The Understanding (Memphis Bleek album)

The Understanding
The Understanding
Studio album by Memphis Bleek
Released	December 5, 2000
Recorded	1999–2000
Studio	Baseline Studios (New York, NY); Manhattan Center Studios (New York, NY); Quad Studios (New York, NY);
Genre	Hip-hop
Length	50:53
Label	Roc-A-Fella
Producer	A Kid Called Roots; DJ Twinz; Duane "Da Roc" Ramos; Eddie Scoresazy; Ez Elpee; Jose "Lace" Batiz; Just Blaze; Lofey; Robert 'Shim' Kirkland; Timbaland; T.T.;
Memphis Bleek chronology
Singles from The Understanding
	"My Mind Right"; Released: March 5, 2000; "Is That Your Chick (The Lost Verses)"; Released: September 12, 2000; "Do My..."; Released: February 13, 2001;

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
HipHopDX	^[2]
Los Angeles Times	^[3]
NME	^[4]
RapReviews	7.5/10^[5]
Rolling Stone	^[6]
The Source	^[7]

The Understanding is the second studio album by American rapper Memphis Bleek. It was released on December 5, 2000, through Roc-A-Fella Records. The album was produced by Just Blaze, Robert 'Shim' Kirkland, A Kid Called Roots, DJ Twinz, Duane "Da Roc" Ramos, Eddie Scoresazy, Ez Elpee, Jose "Lace" Batiz, Lofey, Timbaland, and T.T., with Jay-Z, Damon Dash and Kareem "Biggs" Burke serving as executive producers. It features guest appearances from Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel, Amil, Carl Thomas, H. Money Bags, Missy Elliott, and Twista. In the United States, the album peaked at number 16 on the Billboard 200 and atop the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on January 8, 2001, for the sales of 500,000 units in the US alone. The album was supported with three singles: "My Mind Right", "Is That Your Chick (The Lost Verses)" and "Do My...".

Track listing

Credits adapted from TIDAL.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Intro – U Know Bleek"	Malik Cox Justin Smith Michael Kunze Sylvester Levay Amil Whitehead Shawn Carter Dwight Grant Tyrone Fyffe	Just Blaze	1:51
2.	"Do My..." (featuring Jay-Z)	Cox Carter Patrick Lawrence	A Kid Called Roots	3:39
3.	"I Get High"	Cox Edwin Delahoz Ricardo Montaner Pablo Manavello	T.T.	3:39
4.	"We Get Low"	Cox Smith Carter	Just Blaze	3:09
5.	"Change Up" (featuring Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel)	Cox Carter D. Grant Robert Kirkland	Robert "Shim" Kirkland	2:05
6.	"My Mind Right (Remix)" (featuring Jay-Z, H Money Bags and Beanie Sigel)	Cox Raymond Grant Richard Grant Lalo Schifrin	DJ Twinz	4:05
7.	"Hustlers" (featuring Beanie Sigel)	Cox D. Grant Jose Batiz	Jose "Lace" Batiz	4:11
8.	"All Types of Shit"	Cox Edgar Hill John Townsend Carter	Eddie Scoresazy	3:48
9.	"PYT" (featuring Jay-Z and Amil)	Cox Carter Whitehead Kirkland	Robert "Shim" Kirkland	3:58
10.	"Bounce Bitch"	Cox Michael Sandlofer	Lofey	3:33
11.	"They'll Never Play Me"	Cox Smith	Just Blaze	3:39
12.	"Everyday" (featuring Carl Thomas)	Cox Carlton Thomas Lamont Porter Robert Relf Thomas Anderson	EZ Elpee	4:12
13.	"Is That Your Chick (The Lost Verses)" (featuring Jay-Z, Twista and Missy Elliott)	Cox Carter Carl Mitchell Melissa Elliott Timothy Mosley	Timbaland	4:54
14.	"In My Life"	Cox Duane Ramos Michael Jones	Duane "Da Roc" Ramos	4:10
Total length:				50:53

Sample credits

"Intro – U Know Bleek" contains samples of:
- "Madhouse", written by Michael Kunze and Sylvester Levay, and performed by Silver Convention.
- "4 da Fam", written by Amil Whitehead, Malik Cox, Tyrone Fyffe, and Dwight Grant; and performed by Amil.
"I Get High" contains a sample of "Reina de la Noche", written by Ricardo Montaner and Pablo Manavello, and performed by Ricardo Montaner.
"My Mind Right (Remix)" contains an interpolation of "The Monk", written by Lalo Schifrin.
"All Types of Shit" contains a sample from "Lady Luck", written by John Townsend.
"Everyday" contains a sample of "If That's the Way You Feel (Then Let's Fall in Love)", written by Robert Relf and Thomas Anderson, and performed by White Heat.
"In My Life" contains samples from "I Want to Know What Love Is", written by Mick Jones, and performed by Foreigner.

