Neighborhood Watch (album)

Last updated
Neighborhood Watch
Neighborhoodwatch.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 6, 2004 (2004-04-06)
Recorded2003–04
Studio
Genre Hip hop
Length57:22
Label Capitol
Producer
Dilated Peoples chronology
Expansion Team
(2001)
Neighborhood Watch
(2004)
20/20
(2006)
Singles from Neighborhood Watch
  1. "Marathon"
    Released: September 16, 2003
  2. "This Way"
    Released: June 15, 2004

Neighborhood Watch is the third studio album by American hip hop trio Dilated Peoples. It was released on April 6, 2004, through Capitol Records. The recording sessions took place at D&D Studios in New York, at Soundproof Recordings, at the Nodd Factor in Houston, at Larrabee West in West Hollywood, at Ameraycan Studios in North Hollywood, and at Record Plant in Los Angeles. The album was produced by members Evidence and DJ Babu, as well as Alchemist, Joey Chavez, Kanye West, Nucleus, Rob "Reef" Tewlow, and DJ AM. It features guest appearances from Defari, Devin the Dude, J. Rocc, Kanye West, Phil da Agony, and Planet Asia.

Contents

The album debuted at number 55 on the Billboard 200 and number 16 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in the United States. It also made it to number 96 on the UK Albums Chart and number 16 on the UK Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart, as well as number 91 in Switzerland, and number 155 in France. Its lead single, "This Way", peaked at number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 35 on the UK Singles Chart. The album also features the singles "Marathon" and "Poisonous", as well as the DJ showcase "DJ Babu in Deep Concentration", an ode to Gang Starr's 1989 track "DJ Premier in Deep Concentration".

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 62/100 [1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllHipHop 3.5/5 [2]
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
Robert Christgau Scissors icon black.svg [4]
Gigwise Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]
HipHopDX 3.5/5 [7]
RapReviews8/10 [8]
Spin C− [9]
Sputnikmusic 3/5 [10]
Tiny Mix Tapes TMT full.svgTMT full.svgTMT full.svgTMT empty.svgTMT empty.svg [11]

Neighborhood Watch was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 62, based on nineteen reviews. [1]

Billboard praised the album, saying "here's a group at the top of its game". Entertainment Weekly found it "suitable for both the streets and chain stores". Q called it "imaginative".

In mixed reviews, Dorian Lynskey of The Guardian wrote: "chunky, hook-laden songs like Tryin' to Breathe and This Way show a newfound sonic confidence, but Dilated Peoples remain astoundingly dull MCs, delivering earnest and predictable rhymes". [6] Tiny Mix Tapes critic wrote: "on Neighborhood Watch, their delivery is stale and unimpressive, much like the overproduced Expansion Team ". [11] AllMusic's John Bush stated: "most of the blame for Neighborhood Watch has to go to the previously invincible Alchemist, whose productions are front-loaded on the record. Unfortunately, his beats aren't rugged or hooky, just astonishingly weak". [3] Spin's reviewers wrote: "Evidence and Iriscience remain so humorlessly hard they could guard Buckingham Palace". [9]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Marathon" The Alchemist 5:08
2."Neighborhood Watch"
The Alchemist3:26
3."Tryin' to Breathe"
  • Perretta
  • R. Taylor
  • Oroc
  • Rob Tewlow
  • Larry James Reynolds
Reef4:08
4."Caffeine"
  • Perretta
  • R. Taylor
  • Oroc
  • West Plischke
Nucleus4:55
5."Who's Who"
4:05
6."Poisonous" (featuring Devin the Dude)
The Alchemist3:39
7."Reach Us"
  • Perretta
  • R. Taylor
  • Oroc
  • Joey Chavez
Joey Chavez5:02
8."Big Business"
  • Perretta
  • R. Taylor
  • Oroc
2;29
9."Love and War"
Evidence3:46
10."1580 (Skit)" (featuring J. Rocc)  1:13
11."World on Wheels"
  • Perretta
  • R. Taylor
  • Oroc
  • Maman
  • Milton Edwards
The Alchemist3:56
12."Closed Session" (featuring Defari, Phil Da Agony and Planet Asia)
  • Perretta
  • R. Taylor
  • Oroc
  • Duane A. Johnson Jr.
  • Jason Smith
  • Jason Green
  • Mose Davis
DJ Babu6:14
13."This Way" (featuring Kanye West)
  • Perretta
  • R. Taylor
  • Oroc
  • Kanye West
  • Jimmie Cameron
  • Vella Cameron
Kanye West 4:05
14."DJ Babu in Deep Concentration"
DJ Babu5:16
Total length:57:22
Sample credits

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2004)Peak
position
French Albums (SNEP) [12] 155
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [13] 91
UK Albums (OCC) [14] 96
UK R&B Albums (OCC) [15] 16
US Billboard 200 [16] 55
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums ( Billboard ) [17] 16

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References

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