenient," and in the All Music
All Music
All Music was an Italian free-to-air television station which mainly broadcast music videos and music programs. Originally called Rete A, the name was changed to Rete A - All Music , and for a brief period was affiliated before with MTV Italy and after with VIVA.-History:In late 2004 the former...
review for the album, Jason Birchmeier stated that "Biggie had played a large role in the success of Hard Core, and his absence here is gaping." However, 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 :...
critic Sal Cinquemani comments that the album "combines essential hip-hop elements - sex, guns, drugs, and cash - with a strange sense of vulnerability," and states her song "Hold On" is a "touching tribute to the late rapper."
Despite the album's flaws, critics remained impressed with her raunchy lyrics and attitude. Sheffield of Rolling Stone states "Lil' Kim still has an admirably tough and nasty mouth on her, and it's good to hear a Queen Bee sting." Cinquemani states "despite ventures into solemn territory and gangsta rap, the album continues down Kim's path of female sexual liberation."
Track listing
Sample credits
- "Custom Made (Give It to You)" contains a sample of Lil LouisLil LouisLil Louis is the stage name used by Chicago-born house-music producer and DJ Louis Sims. He scored a number of hits on the Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart in the 1980s and 1990s, three of which hit #1....
's "French KissFrench Kiss (song)"French Kiss" is a 1989 house-music single that became a European and American hit for American artist Lil Louis. The song also was a hit in dance clubs around the world, and it spent two weeks at #1 on the American dance chart in October 1989. It was a crossover pop hit as well, peaking at number...
". - "Who's Number One?" contains a sample of Eddie KendricksEddie KendricksEddie Kendricks was an American singer and songwriter. Noted for his distinctive falsetto singing style, Kendricks co-founded the Motown singing group The Temptations, and was one of their lead singers from 1960 until 1971. His was the lead voice on such famous songs as "The Way You Do The Things...
's "Keep on Truckin'Keep on Truckin' (song)"Keep on Truckin" is a 1973 hit song recorded by Eddie Kendricks for Motown Records' Tamla label. The song was Kendricks' first major hit as a solo artist, coming two years after his departure from The Temptations...
". - "Suck My Dick" contains excerpts and a sample of The Notorious B.I.G.The Notorious B.I.G.Christopher George Latore Wallace , best known as The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper. He was also known as Biggie Smalls , Big Poppa, and The Black Frank White .Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough...
's "Me & My Bitch". - "Single Black Female" contains a sample of SadeSade AduHelen Folasade Adu OBE , is a British singer-songwriter, composer, and record producer. She first achieved success in the 1980s as the frontwoman and lead vocalist of the Brit and Grammy Award winning English group Sade.-Biography:Sade was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria...
's "The Sweetest TabooThe Sweetest Taboo"The Sweetest Taboo" is the lead single from the English group Sade's second studio album, Promise . While the song peaked at number 31 on the UK Singles Chart, it fared considerably better in the United States, where it reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 1986, remaining in the...
". - "No Matter What They Say" contains a sample of Eric B. & RakimEric B. & RakimEric B. & Rakim were a hip-hop duo composed of DJ Eric Barrier and MC Rakim .Hailing from Long Island, New York, the pair are generally considered by hip hop enthusiasts to be one of the most influential and innovative groups in the genre...
's "I Know I Got Soul", Special EdSpecial EdSpecial Ed is the performing name of Edward Archer , an American hip hop musician of Jamaican descent. Hailing from Brooklyn in New York City, he was raised in Flatbush before moving to Canarsie, and is identified with East Coast hip hop...
's "I Got It Made", The Sugarhill GangThe Sugarhill GangThe Sugarhill Gang is an American hip hop group, known mostly for their 1979 hit, "Rapper's Delight", the first hip hop single to become a Top 40 hit. The song uses the instrumental track from the classic hit "Good Times" by Chic as its foundation....
's Rapper's DelightRapper's Delight"Rapper's Delight" is a 1979 single by American hip hop trio The Sugarhill Gang. While it was not the first single to feature rapping, it is generally considered to be the song that first popularized hip hop in the United States and around the world. The song's opening lyric "I said a hip hop, a...
