Unfinished Business | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 26, 2004 | |||
Recorded | 2001–2004 | |||
Studio | The Chocolate Factory and Rock Land Studios (Chicago) Baseline Recording Studios (New York City) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 44:34 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
| |||
Jay-Z and R. Kelly chronology | ||||
| ||||
Jay-Z chronology | ||||
| ||||
R. Kelly chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Unfinished Business | ||||
|
Unfinished Business is the second and final collaboration album between American rapper Jay-Z and American singer R. Kelly. The album was released worldwide on October 26,2004. It was distributed in the United States and Canada by Jive Records and Island Def Jam Music Group,by the Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) and its subsidiary Jive Records,except in Canada and the United States of America where Island Def Jam Music Group and its labels Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records replaced BMG. The album was composed of unreleased tracks from the recording sessions of 2002's The Best of Both Worlds ,although slight additions were made. [1]
The album was promoted by the "Best of Both Worlds" concert tour with R. Kelly and Jay-Z performing songs from both their solo and joint albums. The "Best of Both Worlds" tour filled with tension and accusations that boiled over at an October 31 show where R. Kelly was accused of erratic behavior and was pepper sprayed by a Jay-Z associate. Jay-Z and the tour promoter then banned R. Kelly from the tour claiming "lack of professionalism". R. Kelly responded by suing his co-act and touring company for $75 million for breach of contract,among other things,on November 2. [1] [2]
Unfinished Business was supported by two singles:"Big Chips" and "Don't Let Me Die". They were both sent to radio stations,but only the former saw a physical release. [1] Like its predecessor,the album was criticized for repetitive lyrics but was a commercial success. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart,selling 215,000 copies in its first week,and later was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in December 2004. [3] [4]
R. Kelly appeared on Jay-Z's "Guilty Until Proven Innocent". In 2001,Jay-Z was featured on R. Kelly's popular single "Fiesta Remix" that shot up to fifth on the Billboard Top 100. The positive reception to both songs opened dialog between the two for a possible joint album. In December 2001,R. Kelly confirmed the album's existence and name in an interview with MTV at that year's Billboard Music Awards. [5] In January 2002,the two announced Best of Both Worlds in a New York City news conference. [6] [7] When the album was leaked on February 22, [8] the release date was moved up seven days to combat piracy. [9] Outside parties speculated that the album would be the biggest release of the year and easily sell multi-million. However,in February 2002,an unknown person sent a sex tape to the Chicago Sun-Times newspaper,claiming that it was R. Kelly and an underage female. [10] This would be illegal under Illinois law,which states that adults cannot have sexual intercourse with a minor. R. Kelly denied the claims. [11] In response to the public outrage,Def Jam cut all promotion plans of the album,including music videos and the planned tour. Jay-Z also refused to appear with R. Kelly in anything. [12]
Best of Both Worlds was criticized by critics for uninspired and recycled song meanings. It debuted number–two on the Billboard 200 with 223,000 units scanned. [13] Despite the lack of promotion,it was still considered a commercial failure;the total was less than half of the artists' last solo efforts. Jay-Z's The Blueprint and R. Kelly's TP-2.com sold 427,000 and 543,000 respectively in their debut week and debuted number–one. If any chances of doing a tour lingered,they were crushed in June when R. Kelly was arrested for 21 counts of child pornography after witnesses claimed the woman in the video was 14 years old. [14] He was later acquitted of all charges in 2008. [15]
In November 2003,R. Kelly appeared at Jay-Z's "farewell" concert that was featured in the 2004 documentary film Fade to Black . The response from the crowd led to two to reconsider the idea of touring again,noting how R. Kelly's studio album that year, Chocolate Factory was certified multi-platinum by the RIAA. After watching Kelly get back on top,keep his fanbase,and go platinum in only 3 weeks,Jay-Z and Def Jam jumped back on the bandwagon. On September 21,Unfinished Business was confirmed. [1] [16]
As the album is composed of unreleased tracks of R. Kelly and Jay-Z,the recording took place during the Best of Both Worlds recording sessions. The two never met in a studio,instead sending tracks to each other to finish. Jay-Z described the process in their Best of Both Worlds press conference.
