8701 (album)
Encyclopedia
8701 is the third studio album
by American R&B
singer Usher
, released by Arista Records
on August 7, 2001, in North America. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2000 to 2001, and was handled by several producers including The Neptunes
, Jermaine Dupri
, Babyface, Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, Mike City
, P. Diddy, Bryan Michael Cox
, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis.
The album debuted at number-four on the US Billboard 200
chart selling 210,000 copies. It has sold 4.7 million copies in the US and over 8 million worldwide; it received a 4× platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA). 8701 received mostly positive reviews, with critics praising Usher's more mature and polished vocals. Billboard
ranked the album number 63 on the Billboard 200
decade-end charts.
, Jermaine Dupri
, Babyface, Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, Mike City, P. Diddy, Bryan Michael Cox
, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. It was recorded in Los Angeles
, New York
, Minneapolis and Atlanta. The album's theme is based upon Usher's experience with relationships, Usher stated that the album's inspiration was derived from love and heartache. He also stated that it includes elements inspired by late motown artists, including Donny Hathaway
, Stevie Wonder
, Marvin Gaye
and Michael Jackson
.
Usher had originally planned to release All About U (the album's original title) on October 31, 2000 but due to multiple tracks being leaked on the music service site Napster
, it was delayed twice, from December 5 to July 17 the following year. Songs leaked on Napster include; "T.T.P.", "U R the One" and the single "Pop Ya Collar
" — were available for download on Napster on March 13, 2001. He commented on the situation during the taping of the "mtvICON: Janet Jackson" special saying:
decided to head back to the studios to record new tracks, he stated that "It turned out a lot better" and he was more akin to the new tracks. He stated that some of the tracks included on the latter album would not be on the new re-recorded one, now entitled 8701. The album was eventually released on August 7, 2001.
The origin of the album's name was at first unknown, Usher's publicist claims that not even she knew why he had chosen it. Fans first speculated that it was named after its release date (8/7/01), but Usher insisted that it was purely coincidental. He stated that the name was named after something significant to him, and he would later announce the names true origin. His spokesperson later revealed that the '87' part of the title refers to the year 1987, when Usher sang in public for the first time at his church in Atlanta, the '01' refers to the year 2001.
Chart selling 210,000 copies in its first week. After 18 weeks since the albums release, it had sold 1.94 million copies, and was predicted to be on pace to out-sell his previous effort, My Way
which sold 1.32 million during the same period. 8701 eventually sold 4.7 million copies in the United States, and received a 4× platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA).
Internationally 8701 received similar success. The album topped the UK Albums Chart
on August 21, 2001, and debuted at number-one in Canada on the week ending August 25, 2001. The album dominated charts in other territories, peaking inside the top-10 and 20 in several countries. 8701 was certified 2× platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA) and platinum by the British Phonographic Industry
(BPI). To date, the album has sold over 8 million copies worldwide.
, which assigns a normalized
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
score of 67, based on 11 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Stephen Thomas Erlewine
of Allmusic commented, "his material is smooth and seductive, and he has a nice voice, even if he tends to favor melisma... the ballads are lusher, the dance numbers hit a bit harder, but not so much so that it's really noticeable." BBC Online's Christian Hopwood noted, "8701 sees Usher Raymond taking more control of the operation, developing his producing, singing and song writing skills to a new level. This record has had an army of producers working on it, and it is no wonder that this album sounds so polished and mature beyond his years." Kathryn McGuire of Rolling Stone
commented that "his velvety voice and sky-high tolerance for crooning about girls - girls up in the club, girls from the old neighborhood, non-English-speaking girls, girls he's better off without - are on full display, making 8701 likely to resonate with the same crowd his single 'Nice and Slow
' wooed three years ago. Amid all the playboy pouting and preening, Usher's vocals are impressively adaptable, lacing brash beats from the Neptunes and sophisticated ballads from hitmakers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis with equal dexterity. Hip-hop bounce merchant Jermaine Dupri's tracks inspire Usher's best moments, though: The freaky groove of 'Good Ol' Ghetto' moves our man to flex some Bone Thugs-esque rap-singing, while the rough riffs of 'I Can't Let U Go' spark a fresh, clipped chorus. Still, despite Usher's radio-safe reserve, 8701s wispy slow jams and booming club cuts strike a sweet nerve."
