The King & I is a joint album by American R&B singer Faith Evans and the late rapper The Notorious BIG , released May 19, 2017 via Rhino Entertainment Records [2] .
| The king & i | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Studio album Faith Evans and The Notorious BIG | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date of issue | May 19, 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Recorded by | 2014—2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Duration | 72:13 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| A country |  USA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Language of songs | English | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Label | Rhino entertainment | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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There are only 25 songs in the duo's album, and he tells the story of the life Faith lived with Biggie: starting with getting married just nine days after the meeting and ending with an untimely death in 1997. Most of Biggie's verses were previously heard, except for two never before been published.
The music for the album was written by producers who worked with Biggie during his lifetime (Stevie J, Chucky Thompson and DJ Premier ), as well as Salaam Remi, for whom this collaboration was debut. Another producer, Just Blaze , was previously hired in 2005 for the song "Living In Pain." Rappers Lil 'Cease , Snoop Dogg , Busta Rhymes , Lil' Kim , Sheek Louch, Styles P, Jadakiss and others took part in the recording of the album [3] .
The King & I reached 65th on the Billboard 200 [4] and 31st on the Top R & B / Hip Hop Albums in the American Billboard magazine [5] . As of February 2018, 24 thousand copies of the album were sold in the United States [6] .
The Japanese edition of the album, as well as the American edition of Best Buy, contains two bonus tracks that were not included in the main album: “Body Language” and “My B” [7] .
Content
- 1 Background
- 2 singles
- 3 Reception of critics
- 4 List of Songs
- 5 Bonus Tracks
- 6 Charts
- 6.1 Weekly charts
- 7 notes
- 8 References
Background
In an interview for HuffPost, the American magazine, Faith Evans said that the idea for creating the album came to her when she first saw the video for the song “Unforgettable” performed by Natalie Cole using the vocals of her late father, Nat King Cole . Then Faith decided to do something similar with Biggie's vocals. Moreover, the mother of the late rapper, Miss Wallace, reacted positively to this. In 2014, her lawyer reminded her of this and offered to meet people who had once purchased the original Biggie vocals, and as it turned out, they were very interested in business. Faith did not yet know what the album would be, but she already firmly knew that it would release it anywhere, only on the Bad Boy Records label , fearing that the original recordings might be bought by someone else [8] .
Singles
“NYC” featuring Jadakiss was released as the main single from the album in January 2017, in March the single appeared on the radio, and a music video was released in August.
“When We Party” with Snoop Dogg was released as the second single in January (a few days after the main one) [9] , and also appeared on the radio in March. A remix made by Matoma was released in May, and a music video was released in October.
"Legacy" is the third single, he received a music video, which was released in April [10] .
"Ten Wife Commandments" is the fourth single released on the radio with a music video released in January 2018. [11] .
Reception Critics
| Reviews | |
|---|---|
| Critics' ratings | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [12] |
| Pitchfork | [13] |
| The guardian | [fourteen] |
| The musical hype | [fifteen] |
| HotNewHipHop | HOTTTTT [16] |
The King & I was a commercial success and received mixed critical reviews. AllMusic's Andy Kellman wrote that “The King & I is more of a Faith Evans release that often samples The Notorious BIG’s voice than BIG’s third posthumous album through a duet that stretches through a nostalgic relationship that even includes an interlude in which Jamal Woolard reiterates his main role as Notorious ... In addition, Biggie's mother, Volta, credited as co-executive producer with her daughter and son Evans and Biggie, recalls the relationship with her late son and his daughter-in-law. ” [17]
Rolling Stone magazine wrote about Biggie’s unpublished acapelles used on the album: “The King & I also offers a modest archaeological contribution by unearthing two previously unreleased BIG vocals. Unlike artists such as Tupac and Prince,“ BIG doesn't have a lot of material, that people haven’t heard, ”says Evans. But she had access to some old tapes from Atlantic Records, which was once home to BIG Junior MAFIA and Lil 'Kim. “In fact, I used some of the original BIG demos: one acapella that he recorded for Lil 'Kim and one that he recorded for Junior MAFIA,” explains Evans. “If you weren’t in that studio when he recorded them, you didn’t hear that.” She also used the old BIG freestyle on the radio, which would be heard only by those who were tuned in at that time. ” [18] .