"It was definitely a friendly competition. He'd send me something and I'd be like, 'Oh, he killed that. Now I've got to kill it, too.' And every time I sent him something, he'd be like, 'Maaaannnn. All you've got to do is rap. I've got to put it in perfect pitch and harmony and still be saying something. You're putting pressure on me." [6]
R. Kelly in a 2001 MTV interview stated that they had recorded nine songs by December 10. [5] Album producers Tone and Poke also made sure the songs moved along.
Tour by Jay-Z and R. Kelly | |
Associated album |
|
---|---|
Start date | September 29, 2004 |
End date | October 29, 2004 (was scheduled to last through November 28) |
No. of shows | 24 (40 shows were planned) |
R. Kelly concert chronology |
The Best of Both Worlds Tour was a United States-only, 40-city tour to promote Unfinished Business, headlined by Jay-Z and R. Kelly. Artists affiliated with Roc-A-Fella performed with Jay-Z during his solo sets. It was sponsored by Atlanta Worldwide Touring. [17] The tour was originally planned for 2002, but was scrapped after the R. Kelly accusations surfaced. It was originally announced on August 19, 2004, [18] [19] with initial tour dates coming on August 27. [20] The remaining shows were announced on October 6. [21] The concert was expected to gross $30 million.
Although the concert was well received by critics, they noticed tension between R. Kelly and Jay-Z. The two only performed together on stage for the beginning and finale sets. Sean Daly of The Washington Post wrote on their interactions, "Did any of it look remotely genuine? Absolutely not. How about "As the Best of Both Worlds Turn?". [22]
To help promote voting in the upcoming presidential election in the United States, Jay-Z used the tour dates in Ohio to register eligible voters using his organization Voice Your Choice and music executive Russell Simmons' Hip-Hop Summit Action Network. [23]
The concerts began with a video depicting a news report high-speed police chase of two buses heading to the arena. At the climax, the arena is darkened and the two vehicles crash and break a faux-wall on the stage. From there, R. Kelly and Jay-Z exit their respective vehicles clad in white suits and perform "The Best of Both Worlds", "Shake Ya Body", "Take You Home With Me A.K.A. Body", and "Somebody's Girl" from the Best of Both Worlds album. R. Kelly then goes backstage while Jay-Z and his entourage perform their set. From there, the two transition with 10 to 20 minute sets consisting of their songs. After about five, they then conclude with the songs "Fiesta Remix", "Big Chips" and "Hell Yeah".
During the first Rosemont concert, R. Kelly ran a skit that made light of his court case. [24] [25] Due to national outrage, he removed the act from the second concert. For reasons both Jay-Z and R. Kelly dispute, Kelly was more than two hours late for the next day's concert that ended at 1 AM—and, to make matters worse, R. Kelly left before the final joint set. The tour was unable to make it to Cincinnati, Ohio, for the next concert and was therefore canceled. [24] On October 17, Jay-Z left early to attend to an emergency, but was later seen at the R&B singer Usher's birthday party. R. Kelly stopped his set midway through the October 23 St. Louis concert for difficulty with the lighting. [23] The Milwaukee and Hartford shows were canceled for technical difficulties.
The tension boiled over in New York City's Madison Square Garden on Friday, October 29 when R. Kelly told the audience that two men were showing their guns to him. [2] [26] [27] [28] Although various media reports dispute the actual time of the disturbance, it is presumed to be near the beginning to an hour into R. Kelly's set. Madison Square Garden security then searched the area but found nothing and gave clearance for R. Kelly and his bodyguards to return. [28] On their walk back, they were suddenly pepper-sprayed by Tyran "Ty Ty" Smith, a childhood friend of Jay-Z and rushed to nearby Saint Vincent's Catholic Medical Center. By this time Jay-Z was performing onstage in place of R. Kelly, unaware of the backstage violence. After a 45-minute set, he told the crowd he would have a show for them in a few minutes. [28] Jay-Z returned with several musicians in the crowd Usher, Mary J. Blige, and rappers Foxy Brown, Ja Rule, T.I., P. Diddy and his Roc-A-Fella entourage.
