Coming of Age (Memphis Bleek album)
1999 studio album by Memphis Bleek
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Coming of Age is the debut studio album by American rapper Memphis Bleek. It was released August 3, 1999, via The Island Def Jam Music Group, Def Jam Recordings and Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records on August 3, 1999. The album spawned the hit single "Memphis Bleek Is...".
- Roc-A-Fella Center (New York City, New York)
- Platinum Island (New York City, New York)
- Soundtrack (New York City, New York)
- Sony Music (New York City, New York)
- Battery (New York City, New York)
- Right Track (New York City, New York)
| Coming of Age | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 3, 1999 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 50:13 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | ||||
| Memphis Bleek chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Coming of Age | ||||
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Commercial performance
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[3] |
| Rolling Stone | [4] |
| The Source | [5] |
| USA Today | [6] |
Matt Diehl of Entertainment Weekly praised Bleek for holding his own lyrically alongside guest artists Ja Rule and N.O.R.E., and displaying striking sensitivity on "Regular Cat". He also noted how the album's production of "ominous inner-city symphonies and raw street beats" was ageless.[3] Keith Farley from AllMusic noted how Bleek's vocal delivery was more "street-level" than Jay-Z's, along with the album containing an "urban funk" style like most of his material, concluding that "Still, Coming of Age is a fine debut that shows Memphis Bleek already leaps and bounds ahead of most rappers."[2] In a dual review with Ja's Venni Vetti Vecci, Rolling Stone's Rob Sheffield felt that Bleek came across as a cliché-filled rapper that lacked witticism in his lyrics and wasted the beats given to him by his producers.[4]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Pain in da Ass Intro" | 0:43 | ||
| 2. | "Who's Sleeping" (featuring Reb) |
| Pat Viala | 2:40 |
| 3. | "Memphis Bleek Is..." |
| Swizz Beatz | 4:08 |
| 4. | "What You Think of That" (featuring Jay-Z) | Buckwild | 4:40 | |
| 5. | "Murda 4 Life" (featuring Ja Rule) |
|
| 4:47 |
| 6. | "You're All Welcome (Pain Interlude)" | 0:37 | ||
| 7. | "Stay Alive In NYC" |
|
| 4:14 |
| 8. | "You a Thug Nigga" |
|
| 4:14 |
| 9. | "N.O.W." (featuring Da Ranjahz) |
| Dark Half | 4:16 |
| 10. | "Everybody" |
| Omen | 4:00 |
| 11. | "I Won't Stop" (featuring Dark Half) |
| Bernard "Big Demi" Parker | 3:07 |
| 12. | "My Hood to Your Hood" (featuring Beanie Sigel) |
|
| 3:47 |
| 13. | "Why U Wanna Hate For" (featuring Noreaga) |
| The Burn Unit | 3:49 |
| 14. | "Regular Cat" |
| J-Runnah | 5:12 |
Sample credits
- "Who's Sleeping" contains a sample from "If This World Were Mine", written by Marvin Gaye, and performed by Zulema.
- "What You Think of That" contains a sample of "High Velocity", written and performed by Keith Mansfield.
- "Stay Alive in NYC" contains an interpolation of "Summer is the Coldest Time of Year", written by Patti Austin, James Harris, and Terry Lewis.
- "Regular Cat" contains a sample of "Love and Let Love", written by Ralph MacDonald, William Eaton, and William Salter; and performed by Roberta Flack.
Personnel
- Juan Allen – engineer (12)
- B-High – co-executive producer
- Big Jaz – co-executive producer
- Kareem "Biggs" Burke – executive producer
- Eric "EBO" Butler – mixing (7, 14)
- Shawn Carter – executive producer
- Tom Coyne – mastering
- Damon Dash – executive producer
- The Drawing Board – art direction, design
- Irv Gotti – mixing (5)
- Ken Duro Ifill – mixing (4, 8, 11)
- Jonathan Mannion – photography
- Monica Morrow – stylist
- Joe Quinde – engineer (3), mixing (3, 13)
- Chico Spades – engineer (4, 13)
- Brian Stanley – engineer (10)
- Tai – instrumentation (5)
- Pat Viala – engineer (2, 5, 7–12, 14), mixing (2, 5, 9, 10, 12)
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[10] | Gold | 500,000^ |
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^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||