British newspaper The Guardian negatively commented on the album: “Biggie’s active career lasted less than three years, but his heirs still roam the cemetery with a shovel and a sheet. Ex-wife Faith Evans might have come up with some impressive vocals, but her careful preservation of his legacy completely overlooks the most important thing. Biggie was a monstrous, intuitive mixture of dirt and class, sex and death, tragedy and comedy. He was never boring, unlike this collection of weary production and sugary interludes. Duets should be equal matches. Instead, the greatest rapper of all time is propped up from below with his mouth agape and with open eyes in the corner of each track - less than The King & I, more than Biggie's Weekend. ” [14] .
List of Songs
| # | Title | Original acapella | Producers | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01. | "A Billion" | Faith Evans, Stevie J | 0:59 | |
| 02. | "Legacy" | “Would You Die For Me?” (1999) | Faith Evans, Stevie J | 4:11 |
| 03. | "Beautiful (Interlude)" | Chucky thompson | 0:30 | |
| 04. | "Can't Get Enough" | “Bust a Nut” by Luke (1996) | Faith Evans, James Poyser, Salaam Remi | 3:53 |
| 05. | "Don't Test Me" | “Gettin 'Money (The Get Money Remix)” by Junior MAFIA (1996) | Faith Evans, Salaam Remi | 3:48 |
| 06. | "Big / Faye (Interlude)" (feat. Jamal Woolard) | Jeffrey "J. Dub" Walker | 1:28 | |
| 07. | Tryna Get By | Sky's The Limit (1997) | Faith Evans, J. Drew Sheard II | 3:46 |
| 08. | "The Reason" | “Why You Tryin 'to Play Me?” By Aaron Hall (2000) | Just blaze | 3:38 |
| 09. | “I Don't Want It” (feat. Lil 'Cease ) | Original track for "We Don't Want It" by Junior MAFIA (1996) (previously unreleased) | Beat Nick Dee, Faith Evans, Fredwreck | 3:29 |
| 10. | “I Got Married (Interlude)” (feat. Mama Wallace) | Faith Evans, Stevie J | 2:26 | |
| eleven. | "Ten Wife Commandments" | Ten Crack Commandments (1997) | Faith Evans, JD Sheard II | 3:47 |
| 12. | “We Just Clicked (Interlude)” (feat. Mama Wallace) | Faith Evans, Stevie J | 1:05 | |
| 13. | "A Little Romance" | Fuck You Tonight (1997) | Battlecat, Preach Bal4, Faith Evans | 3:04 |
| fourteen. | "The Baddest (Interlude)" | Faith Evans, Stevie J | 0:43 | |
| fifteen. | "Fool For You" | Chucky Thompson, Faith Evans | 4:22 | |
| 16. | Crazy (Interlude) (feat. 112 and Mama Wallace) | Chucky Thompson, Faith Evans | 1:13 | |
| 17. | Got Me Twisted | “Things Done Changed” (1994) | Faith Evans, Jeffrey "J. Dub" Walker, Puff Daddy | 2:54 |
| eighteen. | “When We Party” (feat. Snoop Dogg ) | Goin 'Back To Cali (1997) | Faith Evans, JD Sheard II, Puff Daddy | 3:27 |
| 19. | “Somebody Knows” (feat. Busta Rhymes ) | “Who Shot Ya?” (1995) | Faith Evans, James Poyser, Salaam Remi | 5:15 |
| twenty. | “Take Me There” (feat. Sheek Louch and Styles P) | Original track for "Drugs" by Lil 'Kim (1996) (previously unreleased) | Just blaze | 4:01 |
| 21. | "One In The Same" | Respect (1994) | Faith Evans, James Poyser, Salaam Remi | 3:25 |
| 22. | “I Wish (Interlude)” (feat. Kevin McCall and Chyna Tahjere) | Faith Evans, Kevin McCall, Jr. | 1:27 | |
| 23. | “Lovin 'You For Life” (feat. Lil' Kim ) | Miss U (1997) | Faith Evans, Lamar "MyGuyMars" Edwards | 3:49 am |
| 24. | "NYC" (feat. Jadakiss) | Mumblin '& Whisperin' (1991) | DJ Premier , Faith Evans | 3:29 |
| 25. | "It Was Worth It" | Faith Evans, Stevie J | 1:58 |
Bonus Tracks
| # | Title | Original acapella | Producers | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26. | "Body Language" | "Nasty Boy" (1997) | Faith Evans, JD Sheard II | 3:20 |
| 27. | "My B" | “Me And My Bitch” (1994) | Faith Evans, JD Sheard II | 3:15 |
Charts
Weekly Charts
| Chart (2017) | Top position |
|---|---|
| USA ( Billboard 200 ) [19] | 65 |
| USA ( Billboard Top R & B / Hip Hop Albums ) [20] | 31 |
| Belgium / Flanders ( Ultratop ) [21] | 132 |
| Australian Albums ( ARIA ) [22] | 85 |
Notes
- ↑ Kellman, Andy [ https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-king-i-mw0003019055 Faith Evans / The Notorious BIG The King & I] . Allmusic .