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...
singer Usher
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
, released by Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
on August 7, 2001, in North America. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2000 to 2001, and was handled by several producers including The Neptunes
The Neptunes
The Neptunes are a record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who are credited with contributing the sound for many successful hip hop, R&B and pop artists in the late-1990s and 2000s...
, Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin , known as Jermaine Dupri or JD, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper.- Early life and career :...
, Babyface, Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, Mike City
Mike City
Mike City is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. Flowers is also the founder and CEO of Unsung Entertainment, Inc. He's currently working on his personal album titledMike City a.k.a...
, P. Diddy, Bryan Michael Cox
Bryan Michael Cox
Bryan-Michael Cox is a GRAMMY award winning American songwriter and record producer.-History:Bryan-Michael Cox was born in Miami and grew up in Houston, where he attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. While in the eleventh grade he met and was mentored by Greg Curtis...
, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis.
The album debuted at number-four on the US 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 210,000 copies. It has sold 4.7 million copies in the US and over 8 million worldwide; it received a 4× platinum 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...
(RIAA). 8701 received mostly positive reviews, with critics praising Usher's more mature and polished vocals. Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
ranked the album number 63 on the 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...
decade-end charts.
Background
The albums production was handled by The NeptunesThe Neptunes
The Neptunes are a record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who are credited with contributing the sound for many successful hip hop, R&B and pop artists in the late-1990s and 2000s...
, Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin , known as Jermaine Dupri or JD, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper.- Early life and career :...
, Babyface, Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, Mike City, P. Diddy, Bryan Michael Cox
Bryan Michael Cox
Bryan-Michael Cox is a GRAMMY award winning American songwriter and record producer.-History:Bryan-Michael Cox was born in Miami and grew up in Houston, where he attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. While in the eleventh grade he met and was mentored by Greg Curtis...
, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis. It was recorded in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Minneapolis and Atlanta. The album's theme is based upon Usher's experience with relationships, Usher stated that the album's inspiration was derived from love and heartache. He also stated that it includes elements inspired by late motown artists, including Donny Hathaway
Donny Hathaway
Donny Edward Hathaway was an American soul singer-songwriter and musician. Hathaway contracted with Atlantic Records in 1969 and with his first single for the Atco label, "The Ghetto, Part I" in early 1970, Rolling Stone magazine "marked him as a major new force in soul music."His collaborations...
, Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
, Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye
Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range....
and Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
.
Usher had originally planned to release All About U (the album's original title) on October 31, 2000 but due to multiple tracks being leaked on the music service site Napster
Napster
Napster is an online music store and a Best Buy company. It was originally founded as a pioneering peer-to-peer file sharing Internet service that emphasized sharing audio files that were typically digitally encoded music as MP3 format files...
, it was delayed twice, from December 5 to July 17 the following year. Songs leaked on Napster include; "T.T.P.", "U R the One" and the single "Pop Ya Collar
Pop Ya Collar
"Pop Ya Collar" is the first single from Usher's unofficial Internet-leak album All About U, and later officially released on some editions of his third studio album 8701....
" — were available for download on Napster on March 13, 2001. He commented on the situation during the taping of the "mtvICON: Janet Jackson" special saying:
"After my music was released to Napster, I didn't think that was fair," "I didn't want that to be the way my record was remembered or the way I would present that to my fans."Due to the circumstances Usher
Usher (entertainer)
Usher Terry Raymond IV , who performs under the mononym Usher, is an American singer-songwriter, and actor. He is considered around the world to be the reigning King of R&B. Usher rose to fame in the late 1990s with the release of his second album My Way, which spawned his first Billboard Hot 100...
decided to head back to the studios to record new tracks, he stated that "It turned out a lot better" and he was more akin to the new tracks. He stated that some of the tracks included on the latter album would not be on the new re-recorded one, now entitled 8701. The album was eventually released on August 7, 2001.
