Yeeeah Baby

Yeeeah Baby
Studio album by Big Pun
Released April 4, 2000
Recorded 1999–2000
Genre Hardcore rap, East Coast hip hop, Latin hip hop
Length 52:08
Label Terror Squad/Loud Records
Producer Fat Joe (Executive)
Just Blaze
Buckwild
L.E.S.
Sean C
DJ Shok
Richard "Younglord" Frierson
Knobody
O.Gee
Mahogany
Minnesota
Guy Boogie
KNS
The Infinite Arkatechz
Big Pun chronology
Capital Punishment
(1998)Capital Punishment1998
Yeeeah Baby
(2000)
Endangered Species
(2001)Endangered Species2001

Yeeeah Baby is the second (and first posthumous) studio album by rapper Big Pun. In the wake of Big Pun's death in February 2000, it was released in April of the same year as planned, peaked at #3 on the Billboard 200 charts selling 179,000 units during the week it was released,[1] & subsequently was certified Gold.[2] Fat Joe, Pun's close friend and mentor, is the executive producer of the album.

Struggling with morbid obesity, Pun experienced breathing problems throughout the album’s recording process, slowing down his iconic flow. He died at 28 years of age, just two months before the album’s release.

Background

The album consists of two of Big Pun's biggest hits, the first single "It's So Hard" and the Puerto Rican anthem "100%". In the former song, he exclaims: "It's hard work, baby. I just lost 100 pounds. I'm trying to live. I ain't going nowhere."

In his last magazine interview, conducted by Industry Insider only a week before his death, Pun detailed that his approach on Yeeeah Baby was not as "hardcore" as his previous album Capital Punishment, in an attempt to reach out to an even wider fanbase than his debut album already had.[3]

Tracks

Terror Squad members and affiliates such as Sunkiss, Tony Sunshine, Prospect, Cuban Link, Remy Ma, and Fat Joe were featured on the album.

The album featured lighthearted songs like "100%" and "It's So Hard". It opens with an introduction "The Creation", likening Big Pun to Frankenstein. The first song "Watch Those" is a rock-oriented rap song with the beat derived from the theme song of Starsky and Hutch. With Tony Sunshine, there were also jokey R&B ballads like "My Dick" and "Laughing at You", an interpretation of Notorious B.I.G.'s "Juicy" with lyrics like "It was all a scheme / I used to load the tech with the magazine". The track "Nigga Shit" is a two-minute skit where Pun jokes about indulging in African-American stereotypes. There were also hardcore revenge-fantasy songs with a dark sinister sound like "Off With His Head", "LeatherFace" and "Wrong Ones". "Laughing at You" samples Simple Minds' "Don't You (Forget About Me)". In the song "My Turn", Big Pun made a jab at a then up-and-coming rapper 50 Cent in response to the remark 50 made about Pun in his song "How to Rob".

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[4]
Billboard(Favorable)[5]
Entertainment WeeklyC[6]
NME(7/10)[7]
Q[8]
RapReviews(8.5/10)[9]
Robert Christgau[10]
Rolling Stone[11]
The Source[8]
Vibe(Favorable)[12]

Commercial

Yeeeah Baby posted a strong debut on the Billboard 200, the album sold more than 179,000 copies in its first week in stores to take the third slot on the chart. It reached Gold status within three months.

Critical

Yeeeah Baby received favorable reviews from music critics.

Track listing

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."The Creation (Intro)" 1:29
2."Watch Those"Knobody3:20
3."Off Wit His Head" (featuring Prospect)Just Blaze4:06
4."It's So Hard" (featuring Donell Jones)Younglord, Jay "Waxx" Garfield2:52
5."We Don't Care" (featuring Cuban Link)Younglord3:12
6."New York Giants" (featuring M.O.P.)Mahogany, Minnesota3:30
7."My Dick" (featuring Tony Sunshine)Sam Sneed, Guy Boogie, KNS3:19
8."Leatherface"The Infinite Arkatechz3:25
9."Air Pun (Skit)" 0:51
10."100%" (featuring Tony Sunshine)Sean C3:51
11."Wrong Ones" (featuring Sunkiss)Just Blaze4:07
12."Laughing at You" (featuring Tony Sunshine)O.Gee4:26
13."Nigga Shit"Buckwild1:45
14."Ms. Martin" (featuring Remy Ma)DJ Shok4:16
15."My Turn"L.E.S.3:48
16."You Was Wrong" (featuring Fat Joe, Drag-On & Remy Ma)DJ Shok3:51

Album chart positions

Year Album Chart positions
Billboard 200 Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums
2000 Yeeeah Baby #3 #1

Singles chart positions

Year Song Chart positions
Hot 100 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot Rap Singles Rhythmic Top 40
2000 "It's So Hard" #75 #19 #11 #39
2000 "100%" #84 #53 #16 -

References

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