Life Story is the debut studio album by American rapper Black Rob. It was released on March 7, 2000, via Arista Records and Sean "Puffy" Combs' Bad Boy Entertainment. The album was praised by critics for its production and Rob's vocal presence and lyricism being similar to the late Notorious B.I.G. The album spawned two singles: "Whoa!" and "Espacio".
Commercial performance Life Story debuted and peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200 and sold close to 178,000 copies in its first week released. The album has been certified platinum by the RIAA for selling over 1,000,000 copies in America. To date, it is Black Rob's best selling album.
Critical reception
Life Story garnered positive reviews from music critics for its production and Rob's musicianship. Roxanne Blanford of AllMusic commended Rob's vocal delivery for being reminiscent of the "smooth, reserved style" of the Notorious B.I.G. and being able to "construct[s] explicit tales with hooks you can feel and lyrics that stick" concluding that, "[W]ith 20 thoroughly bruising cuts, Black Rob's debut may just succeed in helping Puff Daddy regain the street credibility lost when Combs achieved mainstream/crossover status." Kathryn Farr from Rolling Stone gave praise to Rob's skills as a rapper coming across "like a cocky veteran, spitting grim confessions ("Life Story") and baller mantras ("PD World Tour") without breaking a sweat" and Bad Boy's crew of producers supplying the record with "hook-heavy cuts" despite Puff's "threadbare formulas" from previous efforts threatening to pull it down, concluding that "P. Diddy's meddling aside, though, most of Life Story is, well, like whoa!" Vibe contributor Miguel Burke also praised Rob for being "incredibly adept at constructing graphic, autobiographical episodes and intricate tales" and pointed out Puff's "irritating ad-libs ("Make It Hot")" and "wannabe-rough rhymes ("Down the Line")" as negative qualities, concluding with, "But that doesn't change the fact that although the album gets down and dirty, Life Story is a breath of fresh air."
Track listing
Note "I Love You Baby" originally appeared on the 1997 album No Way Out by Puff Daddy and the Family.
Samples "Whoa" contains a sample that comes from the instrumental version of François Valéry's song Joy. "Drive By (Interlude)" contains a sample of "The Days of Pearly Spencer" performed by Raymond Lefèvre "Lookin' At Us" contains a sample of Terri's Tune" performed by David Axelrod "Can I Live" contains a sample of "Within the Sound" by Rasa "B.R." contains a sample from "Yesterdays" by Paul Chambers Quintet "Thug Story" contains sample from "Children's Story" by Slick Rick "I Love You Baby" contains a sample of "Xtaby (Lure of the Unknown Love)" performed by Yma Sumac "Spanish Fly" contains a sample of "La Isla Bonita" by Madonna "I Dare You" contains a sample of "Under the Influence of Love" performed by Love Unlimited
Personnel Executive producer: Sean "Puffy Combs", Harve Pierre and Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie Project manager: Kim Lumpkin Product/creative manager: Marcus Logan A&R: Harve Pierre Engineering: Kamel Abdo, Eric Butler, Roger Che, Stephen Dent, Tony Maserati, Michael Patterson, Joe "Smilin' Joe" Perrera, Ed Raso, Tony Smalios, Doug Wilson Assistant engineering: Lynn Montrose Mixing: Prince Charles Alexander, Roger Che, Michael Patterson, Rob Paustian, Joe "Smilin' Joe" Perrera, Ed Raso Programming: Stephen Dent, Harve Pierre, Mario Winans Mastering: Herb Powers Photography: Jonathan Mannion Cover photo: Jonathan Mannion Sample clearance: Deborah Mannis-Gardner
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts Chart (2000)Peakposition
Year-end charts Chart (2000)PositionUS Billboard 200110US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)26
Certifications
See also List of Billboard number-one R&B albums of 2000
References