In Public

This article is about the Kelis song. For the 2001 film, see In Public (film).
"In Public"
Single by Kelis featuring Nas
from the album Tasty
Released April 4, 2005
Format CD single
Recorded 2003; Mirror Image Recorders (New York City)
Genre
Length 4:25
Label Virgin
Writer(s)
Producer(s) Rockwilder
Kelis singles chronology
"Millionaire"
(2004)		 "In Public"
(2005)		 "Bossy"
(2006)
Nas singles chronology
"Just a Moment"
(2005)		 "In Public"
(2005)		 "Road to Zion"
(2005)

"In Public" is a song by American recording artist Kelis, featuring American rapper Nas. It was released on April 4, 2005 as the fourth and final single from Kelis' third studio album, Tasty (2003). The song was written by Rockwilder and Kelis, with former also producing the track.

Like previous singles "Trick Me" and "Millionaire", "In Public" was not released in Kelis' native United States. Although no music video was filmed for the song, it still managed to reach number seventeen on the UK Singles Chart. The track was originally due to be released as a double A-side single with the Raphael Saadiq-produced "Glow", although this did not happen and a reason for the change has never been given.

Critical reception

"In Public" was met with mixed reviews from music critics. Adam Webb of Yahoo! Music cited the song as one of Tasty‍ '​s highlights, stating that it "espouses the delights of al fresco sex over a clinical electro beat and features a filthy rap courtesy of new husband Nas. Suffice to say it leaves Beyonce and Jay-Z sounding like Mary Whitehouse and Cliff Richard."[1] Conversely, Andy Kellman of AllMusic viewed the track as one of the album's "miscues thwarting perfection" and advised listeners to skip past it.[2]

The Guardian‍ '​s Dorian Lynskey described the song as "an eyebrow-raisingly explicit duet."[3] The Independent opined, "For his part, Nas appears rather more flustered than he ever did in his accounts of life as a dope-dealing streetwise hustler."[4] Pitchfork Media reviewer Scott Plagenhoef felt that the song is "possibly the low-point of what is often a transparent Beyoncé-aping full-length (starting with the cover art, which bares a striking resemblance to that of the "Crazy in Love" single)."[5] Ernest Hardy of Rolling Stone commented that on "In Public", Kelis sounds like "Donna Summer with an action plan ('I'll make your toes curl up and make your body scream/Come take a walk with me')."[6]

Commercial performance

Without a music video to back its release, "In Public" debuted at number seventeen on the UK Singles Chart for the week ending April 16, 2005,[7] ending Kelis' string of UK top five hits. In Ireland, the single debuted and peaked at number twenty-two on the Irish Singles Chart on the issue dated April 7, 2005.[8] It also charted at number fifty-four on the European Hot 100 Singles chart on April 23, 2005.[9]

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Tasty.[10]

Track listing

  1. "In Public" (Radio Edit) - 3:22
  2. "Trick Me" – 3:26

Charts

Chart (2005) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[11] 6
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[12] 11
European Hot 100 Singles[9] 54
Ireland (IRMA)[8] 22
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[7] 17

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label Ref.
United Kingdom April 4, 2005 CD single Virgin [13]
Germany April 18, 2005 EMI [14]

References

  1. ↑ Webb, Adam (December 12, 2003). "Kelis – 'Tasty'". Yahoo! Music. Archived from the original on July 4, 2008. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
  2. ↑ Kellman, Andy. "Tasty – Kelis". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  3. ↑ Lynskey, Dorian (December 5, 2003). "CD: Kelis, Tasty". The Guardian. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  4. ↑ "Album: Kelis". The Independent. January 9, 2004. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
  5. ↑ Plagenhoef, Scott (January 5, 2004). "Pitchfork: Album Reviews: Kelis: Tasty". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
  6. ↑ Hardy, Ernest (January 6, 2004). "Kelis: Tasty". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on June 9, 2008. Retrieved April 11, 2010.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Archive Chart: 2005-04-16" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Chart Track: Week 14, 2005". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Hits of the World". Billboard 117 (17). April 23, 2005. ISSN 0006-2510.
  10. ↑ Tasty (CD liner notes). Kelis. Arista Records. 2003. 82876-52210-2.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Ultratop.be – Kelis feat. Nas – In Public" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  12. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Kelis feat. Nas – In Public" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  13. ↑ "In Public by Kelis". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved November 30, 2014.
  14. ↑ "In Public" (in German). Amazon.de. Retrieved November 30, 2014.

External links