Worldwide Underground
Encyclopedia
Worldwide Underground is the third studio album
by American R&B
and neo soul
musician Erykah Badu
, released September 16, 2003 on Motown Records
. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2003, following Badu's period of writer's block
and her performing on the Frustrated Artist Tour
. Production was handled primarily by production group Freakquency, which consists of Badu, Rashad Smith, James Poyser
, and RC Williams. Prominently incorporating hip hop
and funk
elements, the album features an unconventional musical structure and minimal songwriting concerning hip hop culture, love, ghetto life, and gang culture.
The album debuted at number three on the U.S. Billboard 200
chart, selling 143,561 copies in its first week. It earned gold
certification from the Recording Industry Association of America
and produced three singles that achieved moderate chart success. Upon its release, Worldwide Underground received generally positive reviews from music critics. The album has sold 609,000 copies in the United States.
chart in the week of October 4, 2003, selling 143,561 copies in its first week. Ultimately spending 11 weeks on the Billboard 200, it also entered at number two on Billboard
s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
and spent 30 weeks on the chart. By December 2003, the album had sold 394,000 copies domestically. Its first single, "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip Hop)", peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart. The second single "Danger" reached number 82 on the Hot 100 and number 27 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, while the third single "Back in the Day (Puff)" peaked at number 62 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. On October 28, 2003, Worldwide Underground was certified gold
in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America
, following sales in excess of 500,000 copies in the United States. According to Nielsen SoundScan
, the album has sold 609,000 copies in the United States.
, which assigns a normalized
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
score of 71, based on 14 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Allmusic writer Andy Kellman gave it 3½ out of 5 stars and wrote "the whole thing goes down more like a weekend jam session than an endlessly labored-over, polished project. For the most part, this is a good thing". PopMatters
writer Mark Anthony Neal
commended Badu for her themes relating to hip hop culture and for her musical direction, writing that "it finds the artist Stepping into Tomorrow
, with a new production collective in tow and some straight-up, free-floating, funky-ass R&B. And for the first time in her career, Badu is wearing her own voice and it is unmistakably Badu". Yahoo! Music
's Dan Leroy expressed favor towards Badu's incorporation of lyrics about "the street and its demands" with her characteristic "jazzy abstraction" material, stating "Brimming with 'I got the block on lock' attitude, 'Danger' and 'Steady On the Grind' boast the hip-hop hardness Badu's been lacking, and yet it never seriously impedes the languid, elegant groove that's as much a trademark as her headwrap used to be".
Uncut
viewed the album as too groove-oriented, but also found it "frequently intoxicating". Blender
gave the album three out of five stars and stated, "There's rambling, digital fiddling and self-indulgent sprawl here, but a sense of purpose, too, even as her lips move on autopilot." Georgia Christgau of The Village Voice
commented that "Although sometimes her reliance on mood threatens to get the better of Worldwide Underground, Badu remains faithful to the old school of flow, a blend of drums and rhythm designed to service soul's best instruments: its vocalists." In his consumer guide for The Village Voice, critic Robert Christgau
gave Worldwide Underground an honorable mention rating, indicating "an enjoyable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well treasure". He cited "Love of My Life Worldwide" and "Danger" as highlights and quipped, "If Andre
can sing-song hip-hop, so can his babymama
". Mojo
gave the album four out of five stars and called it "an astonishing album that, while paying its dues to the soul stars of the past, marries hip hop with a subtle lightness of touch and a soothing vocal to create a nu soul master". Slant Magazine
ranked the album number 90 on its list of the Best Albums of the Aughts.
Bonus tracks
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
and neo soul
Neo soul
The term neo soul was originally coined by Kedar Massenburg of Motown Records in the late 1990s as a marketing category following the commercial breakthroughs of artists such as D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill, and Maxwell...
musician Erykah Badu
Erykah Badu
Erica Abi Wright , better known by her stage name Erykah Badu , is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Her work includes elements from R&B, hip hop and jazz. She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral musical...