Following the show, both Jay-Z and R. Kelly interviewed separately with New York City radio station WQHT personality Angie Martinez. Jay-Z mocked R. Kelly's claims of a gun in the audience, saying, ""That's Madison Square Garden. You cannot get a gun in Madison Square Garden. Does he know where he's at?" [28] He also confirmed the rumors of their strained relationship and called R. Kelly insecure about his louder reception at concerts and being over-concerned about stage lighting. [26] [28] Although R. Kelly confessed that he had not actually seen any guns, he was cautious after a threatening phone call earlier Friday. [28] He also expressed his desire to perform at Saturday's show. [28] The next day, Madison Square Garden banned R. Kelly and his group from that night's show, and Atlantic Worldwide Touring banned R. Kelly from the rest of the tour, which was renamed Jay-Z and Friends. [27]
After a statement detailing his disappointment at being barred, R. Kelly sued Jay-Z, Atlantic Worldwide, and his production company Marcy Projects on the next day (November 1) for breach of contract and $75 million in damages ($60 million in punitive damages and $15 million for lost income) as a result of not being able to tour. [2] The suit alleged that lighting problems caused by Jay-Z's production staff had been plaguing his performances since rehearsals in September and had to resort to fixing them himself or hiring a professional. It also accused Jay-Z of being jealous of the 60/40 split R. Kelly had over the tour gross and thus conspired the events that occurred at Madison Square Garden pressured Atlantic Worldwide to remove him. [2]
Jay-Z countersued in January 2005, claiming R. Kelly showed erratic behavior that included: being periodically late or absent from meetings and rehearsals, missing deadlines for material, and sudden demands and requests that led to several concert delays and cancellations that resulted in loss of gross. R. Kelly's lawyers challenged it as "inaccurate smears of Mr. Kelly that are utterly irrelevant to the issues of the case". [29] They further claimed it didn't deny that the rapper refused to work with R. Kelly after the Madison Square Garden incident and thus broke the contract. [29] It was ultimately thrown out by a judge in May 2005, who agreed. [30]
Jay-Z referenced R. Kelly's lawsuit on a remix of the 2004 hip hop song, "Drop It Like It's Hot". [31]
These niggas givin' out cases like a liquor store
Runnin' to the DA tryin' to get me for it
All the money it made, I'm like forget the law
I'm not 'fr-iz-aid, it J-iz-ay homie you got pl-iz-ayed
Take it like a man, the flow ran you off the st-iz-age (go sit down)
Wastin' ya time tryin' to sue S Dot tell ya lawyer
Take that civil case and drop it like it's hot
Ty Smith was arrested and charged with third-degree assault, which carried one year of prison, on November 12 for the pepper-spraying incident. [32] In November 2005, R. Kelly filed another lawsuit against Jay-Z, claiming Smith was awarded with vice president of Def Jam's artist and repertoire. [33] Regardless, he pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in 2006 in a plea deal that contained no jail time. [34]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [39] |
Pitchfork | (6.7/10) [40] |
RapReviews.com | (7.0/10) [41] |
Rolling Stone | [42] |
USA Today | [43] |
The album received mixed reviews from critics whom criticized the album for having the same theme as their previous outing and accused both artists of a cheap cash–in to promote their tour. Jon Caramanica of the Rolling Stone criticized Jay-Z's raps as boring. [44] Rapreviews.com's Steve Juon judged the album as a tolerable release, saying "this time R. Kelly's peanut butter R&B is actually de-emphasized a little in favor of Jay-Z's hip-hop chocolate. That's fine by me, because it tastes better that way. Not as good as an unrestrained and unfettered Jay-Z does by himself mind you, but it's an improvement." [45]
Unfinished Business debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 215,000 copies in its first week. [3] This became Jay-Z seventh US number one album and R. Kelly's fourth. [3] In its second week, the album dropped to number ten on the chart, selling an additional 71,000 copies. [46] On December 1, 2004, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of over one million copies in the United States. [4]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "The Return" |
| 3:53 | |
2. | "Big Chips" |
|
| 4:43 |
3. | "We Got 'Em Goin'" (featuring Memphis Bleek) |
|
| 4:00 |
4. | "She's Coming Home with Me" |
|
| 3:49 |
5. | "Feelin' You in Stereo" |
| R. Kelly | 3:42 |
6. | "Stop" (featuring Foxy Brown) |
| Tone | 4:22 |
7. | "Mo' Money" (featuring Twista) |
| Tone | 4:08 |
8. | "Pretty Girls" |
|
| 3:34 |
9. | "Break Up (That's All We Do)" |
| Tone | 4:31 |
10. | "Don't Let Me Die" |
|
| 4:51 |
11. | "The Return (Remix)" (featuring Slick Rick and Doug E. Fresh) |
|
| 2:58 |
Notes
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United States (RIAA) [4] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, better known by his stage name Nas, is an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop, he is regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time. The son of jazz musician Olu Dara, Nas began his musical career in 1989 under the moniker "Nasty Nas", and recorded demos for fellow East Coast rapper Large Professor. He was later featured on the 1991 song "Live at the Barbeque" by his group, Main Source.