Personnel

Supa Engineer DURO – mixing (2, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12)
Bee High – co-executive producer
Just Blaze – mixing (11)
Kareem "Biggs" Burke – executive producer
Shawn Carter – executive producer
Damon Dash – executive producer
Jimmy Douglass – engineer and mixing (13)
Gimel "Young Guru" Keaton – engineer (1-6, 11, 12, 14), mixing (8), Pro Tools editing (13)
Ken Lewis – guitar and mixing (11)
Chauncey Mahan – engineer (7), Pro Tools editing (13)
Midnite – engineer (3)
Leonard "Lenny S." Santiago – co-executive producer
Brian Stanley – engineer (7, 8, 10), mixing (1, 3, 14)
Pat Viala – engineer (6, 9), mixing (5, 6)

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2000)	Peak position
US Billboard 200^[8]	16
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[9]	1

Year-end charts

Chart (2001)	Position
US Billboard 200^[10]	124
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[11]	33

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[12]	Gold	500,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

^ Birchmeier, Jason. "The Understanding – Memphis Bleek". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 20, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
^ "Memphis Bleek – Understanding". HipHopDX. January 13, 2001. Archived from the original on February 19, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
^ Baker, Soren (January 1, 2001). "*** Memphis Bleek, "The Understanding," Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 16, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
^ Fadele, Ayodele (September 12, 2005). "Memphis Bleek : The Understanding". NME. Archived from the original on January 25, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
^ Juon, Steve (February 6, 2001). "Memphis Bleek The Understanding". RapReviews. Archived from the original on February 19, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
^ Ex, Kris (February 1, 2001). "Memphis Bleek: The Understanding". Rolling Stone. No. 861. p. 56. Archived from the original on August 21, 2008. Retrieved July 16, 2022.
^ Hall, Jermaine (February 2001). "Memphis Bleek – The Understanding". Record Report. The Source. No. 137. New York.
^ "The Billboard 200". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 52. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 23, 2000. p. 78. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 52. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 23, 2000. p. 26. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
^ "The Year in Music 2001: Top Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard. Vol. 113, no. 52. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 29, 2001. p. YE-33. ISSN 0006-2510.
^ "The Year in Music 2001: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Vol. 113, no. 52. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 29, 2001. p. YE-43. ISSN 0006-2510.
^ "American album certifications – Memphis Bleek – The Understanding". Recording Industry Association of America. January 8, 2001. Retrieved January 31, 2025.

External links

Memphis Bleek – The Understanding at Discogs (list of releases)

[AllMusic-review-1] Birchmeier, Jason. "The Understanding – Memphis Bleek". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 20, 2021. Retrieved July 16, 2022.

[HipHopDX-review-2] "Memphis Bleek – Understanding". HipHopDX. January 13, 2001. Archived from the original on February 19, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2022.

[LA-Times-review-3] Baker, Soren (January 1, 2001). "*** Memphis Bleek, "The Understanding," Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 16, 2022. Retrieved July 16, 2022.

[NME-review-4] Fadele, Ayodele (September 12, 2005). "Memphis Bleek : The Understanding". NME. Archived from the original on January 25, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025.

[RR-review-5] Juon, Steve (February 6, 2001). "Memphis Bleek The Understanding". RapReviews. Archived from the original on February 19, 2018. Retrieved July 16, 2022.

[RS-review-6] Ex, Kris (February 1, 2001). "Memphis Bleek: The Understanding". Rolling Stone. No. 861. p. 56. Archived from the original on August 21, 2008. Retrieved July 16, 2022.

[7] Hall, Jermaine (February 2001). "Memphis Bleek – The Understanding". Record Report. The Source. No. 137. New York.

[8] "The Billboard 200". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 52. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 23, 2000. p. 78. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2025.

[9] "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 52. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 23, 2000. p. 26. ISSN 0006-2510. Archived from the original on November 17, 2021. Retrieved January 31, 2025.

[10] "The Year in Music 2001: Top Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard. Vol. 113, no. 52. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 29, 2001. p. YE-33. ISSN 0006-2510.

[11] "The Year in Music 2001: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Vol. 113, no. 52. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. December 29, 2001. p. YE-43. ISSN 0006-2510.

[RIAA-12] "American album certifications – Memphis Bleek – The Understanding". Recording Industry Association of America. January 8, 2001. Retrieved January 31, 2025.

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Memphis Bleek
Studio albums	Coming of Age M.A.D.E. 534
Singles	"Memphis Bleek Is..." "My Mind Right" "Is That Your Chick (The Lost Verses)" "Do My..." "Round Here" "Like That" "Dear Summer"
Featured singles	"It's Alright" "Change the Game"
Filmography	State Property Paper Soldiers
Related articles	Discography Get Low Records Roc-A-Fella Records