No Boys Allowed
Encyclopedia
No Boys Allowed is the second studio album
by American recording artist Keri Hilson
, released on December 17, 2010 through Mosley Music
and Zone 4 Records
. On the album, Hilson is reunited with Timbaland
and Polow da Don
, who executively produced the album, as they did with her debut release
. Hilson also worked with several other producers and songwriters, including Ne-Yo
, John Legend
, StarGate
, Bei Maejor
and Boi-1da
, among others. Meanwhile, Chris Brown, Rick Ross
, J. Cole, Nelly
, Kanye West
and Timbaland all have featured guest vocals. Musically, No Boys Allowed is an R&B
album, which incorporates pop
, soul
, electro and dancehall
into the songs.
The album received mixed reviews from most music critics, and peaked at number eleven on the U.S. Billboard 200
, selling 102,000 copies in its first week. Although it sold 8,000 copies more than her debut album, In a Perfect World...
, it failed to match that album's debut chart position of number four. No Boys Allowed also debuted on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart at number seven, and at number ten on the UK R&B Albums Chart
. The album's lead single
, "Breaking Point
" was released in the United States on September 7, 2010 and peaked at number forty-four on the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart. The second single, "Pretty Girl Rock
", was released on October 12, 2010, and peaked within the top ten on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and the top fifteen in New Zealand.
" at Billboard
headquarters in January 2010, Hilson told Mariel Concepcion of Billboard magazine, that she plans to start recording her second album soon and hopes to work with Robin Thicke
, Lauryn Hill
and Ryan Leslie
. When asked how the album was coming along in June 2010, Hilson made the following comments to Rap-Up TV
: "I’ve been in the studio with a lot of special people, a lot of big names, but a lot of talented people as well ... It's all about new inspiration that I have and just getting all the ideas that I’ve been collecting out, so it's time." She also confirmed reports that she's been working with Dr. Dre
. In July 2010, Hilson revealed in an interview, that she has been working with Polow da Don
, Tricky Stewart and Danja, who she had previously collaborated with for In a Perfect World...
(2009). She also said, that the album would be released when the time is right. "We didn't want to rush this one ... I wanted it to be as organic and as emotional as the first one."
During this time, Lil Kim told HollywoodTV, that she's been in the studio working on a collaboration with Hilson, on a song titled, "Buyou", and revealed Polow da Don produced the track. In an interview with The Boom Box, Hilson spoke of the song saying: "I wanted to talk about how it's not cool to mooch off your woman. It's not manly, it's very boy-like. I don't want to take care of my man. I do buy my own things. You are doing nothing for me, you are taking from me and that's not a good situation. Buy you a phone, buy you a car. It's like saying, come correct or don't come at all." However, "Buyou" with Lil Kim did not make the final track listing, and was replaced with a different version of the song featuring J. Cole. In an interview, Hilson explained, "I happened to love it, [but] having all boy features kinda took precedent over that whole thing happening. However, the door is still open for a remix. In a Perfect World...
, it would be [Lil'] Kim and Nicki Minaj
on the same track." In August 2010, Hilson revealed in an interview with Global Grind that she did not going on any vacations for the Summer, and instead she moved to Los Angeles
to work on the album with Timbaland
and Polow da Don. A statement by Polow was released on Hilson's website, saying "Keri's intense focus on No Boys Allowed has been inspiring to both Timbaland and I, in and out of the studio. This will definitely be one of the best albums of 2010/2011." In November 2010, John Legend
revealed in an interview with Rap-Up, that he wrote a song called, "All the Boys" for the album, and described the song as a "reminiscent of past love".
on March 24, 2010, Hilson revealed that her trip to Africa
had heavily influenced the album's sound. She told the interviewer "Everywhere I travel, I get music from that region of the world. I've been to Nigeria
, I've been to South Africa
, three cites in Africa [in all]. I gather music from these regions, and African music is very drum-heavy. It was very inspiring. I'm definitely going to be using some of that inspiration." When Hilson was interviewed by Global Grind in August 2010, she explained that she was excited about the album's release, because it would be inspirational to all women, stating:
, who was the inspiration behind the songs' lyrics?, Hilson replied "Many, many boys. Many, many, many boys. Even the boys in your life inspired this. I was in an imaginary clubhouse. A lot of times when I was sitting down to write, and I was in an imaginary clubhouse, you were there, Allison. My best friends. Your best friends. Our sisters, our mothers we were all sounding off and yelling at the top of our lungs everything we wish men knew about us. And, uh, so that's really what motivated a lot of the records." Although the album is called No Boys Allowed, Hilson told Lisa Binkert of Billboard
magazine that "I have all male features on the album, but they're all men. Not boys ... I wanted to represent the male point of view. I'm not saying it's always good, but I want you to be honest; the same way that I'm honest about female's perspective. I wanted men to come and sound off." Hilson has stated in an interview with Perez Hilton
that the album's title actually means, No Bullshit Allowed. She released a statement on her website about the title saying, "it's not about excluding men. It's more about women understanding that there comes a time in your life when you want a man. A real man. A grown up. Not a boy. And that's not a bad thing." The deluxe edition of No Boys Allowed had a slightly different album cover. The image, which is the same as the standard edition cover, appears in color against a pink tinged background.
album, No Boys Allowed also contains elements of pop
, soul
, electro and dancehall
. Critics have noted the song, "Bahm Bahm (Do It Once Again)", as a reggae
, dancehall
track which has drawn comparisons to Rihanna
. Other comparisons to Rihanna include "Lose Control/Let Me Down" to "What's My Name?
", "Lie to Me" to "Love the Way You Lie
" and the acoustic ballad "Hustler" to "California King Bed
". "Breaking Point
", which is the first single from No Boys Allowed, has lyrics that are about moving on from relationships that are not working and expecting men to step up to the plate and show women more respect and love. The song's style and sound have been compared to other artists such as Mary J. Blige
and Prince
. Mariel Concepcion of Billboard
noted "Breaking Point" as a "reminiscent of Melanie Fiona
's "Give It to Me Right
" and Beyoncé's "Why Don't You Love Me
".
"Pretty Girl Rock
" is a mid-tempo R&B
song, which incorporates an interpolation of "Just the Two of Us" by Grover Washington, Jr.
