V.I.P. (album)
| V.I.P. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | January 4, 2000 | |||
| Recorded | 1998–1999 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Hip-hop | |||
| Length | 1:14:46 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Alex Gifford | |||
| Jungle Brothers chronology | ||||
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| Singles from V.I.P. | ||||
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V.I.P. is the fifth studio album by American hip-hop group the Jungle Brothers. It was released on January 4, 2000, via Gee Street/V2 Records. Recording sessions took place at The Würx, Harold Dessau Recording and Greene St. Recording in New York City, Criteria Recording Studios in Miami, and Geejam Studios in Jamaica. Production was entirely handled by Alex Gifford of Propellerheads. It features guest appearances from Alex Gifford, the Holmes Brothers, Black Eyed Peas and Sense Live. The album peaked at number 50 on the US Heatseekers Albums and number 22 on the UK Independent Albums charts.
The album was supported by three charted singles: "V.I.P.", "Get Down" and "Freakin' You", which made it to the UK singles chart, peaking at No. 28, 52 and 70, respectively.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [1] |
| Entertainment Weekly | C+[2] |
| RapReviews | 7.5/10[3] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [4] |
| The New Rolling Stone Album Guide | [5] |
| The Village Voice | [6] |
AllMusic called the album "fun, funky, and infectious -- a party record where everyone sounds like they're having a blast".[1] Entertainment Weekly wrote that "excessively eclectic production ... smothers the hip-hop duo’s jazzily organic rhymes".[2] The Riverfront Times called it "a great ... melding of progressive electronic grooves and rhymes, a contender for Album of the Year".[7]
Salon wrote: "Most disturbing, the pallor of the dead lingers all over V.I.P. Not dead like Tupac and Biggie but, rather, the end of an era and a style, and of the individuals who were first responsible for those innovations".[8]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "V.I.P." |
| Alex Gifford | 5:54 |
| 2. | "I Remember" (featuring The Holmes Brothers) |
| Alex Gifford | 6:30 |
| 3. | "Get Down" |
| Alex Gifford | 5:15 |
| 4. | "Early Morning" |
| Alex Gifford | 5:32 |
| 5. | "Down with the Jbeez" (featuring Black Eyed Peas, Sense Live and Alex Gifford) |
| Alex Gifford | 8:43 |
| 6. | "The Brothers" |
| Alex Gifford | 5:02 |
| 7. | "Party Goin' On" |
| Alex Gifford | 1:55 |
| 8. | "Sexy Body" |
| Alex Gifford | 5:24 |
| 9. | "Playing for Keeps" (featuring The Holmes Brothers and Alex Gifford) |
| Alex Gifford | 6:38 |
| 10. | "Jbeez Rock the Dancehall" |
| Alex Gifford | 4:08 |
| 11. | "Freakin' You" |
| Alex Gifford | 6:13 |
| 12. | "Strictly Dedicated" |
| Alex Gifford | 9:07 |
| 13. | "Jungle Brother (True Blue) (Urban Takeover Mix)" |
| Jungle Brothers | 4:25 |
| Total length: | 1:14:46 | |||
Personnel
- Michael "Mike Gee" Small – vocals, executive producer, A&R
- Nathaniel "Afrika Baby Bam" Hall – vocals, executive producer, A&R
- Carol Cardenas – harmony vocals (tracks: 1, 3)
- Will White – drums (track 1)
- Sherman Holmes – harmony vocals (tracks: 2, 9)
- Wendell Holmes – harmony vocals (tracks: 2, 9)
- Popsy Dixon – harmony vocals (tracks: 2, 9)
- William "will.i.am" Adams Jr. – vocals (track 5)
- Allan "Apl.de.ap" Pineda – vocals (track 5)
- Jaime "Taboo" Gomez – vocals (track 5)
- Sense Live – vocals (track 5)
- Alex Gifford – vocals (tracks: 5, 9), producer (tracks: 1–12), recording, mixing
- Jemma Kennedy – harmony vocals (track 8)
- Huey Morgan – fierce guitar (track 8)
- Andi Carr – recording
- Prince Strickland III – recording
- Toby Whalen – recording
- Simon Davey – mastering
- Jon Baker – executive producer, A&R
- Michael "Mickey Finn" Hearn – remixing (track 13)
- Gavin "Aphrodite" King – remixing (track 13)
- Spiros Politis – photography
- Dominique Keegan – A&R
Charts
| Chart (1999–2000) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[9] | 151 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[10] | 22 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[11] | 50 |
References
- ^ a b Huey, Steve. "V.I.P. - Jungle Brothers | Album | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
- ^ a b Diehl, Matt (March 10, 2000). "V.I.P." Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 22, 2016. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
- ^ Zink, Walt (January 2000). "Jungle Brothers :: V.I.P. :: BMG". RapReviews. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 4. MUZE. p. 727.
- ^ R., P. (2004). Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (eds.). (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. pp. 444–445. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (January 25, 2000). "Happy You Near". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on February 1, 2000. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
- ^ Roberts, Randall. "Jungle Brothers". Riverfront Times.
- ^ Caramanica, Jon (March 8, 2000). "Sharps & Flats". Salon.com. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
- ^ "The Jungle Brothers ARIA chart history to May 2025". ARIA. Retrieved June 8, 2025 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
- ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 20, 2025.
- ^ "Billboard's Heatseekers Album Chart". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 13. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. March 25, 2000. p. 22. ISSN 0006-2510.
External links
- Jungle Brothers – V.I.P. at Discogs (list of releases)