Under Construction (album)

Under Construction
Studio album by
Missy Elliott
ReleasedNovember 12, 2002 (2002-11-12)
Genre
Length56:41
Label
Producer
Missy Elliott chronology
Miss E... So Addictive
(2001) 		Under Construction
(2002) 		This Is Not a Test!
(2003)
Singles from Under Construction
  1. "Work It"
    Released: September 16, 2002[2]
  2. "Gossip Folks"
    Released: December 9, 2002[3]
  3. "Back in the Day"
    Released: February 8, 2003

Under Construction is the fourth studio album by American rapper Missy Elliott, released by The Goldmind Inc. and Elektra Records on November 12, 2002, in the United States. The album was primarily produced by Timbaland, with additional production by Craig Brockman, Nisan Stewart, Errol "Poppi" McCalla and Elliott herself.

The album debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 259,000 copies in its first week.[4] It was also certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[5] The album received Grammy Award nominations for Best Rap Album and Album of the Year. Elliott dedicated the album to Aaliyah (who had died on August 25, 2001) and to victims of the September 11 attacks.

Singles

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"Work It" was released as the album's lead single on September 16, 2002. [6] The single peaked at number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100, staying at that position for for ten weeks. As of 2023, "Work It" has sold over 3 million copies in the US alone.[7] The official music video was directed by Dave Meyers.

Under Construction's second and final official single was "Gossip Folks", which was released on December 9, 2002. Dave Meyers directed the video. "Gossip Folks" charted in 14 countries worldwide.

"Back in the Day", featuring Jay-Z, was intended to be the album's third single. It was released in February 8, 2003, peaking at number 86 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart, but was scrapped as a single.

Additionally, another contender to be the album's official third single, was a newly recorded remix of "Pussycat" with guest vocals by Janet Jackson and featuring Lil' Kim. Elliott's label felt the song was too explicit to release and plans were withdrawn.[8][9]

Reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Blender[11]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[12]
The Guardian[13]
Los Angeles Times[14]
NME[15]
Pitchfork7.2/10[16]
Q[17]
Rolling Stone[18]
USA Today[19]

Under Construction received general acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, it earned an average score of 81 out of 100, based on 19 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[10] The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[20]

"It still sounds incredibly fresh, in all meanings of the word," observed the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' guitarist, Nick Zinner. "Karen [O, Yeah Yeah Yeahs' singer] and I listened to it all the time. We used to play it before we'd go onstage... 'Funky Fresh Dressed' is my favourite track. I don't know what else to say other than it's amazing."[21]

Year-end lists

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Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
BBC Radio 6 Music 16 Albums That Define 2002 —
[22]
HipHopDX The 20 Best Rap Albums of All Time 3
[23]
The Muse The Best Albums of 2002 —
[24]
NME Best Albums and Tracks of 2002 25
[25]
Pitchfork Top 50 Albums of 2002 28
[26]
PopMatters Best Music of 200 —
[27]
Rolling Stone 100 Best Albums of the 2000s 28
[28]
Slant Top 10 Albums and Singles of 2002 54
[29]
Slant The 100 Best Albums of the 2000s 54
[30]
Village Voice Top 10 Albums of 2002 10
[31]

Commercial performance

[edit]

Under Construction debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 259,000 copies in its first week.[4] The album stayed on the chart for a total of 36 weeks.[32] On July 14, 2003, the album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over two million copies in the United States.[5] By November 2015, the album had sold 2,142,000 copies in the US.[33]

Track listing

[edit]
Under Construction track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro"/"Go to the Floor"
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott[A]
5:06
2."Bring the Pain" (featuring Method Man)
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott[A]
2:59
3."Gossip Folks" (featuring Ludacris)
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott[A]
3:54
4."Work It"
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott[A]
4:53
5."Back in the Day" (featuring Jay-Z)
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott[A]
4:55
6."Funky Fresh Dressed" (featuring Ms. Jade)
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott[A]
3:56
7."Pussycat"
  • Elliott
  • McCalla
4:32
8."Nothing Out There for Me" (featuring Beyoncé)
  • Elliott
  • Brockman
  • Stewart
3:05
9."Slide"
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott[A]
3:43
10."Play that Beat"
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott[A]
3:02
11."Ain't that Funny"
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott[A]
2:48
12."Hot"
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott[A]
4:09
13."Can You Hear Me" (featuring TLC)
  • Elliott
  • Brockman
  • Stewart
  • Elliott
  • Brockman
  • Stewart
4:29
International bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Work It (Remix)" (featuring 50 Cent)
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott[A]
4:59
15."Drop the Bomb"
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott[A]
3:27

Notes

  • ^[A] denotes co-producer

Production

[edit]

