Under Construction is the fourth studio album by American rapper Missy Elliott, released by The Goldmind Inc. and Elektra Records on November 12, 2002, in the United States. The album was primarily produced by Timbaland, with additional production by Craig Brockman, Nisan Stewart, Errol "Poppi" McCalla and Elliott herself.
| Under Construction | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 12, 2002 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 56:41 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | ||||
| Missy Elliott chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Under Construction | ||||
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The album debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 259,000 copies in its first week.[4] It was also certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[5] The album received Grammy Award nominations for Best Rap Album and Album of the Year. Elliott dedicated the album to Aaliyah (who had died on August 25, 2001) and to victims of the September 11 attacks.
Controversy
The album's third single was intended to be a newly recorded remix of "Pussycat" with guest vocals by Janet Jackson and featuring Lil' Kim. Elliott's label felt the song was too explicit to release and plans were withdrawn.[6][7]
Reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 81/100[8] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [1] |
| Blender |  [9] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[10] |
| The Guardian | [11] |
| Los Angeles Times | [12] |
| NME | [13] |
| Pitchfork | 7.2/10[14] |
| Q | [15] |
| Rolling Stone | [16] |
| USA Today | [17] |
Under Construction received general acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, it earned an average score of 81 out of 100, based on 19 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[8] The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[18]
"It still sounds incredibly fresh, in all meanings of the word," observed the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' guitarist, Nick Zinner. "Karen [O, Yeah Yeah Yeahs' singer] and I listened to it all the time. We used to play it before we'd go onstage... 'Funky Fresh Dressed' is my favourite track. I don't know what else to say other than it's amazing."[19]
Year-end lists
| Publication | Accolade | Rank | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| BBC Radio 6 Music | 16 Albums That Define 2002 | — | |
| HipHopDX | The 20 Best Rap Albums of All Time | 3 | |
| The Muse | The Best Albums of 2002 | — | |
| NME | Best Albums and Tracks of 2002 | 25 | |
| Pitchfork | Top 50 Albums of 2002 | 28 | |
| PopMatters | Best Music of 200 | — | |
| Rolling Stone | 100 Best Albums of the 2000s | 28 | |
| Slant | Top 10 Albums and Singles of 2002 | 54 | |
| Slant | The 100 Best Albums of the 2000s | 54 | |
| Village Voice | Top 10 Albums of 2002 | 10 |
Commercial performance
Under Construction debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 259,000 copies in its first week.[4] The album stayed on the chart for a total of 36 weeks.[30] On July 14, 2003, the album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over two million copies in the United States.[5] By November 2015, the album had sold 2,142,000 copies in the US.[31]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro"/"Go to the Floor" |
| 5:06 | |
| 2. | "Bring the Pain" (featuring Method Man) |
|
| 2:59 |
| 3. | "Gossip Folks" (featuring Ludacris) |
|
| 3:54 |
| 4. | "Work It" |
|
| 4:53 |
| 5. | "Back in the Day" (featuring Jay-Z) |
|
| 4:55 |
| 6. | "Funky Fresh Dressed" (featuring Ms. Jade) |
|
| 3:56 |
| 7. | "Pussycat" |
|
| 4:32 |
| 8. | "Nothing Out There for Me" (featuring Beyoncé) |
|
| 3:05 |
| 9. | "Slide" |
|
| 3:43 |
| 10. | "Play that Beat" |
|
| 3:02 |
| 11. | "Ain't that Funny" |
|
| 2:48 |
| 12. | "Hot" |
|
| 4:09 |
| 13. | "Can You Hear Me" (featuring TLC) |
|
| 4:29 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Work It (Remix)" (featuring 50 Cent) |
|
| 4:59 |
| 15. | "Drop the Bomb" |
|
| 3:27 |
Notes
- ^[A] denotes co-producer
Production
- Executive producers – Missy Elliott, Timbaland
- Producers – Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Craig Brockman, Errol "Poppi" McCalla
- Vocal assistance – Tweet, Lisa Crawford
- Engineers – Jeff Allen, Carlos "El Loco" Bedoya, Josh Butler, Jimmy Douglass, Guru, Mike "Hitman" Wilson
- Assistant engineers – Marc Stephen Lee, Steve Penny, David Snyder, Cory Williams
- Mixing – Jimmy Douglass, Timbaland
- Mixing assistance – Steamy
- Mastering – Herb Powers
- Design and art direction – Anita Marisa Boriboon, Lili Picou
- Photography – Roberto Fantauzzi
Charts
Year-end charts
| Chart (2002) | Position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[53] | 174 |
| Canadian R&B Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[54] | 31 |
| Canadian Rap Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[55] | 17 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[56] | 157 |
| Chart (2003) | Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[57] | 96 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[58] | 148 |
| US Billboard 200[59] | 30 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[60] | 7 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[61] | Gold | 35,000^ |
| Japan (RIAJ)[62] | Gold | 100,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[64] | Gold | 260,000[63] |
| United States (RIAA)[65] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
External links
- Under Construction at Discogs (list of releases)