MTV Unplugged No. 2.0
Encyclopedia
MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 is a live album
by American
hip hop
/soul
artist Lauryn Hill
. The performance comes from her 2002 MTV Unplugged
special recorded on July 21, 2001 at MTV Studios in Times Square, New York City. The album has sold over one million copies in the United States and over 1.5 million copies worldwide. Additionally, it was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance
for "Mystery of Inequity", at 2003 Grammy Awards.
's 200
albums chart, and peaked at No. 2 on the magazine's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.chartFormatGroupName=Albums&model.vnuArtistId=194137&model.vnuAlbumId=532039 In the UK, it charted at No. 50. The album was certified Platinum
in June 2002. The song "Mr. Intentional" reached No. 63 on the French Singles Chart
.
, 2.0 sharply divided critics. Allmusic gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, saying that the recording "is the unfinished, unflinching presentation of ideas and of a person. It may not be a proper follow-up to her first album, but it is fascinating." Slant Magazine
's Sal Cinquemani wrote, "Hill's guitarwork is multi-textured and fine-tuned but her vocals lack confidence and seem to toe the edge of her range throughout the album. And though the stripped-down nature of the show is fitting, many of the songs sound as if they are still in their infancy." Despite the mixed reviews, 2.0 debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 and went Platinum four weeks after its release.
Disc 2
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
/soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
artist Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Noelle Hill is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress.Early in her career, she established her reputation as a member of the Fugees. In 1998, she launched her solo career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album, The Miseducation of...
. The performance comes from her 2002 MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged
MTV Unplugged is a TV series showcasing many popular musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show has received the George Foster Peabody Award and 3 Primetime Emmy nominations among many accolades.-Unplugged:...
special recorded on July 21, 2001 at MTV Studios in Times Square, New York City. The album has sold over one million copies in the United States and over 1.5 million copies worldwide. Additionally, it was nominated for Best Rap Solo Performance
Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance was awarded from 1991 to 2011, alongside the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Previously a single award was presented for Best Rap Performance....
for "Mystery of Inequity", at 2003 Grammy Awards.
Album theme and content
The album is lyrically driven where Lauryn shares her thoughts on religion, society, God, and love. All songs are written by Hill except for "So Much Things to Say" (Bob Marley) and "The Conquering Lion" (traditional adaptation).Chart performance
MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 peaked at No. 3 on BillboardBillboard (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...
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...
albums chart, and peaked at No. 2 on the magazine's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.chartFormatGroupName=Albums&model.vnuArtistId=194137&model.vnuAlbumId=532039 In the UK, it charted at No. 50. The album was certified Platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
in June 2002. The song "Mr. Intentional" reached No. 63 on the French Singles Chart
Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique
The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry...
.
Critical response
Unlike the near-unanimous praise of MiseducationThe Miseducation of Lauryn Hill
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill is the debut solo album by American musician Lauryn Hill, released August 25, 1998, on Columbia Records. Recording sessions for the album took place from late 1997 to June 1998, and were held primarily at Tuff Gong Studios in Jamaica...
, 2.0 sharply divided critics. Allmusic gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, saying that the recording "is the unfinished, unflinching presentation of ideas and of a person. It may not be a proper follow-up to her first album, but it is fascinating." Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
's Sal Cinquemani wrote, "Hill's guitarwork is multi-textured and fine-tuned but her vocals lack confidence and seem to toe the edge of her range throughout the album. And though the stripped-down nature of the show is fitting, many of the songs sound as if they are still in their infancy." Despite the mixed reviews, 2.0 debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 and went Platinum four weeks after its release.
Track listing
Disc 1- "Intro" – 2:28
- "Mr. Intentional" – 6:58
- "Adam Lives in Theory" – 7:26
- "Interlude 1" – 1:56
- "Oh Jerusalem" – 8:54
- "Interlude 2" – 1:21
- "War In The Mind or Freedom Time" – 4:59
- "Interlude 3" – 3:18
- "I Find It Hard to Say (Rebel)" – 6:50
- "Just Like Water" – 6:09
- "Interlude 4" – 1:40
- "Just Want You Around" – 4:36
- "I Gotta Find Peace of Mind" – 9:21
Disc 2
- "Interlude 5" – 12:12
- "Mystery of Iniquity" – 5:10
- "Interlude 6" – 1:42
- "I Get Out" – 5:17
- "Interlude 7" – 0:20
- "I Remember" – 3:46
- "So Much Things to Say" – 5:59
- "The Conquering Lion" – 3:19
- "Outro" – 2:58
Album
| Year | Chart | Peak positions |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 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... (U.S.) |
2 |
| 2002 | Top R&B/hip Hop Albums | 1 |
| 2002 | Top Canadian Albums | 9 |
| 2002 | French Albums Chart | 124 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Canada | Platinum |
| United States | Platinum |
External links
- MTV Unplugged No. 2.0 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...
- Official MTV Unplugged 2.0 Lyrics