, released September 16, 2003 on Motown Records
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2003, following Badu's period of writer's block
Writer's block
Writer's block is a condition, primarily associated with writing as a profession, in which an author loses the ability to produce new work. The condition varies widely in intensity. It can be trivial, a temporary difficulty in dealing with the task at hand. At the other extreme, some "blocked"...
and her performing on the Frustrated Artist Tour
Frustrated Artist Tour
The Frustrated Artist Tour was a 2003 tour by American R&B singer Erykah Badu. During the summer of 2002, Badu at the time was getting writers block from penning songs for her soon to be album Worldwide Underground. Hoping to find inspiration, she set out on a 2-month trek of mainly theaters and...
. Production was handled primarily by production group Freakquency, which consists of Badu, Rashad Smith, James Poyser
James Poyser
James Poyser in Sheffield, England is a multi-Grammy winning songwriter, musician and multi-platinum producer.Poyser has written and produced songs for various legendary and award-winning artists including Erykah Badu, Mariah Carey, John Legend, Lauryn Hill, Common, Anthony Hamilton, D'Angelo,...
, and RC Williams. Prominently incorporating hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
and funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
elements, the album features an unconventional musical structure and minimal songwriting concerning hip hop culture, love, ghetto life, and gang culture.
The album debuted at number three on the U.S. Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart, selling 143,561 copies in its first week. It earned gold
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
certification from the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
and produced three singles that achieved moderate chart success. Upon its release, Worldwide Underground received generally positive reviews from music critics. The album has sold 609,000 copies in the United States.
Commercial performance
Worldwide Underground debuted at number three on the U.S. Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart in the week of October 4, 2003, selling 143,561 copies in its first week. Ultimately spending 11 weeks on the Billboard 200, it also entered at number two on Billboard
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
s Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
and spent 30 weeks on the chart. By December 2003, the album had sold 394,000 copies domestically. Its first single, "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip Hop)", peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart. The second single "Danger" reached number 82 on the Hot 100 and number 27 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, while the third single "Back in the Day (Puff)" peaked at number 62 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. On October 28, 2003, Worldwide Underground was certified gold
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
in sales by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
, following sales in excess of 500,000 copies in the United States. According to Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan
Nielsen SoundScan is an information and sales tracking system created by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett. Soundscan is the official method of tracking sales of music and music video products throughout the United States and Canada...
, the album has sold 609,000 copies in the United States.
Critical response
Despite some criticism towards its loose, unconventional structure and songwriting, the album received generally positive reviews from music critics. At MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score of 71, based on 14 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Allmusic writer Andy Kellman gave it 3½ out of 5 stars and wrote "the whole thing goes down more like a weekend jam session than an endlessly labored-over, polished project. For the most part, this is a good thing". PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
writer Mark Anthony Neal
Mark Anthony Neal
Mark Anthony Neal is Professor of Black Popular Culture in the Department of African and African-American Studies at Duke University, where he won the 2010 Robert B. Cox Award for Teaching...
commended Badu for her themes relating to hip hop culture and for her musical direction, writing that "it finds the artist Stepping into Tomorrow
Stepping into Tomorrow
Stepping Into Tomorrow is a 1974 album by jazz trumpeter Donald Byrd.The Allmusic Review by Andy Kellman awards the album with 4 stars.-Track listing:#"Stepping Into Tomorrow" – 5:06#"Design A Nation" – 4:19...
, with a new production collective in tow and some straight-up, free-floating, funky-ass R&B. And for the first time in her career, Badu is wearing her own voice and it is unmistakably Badu". Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music
Yahoo! Music, owned by Yahoo!, is the provider of a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming...
's Dan Leroy expressed favor towards Badu's incorporation of lyrics about "the street and its demands" with her characteristic "jazzy abstraction" material, stating "Brimming with 'I got the block on lock' attitude, 'Danger' and 'Steady On the Grind' boast the hip-hop hardness Badu's been lacking, and yet it never seriously impedes the languid, elegant groove that's as much a trademark as her headwrap used to be".
