Hempstead High
1999 studio album by A+
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Entertainment Weekly | C− |
| RapReviews | 7/10 |
| The Source | |
| St. Petersburg Times | C |
Hempstead High is the second studio album by American rapper A+. It was released in 1999 through Kedar Entertainment/Universal Records. Recording sessions took place at Unique Recording Studios and Battery Studios in New York and at Urban House Studios, Inc. in Houston. Production was handled by Bink!, DJ Clark Kent, Lil' Shawn, Mo-Suave-A, Smith Brothers Entertainment and Ty Fyffe, with Kedar Massenburg serving as executive producer. It features guest appearances from Canibus, Cardan, Chico DeBarge, Erykah Badu, MJG, Psycho Drama and the Lost Boyz. The album peaked at #60 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and #19 on the Top Heatseekers in the United States, and at number 72 in the Netherlands.
01Critical reception
Vibe thought that A+ "can't decide whether he's a hardcore man or a playful youth on his understated sophomore album". The Plain Dealer wrote: "By the time the disc reaches the scary 'Staggering and Stuttering' with Psycho Drama, A+ establishes his versatility and assured, confident flow".
02Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro (Classroom)" (featuring Lawrence Page) | Smith Bros. Entertainment | 1:51 | |
| 2. | "Enjoy Yourself" | Sugarless | 3:38 | |
| 3. | "Up Top New York" (featuring Mr. Cheeks) |
| Bink! | 4:56 |
| 4. | "Gotta Have It" | DJ Clark Kent | 4:09 | |
| 5. | "Boyz 2 Men" (featuring the Lost Boyz and Canibus) |
| Bink! | 3:54 |
| 6. | "Watcha Weigh Me" (featuring MJG) | Mo-Suave-A Productions | 4:11 | |
| 7. | "Understand the Game" (featuring Erykah Badu) |
| Bink! | 3:48 |
| 8. | "Don't Make Me Wait" |
| Little Shawn | 3:57 |
| 9. | "Interlude - The Score" | Smith Bros. Entertainment | 1:09 | |
| 10. | "It's on You" (featuring Chico DeBarge) |
| Smith Bros. Entertainment | 4:31 |
| 11. | "What the Deal" (featuring Cardan) |
| Bink! | 3:37 |
| 12. | "Price of Fame" |
|
| 3:35 |
| 13. | "Staggering and Stuttering" (featuring Psycho Drama) |
| Mo-Suave-A Productions | 5:18 |
| 14. | "Parkside Gardens" |
| Bink! | 5:18 |
| Total length: | 53:52 | |||
- Sample credits
- Track 2 contains a sample from "A Fifth of Beethoven" written and performed by Walter Murphy
- Track 3 contains samples from "Mr. Big Stuff" written by Joseph Broussard, Ralph Williams and Carrol Washington and performed by Jean Knight
- Track 4 contains a sample of "Singing This Song for My Mother" written and performed by Hamilton Bohannon
- Track 8 contains a sample of "Don't Make Me Wait" written by Bernard Fowler and B. Williams and performed by the Peech Boys
- Track 10 contains an interpolation of "When Somebody Loves You Back" written by Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff and samples from "I Found Love (When I Found You)" written by Phillip Pugh and Sherman Marshall and performed by The Spinners
- Track 12 contains a sample of "Let Me Be the One" written by Nick Martinelli and performed by Five Star
03Personnel
- Andre "A+" Levins, main artist
- Terrance "Mr. Cheeks" Kelly, featured artist (tracks: 3, 5)
- Germaine "Canibus" Williams, featured artist (track 5)
- Marlon "MJG" Goodwin, featured artist (track 6)
- Erica "Erykah Badu" Wright, featured artist (track 7)
- Jonathan Arthur "Chico" DeBarge, featured artist (track 10)
- Pierre "Cardan" Jones, featured artist (track 11)
- Jeffery "Buk" Robinson, featured artist (track 13)
- Akula "Psyde" Segal, featured artist (track 13)
- Lawrence Page, performer (track 1)
- Keanna Henson, backing vocals (track 2)
- Crystal Johnson, backing vocals (track 5)
- Eric "E-Bass" Johnson, bass (track 3)
- Robert "Storm" Jordan, Rhodes electric piano and strings (track 5)
- Mike Cerullo, guitar (track 7)
- Charles Smith, producer (tracks: 1, 9, 10, 12), associate executive producer
- Joseph Smith, producer (tracks: 1, 9, 10, 12), associate executive producer
- Tyrone Fyffe, producer (track 2)
- Roosevelt "Bink!" Harrell III, producer (tracks: 3, 5, 7, 11, 14)
- Rodolfo "DJ Clark Kent" Franklin, producer (track 4), additional producer (track 12), mixing (track 2)
- Mo-Suave-A Productions, Inc., producers (tracks: 6, 13)
- Tyrone "Shawn Pen" Wilkins, producer (track 8)
- Ed Miller, recording (tracks: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9-11, 12, 14), mixing (tracks: 5, 7, 11)
- Tim Donovan, recording (track 2)
- Kenny Ortiz, recording (tracks: 4, 8), mixing (tracks: 4, 8, 10, 12)
- Tristan "T-Mix" Jones, recording (track 6)
- Neil Jones, recording (track 13)
- Cuz, mixing (track 2)
- Leo "Swift" Morris, mixing (track 3)
- Simon "Crazy C" Cullins, mixing (tracks: 6, 13)
- James Hoover, mixing (tracks: 6, 13)
- Tony Smalios, mixing (track 14)
- Dana Walsh, engineering assistant (track 2)
- Denise Barbarita, engineering assistant (track 3)
- Daniel Wierup, engineering assistant (track 8)
- Tom Coyne, mastering
- Kedar Massenburg, executive producer
- Sandie Lee Drake, art direction
- Susan Bibeau, design
- Stephen McBride, photography
- Ray Copeland, management
04Charts
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) | 72 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) | 60 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard) | 19 |
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Hempstead High”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Hempstead High.jpg by Unknown author, Fair use
Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.