Life Story (album)
Life Story is the debut album by American rapper Black Rob. It was released on March 7, 2000 via Bad Boy and Arista. 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 at number 3 on the Billboard 200 and spawned two singles: "Whoa!" and "Espacio". The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for selling 1,000,000 copies in the United States on August 17, 2000. The LP sold close to 178,000 copies in its first week released[1]
| Life Story | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 7, 2000 | |||
| Recorded | 1998-99 | |||
| Studio | Daddy's House (New York City, New York) | |||
| Genre | Hip hop, East Coast hip hop | |||
| Length | 69:13 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Sean "Puffy" Combs (also exec.), The Hitmen, Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie, Harve "Joe Hooker" Pierre, Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence, Nashiem Myrick, Carlos "6 July" Broady, Mario "Yellowman" Winans, Yogi | |||
| Black Rob chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Life Story | ||||
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Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    |
| Rolling Stone | |
| The Source | |
| Vibe | (positive)[4] |
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."[4]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mrs Barry (Intro)" |
|
| 1:00 |
| 2. | "Life Story" |
| 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 Green) |
| 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) | 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" from No Way Out by Puff Daddy & The Family in 1997
- Samples
- "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
- Executive producer: Sean "Puffy Combs", Harve Pierre
- 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
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[9] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
*sales figures based on certification alone | ||
References
- "Black Rob Hits Chart; Santana Stays On Top". Retrieved February 15, 2019.
- Blanford, Roxanne. "Life Story - Black Rob". AllMusic. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
- 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.
- Burke, Miguel (June 1999). "Revolutions: Black Rob 'Life Story'". Vibe. Vibe Media. 7 (6): 185. ISSN 1070-4701. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
- "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. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
- "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2000". Billboard. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
- "American album certifications – Black Rob – Life Story". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.