When asked about the concept of the song, Hilson stated "I want everybody to feel like they can do the pretty girl rock [dance] ... It's like the hair brush in the mirror, don’t hate me cause I’m beautiful, cause you are. Everybody is beautiful." "The Way You Love Me
" is an upbeat song which generates influences of electro, R&B
, and dance-pop
. The song has been criticized for its explicit lyrics, that features the hook "Fuck me, fuck me", and the line "I got the kinda pussy that'll keep you out the streets". According to Matthew Horton of BBC Online, Hilson's smooth vocals on "Beautiful Mistake", takes you back to Michael Jackson
's Thriller
album. On the other hand, "Gimme What I Want" has been described as an "electro anthem", and according to Andy Kellman of Allmusic, the song is part two to both "Turnin Me On" and "Get Your Money Up
". The album also includes the ballads "All the Boys", "Toy Soldier" and "One Night Stand
" with Chris Brown, which has been described as a "very '90s-sounding R&B ballad."
.
The album's promotion began in November 2010 when Hilson appeared on the front cover of Vibe magazine. On November 7, 2010, "The Way You Love Me
" premiered online. A Laurie Ann Gibson
-directed mini-movie for the song was shot in Los Angeles
during October and featured cameo appearances from JoJo, Faith Evans
, Dawn Richard, Columbus Short
and Polow Da Don
. The mini-movie premiered on WorldStarHipHop.com on November 28, 2010, and was released to iTunes Store
s on December 7, 2010. The video was criticized because of the song's explicit lyrics ("I got the kinda pussy that'll keep you out the streets"), and the limited amount of clothing Hilson had wore in the video. Critics accused the singer of swerving into a racy lane just for page views and album sales for No Boys Allowed. In an interview with Perez Hilton
, Hilson defended the clip and said, "If you put it in context with my album, my album is called No Boys Allowed but really it means no bullshit allowed. In this album, I was screaming in a room — just like I was screaming in the song — I was screaming in a room with all my girlfriends, yelling all the shit we really say." A clean version of the song can be found on No Boys Allowed as track three. Two other songs were also released online. The Lil Kim-assisted "Buyou" premiered on November 15, 2010. and "Toy Soldier" premiered on the Billboard
website on December 13, 2010.
On November 22, 2010, Hilson performed "Pretty Girl Rock
" on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, followed by a performance of the song at the 84th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 25, 2010. She also performed the song at the VH1 Divas
Salute the Troops concert on December 5, 2010, and on the Lopez Tonight
show on December 7, 2010. The next day, Hilson appeared on the Chelsea Lately
show to promote the album. She also appeared on The Today Show on December 14, 2010, and performed "Pretty Girl Rock". The album cover was unveiled on November 10, 2010. The official track listing was released on Amazon.com
on December 6, 2010, along with snippets of the album's songs. Prior to this, photo shoots for the album were released online on December 11, 2010. On December 15, 2010, Hilson performed several of the album's songs at a listening party in her hometown of Atlanta, during the Hot 107.9 FM Christmas party.
" was released as the lead single in the United States on September 7, 2010. The song was produced by Timbaland
and JRoc, and talks about moving on from relationships that are not working and expecting men to step up to the plate and show women more respect and love. Critics gave the song mixed to positive reviews. While Billboard magazine's Mariel Concepcion described the song as an "reminiscent of Melanie Fiona
's "Give It to Me Right
" and Beyoncé's "Why Don't You Love Me
", Rap-Up
noted the song as "vintage-sounding". It was one of Hilson's least successful singles in the United States, only reaching number forty-four on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart.
"Pretty Girl Rock
" premiered at the Beats By Dr. Dre
concert in New York
on September 29, 2010 and released as the album's second single on October 12, 2010. The song was sent to rhythmic radio
in the United States on October 19, 2010, and mainstream radio
on October 26, 2010. It has reached a current peak of number six on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and peaked at number thirty-one on the Billboard Hot 100
. "Pretty Girl Rock" became Hilson's fifth top-fifteen R&B/Hip-Hop Songs hit. On December 27, 2010, the song entered the New Zealand Singles Chart
at number twelve, and has since peaked at number eleven. On January 22, 2011, it debuted on the UK Singles Chart
at number fifty-three and at number seventeen on the UK R&B Chart
.
"One Night Stand
" featuring Chris Brown, was sent to urban mainstream radio as the album's third single on March 8, 2011. In February 2011, Hilson told Rap-Up
magazine that she was considering choosing "One Night Stand" as the next single from No Boys Allowed, after an outpouring of fan support. She said, "My fans are really liking 'One Night Stand' with Chris Brown ... I have a lot of favorites, but the fans are wanting 'One Night Stand.' It’s going to be my urban single. Not going to be, but if we go with it, we'll go with that." The song has appeared on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number sixty-eight. "Lose Control (Let Me Down)
" was sent to rhythmic radio on May 10, 2011, as the album's fourth single.
, whose album Basic Instinct
sold 37,000 copies and was followed by a statement which read almost exactly like Hilson's comments. In the end, No Boys Allowed opened on the Billboard 200
at number eleven with 102,000 copies sold, and although it sold 8,000 copies more than her debut album, In a Perfect World...
, it failed to match that album's debut chart position of number four. On the U.S. R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
, No Boys Allowed debuted at number seven, giving Hilson her second top-ten album on the chart, but again failed to match her debut album's position of number one.
In its second week, No Boys Allowed experienced a 68% decline in sales, shifting a further 33,000 copies and causing the album to drop four spots on the Billboard 200 to number fifteen. On the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart, the album dropped one spot down to number eight. As of February 16, 2011 the album has sold 205,500 copies in the United States. In the United Kingdom, the No Boys Allowed debuted on the UK Albums Chart
at number seventy six, considerably lower than Hilson's previous album, In a Perfect World..., which debuted at number twenty-two. However in comparison, her previous album was released off the back of the 2009 top-five single "Knock You Down
", whereas No Boys Alloweds lead single, "Pretty Girl Rock
", only managed to reach top-sixty. The album was considerably more successful on the UK R&B Chart
, where it reached number ten.
, which assigns a normalized
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
score of 54, based on 13 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews". Allmusic writer Andy Kellman viewed the album as overproduced and commented that it "often falls flat". Ben Ratliff of The New York Times
wrote that "Hilson gets a certain energy out of bossiness", but expressed a mixed response towards its production and viewed that the album lacks a "narrative". Slant Magazine
's Eric Henderson gave it two-and-a-half out of five stars and commented that Hilson "misses the independence espoused by everywomen Khan and Houston and essentially says 'That's a good idea' to her reverse harem of producer-songwriters". Los Angeles Times
writer Margaret Wappler commented that Hilson "is concerned with boundaries" and stated "nearly every song is cluttered with as much textural filigree as possible to distract from the absence of narcotic radio hooks". Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian
noted its "conventional sex-and-love piffle" and wrote that the album "is muddled and devoid of the gutsiness the title leads us to". Rolling Stone
writer Rob Sheffield called the album "hit-or-miss, with failed attempts at pop crossover (the Timbaland collabo 'Breaking Point') and sub-Rihanna reggae moves", but noted "Pretty Girl Rock" and "The Way You Love Me" as "the high points [...] worth digging out".