- ↑ Faith Evans Unveils Her Long-Awaited Duets Album with The Notorious BIG (February 3, 2017) . faithevansmusic.com . Date of treatment July 18, 2019.
- ↑ Faith Evans announces Notorious BIG duets album (by Lisa Respers France) (February 3, 2017) . edition.cnn.com . Date of treatment July 18, 2019.
- ↑ Faith Evans and The Notorious BIG - The King & I: Billboard 200 . billboard.com . Date of treatment July 16, 2019.
- ↑ Faith Evans and The Notorious BIG - The King & I: Top R & B / Hip-Hop Albums . billboard.com . Date of treatment July 16, 2019.
- ↑ The Notorious BIG Scores Fifth Million-Selling Album , Billboard .
- ↑ The King & I [Only @ Best Buy [CD]] . bestbuy.com . Date of treatment July 18, 2019.
- ↑ Faith Evans On Her Biggest Setback Recording Notorious BIG Duets Album (Review by Brennan Williams) (May 22, 2017) . huffpost.com . Date of treatment July 18, 2019.
- ↑ Faith Evans & Biggie Celebrate Both Coasts On Collabos With Jadakiss & Snoop (Audio) (by Parfit) (February 1, 2017) . ambrosiaforheads.com . Date of treatment July 18, 2019.
- ↑ Faith Evans on Her 'Legacy' With Notorious BIG: Video Exclusive (by Gail Mitchell) (April 21, 2017) . billboard.com . Date of treatment July 18, 2019.
- ↑ Faith Evans & The Notorious BIG Provide the Blueprint for Marriage on 'Ten Wife Commandments': Listen (by Carl Lamarre) (March 23, 2017) . billboard.com . Date of treatment July 18, 2019.
- ↑ [ The King & I on the AllMusic Allmusic review]
- ↑ Faith Evans and The Notorious BIG - The King & I (Review by Evan Rytlewski) (May 23, 2017) . pitchfork.com . Date of treatment July 18, 2019.
- ↑ 1 2 Faith Evans and the Notorious BIG: The King & I review - plundering the graveyard (Review by Damien Morris) (May 21, 2017) . theguardian.com . Date of treatment July 18, 2019.
- ↑ Faith Evans and the Notorious BIG: The King & I (May 25, 2017) . themusicalhype.com . Date of treatment July 18, 2019.
- ↑ Faith Evans & The Notorious BIG - The King & I [Album Stream (by Kevin Goddard) (May 19, 2017)] . hotnewhiphop.com . Date of treatment July 18, 2019.
- ↑ Faith Evans and The Notorious BIG - The King & I (Review by Andy Kellman) (May 19, 2017) . allmusic.com . Date of treatment July 18, 2019.
- ↑ Faith Evans on Her 'Musical Movie' About Life With the Notorious BIG (Review by Elias Leight) (May 18, 2017) . rollingstone.com . Date of treatment July 18, 2019.
- ↑ Faith Evans - Chart History Billboard 200 for Faith Evans. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
- ↑ Faith Evans - Chart History Billboard Top R & B / Hip Hop Albums for Faith Evans. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
- ↑ " Faith Evans and The Notorious BIG - The King & I" (nid.) . Ultratop.be. Hung Medien. Retrieved July 17, 2019.
- ↑ ARIA Chart Watch # 422 . auspOp (May 27, 2017). Date of treatment July 17, 2019.
Links
- The King & I on Discogs
- The King & I on RapGenius
- YouTube Legacy Music Video
- YouTube Take Me There Music Video
- “When We Party” music video on YouTube
- YouTube NYC Music Video
- YouTube Ten Wife Commandments Music Video
- Party on the West Coast music video on YouTube