Yeeeah Baby

Last updated
Yeeeah Baby
Yeeeah Baby coverart.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 4, 2000
Genre
Length52:08
Label
Producer
Big Pun chronology
Capital Punishment
(1998)
Yeeeah Baby
(2000)
Endangered Species
(2001)
Singles from Yeeeah Baby
  1. "It's So Hard"
    Released: March 30, 2000
  2. "100%"
    Released: June 5, 2000

Yeeeah Baby (titled as Yeah Baby on streaming services) is the second and final studio album by rapper Big Pun, released April 4, 2000 through Columbia Records, SRC Records, Loud Records and Fat Joe's Terror Squad Productions. It peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200, selling 179,000 units during the first week. [1] It was subsequently certified gold in July 2000, and received platinum certification on October 31, 2017. [2] Fat Joe served as the executive producer of the album.

Contents

Struggling with morbid obesity, Pun experienced breathing problems throughout the album's recording process, slowing down his signature flow. He died at 28 years of age, just two months before the album's release.

Background

The album consists of two of Big Pun's biggest hits, the first single "It's So Hard" and the Puerto Rican anthem "100%". In the former song, he exclaims: "It's hard work, baby. I just lost 100 pounds. I'm trying to live. I ain't going nowhere."

In his last magazine interview, conducted by Industry Insider only a week before his death, Pun detailed that his approach on Yeeeah Baby was not as "hardcore" as his previous album Capital Punishment , in an attempt to reach out to an even wider fanbase than his debut album already had. [3]

Tracks

Terror Squad members and affiliates such as Sunkiss, Tony Sunshine, Prospect, Cuban Link, Remy Ma, and Fat Joe were featured on the album.

The album featured lighthearted songs like "100%" and "It's So Hard". It opens with an introduction "The Creation", likening Big Pun to Frankenstein. The first song "Watch Those" is a rock-oriented rap song with the beat derived from the theme song of Starsky and Hutch. With Tony Sunshine, there were also jokey R&B ballads like "My Dick" and "Laughing at You", an interpretation of Notorious B.I.G.'s "Juicy" with lyrics like "It was all a scheme / I used to load the tech with the magazine". The track "Nigga Shit" is a two-minute skit where Pun jokes about indulging in African-American stereotypes. There were also hardcore revenge-fantasy songs with a dark sinister sound like "Off With His Head", "LeatherFace" and "Wrong Ones". In the song "My Turn", Big Pun made a jab at a then up-and-coming rapper 50 Cent in response to the remark 50 made about Pun in his song "How to Rob".

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Billboard (Favorable) [5]
Entertainment Weekly C [6]
NME (7/10) [7]
Q Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [8]
RapReviews(8.5/10) [9]
Robert Christgau Five Pointed Star Solid.svg Five Pointed Star Solid.svg [10]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [11]
The Source Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]
Vibe (Favorable) [12]

Commercial

Yeeeah Baby posted a strong debut on the Billboard 200, the album sold more than 179,000 copies in its first week in stores to take the third slot on the chart.[ citation needed ] It reached Gold status within three months.

Critical

Yeeeah Baby received favorable reviews from music critics.

Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [13]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."The Creation" (intro)  1:29
2."Watch Those" Knobody 3:20
3."Off Wit His Head" (featuring Prospect and Opera Steve)
Just Blaze 4:06
4."It's So Hard" (featuring Donell Jones)
2:52
5."We Don't Care" (featuring Cuban Link)
Younglord 3:12
6."New York Giants" (featuring M.O.P.)
  • Minnesota
  • Mahogany
3:30
7."My Dick" (featuring Tony Sunshine)
  • KNS
  • Guy Boogie
3:19
8."Leatherface" The Infinite Arkatechz 3:25
9."Air Pun" (skit)  0:51
10."100%" (featuring Tony Sunshine) Sean Cane 3:51
11."Wrong Ones" (featuring Sunkiss)
  • Rios
  • DeShawn Barzey
  • J. Smith
Just Blaze4:07
12."Laughing at You" (featuring Tony Sunshine)
Ogee4:26
13."Nigga Shit" Buckwild 1:45
14."Ms. Martin" (featuring Remi Martin)
  • Rios
  • Michael Gomez
DJ Shok4:16
15."My Turn"
3:48
16."You Was Wrong" (featuring Drag-On, Fat Joe, & Remi Martin)
DJ Shok3:51

Notes

Sample credits [13]

Album chart positions

Singles chart positions

YearSongChart positions
Hot 100 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot Rap Singles Rhythmic Top 40
2000"It's So Hard"#75#19#11#39
2000"100%"#84#53#16-

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [19] Platinum1,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

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References

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