Mikael Wood of Entertainment Weekly
wrote that "this zigzagging sophomore disc... suggests she’s not quite sure where to go next", but wrote favorably the "sensual future-soul slow jams such as 'One Night Stand' and the Timbaland-produced 'Breaking Point'". Glenn Gamboa of Newsday
gave it a B+ rating and complimented its "brassy hip-hop and sassy soul". Jason Richards of NOW
expressed a mixed response towards its "singles choices" and commented on the prominently male production team, but found it "Impressive, then, that this boy-army, one-girl team was able to pull off a contemporary R&B album so feminine, breezy and thankfully low on ballads". USA Today
s Elysa Gardner gave the album two-and-a-half out of four stars and noted "how little of her own voice comes through on this set of smart and pleasurable but mostly disposable pop-soul candy". BBC Online's Matthew Horton found its music less "ordinary" than that of her previous album and commented that "Hilson is in warm, confident voice throughout". Ken Capobianco of The Boston Globe
complimented the songs concerning "finger-wagging affirmations of self", but wrote that "she never maintains this strong sense of purpose. Instead, Hilson loses focus with hookless songs the busy production can’t save".
Sample credits
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 recording artist Keri Hilson
Keri Hilson
Keri Lynn Hilson is an American R&B singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Decatur, Georgia, Hilson began her music career as a songwriter, penning tracks for several artists in the mid-2000s as part of the five-person production and songwriting team, The Clutch...
, released on December 17, 2010 through Mosley Music
Mosley Music Group
Mosley Music Group is a record label created by producer Tim "Timbaland" Mosley. It operates as an imprint of, and is distributed through, Universal Music Group's Interscope Records.-History:...
and Zone 4 Records
Zone 4 (record label)
Zone 4 is an American record label created as a joint venture between producer Polow da Don and Interscope Records.-History:The label was launched in Atlanta, Georgia on July 16, 2007. Polow started out with four acts - Keri, Rich, YV & i-15 and later added a 5th act in 2008 - YouTube/Myspace...
. On the album, Hilson is reunited with Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
and Polow da Don
Polow Da Don
Polow-Freache Jamal Fincher Jones , better known by known by professional name Polow da Don or Awesome Jones, is an American record producer, songwriter, rapper, and singer. His cousin is Atlanta singer Monica. He has produced for a variety of artists including Usher, Nelly, Christina Aguilera, T.I...
, who executively produced the album, as they did with her debut release
In a Perfect World...
In a Perfect World... is the debut studio album of American singer-songwriter Keri Hilson, released March 24, 2009 on Zone 4. Originally planned for a 2007 release, it was pushed back numerous times into 2009, amid her label's budget issues and minor single releases...
. Hilson also worked with several other producers and songwriters, including Ne-Yo
Ne-Yo
Shaffer Chimere Smith, Jr. , better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. Beginning his career as a songwriter, Ne-Yo penned the hit "Let Me Love You" for singer Mario...
, John Legend
John Legend
John Roger Stephens , better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the recipient of nine Grammy Awards, and in 2007, he received the special Starlight award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.Prior to the release of his debut album, Stephens' career...
, StarGate
Stargate (production team)
This is a list of songs written and produced by the Norwegian production team Stargate.-Produced singles:-1999:5ive - Invincible*05. "Two Sides to Every Story"*06. "You Make Me a Better Man"Noora Noor - Curious*01. "Curious"...
, Bei Maejor
Bei Maejor
Brandon Green, better known by his stage name Bei Maejor, is a Grammy nominated American recording artist, songwriter and record producer.- Life and career :...
and Boi-1da
Boi-1da
Matthew Samuels , better known as Boi-1da , is a Canadian hip-hop producer from Toronto, Ontario. He has produced for artists and groups such as Chip tha Ripper, Kardinal Offishall, Clipse, Drake, Eminem, Saukrates, k-os, G-Unit, and The Diplomats among others...
, among others. Meanwhile, Chris Brown, Rick Ross
Rick Ross (rapper)
William Leonard Roberts II , better known by his stage name Rick Ross, is an American rapper. He derived his stage name from the drug trafficker "Freeway" Ricky Ross, to whom he has no connection...
, J. Cole, Nelly
Nelly
Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
, Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
and Timbaland all have featured guest vocals. Musically, No Boys Allowed is an 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...
album, which incorporates pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, 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...
, electro and dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
into the songs.
The album received mixed reviews from most music critics, and peaked at number eleven on the U.S. 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...
, selling 102,000 copies in its first week. Although it sold 8,000 copies more than her debut album, In a Perfect World...
In a Perfect World...
In a Perfect World... is the debut studio album of American singer-songwriter Keri Hilson, released March 24, 2009 on Zone 4. Originally planned for a 2007 release, it was pushed back numerous times into 2009, amid her label's budget issues and minor single releases...
, it failed to match that album's debut chart position of number four. No Boys Allowed also debuted on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart at number seven, and at number ten on the UK R&B Albums Chart
UK R&B Chart
The Official UK R&B Chart is a forty-position R&B/Hip-Hop chart compiled by The Official UK Charts Company. Although the chart does not receive any airplay, its compilation is viewed on BBC Radio 1's website and publications such as ChartsPlus and Music Week...
. The album's lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
, "Breaking Point
Breaking Point (song)
"Breaking Point" is song by American recording artist Keri Hilson. It was released as the lead single from her second studio album, No Boys Allowed on September 7, 2010 in the United States...
" was released in the United States on September 7, 2010 and peaked at number forty-four on the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart. The second single, "Pretty Girl Rock
Pretty Girl Rock
"Pretty Girl Rock" is a mid-tempo R&B and pop song, that incorporates an interpolation of "Just the Two of Us" by Grover Washington, Jr.. The song makes use of heavy drums and slinky piano and is built on bouncy R&B beats...
", was released on October 12, 2010, and peaked within the top ten on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and the top fifteen in New Zealand.
Recording and production
Following her acoustic performance of "Knock You DownKnock You Down
"Knock You Down" is a song by American singer-songwriter Keri Hilson, taken from her debut studio album, In a Perfect World... . The song features guest vocals from American singer-songwriter Ne-Yo and American rapper Kanye West. The song was written by Hilson, West, and Ne-Yo along with Kevin...