, BrandyBrandy NorwoodBrandy Rayana Norwood , known professionally as Brandy, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and dancer. In 2009, she introduced her rap alter-ego Bran'Nu....
's Top of the World. - "She Don't Love You" contains an interpolation of "Betcha She Don't Love YouBetcha She Don't Love You (Evelyn King song)"Betcha She Don't Love You" is a Grammy-award winning 1981 single by the singer Evelyn King, the second single culled from her album Get Loose, the followup to "Love Come Down". The song was produced by Kashif and talks about a boy going out with another girl who'll break his heart.This song was...
". - "Don't Mess with Me" contains a sample of Pat BenatarPat BenatarPat Benatar is an American singer and four-time Grammy winner. She had considerable commercial success particularly in the United States...
's "HeartbreakerHeartbreaker (Pat Benatar song)"Heartbreaker" is a song recorded by Pat Benatar on her 1979 album In the Heat of the Night. Written and composed by Geoff Gill and Clint Wade, it reached No. 23 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It is a staple of her live shows....
". - "Right Now" contains interpolation of "Tom's DinerTom's Diner"Tom's Diner" is an a cappella pop song written in 1981 by American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega. It was first released as a track on the January 1984 issue of Fast Folk Musical Magazine. When first featured on one of her own studio albums, it appeared as the first track of her Solitude Standing...
" written by Suzanne VegaSuzanne VegaSuzanne Nadine Vega is an American songwriter and singer known for her eclectic folk-inspired music.Two of Vega's songs reached the top 10 of various international chart listings: "Luka" and "Tom's Diner"...
and sample of Vaughn Mason's "Break for Love". - "Hold On" contains a sample of Willie HutchWillie HutchWillie McKinley Hutchison, known professionally as Willie Hutch was an American singer, songwriter as well as a record producer and recording artist for the Motown record label during the 1970s and 1980s....
's "Baby Come Home".
Leftover tracks
- "Makes No Sense" (featuring Tanya Stephens)
- "Diamonds" (featuring Kelly Price)
- "Nobody Do It Better Than Us" (featuring Puff Daddy)
- "All Hail the Queen" (featuring Puff Daddy)
- "Bad Girl" (featuring RuPaul)
- "Rockin' It"
- "Good Time" (featuring Lil Cease)
Chart
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Germany 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... |
76 |
| French Albums Chart | 70 |
| Netherlands Albums Chart | 85 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 100 |
| 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... |
67 |
| U.S. 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... |
4 |
| U.S. Billboard 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... |
1 |
| Decade-End top-selling R&B/Hip-Hop albums | 100 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification Music recording sales certification Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,... (sales thresholds) |
|---|---|
| United States | Platinum RIAA certification In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards... (RIAA 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... ) |
| Canada | Gold RIAA certification In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards... (CRIA Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada... ) |
Personnel
- Executive Producers - Sean "Puffy" Combs & Kimberly "Lil' Kim" Jones
- Associate Executive Producers - Damion "D-Roc" Butler & Hillary Weston
- Mastered at - Sterling Sound, NYC by Chris Athens
- A&R Direction - Hillary WestonHillary WestonHillary Weston is the former longtime manager and friend of female American rap artist Lil' Kim.Weston has served as associate producer on three of her albums - The Notorious K.I.M., La Bella Mafia, and The Naked Truth...
- Project Coordinator - Jamel "Mann" Jackson
- Product Management - Joi L. Brown
- Photography - David LaChapelle
- Art Direction & Design - Lynn Kowalewski
- Hair - Dione Alexander
- Make-Up - Nzingha Gumbs
- Stylist - Misa Hylton-Brim
- Assistant Stylists - Lonnie Barnes & Melinda David
- Jewelry provided by - Jacob the Jeweler
- Album Pro-Tools Engineering - Jimmie Lee Patterson, Marc Pfafflin, Ben Allen, Roger Che, Steven Dent & Michael Patterson
- Album Assistant Engineers - Lynn Montrose & Dominick Mancuso