Uncut
UNCUT (magazine)
Uncut magazine, trademarked as UNCUT, is a monthly publication based in London. It is available across the English-speaking world, and focuses on music, but also includes film and books sections...
viewed the album as too groove-oriented, but also found it "frequently intoxicating". Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
gave the album three out of five stars and stated, "There's rambling, digital fiddling and self-indulgent sprawl here, but a sense of purpose, too, even as her lips move on autopilot." Georgia Christgau of The Village Voice
The Village Voice
The Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
commented that "Although sometimes her reliance on mood threatens to get the better of Worldwide Underground, Badu remains faithful to the old school of flow, a blend of drums and rhythm designed to service soul's best instruments: its vocalists." In his consumer guide for The Village Voice, critic Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
gave Worldwide Underground an honorable mention rating, indicating "an enjoyable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well treasure". He cited "Love of My Life Worldwide" and "Danger" as highlights and quipped, "If Andre
André 3000
André Lauren Benjamin , better known by his stage name André 3000 is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and actor, best known for being part of American hip-hop duo OutKast alongside fellow rapper Big Boi...
can sing-song hip-hop, so can his babymama
Baby mama
A baby mama is generally defined as a mother who is not married to her child's father, although the term is often used with other meanings as well.-Definition:...
". Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
gave the album four out of five stars and called it "an astonishing album that, while paying its dues to the soul stars of the past, marries hip hop with a subtle lightness of touch and a soothing vocal to create a nu soul master". Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
ranked the album number 90 on its list of the Best Albums of the Aughts.
Track listing
- "World Keeps Turnin' (Intro)" (Erykah Badu) – 1:39
- "Bump It" (Badu, Audrey Magett, James Poyser, B. Rashad Smith) – 8:49
- "Back in the Day (Puff)Back in the Day (Puff)"Back in the Day " is a song released in 2003 by R&B singer Erykah Badu. It is the second single in support of Worldwide Underground album. The song peaked at no. 62 on the R&B Singles chart in 2004.-Chart history:...
" (Badu, Magett, Poyser, Smith) – 4:46 - "I Want You" (Badu, Magett, Poyser, Smith, Bailon) – 10:53
- "Woo" (Badu, R.C. Williams) – 3:14
- "The Grind" (featuring Dead PrezDead PrezDead Prez stylized as dead prez is a hip hop duo from the United States, composed of stic.man and M-1, formed in 1996 in New York City, New York. They are known for their confrontational style, combined with socialist lyrics focused on both militant social justice and Pan-Africanism...
) (Badu, Dead Prez) – 2:49 - "DangerDanger (Erykah Badu song)"Danger" is a song by R&B singer Erykah Badu released in 2003. It is the lead single from her album Worldwide Underground. The song was a modest R&B hit, and is performed often during Badu's live shows.-Release and reception:...
" (Badu, Poyser, Smith, Williams) – 5:49 - "Think Twice" (Badu, Donald ByrdDonald ByrdDonaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II, is an American jazz and rhythm and blues trumpeter. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd is best known as one of the only bebop jazz musicians who successfully pioneered the funk and soul genres while simultaneously remaining a...
) – 3:02 - "Love of My Life Worldwide" (featuring Queen LatifahQueen LatifahDana Elaine Owens , better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American singer, rapper, and actress. Her work in music, film and television has earned her a Golden Globe award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Awards, a Grammy Award, six additional Grammy nominations, an Emmy...
, BahamadiaBahamadiaBahamadia is a Philadelphia-born hip hop artist born in 1970, and a DJ who later became an MC. As a member of Gang Starr Foundation, she released her critically acclaimed debut album entitled Kollage in 1996. The album featured production by Guru and DJ Premier of Gang Starr...
& Angie StoneAngie StoneAngie Stone is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She has been nominated for three Grammy Award. She is more successful on the charts R&B charts, with four Top 10 albums, forms including a number one album and 10 singles on the R&B chart,...
) (Badu, BahamadiaBahamadiaBahamadia is a Philadelphia-born hip hop artist born in 1970, and a DJ who later became an MC. As a member of Gang Starr Foundation, she released her critically acclaimed debut album entitled Kollage in 1996. The album featured production by Guru and DJ Premier of Gang Starr...
, Queen LatifahQueen LatifahDana Elaine Owens , better known by her stage name Queen Latifah, is an American singer, rapper, and actress. Her work in music, film and television has earned her a Golden Globe award, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, two Image Awards, a Grammy Award, six additional Grammy nominations, an Emmy...