" at 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...
headquarters in January 2010, Hilson told Mariel Concepcion of Billboard magazine, that she plans to start recording her second album soon and hopes to work with Robin Thicke
Robin Thicke
Robin Charles Thicke is an Award-winning American R&B singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and actor. Thicke's albums, which he previously released under the moniker Thicke, are noted for their feature of a predominantly R&B sound. Robin Thicke has penned hits for popular artists such as...
, 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...
and Ryan Leslie
Ryan Leslie
Anthony Ryan Leslie, known professionally as Ryan Leslie, is a Grammy nominated American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, rapper, entrepreneur, and singer. Founder of the media company NextSelection Lifestyle Group, Leslie has produced singles for a number of artists in a variety of genres...
. When asked how the album was coming along in June 2010, Hilson made the following comments to Rap-Up TV
Rap-Up
Rap-Up is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the hip hop and R&B aspect of the music industry, and...
: "I’ve been in the studio with a lot of special people, a lot of big names, but a lot of talented people as well ... It's all about new inspiration that I have and just getting all the ideas that I’ve been collecting out, so it's time." She also confirmed reports that she's been working with Dr. Dre
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...
. In July 2010, Hilson revealed in an interview, that she has been working with Polow da Don
Polow Da Don
Polow-Freache Jamal Fincher Jones , better known by known by professional name Polow da Don or Awesome Jones, is an American record producer, songwriter, rapper, and singer. His cousin is Atlanta singer Monica. He has produced for a variety of artists including Usher, Nelly, Christina Aguilera, T.I...
, Tricky Stewart and Danja, who she had previously collaborated with for In a Perfect World...
In a Perfect World...
In a Perfect World... is the debut studio album of American singer-songwriter Keri Hilson, released March 24, 2009 on Zone 4. Originally planned for a 2007 release, it was pushed back numerous times into 2009, amid her label's budget issues and minor single releases...
(2009). She also said, that the album would be released when the time is right. "We didn't want to rush this one ... I wanted it to be as organic and as emotional as the first one."
During this time, Lil Kim told HollywoodTV, that she's been in the studio working on a collaboration with Hilson, on a song titled, "Buyou", and revealed Polow da Don produced the track. In an interview with The Boom Box, Hilson spoke of the song saying: "I wanted to talk about how it's not cool to mooch off your woman. It's not manly, it's very boy-like. I don't want to take care of my man. I do buy my own things. You are doing nothing for me, you are taking from me and that's not a good situation. Buy you a phone, buy you a car. It's like saying, come correct or don't come at all." However, "Buyou" with Lil Kim did not make the final track listing, and was replaced with a different version of the song featuring J. Cole. In an interview, Hilson explained, "I happened to love it, [but] having all boy features kinda took precedent over that whole thing happening. However, the door is still open for a remix. In a Perfect World...
In a Perfect World...
In a Perfect World... is the debut studio album of American singer-songwriter Keri Hilson, released March 24, 2009 on Zone 4. Originally planned for a 2007 release, it was pushed back numerous times into 2009, amid her label's budget issues and minor single releases...
, it would be [Lil'] Kim and Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj
Onika Tanya Maraj , better known by her stage name Nicki Minaj; ), is a Trinidadian-born American recording artist...
on the same track." In August 2010, Hilson revealed in an interview with Global Grind that she did not going on any vacations for the Summer, and instead she moved to 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...
to work on the album with Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
and Polow da Don. A statement by Polow was released on Hilson's website, saying "Keri's intense focus on No Boys Allowed has been inspiring to both Timbaland and I, in and out of the studio. This will definitely be one of the best albums of 2010/2011." In November 2010, John Legend
John Legend
John Roger Stephens , better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the recipient of nine Grammy Awards, and in 2007, he received the special Starlight award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.Prior to the release of his debut album, Stephens' career...
revealed in an interview with Rap-Up, that he wrote a song called, "All the Boys" for the album, and described the song as a "reminiscent of past love".
Conception and title
In an interview with MTV NewsMTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
on March 24, 2010, Hilson revealed that her trip to Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
had heavily influenced the album's sound. She told the interviewer "Everywhere I travel, I get music from that region of the world. I've been to Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
, I've been to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, three cites in Africa [in all]. I gather music from these regions, and African music is very drum-heavy. It was very inspiring. I'm definitely going to be using some of that inspiration." When Hilson was interviewed by Global Grind in August 2010, she explained that she was excited about the album's release, because it would be inspirational to all women, stating:
"I really wanted to do an album to tell women to be confident, no matter what their circumstances. You have to push through, don't yield at the first sign of adversity. The theme of this event is celebrating the journey and not the success. My personal journey was over 12 years long. I had to sit back and be a songwriter when my first goal was to be an artist. I know a lot of women who just have given up, so I want them to have the same tenacity and drive that men have. I really went there on this album."When asked, by Allison Walker from Central Florida News 13
Central Florida News 13
Central Florida News 13 is a cable news television station located in Orlando, Florida. It currently serves the greater Central Florida areas including Volusia County, Seminole County, Orange County, Osceola County, Lake County, Marion County, Flagler County, and Brevard County...
, who was the inspiration behind the songs' lyrics?, Hilson replied "Many, many boys. Many, many, many boys. Even the boys in your life inspired this. I was in an imaginary clubhouse. A lot of times when I was sitting down to write, and I was in an imaginary clubhouse, you were there, Allison. My best friends. Your best friends. Our sisters, our mothers we were all sounding off and yelling at the top of our lungs everything we wish men knew about us. And, uh, so that's really what motivated a lot of the records." Although the album is called No Boys Allowed, Hilson told Lisa Binkert of 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...
magazine that "I have all male features on the album, but they're all men. Not boys ... I wanted to represent the male point of view. I'm not saying it's always good, but I want you to be honest; the same way that I'm honest about female's perspective. I wanted men to come and sound off." Hilson has stated in an interview with Perez Hilton
Perez Hilton
Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr. , better known as Perez Hilton , is an American blogger and television personality. His blog, Perezhilton.com , is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities...
that the album's title actually means, No Bullshit Allowed. She released a statement on her website about the title saying, "it's not about excluding men. It's more about women understanding that there comes a time in your life when you want a man. A real man. A grown up. Not a boy. And that's not a bad thing." The deluxe edition of No Boys Allowed had a slightly different album cover. The image, which is the same as the standard edition cover, appears in color against a pink tinged background.
Music
Primarily an R&BContemporary 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...
album, No Boys Allowed also contains elements of pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, 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...
