This Is Not a Test!

Last updated

This Is Not a Test!
Missy Elliott - This is not a test - Album.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 25, 2003 (2003-11-25)
RecordedApril–August 2003
Genre
Length56:05
Label
Producer
Missy Elliott chronology
Under Construction
(2002)
This Is Not a Test!
(2003)
The Cookbook
(2005)
Singles from This Is Not a Test!
  1. "Pass That Dutch"
    Released: October 14, 2003
  2. "I'm Really Hot"
    Released: March 23, 2004

This Is Not a Test! is the fifth studio album by American rapper Missy Elliott, released by The Goldmind Inc. and Elektra Records on November 25, 2003, in the United States. It was primarily produced by Timbaland, with additional production from Craig Brockman, Nisan Stewart and Elliott herself.

Contents

The album received generally favorable reviews from critics. The album debuted at number thirteen on the US Billboard 200, selling 183,600 copies in the first week of release. [1] It has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and has sold 705,000 copies in the United States. [2] [3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 79/100 [4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Entertainment Weekly B [6]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [8]
NME 8/10 [9]
Pitchfork 8.5/10 [10]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
Spin A− [13]
The Village Voice A [14]

This Is Not a Test! was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 79 out of 100, based on 21 reviews. [4] Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone gave the album four out of five stars, saying, "Why anybody would choose to spend their life without a copy of This Is Not a Test! is a mystery." [12] Dan Martin of NME gave the album eight out of ten stars, saying the album was "all about the beats" and "not a right lot else", adding it was "Missy's most uncompromising work yet". [9] Nick Catucci of Blender gave the album three out of five stars, saying the album "lacks feeling" and asked, "besides beats, what else does she care about?" [15] John Bush of AllMusic gave the album three out of five stars, saying the album "is an effective argument for song-by-song downloads." [5] This Is Not a Test! placed on Slant Magazine's list of best albums of the 2000s at number 87. [16]

Year-end lists

Appearances on year-end lists for This Is Not a Test!
PublicationAccoladeRankRef.
NPR Best CDs of 200326
The Observer Albums of 20038

Commercial performance

This Is Not a Test! debuted at number thirteen on the US Billboard 200, selling 183,600 copies in the first week of release. [1] The album stayed on the chart for a total of 19 weeks. [19] On December 17, 2003, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of over one million copies in the United States. [2] As of November 2015, the album has sold 705,000 copies in the US. [3]

Track listing

This Is Not a Test! track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Baby Girl Interlude/Intro" (featuring Mary J. Blige)
2:13
2."Bomb Intro/Pass That Dutch"
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
  • Elliott
  • Timbaland
3:37
3."Wake Up" (featuring Jay-Z)
  • Elliott
  • Timbaland
4:06
4."Keep It Movin'" (featuring Elephant Man)
  • Elliott
  • Timbaland
3:39
5."Is This Our Last Time" (featuring Fabolous)5:26
6."Ragtime Interlude/I'm Really Hot"
  • Elliott
  • TImbaland
3:30
7."Dats What I'm Talkin About" (featuring R. Kelly)
  • Elliott
  • Stewart
  • Brockman
  • Kelly
4:48
8."Don't Be Cruel" (featuring Monica & Beenie Man)
  • Elliott
  • Timbaland
4:33
9."Toyz Interlude/Toyz"
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
  • Brockman
  • Elliott
  • Timbaland
  • Brockman
2:52
10."Let It Bump"
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
  • Elliott
  • Timbaland
2:50
11."Pump It Up" (featuring Nelly)
  • Elliott
  • Timbaland
3:05
12."It's Real"
  • Elliott
  • Brockman
  • Elliott
  • Brockman
2:52
13."Let Me Fix My Weave"
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
  • Elliott
  • Timbaland
3:59
14."Spelling Bee Interlude/Spelling Bee"
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
  • Elliott
  • Timbaland
3:34
15."I'm Not Perfect" (featuring The Clark Sisters)
  • Elliott
  • Stewart
  • Brockman
  • Elliott
  • Stewart
  • Brockman
3:49
16."Outro" (featuring Mary J. Blige)
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
  • Elliott
  • Timbaland
1:21

Sample credits

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for This Is Not a Test!
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [42] Gold35,000^
Canada (Music Canada) [43] Gold50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [44] Gold100,000^
United States (RIAA) [45] Platinum1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

This Is Not a Test! release history
RegionDate
GermanyNovember 24, 2003
United Kingdom
CanadaNovember 25, 2003
France
Japan
United States

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