, Angie StoneAngie StoneAngie Stone is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She has been nominated for three Grammy Award. She is more successful on the charts R&B charts, with four Top 10 albums, forms including a number one album and 10 singles on the R&B chart,...
) – 5:26 - "World Keeps Turnin' (Outro)" (Badu) – 4:01
Bonus tracks
- "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip Hop)" (featuring CommonCommon (rapper)Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. , better known by his stage name Common , is an American hip-hop artist and actor....
) (Saadiq, Badu, Lynn, Poyser, Ozuna) (UK and Japan Bonus Track) - 3:50 - "Hollywood" (UK and Japan Bonus Track) - (5:32)
Musicians
- Erykah Badu - vocals, background vocals
- Jazz Bell - background vocals
- Sam Bell - background vocals
- Chinah Blac - background vocals
- Tisha Creer - background vocals
- Doc GibbsLeonard GibbsLeonard William "Doc" Gibbs Jr is an American percussionist. Gibbs studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts in the early 1970s. He has toured with artists such as Anita Baker, Whitney Houston, Bob James, Ricki Lee Jones, Al Jarreau, Grover Washington, Jr., Wyclef Jean, Erykah Badu, Eric...
- percussion - Alfredo Gray - background vocals
- Roy HargroveRoy HargroveRoy Anthony Hargrove is an American jazz trumpeter. He won worldwide notice after winning two Grammy Awards for differing types of music, in 1997, and in 2002...
- trumpet, vocals - Dwayne KerrDwayne KerrDwayne Kerr is a UK based Internet marketer who teaches Life Coaches how to use the internet to create online businesses to promote their products and services.Kerr currently lives in London and is known for training students all over the UK....
- flute - Lenny KravitzLenny KravitzLeonard Albert "Lenny" Kravitz is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and arranger, whose "retro" style incorporates elements of rock, soul, R&B, funk, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, folk and ballads...
- electric guitar
- Bray Lon Lacy - bass, clapping
- Robert Pack - background vocals
- A. Pérez - background vocals
- James Poyser - keyboard, group member
- Rashad Smith - group member
- Stic Man - vocals
- Karen Wheeler - vocals
- R.C. Williams - keyboard
- Eevin Wright - clapping
- Zap MamaZap MamaZap Mama is a Belgian musical group founded and led by Marie Daulne. Daulne says her mission is to be a bridge between the European and the African and bring the two cultures together with her music...
- vocals
Production
- Producers: Dead PrezDead PrezDead Prez stylized as dead prez is a hip hop duo from the United States, composed of stic.man and M-1, formed in 1996 in New York City, New York. They are known for their confrontational style, combined with socialist lyrics focused on both militant social justice and Pan-Africanism...
, Freakquency, Raphael SaadiqRaphael SaadiqRaphael Saadiq is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. Saadiq has been a standard bearer for "old school" R&B since his early days as a member of the multiplatinum group Tony! Toni! Toné! He also produced songs of such artists as TLC, Joss Stone, D'Angelo, Mary J... - Executive producers: Erykah Badu, Kedar Massenburg, James Poyser, Rashad Smith, Tom Soares, R.C. Williams
- Engineer: Tom Soares
- Assistant engineers: Shinobu Mitsuoka, Tim Olmstead
- Mixing: Leslie Brathwaite, Tom Soares, Brian Stanley
- Mastering: Robert Wechsler
- Creative director: Sandy Brummels
- Programming: James Poyser
- Drum programming: Erykah Badu, Dead Prez, Rashad Smith
- Arranger: Erykah Badu
- Art direction: Erykah Badu, Kenny J. Gravillis
- Drawing: Erykah Badu
- Photography: Marc Baptiste
- Make-up: Melanie Harris
- Stylist: Carlton Jones
- Vocal Coaching: Erykah Badu, Lis Lewis, David Angerstein
Charts
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
3 |
| U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
2 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Internet Albums Billboard charts The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine... |
3 |
External links
- Worldwide Underground at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Worldwide Underground at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
- Worldwide Underground at αCharts