Shawn Corey Carter, known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. Known for his involvement in the creative and commercial success of numerous artists, he was named the greatest rapper of all time by Billboard and Vibe in 2023. He is the founder and chairman of entertainment company Roc Nation, and was the president and chief executive officer of Def Jam Recordings from 2004 to 2007.
Inga DeCarlo Fung Marchand, better known by her stage name Foxy Brown, is an American rapper. Upon signing to Def Jam Recordings in 1996, she released her debut album Ill Na Na in November of that year. The album was met with critical and commercial success, becoming certified platinum by the RIAA and selling over 7 million units worldwide. The following year, she was placed in the hip hop supergroup the Firm along with Nas, AZ and Cormega. The Firm's sole album (1997) was released through Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment. In 1999, Marchand released her second album Chyna Doll to continued success, debuting atop the Billboard 200 and making her the second female rapper to do so after Lauryn Hill in 1998.
Reasonable Doubt is the debut studio album by American rapper Jay-Z. It was released on June 25, 1996, by his own record label Roc-A-Fella Records and distributed by Priority Records. The album features production provided by DJ Premier, Ski, Knobody and Clark Kent, and also includes guest appearances from Memphis Bleek, Mary J. Blige, Jaz-O, and the Notorious B.I.G., among others. The album features mafioso rap themes and gritty lyrics about the "hustler" lifestyle and material obsessions.
The Best of Both Worlds is the first collaborative album by Jay-Z and R. Kelly. It was released on March 19, 2002 through Roc-A-Fella, The Island Def Jam Music Group, Rockland Records and Jive Records. The production on the album was primarily handled by R. Kelly and Poke and Tone, but also features production by Megahertz and Charlemagne. The album also features guest appearances by Beanie Siegel, Lil' Kim and Devin the Dude.
The Blueprint is the sixth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released on September 11, 2001, through Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. Its release was set a week earlier than initially planned in order to combat bootlegging. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2001 at Manhattan Center Studios and Baseline Studios in New York City. Contrasting the radio-friendly sound of Jay-Z's previous work, The Blueprint features soul-based sampling and production handled primarily by Kanye West, Just Blaze, and Bink, as well as Timbaland, Trackmasters, and Eminem, who also contributes the album's sole guest feature.
Roc-A-Fella Records was an American hip hop record label and music management company founded by record executives and entrepreneurs Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke in 1994. The former issued his debut album, Reasonable Doubt (1996) as the label's first release, in a joint venture with Priority Records. The label has since signed and released albums for acts including Kanye West, Cam'ron, Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek, Juelz Santana, Freeway, Jadakiss, Teairra Marí, State Property, and The Diplomats before its dissolution in 2013.
American hip hop artist Jay-Z has released thirteen solo studio albums, four collaboration albums, one live album, one compilation album, one soundtrack album, two extended plays, one hundred and fifteen singles, nine promotional singles and eighty-two music videos. As of December 2014, Jay-Z has sold 29,179,000 studio albums in United States.
Malik Deshawn Cox, known by his stage name Memphis Bleek, is an American rapper. He first became known for his affiliation with fellow New York rapper Jay-Z, with Cox often described as his hype man and protégé. Cox signed to his Roc-A-Fella Records label imprint in the late 1990s and released four major label studio albums: Coming of Age (1999), The Understanding (2000), M.A.D.E. (2003), and 534 (2005). He has since founded his own labels: Get Low Records in 1998, and Warehouse Music Group in 2016—through which he signed rapper Casanova the same year.