, electro and dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
. Critics have noted the song, "Bahm Bahm (Do It Once Again)", as a reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
, dancehall
Dancehall
Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s. In the mid-1980s, digital instrumentation became more prevalent, changing the sound considerably,...
track which has drawn comparisons to Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
. Other comparisons to Rihanna include "Lose Control/Let Me Down" to "What's My Name?
What's My Name? (Rihanna song)
"What's My Name?" is mid-tempo electro-R&B song, produced by Norwegian producers, StarGate, who return Rihanna to the "Island-pop" of her early career with a backing track consisting of "heavy reggae" and ska beats with synthesised organs. Bill Lamb from About.com noted that before Rihanna's vocals...
", "Lie to Me" to "Love the Way You Lie
Love the Way You Lie
"Love the Way You Lie" is a song by American rapper Eminem from his seventh studio album, Recovery . It was released as the album's second single on August 9, 2010, by Interscope-Geffen-A&M. The song features vocals by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. According to her, its theme...
" and the acoustic ballad "Hustler" to "California King Bed
California King Bed
"California King Bed" is a song performed by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna from her fifth studio album, Loud . The song was released as the album's fifth single on May 13, 2011 through Def Jam. The song was written by Andrew Harr, Jermaine Jackson, Priscilla Renea and Alex Delicata, and was...
". "Breaking Point
Breaking Point (song)
"Breaking Point" is song by American recording artist Keri Hilson. It was released as the lead single from her second studio album, No Boys Allowed on September 7, 2010 in the United States...
", which is the first single from No Boys Allowed, has lyrics that are about moving on from relationships that are not working and expecting men to step up to the plate and show women more respect and love. The song's style and sound have been compared to other artists such as Mary J. Blige
Mary J. Blige
Mary Jane Blige is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and occasional actress. She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards and four American Music Awards, and has recorded eight multi-platinum albums. She is the only artist with Grammy Award wins in Pop, Rap, Gospel, and R&B. Blige has...
and Prince
Prince (musician)
Prince Rogers Nelson , often known simply as Prince, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Prince has produced ten platinum albums and thirty Top 40 singles during his career. Prince founded his own recording studio and label; writing, self-producing and playing most, or all, of...
. Mariel Concepcion of 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...
noted "Breaking Point" as a "reminiscent of Melanie Fiona
Melanie Fiona
Melanie Fiona Hallim is a Canadian R&B and Grammy-nominated recording artist from Toronto, Ontario. She was born to Guyanese immigrant parents of African, Indian, and Portuguese descent and grew up in the inner city of Toronto. Living in a music filled household, Fiona says she always knew music...
's "Give It to Me Right
Give It to Me Right
"Give It to Me Right" is a song by Canadian R&B singer Melanie Fiona from her debut album, The Bridge . Written and produced by Andrea Martin, the track was sent to radio outlets as the album's lead single on February 28, 2009...
" and Beyoncé's "Why Don't You Love Me
Why Don't You Love Me (Beyoncé Knowles song)
"Why Don't You Love Me" is a song by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles taken from her third studio album, I Am… Sasha Fierce. It later released as a bonus track on a digital EP titled I Am... Sasha Fierce - The Bonus Tracks. Composed by Knowles, Angela Beyince, Solange Knowles and The Bama Boyz,...
".
"Pretty Girl Rock
Pretty Girl Rock
"Pretty Girl Rock" is a mid-tempo R&B and pop song, that incorporates an interpolation of "Just the Two of Us" by Grover Washington, Jr.. The song makes use of heavy drums and slinky piano and is built on bouncy R&B beats...
" is a mid-tempo 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...
song, which incorporates an interpolation of "Just the Two of Us" by Grover Washington, Jr.
Grover Washington, Jr.
Grover Washington, Jr. was an American jazz-funk / soul-jazz saxophonist. Along with George Benson, John Klemmer, David Sanborn, Bob James, Chuck Mangione, Herb Alpert, and Spyro Gyra, he is considered by many to be one of the founders of the smooth jazz genre.He wrote some of his material and...
When asked about the concept of the song, Hilson stated "I want everybody to feel like they can do the pretty girl rock [dance] ... It's like the hair brush in the mirror, don’t hate me cause I’m beautiful, cause you are. Everybody is beautiful." "The Way You Love Me
The Way You Love Me (Keri Hilson song)
"The Way You Love Me" is a song recorded by American R&B singer-songwriter Keri Hilson featuring rapper Rick Ross from the former's second studio album No Boys Allowed . It was written by Stanley Benton, India Boodram, Paul Dawson, Hilson, Kesia Hollins, Jazmyn Michel as well as William Roberts,...
" is an upbeat song which generates influences of electro, 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...
, and dance-pop
Dance-pop
Dance-pop is dance-oriented pop music that originated in the early 1980s. Developing from post-disco, it is generally up-tempo music intended for clubs with the intention of being danceable or merely dancey...
. The song has been criticized for its explicit lyrics, that features the hook "Fuck me, fuck me", and the line "I got the kinda pussy that'll keep you out the streets". According to Matthew Horton of BBC Online, Hilson's smooth vocals on "Beautiful Mistake", takes you back to 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...
's Thriller
Thriller (album)
Thriller is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on November 30, 1982, by Epic Records as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off the Wall...
album. On the other hand, "Gimme What I Want" has been described as an "electro anthem", and according to Andy Kellman of Allmusic, the song is part two to both "Turnin Me On" and "Get Your Money Up
In a Perfect World...
In a Perfect World... is the debut studio album of American singer-songwriter Keri Hilson, released March 24, 2009 on Zone 4. Originally planned for a 2007 release, it was pushed back numerous times into 2009, amid her label's budget issues and minor single releases...
". The album also includes the ballads "All the Boys", "Toy Soldier" and "One Night Stand
One Night Stand (Keri Hilson song)
"One Night Stand" is a song by American recording artist Keri Hilson, taken from her second studio album, No Boys Allowed. It features American R&B singer Chris Brown who co-wrote the song alongside Kevin McCall and Charlie Bereal, who also produced the track...
" with Chris Brown, which has been described as a "very '90s-sounding R&B ballad."
Release and promotion
In September 2010, Rap-Up magazine confirmed that No Boys Allowed would be released on November 30, 2010. However, the album's release date was re-scheduled to December 21, 2010. No Boys Allowed was released in two separate editions; the standard and the deluxe, with both editions' digital releases containing the album's CD booklet. The deluxe edition also includes four bonus tracks, "Hustler", "Lie to Me", "Won't Be Long" and "Fearless", with the latter released only on iTunesITunes
iTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
.
