Conspiracy (Junior M.A.F.I.A. album)

Conspiracy is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Junior M.A.F.I.A. (Including The Notorious B.I.G., Lil' Cease, Trife and Larceny of The Snakes, Lil' Kim, Nino Brown, Chico Del Vec, Kleptomaniac, Capone, and Bugsy). It was released on August 29, 1995 by Big Beat Records and Atlantic Records. The album is now out of print on physical formats, but is available to download or stream on websites like iTunes and Spotify.

Conspiracy
Studio album by Junior M.A.F.I.A.
Released	August 29, 1995
Recorded	25 November 1994 - 07 August 1995
Venue	New York City
Studio	Quad Studios
Genre	Hardcore hip hop[1]
Label	Undeas Big Beat Atlantic
Producer	The Notorious B.I.G. (also exec.) Clark Kent (also exec.) Craig Kallman (exec.) Jacob York (exec.) Lance "UN" Rivera (also exec.) Akshun Daddy-O EZ Elpee Special Ed Understanding
Junior M.A.F.I.A. chronology
Conspiracy (1995) Riot Musik (2005)
Singles from Conspiracy
"Player's Anthem" Released: May 30, 1995 "I Need You Tonight" Released: August 9, 1995 "Get Money" Released: February 3, 1996

Upon its release, the album garnered much attention, gaining hype with the release of singles such as "Get Money" and "Players Anthem". The album features rapper The Notorious B.I.G., who contributes to the album's production in addition to appearing on four of the album's tracks, as well as being its lead songwriter. The album's third single "Get Money", contains a sample from "You Can't Turn Me Away" performed by Sylvia Striplin.

Commercial performance

Conspiracy debuted at number 8 on the US Billboard 200, selling 70,000 copies in its first week.[2]

The album has been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]

Conspiracy was a commercial success and received mixed critical reviews. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic wrote "Considering Ready to Die was one of the seminal hip-hop releases of the early '90s, Conspiracy could have been an inspired, enjoyable sequel; instead, it's a fitfully successful replication of the earlier record's strengths."[5]

Track listing

No.	Title	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Intro"	The Notorious B.I.G	2:42
2.	"White Chalk" (The Notorious B.I.G. and The Snakes)	Daddy-O Understanding	4:40
3.	"Excuse Me" (interlude)	The Notorious B.I.G.	0:50
4.	"Realms of Junior M.A.F.I.A." (featuring Jamal) (Intro: Lil' Kim · First hook/Verse: Lil' Cease · Second hook/Verse: Chico Del Vec · Third hook/Verse: Jamal · Final hook/Verse: The Notorious B.I.G.)	Clark Kent The Notorious B.I.G.	4:25
5.	"Player's Anthem" (Hook: The Notorious B.I.G. · First verse: Lil' Cease · Second verse: The Notorious B.I.G. · Final verse: Lil' Kim)	The Notorious B.I.G.	5:22
6.	"I Need You Tonight" (featuring Faith Evans) (Chorus: Faith Evans · First verse: Trife of The Snakes · Second verse: Lil' Kim · Final verse: Kleptomaniac)	The Notorious B.I.G.	4:28
7.	"Get Money" (First verse: The Notorious B.I.G. · Final verse: Lil' Kim)	The Notorious B.I.G.	4:34
8.	"I've Been..." (interlude)	Lance "UN" Rivera	0:35
9.	"Crazaay" (Hook/Verses: The Snakes)	The Notorious B.I.G.	3:58
10.	"Back Stabbers" (featuring Jimmy Cozier) (Chorus: Jimmy Cozier · Verses: Lil' Kim)	The Notorious B.I.G.	5:34
11.	"Shot!" (interlude)	Lance "UN" Rivera	0:55
12.	"Lyrical Wizardry" (Verses: Kleptomaniac)	The Notorious B.I.G.	3:52
13.	"Oh My Lord" (Verses: Kleptomaniac & The Notorious B.I.G.)	The Notorious B.I.G.	3:39
14.	"Murder Onze" (Intro: Chico Del Vec · First verse: Chico Del Vec & Kleptomaniac · Hook: Larceny of The Snakes · Second verse: The Snakes · Third verse: Kleptomaniac, Chico Del Vec & Trife of The Snakes)	The Notorious B.I.G.	4:22
15.	"Outro"	The Notorious B.I.G.	0:41
Total length:			50:39

Sample credits

White Chalk

• "The What" by The Notorious B.I.G. feat. Method Man
• "Things Done Changed" by The Notorious B.I.G.

Back Stabbers

• "Back Stabbers" by The O'Jays
• "Your Smile" by René & Angela

Crazaay

• "Can't We Smile" by Johnny Hammond

Get Money

• "You Can't Turn Me Away" by Sylvia Striplin

I Need You Tonight

• "Remind Me" by Patrice Rushen
• "I Wonder If I Take You Home" by Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam and Full Force

Oh My Lord

• "The World Is Yours" by Nas

Player's Anthem

• "You Are What I'm All About" by New Birth
• "Yellowman & Fathead" by Yellowman and Fathead
• "Zungguzungguguzungguzeng" by Yellowman

Realms of Junior M.A.F.I.A

• "UFO" by ESG

Murder Onze

• "Laughter in the Rain" by Earl Klugh

Charts

Charts (1995)	Position
US Billboard 200[6]	8
US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[7]	2
Canadian Albums Chart[8]	64

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[9]	Gold	500,000^^
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone sales+streaming figures based on certification alone

References

1. Erlewine, Thomas. "Conspiracy - Junior M.A.F.I.A." Allmusic.
2. Mayfield, Geoff (15 July 2000). Between The Bullets - Hit Hop. Billboard Magazine. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
3. "RIAA - Recording Industry Association of America". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on 25 February 2013. Retrieved 25 February 2013.
4. Allmusic review
5. allmusic ((( Conspiracy Overview )))
6. "Junior M.A.F.I.A. Album & Song Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-08-01.
7. "Junior M.A.F.I.A. Album & Song Chart History: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 2010-08-01.
8. "Results - RPM - Library and Archives and Canada: Top Albums/CDs". RPM. Archived from the original on 2011-09-29. Retrieved 2010-08-02.
9. "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". Recording Industry Association of America.