Dwight Equan Grant, better known by his stage name Beanie Sigel, is an American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He first became known for his association with Jay-Z, as he became a flagship artist for his now-defunct label imprint, Roc-A-Fella Records. Through the label, Grant released his debut studio album, The Truth in February 2000 to critical and commercial success.
Young Gunz is an American hip hop duo from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, composed of rappers Young Chris and Neef Buck. The group is part of Beanie Sigel's State Property collective and was signed to Roc-A-Fella Records. Young Gunz' debut single, "Can't Stop, Won't Stop", made the top 15 on the Billboard charts in 2003.
Jay Wayne Jenkins, known by his stage name Jeezy, is an American rapper. He is credited, along with fellow Georgia-based rappers T.I. and Gucci Mane, for helping to pioneer the hip hop subgenre trap music for a mainstream audience. Jenkins began his career in 2001, releasing two independent albums until signing with Def Jam Recordings to release his major label debut, Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101 (2005). The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, sold 172,000 copies in its first week, and received double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album also spawned his highest-charting single as a lead artist to date: "Soul Survivor", which peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100.
Def Jam Recordings is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop.
Diplomat Records is an American hip hop record label co-founded by Harlem rappers Jim Jones and Cam'ron.
Christopher Francis Ries, known professionally as Young Chris, is an American rapper. He rose to fame as one-half of the Philadelphia-based hip hop duo Young Gunz alongside rapper Neef Buck, which themselves were also apart of Philadelphia hip hop group State Property; both acts that were signed to Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records in the early 2000s.
The untitled ninth studio album by American rapper Nas, commonly referred to eponymously as Nas, or simply Untitled, was released on July 15, 2008 by The Jones Experience, Columbia Records and The Island Def Jam Music Group. Its original title Nigger was omitted due to controversy surrounding the racial epithet. The album is distinguished for its political content, diverse sources of production, and provocative subject matter. The album features guest appearances from Chris Brown, Keri Hilson, Busta Rhymes, and The Game, among others.
The Blueprint 3 is the eleventh studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released September 8, 2009, on Roc Nation, through distribution from Asylum Records and Atlantic Records. It is the third album in the Blueprint series, preceded by The Blueprint (2001) and The Blueprint2: The Gift & The Curse (2002). Production for the album took place during 2008 to 2009 at several recording studios and was handled by Kanye West, No I.D., The Neptunes, Jeff Bhasker, Al Shux, Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon, The Inkredibles, Swizz Beatz, and Timbaland. The album also features guest appearances by Kanye West, Rihanna, Drake, Kid Cudi, Young Jeezy, J. Cole and Alicia Keys among others.
Deeper Than Rap is the third studio album by American rapper Rick Ross. It was released on April 21, 2009, by his record label Maybach Music Group and Slip-n-Slide Records; distributed by Def Jam Recordings. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2008 to 2009, while the additional productions was handled by The Inkredibles, The Runners, DJ Toomp and Drumma Boy; as well as guest appearances from Nas, Avery Storm, Foxy Brown and Ne-Yo, among others. During the album's development, some controversy arose over the releasing of photos, showing Ross working as a correctional officer during his ongoing feud with a fellow rapper 50 Cent.
"D.O.A. " is a song written by American rapper Jay-Z and produced by No I.D. The song was released as a digital download on June 23, 2009, and as the first single from Jay-Z's 11th studio album, The Blueprint 3. The song made its world premiere on the New York radio station Hot 97 on June 5. Its lyrics address the overusage of Auto-Tune in the music industry. The song samples "In the Space" by French composer Janko Nilović. The bridge is inspired by Steam's "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" and interpolates lyrics from Kanye West's "Big Brother", and "You're Nobody " by The Notorious B.I.G. The song won Jay-Z his eighth Grammy Award, and his second for Best Rap Solo Performance. It peaked at No. 24 on Billboard Hot 100.
The albums discography of Roc Nation, an American company and record label, consists of three studio albums, one collaboration album, one compilation album and two mixtapes by Jay-Z, four studio albums and two mixtapes by J. Cole, one studio album by Alexis Jordan, one studio album by Hugo, one studio album by Rita Ora, and one studio album by Rihanna. Upcoming studio albums are also included.
Choir Vocals: Armirris Palmore, Faith Howard, Jeffrey W. Morrow & 7 more