The album's promotion began in November 2010 when Hilson appeared on the front cover of Vibe magazine. On November 7, 2010, "The Way You Love Me
The Way You Love Me (Keri Hilson song)
"The Way You Love Me" is a song recorded by American R&B singer-songwriter Keri Hilson featuring rapper Rick Ross from the former's second studio album No Boys Allowed . It was written by Stanley Benton, India Boodram, Paul Dawson, Hilson, Kesia Hollins, Jazmyn Michel as well as William Roberts,...
" premiered online. A Laurie Ann Gibson
Laurie Ann Gibson
Laurie N. Jibsen is a creative director, VMA-winning choreographer, and Emmy-nominated director best known for her work with Lady Gaga, Diddy and Keri Hilson. She rose to public prominence as the star of MTV's Making the Band and P. Diddy and Mark Burnett’s Starmaker series...
-directed mini-movie for the song was shot 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...
during October and featured cameo appearances from JoJo, Faith Evans
Faith Evans
Faith Renée Evans is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, record producer, actress and author. Born in Florida and raised in New Jersey, Evans relocated to Los Angeles during 1993 for a career with the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al B...
, Dawn Richard, Columbus Short
Columbus Short
Columbus Keith Short, Jr. is an American choreographer, actor, and singer. He choreographed Britney Spears's Onyx Hotel Tour and worked with Brian Friedman...
and Polow Da Don
Polow Da Don
Polow-Freache Jamal Fincher Jones , better known by known by professional name Polow da Don or Awesome Jones, is an American record producer, songwriter, rapper, and singer. His cousin is Atlanta singer Monica. He has produced for a variety of artists including Usher, Nelly, Christina Aguilera, T.I...
. The mini-movie premiered on WorldStarHipHop.com on November 28, 2010, and was released to iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
s on December 7, 2010. The video was criticized because of the song's explicit lyrics ("I got the kinda pussy that'll keep you out the streets"), and the limited amount of clothing Hilson had wore in the video. Critics accused the singer of swerving into a racy lane just for page views and album sales for No Boys Allowed. In an interview with Perez Hilton
Perez Hilton
Mario Armando Lavandeira, Jr. , better known as Perez Hilton , is an American blogger and television personality. His blog, Perezhilton.com , is known for posts covering gossip items about celebrities...
, Hilson defended the clip and said, "If you put it in context with my album, my album is called No Boys Allowed but really it means no bullshit allowed. In this album, I was screaming in a room — just like I was screaming in the song — I was screaming in a room with all my girlfriends, yelling all the shit we really say." A clean version of the song can be found on No Boys Allowed as track three. Two other songs were also released online. The Lil Kim-assisted "Buyou" premiered on November 15, 2010. and "Toy Soldier" premiered on the 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...
website on December 13, 2010.
On November 22, 2010, Hilson performed "Pretty Girl Rock
Pretty Girl Rock
"Pretty Girl Rock" is a mid-tempo R&B and pop song, that incorporates an interpolation of "Just the Two of Us" by Grover Washington, Jr.. The song makes use of heavy drums and slinky piano and is built on bouncy R&B beats...
" on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, followed by a performance of the song at the 84th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 25, 2010. She also performed the song at the VH1 Divas
VH1 Divas
In 1998, VH1 debuted the first annual VH1 Divas concert. VH1 Divas Live was created to support the channel's Save The Music Foundation and subsequent concerts in the series have also benefited that foundation. The VH1 Divas concerts aired annually from 1998 to 2004. After a five year hiatus, the...
Salute the Troops concert on December 5, 2010, and on the Lopez Tonight
Lopez Tonight
Lopez Tonight was an American late-night television talk show hosted by comedian George Lopez. The hour-long program premiered on November 9, 2009, on cable network TBS. Lopez was the first Mexican American to host a late-night talk show on an English-language network in the United States. The...
show on December 7, 2010. The next day, Hilson appeared on the Chelsea Lately
Chelsea Lately
Chelsea Lately is an American late night comedy talk show hosted by comedian Chelsea Handler on E!. The show debuted on July 16, 2007, and is produced by Handler's production company, Borderline Amazing Productions...
show to promote the album. She also appeared on The Today Show on December 14, 2010, and performed "Pretty Girl Rock". The album cover was unveiled on November 10, 2010. The official track listing was released on Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
on December 6, 2010, along with snippets of the album's songs. Prior to this, photo shoots for the album were released online on December 11, 2010. On December 15, 2010, Hilson performed several of the album's songs at a listening party in her hometown of Atlanta, during the Hot 107.9 FM Christmas party.
Singles
"Breaking PointBreaking Point (song)
"Breaking Point" is song by American recording artist Keri Hilson. It was released as the lead single from her second studio album, No Boys Allowed on September 7, 2010 in the United States...
" was released as the lead single in the United States on September 7, 2010. The song was produced by Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
and JRoc, and talks about moving on from relationships that are not working and expecting men to step up to the plate and show women more respect and love. Critics gave the song mixed to positive reviews. While Billboard magazine's Mariel Concepcion described the song as an "reminiscent of Melanie Fiona
Melanie Fiona
Melanie Fiona Hallim is a Canadian R&B and Grammy-nominated recording artist from Toronto, Ontario. She was born to Guyanese immigrant parents of African, Indian, and Portuguese descent and grew up in the inner city of Toronto. Living in a music filled household, Fiona says she always knew music...
's "Give It to Me Right
Give It to Me Right
"Give It to Me Right" is a song by Canadian R&B singer Melanie Fiona from her debut album, The Bridge . Written and produced by Andrea Martin, the track was sent to radio outlets as the album's lead single on February 28, 2009...
" and Beyoncé's "Why Don't You Love Me
Why Don't You Love Me (Beyoncé Knowles song)
"Why Don't You Love Me" is a song by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles taken from her third studio album, I Am… Sasha Fierce. It later released as a bonus track on a digital EP titled I Am... Sasha Fierce - The Bonus Tracks. Composed by Knowles, Angela Beyince, Solange Knowles and The Bama Boyz,...
", Rap-Up
Rap-Up
Rap-Up is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the hip hop and R&B aspect of the music industry, and...
noted the song as "vintage-sounding". It was one of Hilson's least successful singles in the United States, only reaching number forty-four on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart.
"Pretty Girl Rock
Pretty Girl Rock
"Pretty Girl Rock" is a mid-tempo R&B and pop song, that incorporates an interpolation of "Just the Two of Us" by Grover Washington, Jr.. The song makes use of heavy drums and slinky piano and is built on bouncy R&B beats...
