Criminal Activity
Encyclopedia
Criminal Activity is the debut album by American rap supergroup
Criminalz, which consisted of Spice 1
, Celly Cel
and Jayo Felony
. It was released August 7, 2001 on Celly Cel's label, Realside Records. The album was produced by Doyle, G-Man Stan, Spice 1 and Stan Keith. It peaked at number 57 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
and number 26 on the Billboard Independent Albums
. The album features guest performances by Yukmouth
, Tray Dee, Sylk-E. Fyne
and Bun B
.
One song, "Boss Up", was previously released on the Spice 1 compilation, The Playa Rich Project
.
RapReviews - "...Most rap groups who made great albums needed guidance to make those great albums. The Criminalz definitely lack a mastermind to weld the three of them together and make them realize their synergies...There are almost no ad-libs, there's no interacting, it might as well be that these three never were in the same studio together..."
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
Criminalz, which consisted of Spice 1
Spice 1
Robert L. Green, Jr., better known by his stage name Spice 1, is an American rapper from Hayward, California. He has consistently been releasing solo and group albums since 1992. Spice 1 was ranked number 56 in The Source magazine's Top 115 Hip-Hop Artists from 1988–2003...
, Celly Cel
Celly Cel
Marcellus McCarver, better know by his stage name Celly Cel, is an American rapper from Vallejo, California. He released his first single on his independent record label Realside Records in 1992 called "Lifestyle of a Mack." Celly Cel then debuted in 1994 with Heat 4 Yo Azz and released Killa Kali...
and Jayo Felony
Jayo Felony
James Savage, better known by his stage name, Jayo Felony is a rapper from southeast San Diego, California. He is known for being the first San Diego rapper to be signed to a major label...
. It was released August 7, 2001 on Celly Cel's label, Realside Records. The album was produced by Doyle, G-Man Stan, Spice 1 and Stan Keith. It peaked at number 57 on the 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...
and number 26 on the Billboard Independent Albums
Independent Albums
The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels...
. The album features guest performances by Yukmouth
Yukmouth
Jerold Dwight Ellis, III, better known by his stage name Yukmouth, is a Grammy-nominated American rapper from East Oakland, Oakland, California. He is the founder of The Regime, Smoke-A-Lot Records and Godzilla Entertainment.-Career:He is a member of the platinum-selling rap duo Luniz along with...
, Tray Dee, Sylk-E. Fyne
Sylk-E. Fyne
Sylk-E. Fyne is a female rapper from South Central Los Angeles and former member of the unreleased group G.B.M. from Eazy-E's Ruthless Records. She started rapping while in high school and, after getting a college degree, recorded her 1998 debut, Raw Sylk, on RCA...
and Bun B
Bun B
Bernard Freeman better known by his stage name Bun B, is an American rapper and was one half of the southern hip hop duo UGK . He is also a guest lecturer at Rice University located in Houston, Texas...
.
One song, "Boss Up", was previously released on the Spice 1 compilation, The Playa Rich Project
The Playa Rich Project
The Playa Rich Project is a compilation presented by American rapper Spice 1. It was released November 14, 2000 on Mobb Status Entertainment...
.
Critical reception
Allmusic - "Everyone was expecting a lot from this group from the first time it was mentioned...For many reasons this just doesn't work...It seems like they all wrote their verses independently of one another, then rapped in whatever order they felt like it. There's no fluid feel...as a whole this definitely falls short of any of their solo work."RapReviews - "...Most rap groups who made great albums needed guidance to make those great albums. The Criminalz definitely lack a mastermind to weld the three of them together and make them realize their synergies...There are almost no ad-libs, there's no interacting, it might as well be that these three never were in the same studio together..."
Track listing
| # | Title | Performers | Producer | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Lockdown" (intro) | 1:01 | ||
| 2 | "Criminal Activity" | Celly Cel | G-Man Stan | 1:43 |
| 3 | "Ridaz" | Celly Cel, Spice 1, Jayo Felony | G-Man Stan | 4:16 |
| 4 | "Puttin' In Work" | Celly Cel, Spice 1 | Doyle | 4:31 |
| 5 | "Niggaz Like Us" | Celly Cel, Spice 1, Bun B Bun B Bernard Freeman better known by his stage name Bun B, is an American rapper and was one half of the southern hip hop duo UGK . He is also a guest lecturer at Rice University located in Houston, Texas... |
Doyle | 4:34 |
| 6 | "My Life" | Celly Cel, Spice 1, Jayo Felony | Doyle | 4:23 |
| 7 | "Boss Up" | Spice 1, Jayo Felony, Tray Dee, Yukmouth Yukmouth Jerold Dwight Ellis, III, better known by his stage name Yukmouth, is a Grammy-nominated American rapper from East Oakland, Oakland, California. He is the founder of The Regime, Smoke-A-Lot Records and Godzilla Entertainment.-Career:He is a member of the platinum-selling rap duo Luniz along with... |
Spice 1 | 4:26 |
| 8 | "Doin' It Big" | Celly Cel, Spice 1, Sylk-E. Fyne Sylk-E. Fyne Sylk-E. Fyne is a female rapper from South Central Los Angeles and former member of the unreleased group G.B.M. from Eazy-E's Ruthless Records. She started rapping while in high school and, after getting a college degree, recorded her 1998 debut, Raw Sylk, on RCA... |
Doyle | 4:22 |
| 9 | "The Real World" | Celly Cel, Spice 1, Jayo Felony | Doyle | 4:07 |
| 10 | "Reminisce" | Celly Cel, Spice 1, Jayo Felony | Doyle | 4:49 |
| 11 | "What They Hittin' Fo?" | Celly Cel, Spice 1, Jayo Felony | G-Man Stan | 4:23 |
| 12 | "Rollin' Wit My Folks" | Celly Cel, Spice 1 | Doyle | 3:14 |
Chart history
| Chart (2001) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Independent Albums Independent Albums The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels... |
26 |
| U.S. 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... |
57 |
Personnel
- Big Tray Dee – performer
- Bun B – performer
- Celly Cel – performer
- Doyle – producer
- G-Man Stan – producer, engineer, mixing
- Jayo Felony – performer
- Spice 1 – performer, producer
- Sylk-E. Fyne – performer
- Yukmouth – performer
External links
- [ Criminal Activity] at Allmusic
- Criminal Activity at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- Criminal Activity at MusicBrainzMusicBrainzMusicBrainz is a project that aims to create an open content music database. Similar to the freedb project, it was founded in response to the restrictions placed on the CDDB...
- Criminal Activity at Tower RecordsTower RecordsTower Records was a retail music chain that was based in Sacramento, California. It currently exists as an international franchise and an online music store....