12 Play

12 Play
Studio album by R. Kelly
Released November 9, 1993
Recorded 1992–1993
Genre R&B, soul, hip hop, new jack swing
Length 63:10
Label Jive
Producer Barry Hankerson (exec.), R. Kelly, Timmy Allen
R. Kelly chronology

Born into the 90's
(1992)		 12 Play
(1993)		 R. Kelly
(1995)
Singles from 12 Play
  1. "Sex Me"
    Released: August 6, 1993
  2. "Bump N' Grind"
    Released: January 25, 1994
  3. "Your Body's Callin'"
    Released: March 11, 1994
  4. "Summer Bunnies"
    Released: July, 1994
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]
The Baltimore Sun (mixed)[2]
BBC Online (favorable)[3]
Chicago Tribune [4]
Robert Christgau (C+)[5]
Entertainment Weekly (C-)[6]
Los Angeles Times [7]
Rolling Stone [8]
Virgin Encyclopedia [9]
Yahoo! Music (favorable)[10]
"Bump n' Grind"
R. Kelly's "Bump n' Grind" from 12 Play
Problems playing this file? See media help.

12 Play is the sophomore album of American R&B and soul musician R. Kelly, released November 9, 1993 on Jive Records. It follows his tenure with R&B group Public Announcement, with whom he released one album, Born into the 90's (1992). It went on to top the R&B albums chart for nine weeks straight, while reaching the second position on the Billboard 200 chart.

The album features the sexually-themed singles "Bump n' Grind" (U.S. #1), "Your Body's Callin'" (U.S. #13), and the more overtly direct "Sex Me, Pts. 1 & 2" (U.S. #20). The album serves as the first of a trilogy of albums Kelly later released under the "12 Play" moniker including TP-2.com (2000) and TP-3: Reloaded (2005). Since its initial mixed response from critics, 12 Play has received more favorable retrospective criticism. This album earned Kelly the title King of R&B.

Background

Following the success of Born into the 90's (with Public Announcement), Kelly begun touring as an opening act for Gerald Levert and Glenn Jones. During the tour, Kelly said that he became frustrated with the poor lightening and empty seats during his set. To generate more attention during his set, Kelly begun to think of a gimmick to take his show to the next level, something that would make people remember him.[11] Kelly stated: "I thought about it for a couple of days, and I finally came up with a little skit, me just talking to the audience. At the point in the show where I would break down "Honey Love," I would start talking to the audience."

“ Can I tell you all something? Can I keep it real? Can I tell you about a dream I had last night? Well, I actually had a dream where I made love to Mary J. Blige.

Hey, it was only a dream, but it was so vivid, it felt real; but in this dream, it was more than foreplay - it was 12 Play. Can I sing it for y'all? Tell y'all how it went?

 ”

The audience yelled "YES!" and Kelly's piano player accompanied him with chords. Kelly then begun the countdown, "One. We'll go to my room of fun." The "12 Play" gimmick became so big that when Kelly went to radio stations to promote Born into the 90's, the DJ's wanted to hear "12 Play." The demand for "12 Play" was so big that R. Kelly decided to create an album titled 12 Play.[11]

Success

"I didn't really know if the album would be as successful as it has been, but I hoped that it would. I was really taking a chance with the concept of this album." - Kelly on the concept of the 12 Play album, 1994.[12]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by R. Kelly, except "Sadie" by Joseph B. Jefferson, Bruce Hawes, and Charles Simmons. 