" premiered at the Beats By Dr. Dre
Beats By Dr. Dre
Beats By Dr. Dre is a brand of headphones and loudspeakers marketed by hip-hop/rap musician Dr. Dre and Interscope-Geffen-A&M Records chairman Jimmy Iovine under Beats Electronics LLC. There are six versions of the headphones and six versions of the earphones, which are manufactured and...
concert in 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...
on September 29, 2010 and released as the album's second single on October 12, 2010. The song was sent to rhythmic radio
Rhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may...
in the United States on October 19, 2010, and mainstream radio
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
on October 26, 2010. It has reached a current peak of number six on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and peaked at number thirty-one on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. "Pretty Girl Rock" became Hilson's fifth top-fifteen R&B/Hip-Hop Songs hit. On December 27, 2010, the song entered the New Zealand Singles Chart
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
at number twelve, and has since peaked at number eleven. On January 22, 2011, it debuted on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
at number fifty-three and at number seventeen on the UK R&B Chart
UK R&B Chart
The Official UK R&B Chart is a forty-position R&B/Hip-Hop chart compiled by The Official UK Charts Company. Although the chart does not receive any airplay, its compilation is viewed on BBC Radio 1's website and publications such as ChartsPlus and Music Week...
.
"One Night Stand
One Night Stand (Keri Hilson song)
"One Night Stand" is a song by American recording artist Keri Hilson, taken from her second studio album, No Boys Allowed. It features American R&B singer Chris Brown who co-wrote the song alongside Kevin McCall and Charlie Bereal, who also produced the track...
" featuring Chris Brown, was sent to urban mainstream radio as the album's third single on March 8, 2011. In February 2011, Hilson told Rap-Up
Rap-Up
Rap-Up is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on the hip hop and R&B aspect of the music industry, and...
magazine that she was considering choosing "One Night Stand" as the next single from No Boys Allowed, after an outpouring of fan support. She said, "My fans are really liking 'One Night Stand' with Chris Brown ... I have a lot of favorites, but the fans are wanting 'One Night Stand.' It’s going to be my urban single. Not going to be, but if we go with it, we'll go with that." The song has appeared on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number sixty-eight. "Lose Control (Let Me Down)
Lose Control (Let Me Down)
"Lose Control " is a song performed by American recording artist Keri Hilson featuring Nelly, taken from her second studio album, No Boys Allowed . The song was produced by Norwegian duo StarGate, who wrote the song with Nelly and Ester Dean...
" was sent to rhythmic radio on May 10, 2011, as the album's fourth single.
Commercial performance
When speaking of her expectations for No Boys Allowed, Hilson said she hoped that she would shift more than 35,000 copies. "I would like to higher than 35k - I mean anyone would... I saw a quote where she said it's not all about the numbers and I'm not really a chart reader, I don't look at charts. It's probably what she honestly feels." The media took Hilson's comments as a response to fellow R&B singer CiaraCiara
Ciara Princess Harris , known mononymously as Ciara, is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, actress and fashion model. Born in Austin, Texas, she traveled around the world during her childhood, only to land in Atlanta, Georgia where she met music producer, Jazze Pha...
, whose album Basic Instinct
Basic Instinct (album)
Basic Instinct is the fourth studio album by American recording artist Ciara, released from December 10, 2010 by LaFace Records . Executively produced by A&R agent Mark Pitts, Ciara, Tricky Stewart and The-Dream, Basic Instinct returnes Ciara to her urban roots with mid-tempo R&B cuts and...
sold 37,000 copies and was followed by a statement which read almost exactly like Hilson's comments. In the end, No Boys Allowed opened 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...
at number eleven with 102,000 copies sold, and although it sold 8,000 copies more than her debut album, In a Perfect World...
In a Perfect World...
In a Perfect World... is the debut studio album of American singer-songwriter Keri Hilson, released March 24, 2009 on Zone 4. Originally planned for a 2007 release, it was pushed back numerous times into 2009, amid her label's budget issues and minor single releases...
, it failed to match that album's debut chart position of number four. On the U.S. 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...
, No Boys Allowed debuted at number seven, giving Hilson her second top-ten album on the chart, but again failed to match her debut album's position of number one.
In its second week, No Boys Allowed experienced a 68% decline in sales, shifting a further 33,000 copies and causing the album to drop four spots on the Billboard 200 to number fifteen. On the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart, the album dropped one spot down to number eight. As of February 16, 2011 the album has sold 205,500 copies in the United States. In the United Kingdom, the No Boys Allowed debuted on 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...
at number seventy six, considerably lower than Hilson's previous album, In a Perfect World..., which debuted at number twenty-two. However in comparison, her previous album was released off the back of the 2009 top-five single "Knock You Down
Knock You Down
"Knock You Down" is a song by American singer-songwriter Keri Hilson, taken from her debut studio album, In a Perfect World... . The song features guest vocals from American singer-songwriter Ne-Yo and American rapper Kanye West. The song was written by Hilson, West, and Ne-Yo along with Kevin...
", whereas No Boys Alloweds lead single, "Pretty Girl Rock
Pretty Girl Rock
"Pretty Girl Rock" is a mid-tempo R&B and pop song, that incorporates an interpolation of "Just the Two of Us" by Grover Washington, Jr.. The song makes use of heavy drums and slinky piano and is built on bouncy R&B beats...
", only managed to reach top-sixty. The album was considerably more successful on the UK R&B Chart
UK R&B Chart
The Official UK R&B Chart is a forty-position R&B/Hip-Hop chart compiled by The Official UK Charts Company. Although the chart does not receive any airplay, its compilation is viewed on BBC Radio 1's website and publications such as ChartsPlus and Music Week...
, where it reached number ten.
Critical response
No Boys Allowed received mixed 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 54, based on 13 reviews, which indicates "mixed or average reviews". Allmusic writer Andy Kellman viewed the album as overproduced and commented that it "often falls flat". Ben Ratliff of The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
wrote that "Hilson gets a certain energy out of bossiness", but expressed a mixed response towards its production and viewed that the album lacks a "narrative". 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 Eric Henderson gave it two-and-a-half out of five stars and commented that Hilson "misses the independence espoused by everywomen Khan and Houston and essentially says 'That's a good idea' to her reverse harem of producer-songwriters". Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
writer Margaret Wappler commented that Hilson "is concerned with boundaries" and stated "nearly every song is cluttered with as much textural filigree as possible to distract from the absence of narcotic radio hooks". Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
noted its "conventional sex-and-love piffle" and wrote that the album "is muddled and devoid of the gutsiness the title leads us to". 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...
writer Rob Sheffield called the album "hit-or-miss, with failed attempts at pop crossover (the Timbaland collabo 'Breaking Point') and sub-Rihanna reggae moves", but noted "Pretty Girl Rock" and "The Way You Love Me" as "the high points [...] worth digging out".
