Under Construction (Missy Elliott album)

Last updated

Under Construction
Under Construction Cover.jpg
Studio album by
Missy Elliott
ReleasedNovember 12, 2002 (2002-11-12)
Genre
Length56:41
Label
Producer
Missy Elliott chronology
Miss E... So Addictive
(2001)		Under Construction
(2002)		 This Is Not a Test!
(2003)
Singles from Under Construction
  1. "Work It"
    Released: September 16, 2002 [2]
  2. "Gossip Folks"
    Released: December 9, 2002 [3]
  3. "Back in the Day"
    Released: February 8, 2003

Under Construction is the fourth studio album by American rapper Missy Elliott, released by The Goldmind Inc. and Elektra Records on November 12, 2002, in the United States. The album was primarily produced by Timbaland, with additional production by Craig Brockman, Nisan Stewart, Errol "Poppi" McCalla and Elliott herself.

Contents

The album debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 359,000 copies in its first week. [4] It was also certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). [5] The album received Grammy Award nominations for Best Rap Album and Album of the Year. Elliott dedicated the album to Aaliyah (who had died on August 25, 2001) and to victims of the September 11 attacks.

Controversy

The album's third single was intended to be a newly recorded remix of "Pussycat" with guest vocals by Janet Jackson and featuring Lil' Kim. Elliott's label felt the song was too explicit to release and plans were withdrawn. [6] [7]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 81/100 [8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [1]
Blender Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Entertainment Weekly B+ [10]
The Guardian Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]
Los Angeles Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
NME Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Pitchfork 7.2/10 [14]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [15]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [16]
USA Today Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svg [17]

Under Construction received general acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, it earned an average score of 81 out of 100, based on 19 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". [8] The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . [18]

"It still sounds incredibly fresh, in all meanings of the word," observed the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' guitarist, Nick Zinner. "Karen [O, Yeah Yeah Yeahs' singer] and I listened to it all the time. We used to play it before we'd go onstage... 'Funky Fresh Dressed' is my favourite track. I don't know what else to say other than it's amazing." [19]

Year-end lists

PublicationAccoladeRankRef.
BBC Radio 6 Music 16 Albums That Define 2002—
HipHopDX The 20 Best Rap Albums of All Time3
The Muse The Best Albums of 2002—
NME Best Albums and Tracks of 200225
Pitchfork Top 50 Albums of 200228
PopMatters Best Music of 200—
Rolling Stone 100 Best Albums of the 2000s28
Slant Top 10 Albums and Singles of 200254
SlantThe 100 Best Albums of the 2000s54
Village Voice Top 10 Albums of 200210

Commercial performance

Under Construction debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 259,000 copies in its first week. [4] The album stayed on the chart for a total of 36 weeks. [30] On July 14, 2003, the album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over two million copies in the United States. [5] By November 2015, the album had sold 2,142,000 copies in the US. [31]

Track listing

Under Construction track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro"/"Go to the Floor"
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott [A]
5:06
2."Bring the Pain" (featuring Method Man)
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott [A]
2:59
3."Gossip Folks" (featuring Ludacris)
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott [A]
3:54
4."Work It"
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott [A]
4:53
5."Back in the Day" (featuring Jay-Z)
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott [A]
4:55
6."Funky Fresh Dressed" (featuring Ms. Jade)
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott [A]
3:56
7."Pussycat"
  • Elliott
  • McCalla
4:32
8."Nothing Out There for Me" (featuring Beyoncé)
  • Elliott
  • Brockman
  • Stewart
3:05
9."Slide"
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott [A]
3:43
10."Play that Beat"
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott [A]
3:02
11."Ain't that Funny"
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott [A]
2:48
12."Hot"
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott [A]
4:09
13."Can You Hear Me" (featuring TLC)
  • Elliott
  • Brockman
  • Stewart
  • Elliott
  • Brockman
  • Stewart
4:29
International bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Work It (Remix)" (featuring 50 Cent)
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott [A]
4:59
15."Drop the Bomb"
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott [A]
3:27

Notes

Production

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Under Construction
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [58] Gold35,000^
Japan (RIAJ) [59] Gold100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [60] Gold260,000 [61]
United States (RIAA) [62] 2× Platinum2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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