No. TitleProducer(s) Length
1. "Your Body's Callin'"  R. Kelly, Timmy Allen 4:38
2. "Bump n' Grind"  R. Kelly 4:16
3. "Homie Lover Friend"  R. Kelly, Timmy Allen 4:22
4. "It Seems Like You're Ready"  R. Kelly 5:39
5. "Freak Dat Body"  R. Kelly 3:44
6. "I Like the Crotch On You"  R. Kelly 6:37
7. "Summer Bunnies"  R. Kelly 4:14
8. "For You"  R. Kelly 5:01
9. "Back to the Hood of Things"  R. Kelly 3:52
10. "Sadie"  R. Kelly 4:30
11. "Sex Me Pt 1 & 2"  R. Kelly 11:27
12. "12 Play"  R. Kelly, Timmy Allen 5:55

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic.[13]

  • Timmy Allen - Bass, Producer
  • DeAndre Boykins - Rap
  • Bobbie Broom - Guest Artist
  • Bobby Broom - Guitar
  • Tom Coyne - Mastering
  • Dr. Dre - Composer
  • Yvonne Gage - Unknown Contributor Role, Vocals (Background)
  • Ron Hall - Bass
  • Barry Hankerson - Executive Producer
  • Bruce Hawes - Composer
  • Keith Henderson - Guitar
  • James Hoffman - Digital Editing
  • Joseph B. Jefferson - Composer
  • Ray Kelley - Producer
  • Carey Kelly - Rap
  • Casey Kelly - Rap
  • R. Kelly - Arranger, Composer, Engineer, Mixing, Multi Instruments, Performer, Primary Artist, Producer, Rap, Vocals
  • Michael Logan - Organ, Piano
  • Mike Logan - Organ, Piano
  • Doug McBride - Assistant Engineer
  • Peter Mokran - Engineer, Mixing, Programming
  • Michael J. Powell - Guitar
  • Paul Riser - String Arrangements
  • Robin Robinson - Vocals (Background)
  • Charles Simmons - Composer
  • Jim Slattery - Keyboards
  • Snoop Dogg - Composer
  • Stefon Taylor - Assistant Engineer

Chart positions

Year Chart Position
1993 UK Album Chart 20
Dutch Album Chart 66
US Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Albums[14] 1
US Billboard R&B Albums 1
US Billboard 200[15] 2

Certifications

Territory Certifier Certification Sales
Canada CRIA[16] Gold 50,000
England BPI[17] Silver 60,000
United States RIAA[18] 6× Platinum 6,000,000

See also

References

  1. ↑ Birchmeier, Jason. Review: 12 Play. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-10-11.
  2. ↑ Considine, J.D. "Review: 12 Play". The Baltimore Sun: 9. December 24, 1993. Archived from the original on 2009-10-11. (Transcription of original review at talk page)
  3. ↑ Easlea, Daryl. Review: 12 Play. BBC Online. Retrieved on 2010-07-08.
  4. ↑ Kot, Greg. "Review: 12 Play". Chicago Tribune: 8. January 20, 1994. (Transcription of original review at talk page)
  5. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide: 12 Play". The Village Voice: November 29, 1993. Archived from the original on 2009-10-11.
  6. ↑ Aaron, Charles. Review: 12 Play. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2009-10-11.
  7. ↑ Cromelin, Richard. Review: 12 Play. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2009-10-11.
  8. ↑ Harris, Keith. "Review: 12 Play". The Rolling Stone Album Guide: 448. November 2, 2004.
  9. ↑ Larkin, Colin. "Review: 12 Play". Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music: 189. March 1, 2002.
  10. ↑ DeRogatis, Jim. Review: 12 Play. Yahoo! Music. Retrieved on 2009-10-11. Archived from the original on 2012-05-12.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Soulacoaster". Google Books. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  12. ↑ Reynolds, J.R. (December 10, 1994). "Career Milestones Keep Coming For Jive's Kelly". Billboard. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
  13. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/12-play-mw0000103763/credits
  14. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/artist/r-kelly-mn0000319347
  15. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/artist/r-kelly-mn0000319347
  16. ↑ http://musiccanada.com/GPSearchResult.aspx?st=&ica=False&sa=r.%20kelly&sl=&smt=0&sat=-1&ssb=Artist
  17. ↑ http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx
  18. ↑ http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=&artist=R.%20Kelly&format=ALBUM&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2010&sort=CertificationDate&perPage=50

Further reading

  • Nathan Brackett, Christian Hoard (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Completely Revised and Updated 4th Edition. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  • Colin Larkin (2002). Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Edition 4. Virgin Books. ISBN 1-85227-923-0.

External links