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Certifications for Under Construction
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[63] Gold 35,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[64] Gold 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[66] Gold 260,000[65]
United States (RIAA)[67] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Bush, John. "Under Construction – Missy Elliott". AllMusic. Retrieved September 4, 2020.
  2. ^ "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1470. September 13, 2002. p. 45.
  3. ^ "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1482. December 6, 2002. p. 18.
  4. ^ a b Keith Caulfield (November 24, 2010). "Kanye West, Nicki Minaj Set for Huge Billboard 200 Debuts". Billboard. Retrieved November 25, 2010..
  5. ^ a b "RIAA Certifications - Missy Elliott". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  6. ^ "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1470. September 13, 2002. p. 45. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  7. ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. June 16, 2023. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  8. ^ "Missy Elliott Teases Collaboration with Lil' Kim and Eve". Rap-Up. September 18, 2012.
  9. ^ "Missy Elliot "Janet Jackson & Lil' Kim Was Supposed To Be On The Record Pussy Cat"". 92 Q Jams. December 18, 2012.
  10. ^ a b "Reviews for Under Construction by Missy Elliott". Metacritic. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
  11. ^ Weiner, Jonah (December 2002). "Missy Elliott: Under Construction". Blender (12): 142. Archived from the original on October 25, 2004. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  12. ^ Browne, David (November 15, 2002). "Under Construction". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 16, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  13. ^ Sullivan, Caroline (November 8, 2002). "Missy Elliott: Under Construction". The Guardian. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  14. ^ Nichols, Natalie (November 10, 2002). "Miss E.'s her own work in progress". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  15. ^ Segal, Victoria (November 22, 2002). "Elliott, Missy : Under Construction". NME. Archived from the original on March 23, 2013. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  16. ^ Chennault, Sam (November 21, 2002). "Missy Elliott: Under Construction". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  17. ^ "Missy Elliott: Under Construction". Q (198): 121. January 2003.
  18. ^ Edwards, Gavin (December 12, 2002). "Missy Elliott: Under Construction". Rolling Stone. No. 911. Archived from the original on February 19, 2003. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  19. ^ Jones, Steve (November 12, 2002). "Missy Elliott has some constructive fun". USA Today. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  20. ^ Dimery, Robert; Lydon, Michael (2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (Revised and Updated ed.). New York City: Universe. ISBN 978-0-7893-2074-2.
  21. ^ "Albums of the Century". Q. No. 282. January 2010. p. 93.
  22. ^ "16 Albums That Define 2002". BBC Radio 6 Music. March 11, 2022. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  23. ^ "The 20 Best Rap Albums Of All Time ... From Artists Who Just Happen To Be Women". HipHopDX. August 28, 2011. Retrieved February 21, 2023.
  24. ^ "The Muse picks the best albums of 2002". The Muse. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  25. ^ "NME's best albums and tracks of 2001". NME. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  26. ^ "Top 50 Albums of 2002". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  27. ^ Sawyer, Terry (December 16, 2002). "Best Music of 2002: Terry Sawyer". PopMatters. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  28. ^ "100 Best Albums of the 2000s". Rolling Stone. July 18, 2011. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  29. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (December 15, 2002). "Top 10 Albums and Singles of 2002". Slant Magazine. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  30. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (February 1, 2010). "The 100 Best Albums of the 2000s". Slant Magazine. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  31. ^ Christgau, Robert (February 5, 2019). "2002 Pazz & Jop: Party in Hard Times: Top 10 Albums of 2002". Village Voice. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  32. ^ "Billboard Chart History - Missy Elliott". Billboard. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  33. ^ Trust, Gary (November 22, 2015). "Ask Billboard: Missy Elliott's Career Album Sales". Billboard. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  34. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Missy Elliott – Under Construction". Hung Medien.
  35. ^ "ARIA Urban Chart – Week Commencing 30th June 2003" (PDF). The ARIA Report (697): 14. June 30, 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 22, 2008. Retrieved April 15, 2023 – via National Library of Australia.
  36. ^ "Ultratop.be – Missy Elliott – Under Construction" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  37. ^ "Ultratop.be – Missy Elliott – Under Construction" (in French). Hung Medien.
  38. ^ "Albums : Top 100". Jam!. January 23, 2003. Archived from the original on October 22, 2004. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  39. ^ "R&B : Top 50". Jam!. January 30, 2003. Archived from the original on February 2, 2003. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  40. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Missy Elliott – Under Construction". Hung Medien.
  41. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Missy Elliott – Under Construction" (in Dutch). Hung Medien.
  42. ^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 20, no. 50. December 7, 2002. p. 13. Retrieved April 10, 2023 – via World Radio History.
  43. ^ "Lescharts.com – Missy Elliott – Under Construction". Hung Medien.
  44. ^ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH.
  45. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Missy Elliott". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 13, 2022.
  46. ^ "Charts.nz – Missy Elliott – Under Construction". Hung Medien.
  47. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Missy Elliott – Under Construction". Hung Medien.
  48. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  49. ^ "RIAS CHART FOR WEEK ENDING 24 January 2003". Archived from the original on February 6, 2003. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  50. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Missy Elliott – Under Construction". Hung Medien.
  51. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Missy Elliott – Under Construction". Hung Medien.
  52. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  53. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  54. ^ a b "AMG: Billboard Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved June 25, 2007.
  55. ^ "Top 200 Albums of 2002 (based on sales)". Jam!. Archived from the original on September 6, 2004. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
  56. ^ "Canada's Top 200 R&B; albums of 2002". Jam!. Archived from the original on October 12, 2003. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  57. ^ "Top 100 rap albums of 2002 in Canada". Jam!. Archived from the original on October 12, 2003. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  58. ^ "UK Year-End Charts 2002" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  59. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Albums for 2003". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved October 26, 2021.
  60. ^ "The Official UK Albums Chart 2003" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  61. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums: Year-End Charts". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  62. ^ "R&B/Hip-Hop Albums: Best of 2003". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  63. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2003 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  64. ^ "Japanese album certifications – Missy Elliott – Under Construction" (in Japanese). Recording Industry Association of Japan. Select 2003年3月 on the drop-down menu
  65. ^ Wade, Ian (December 30, 2021). "Iconic albums turning 20 in 2022". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  66. ^ "British album certifications – Missy Elliott – Under Construction". British Phonographic Industry.
  67. ^ "American album certifications – Missy Elliott – Under Construction". Recording Industry Association of America.
[edit]
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