The origin of the album's name was at first unknown, Usher's publicist claims that not even she knew why he had chosen it. Fans first speculated that it was named after its release date (8/7/01), but Usher insisted that it was purely coincidental. He stated that the name was named after something significant to him, and he would later announce the names true origin. His spokesperson later revealed that the '87' part of the title refers to the year 1987, when Usher sang in public for the first time at his church in Atlanta, the '01' refers to the year 2001.
Commercial performance
The album debuted at number-four on the US 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 selling 210,000 copies in its first week. After 18 weeks since the albums release, it had sold 1.94 million copies, and was predicted to be on pace to out-sell his previous effort, My Way
My Way (Usher album)
Sample credits* "Come Back" contains a sample of "Funky" by the Ultramagnetic MCs.* "One Day You'll Be Mine" contains a sample of "Footsteps in the Dark" by The Isley Brothers.-Personnel:Credits for My Way adapted from Allmusic....
which sold 1.32 million during the same period. 8701 eventually sold 4.7 million copies in the United States, and received a 4× platinum 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...
(RIAA).
Internationally 8701 received similar success. The album topped the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
on August 21, 2001, and debuted at number-one in Canada on the week ending August 25, 2001. The album dominated charts in other territories, peaking inside the top-10 and 20 in several countries. 8701 was certified 2× platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA) and platinum by the British Phonographic Industry
British Phonographic Industry
The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies...
(BPI). To date, the album has sold over 8 million copies worldwide.
Critical response
8701 received positive reviews from most 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 67, based on 11 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
of Allmusic commented, "his material is smooth and seductive, and he has a nice voice, even if he tends to favor melisma... the ballads are lusher, the dance numbers hit a bit harder, but not so much so that it's really noticeable." BBC Online's Christian Hopwood noted, "8701 sees Usher Raymond taking more control of the operation, developing his producing, singing and song writing skills to a new level. This record has had an army of producers working on it, and it is no wonder that this album sounds so polished and mature beyond his years." Kathryn McGuire of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
commented that "his velvety voice and sky-high tolerance for crooning about girls - girls up in the club, girls from the old neighborhood, non-English-speaking girls, girls he's better off without - are on full display, making 8701 likely to resonate with the same crowd his single 'Nice and Slow
Nice and Slow
"Nice & Slow" is a 1998 single from Usher's second album My Way. It became his first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in early 1998. However, in the UK, it did not follow the number one success of "You Make Me Wanna...", only peaking at #24, therefore becoming the final...
' wooed three years ago. Amid all the playboy pouting and preening, Usher's vocals are impressively adaptable, lacing brash beats from the Neptunes and sophisticated ballads from hitmakers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis with equal dexterity. Hip-hop bounce merchant Jermaine Dupri's tracks inspire Usher's best moments, though: The freaky groove of 'Good Ol' Ghetto' moves our man to flex some Bone Thugs-esque rap-singing, while the rough riffs of 'I Can't Let U Go' spark a fresh, clipped chorus. Still, despite Usher's radio-safe reserve, 8701s wispy slow jams and booming club cuts strike a sweet nerve."
Track listing
Personnel
Credits for 8701 adapted from Allmusic.- David Ashton – Assistant engineer
- Producer, Instrumentation – Bryan-Michael Cox
- Brian Garten – Engineer
- Kevin Guarnieri – Engineer, Assistant Engineer
- Performer – Puff Daddy
- David Rideau – Engineer
- Usher – Vocals
Chart positions
| Chart (2001) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart | 7 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 47 |
| Belgium Albums Chart (Flanders) | 14 |
| Belgium Albums Chart (Wallonia) | 4 |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
1 |
| Danish Albums Chart | 3 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 7 |
| French Albums Chart | 14 |
| German Albums Chart | 7 |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
9 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 8 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart | 10 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 28 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 10 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
1 |
| US 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... |
4 |
| US 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... |
3 |
Certifications
| Country | Provider | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | ARIA | 2× Platinum |
| United Kingdom | BPI British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... |
Platinum |
| United States | RIAA 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... |
4× Platinum |
Decade-end charts
| Chart (2000–2009) | Position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 | 63 |
Chart precession and succession
Release history
| Region | Date |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | July 30, 2001 |
| Germany | |
| United States | August 7, 2001 |
| Canada |
External links
- 8701 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,...