Life Story is the debut studio album by American rapper Black Rob. It was released on March 7, 2000, via Arista Records and Sean "Puffy" Combs' Bad Boy Entertainment. The album was praised by critics for its production and Rob's vocal presence and lyricism being similar to the late Notorious B.I.G. Life Story debuted and peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200 and sold close to 178,000 copies in its first week released.[1] The album spawned two singles: "Whoa!" and "Espacio". Life Story was ultimately certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling 1,000,000 copies in the United States on August 17, 2000.
| Life Story | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 7, 2000 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Hip hop, East Coast hip hop | |||
| Length | 69:13 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Black Rob chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Life Story | ||||
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Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Rolling Stone | |
| The Source | |
| USA Today | |
Life Story garnered positive reviews from music critics for its production and Rob's musicianship. Roxanne Blanford of AllMusic commended Rob's vocal delivery for being reminiscent of the "smooth, reserved style" of the Notorious B.I.G. and being able to "construct[s] explicit tales with hooks you can feel and lyrics that stick" concluding that, "[W]ith 20 thoroughly bruising cuts, Black Rob's debut may just succeed in helping Puff Daddy regain the street credibility lost when Combs achieved mainstream/crossover status."[2] Kathryn Farr from Rolling Stone gave praise to Rob's skills as a rapper coming across "like a cocky veteran, spitting grim confessions ("Life Story") and baller mantras ("PD World Tour") without breaking a sweat" and Bad Boy's crew of producers supplying the record with "hook-heavy cuts" despite Puff's "threadbare formulas" from previous efforts threatening to pull it down, concluding that "P. Diddy's meddling aside, though, most of Life Story is, well, like whoa!"[3] Vibe contributor Miguel Burke also praised Rob for being "incredibly adept at constructing graphic, autobiographical episodes and intricate tales" and pointed out Puff's "irritating ad-libs ("Make It Hot")" and "wannabe-rough rhymes ("Down the Line")" as negative qualities, concluding with, "But that doesn't change the fact that although the album gets down and dirty, Life Story is a breath of fresh air."[6]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mrs Barry (Intro)" |
|
| 1:00 |
| 2. | "Life Story" (featuring Cheryl Pepsii Riley & Racquel) |
| Nashiem Myrick & Jay "Waxx" Garfield for the Hitmen | 4:58 |
| 3. | "Whoa!" |
| Buckwild | 4:04 |
| 4. | "Drive By (Interlude)" |
| Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence for the Hitmen | 0:47 |
| 5. | "Lookin' At Us" (featuring Cee-Lo) |
| Nashiem Myrick for the Hitmen | 4:35 |
| 6. | "Down the Line Joint" (featuring Puff Daddy, Mark Curry, Ma$e & G-Dep) |
| Yogi for the Hitmen | 4:57 |
| 7. | "Espacio" (featuring Lil' Kim & G-Dep) | Mario "Yellowman" Winans for the Hitmen | 4:05 | |
| 8. | "You Don't Know Me" (featuring Joe Hooker) |
| Harve "Joe Hooker" Pierre for the Hitmen | 4:50 |
| 9. | "Can I Live" (featuring The LOX) |
| Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie for the Hitmen | 4:59 |
| 10. | "Championship (Interlude)" |
|
| 1:20 |
| 11. | "PD World Tour" (featuring Puff Daddy) |
| Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie for the Hitmen | 4:46 |
| 12. | "Muscle Game" (featuring Mark Curry & Mario Winans) |
| Mario "Yellowman" Winans for the Hitmen | 4:35 |
| 13. | "Cop Skit (Interlude)" |
|
| 1:40 |
| 14. | "B.R" (featuring G-Dep) |
|
| 3:54 |
| 15. | "Thug Story" |
|
| 4:34 |
| 16. | "Jasmine" (featuring Carl Thomas) |
|
| 5:31 |
| 17. | "Mad Rapper (Interlude)" |
| Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie for the Hitmen | 0:53 |
| 18. | "I Love You Baby" (featuring Puff Daddy) |
| Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence & Jay "Waxx" Garfield for the Hitmen | 3:36 |
| 19. | "Spanish Fly" (featuring Jennifer Lopez) |
| Yogi for the Hitmen | 4:03 |
| 20. | "Rise Up (Interlude)" | R. Ross | Shak Bak | 0:22 |
| 21. | "I Dare You" (featuring Joe Hooker) |
| Richard "Younglord" Frierson | 4:24 |
- Note
- "I Love You Baby" originally appeared on the 1997 album No Way Out by Puff Daddy and the Family.
- Samples
- "Whoa" contains a sample that comes from the instrumental version of François Valéry's song Joy.
- "Drive By (Interlude)" contains a sample of "The Days of Pearly Spencer" performed by Raymond Lefèvre
- "Lookin' At Us" contains a sample of Terri's Tune" performed by David Axelrod
- "Can I Live" contains a sample of "Within the Sound" by Rasa
- "B.R." contains a sample from "Yesterdays" by Paul Chambers Quintet
- "Thug Story" contains sample from "Children's Story" by Slick Rick
- "I Love You Baby" contains a sample of "Xtaby (Lure of the Unknown Love)" performed by Yma Sumac
- "Spanish Fly" contains a sample of "La Isla Bonita" by Madonna
- "I Dare You" contains a sample of "Under the Influence of Love" performed by Love Unlimited
Personnel
edit- Executive producer: Sean "Puffy Combs", Harve Pierre and Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie[7]
- Project manager: Kim Lumpkin
- Product/creative manager: Marcus Logan
- A&R: Harve Pierre
- Engineering: Kamel Abdo, Eric Butler, Roger Che, Stephen Dent, Tony Maserati, Michael Patterson, Joe "Smilin' Joe" Perrera, Ed Raso, Tony Smalios, Doug Wilson
- Assistant engineering: Lynn Montrose
- Mixing: Prince Charles Alexander, Roger Che, Michael Patterson, Rob Paustian, Joe "Smilin' Joe" Perrera, Ed Raso
- Programming: Stephen Dent, Harve Pierre, Mario Winans
- Mastering: Herb Powers
- Photography: Jonathan Mannion
- Cover photo: Jonathan Mannion
- Sample clearance: Deborah Mannis-Gardner
Charts and certifications
edit
Weekly chartsedit
|
Year-end chartsedit
|
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[12] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Black Rob Hits Chart; Santana Stays On Top". MTV. Archived from the original on February 17, 2019. Retrieved February 15, 2019.
- ^ a b Blanford, Roxanne. "Life Story - Black Rob". AllMusic. Archived from the original on November 7, 2014. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
- ^ a b Farr, Kathryn (April 13, 2002). "Recordings: Black Rob, Life Story, 3.5 stars". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on June 24, 2003. Retrieved February 1, 2014.
- ^ Ex, Kris (October 1999). "Record Report: Black Rob – Life Story / Puff Daddy – Forever". The Source. No. 121. pp. 219–220.
- ^ Jones, Steve (September 28, 1999). "Music Reviews: Black Rob, Life Story". USA Today. p. 04D. Archived from the original on October 8, 1999. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
- ^ Burke, Miguel (June 1999). "Revolutions: Black Rob 'Life Story'". Vibe. Vol. 7, no. 6. Vibe Media. p. 185. ISSN 1070-4701. Retrieved November 26, 2016. [permanent dead link]
- ^ "The Madd Rapper Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ "Black Rob Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
- ^ "Black Rob Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
- ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2000". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
- ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2000". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
- ^ "American album certifications – Black Rob – Life Story". Recording Industry Association of America.