Mikael Wood of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
wrote that "this zigzagging sophomore disc... suggests she’s not quite sure where to go next", but wrote favorably the "sensual future-soul slow jams such as 'One Night Stand' and the Timbaland-produced 'Breaking Point'". Glenn Gamboa of Newsday
Newsday
Newsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
gave it a B+ rating and complimented its "brassy hip-hop and sassy soul". Jason Richards of NOW
NOW (magazine)
Now is a free weekly newspaper in Toronto, Canada. It was first printed on September 10, 1981 by Michael Hollett and Alice Klein. Now is an alternative weekly mixing arts and entertainment news with political coverage....
expressed a mixed response towards its "singles choices" and commented on the prominently male production team, but found it "Impressive, then, that this boy-army, one-girl team was able to pull off a contemporary R&B album so feminine, breezy and thankfully low on ballads". USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
s Elysa Gardner gave the album two-and-a-half out of four stars and noted "how little of her own voice comes through on this set of smart and pleasurable but mostly disposable pop-soul candy". BBC Online's Matthew Horton found its music less "ordinary" than that of her previous album and commented that "Hilson is in warm, confident voice throughout". Ken Capobianco of The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
complimented the songs concerning "finger-wagging affirmations of self", but wrote that "she never maintains this strong sense of purpose. Instead, Hilson loses focus with hookless songs the busy production can’t save".
Track listing
- Track listing and credits from album booklet.
Deluxe edition
Notes* signifies a co-producer- In Japan, only one version of the album was released. The Japan version, features the deluxe edition cover art and eighteen songs (the twelve standard edition songs plus the deluxe edition extra songs and the international bonus tracks).
Sample credits
- Track 2, "Pretty Girl Rock", and track 12, "Pretty Girl Rock (feat. Kanye West)", interpolate "Just the Two of Us" as written by Bill WithersBill WithersWilliam Harrison "Bill" Withers, Jr. is an American singer-songwriter and musician who performed and recorded from 1970 until 1985. Some of his best-known songs are "Lean on Me", "Ain't No Sunshine", "Use Me", "Just the Two of Us", "Lovely Day", and "Grandma's Hands"...
, Ralph MacDonald, William Salter.
Personnel
Credits for No Boys Allowed adapted from Allmusic.- Brian Allison – assistant, assistant engineer
- Arden Altino – producer
- Marcella "Ms. Lago" Araica – mixing
- Matt Benefield – assistant engineer
- Charlie Bereal – producer
- Adam Beyrer – editing
- Billy B. – make-up
- Boi-1DA – producer
- Veronika Bozeman – vocal producer, background vocals
- Matthew Burnett – additional production
- Kelvin Chu – A&R
- Corey Shoemaker – engineer
- Kevin "KD" Davis – mixing
- Demacio "Demo" Castellon – mixing
- Mike DeSalvo – assistant
- DJ Mormile – A&R
- Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis – producer
- Mikkel S. Eriksen – engineer, instrumental
- Cliff Feiman – production supervisor
- Rick Frazier – A&R
- Avena Gallagher – stylist
- Todd Gallopo – art direction, design
- Chris Gerhinger – mastering
- Chris Godbey – engineer, mixing
- Moses Gollart – assistant
- Jerome "Jroc" Harmon – producer
- Chuck Harmony – producer
- Koby Hass – assistant
- Tor Erik Hermansen – instrumental
- Keri Hilson – arranger, vocal arrangement, vocal producer
- Hollywood Hotsauce – producer
- Chazi Hourani – assistant
- Ghazi Hourani – assistant
- Mike "TrakGuru" Johnson – engineer, vocal engineer
- Aljamaal Jones – A&R
- Brandon Jones – mixing assistant
- Bryan "The Beard" Jones – assistant, engineer, vocal engineer
- Jerel Lake – mixing assistant
- Damien Lewis – assistant engineer, engineer
- James Lewis – guitar
- Bei Maejor – additional production
- Ian Mercel – assistant engineer
- Krista Michalski – coordination
- Clint Nelson – assistant
- Terrence Nelson – A&R
- Maisha Oliver – hair stylist
- Jason "JP" Perry – keyboards
- Polow da Don – additional production, executive producer, producer
- Edward Sanders – assistant
- Kevin Schinstock – engineer
- Mike Scott – guitar
- Eric Spence – A&R
- Stargate – producer
- John Stephens – piano
- Jeremy Stevenson – engineer
- Dalya Taman – creative coordinator
- Phil Tan – mixing
- Timbaland – producer
- Sergio "Sergical" Tsai – engineer, mixing
- William Villane – assistant
- Miles Walker – engineer
- Kevin Wilson – assistant
- Andre Yu – cello
Charts
| Charts (2010–11) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| 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... |
96 |
| 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... |
76 |
| UK R&B Albums Chart UK R&B Chart The Official UK R&B Chart is a forty-position R&B/Hip-Hop chart compiled by The Official UK Charts Company. Although the chart does not receive any airplay, its compilation is viewed on BBC Radio 1's website and publications such as ChartsPlus and Music Week... |
10 |
| 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... |
11 |
| US 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... |
7 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | December 17, 2010 | CD Compact Disc The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,... , digital download Music download A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment... |
Universal Music Universal Music Group Universal Music Group is an American music group, the largest of the "big four" record companies by its commanding market share and its multitude of global operations... |
0602527536804 |
| New Zealand | ||||
| Canada | December 21, 2010 | Interscope Records Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:... |
||
| United States | Mosley Music Mosley Music Group Mosley Music Group is a record label created by producer Tim "Timbaland" Mosley. It operates as an imprint of, and is distributed through, Universal Music Group's Interscope Records.-History:... , Zone 4 Zone 4 (record label) Zone 4 is an American record label created as a joint venture between producer Polow da Don and Interscope Records.-History:The label was launched in Atlanta, Georgia on July 16, 2007. Polow started out with four acts - Keri, Rich, YV & i-15 and later added a 5th act in 2008 - YouTube/Myspace... |
15088 | ||
| Australia | December 24, 2010 | Universal Music | ||
| France | January 10, 2011 | |||
| Germany | ||||
| United Kingdom | Polydor Records Polydor Records Polydor is a record label owned by Universal Music Group, headquartered in the United Kingdom.-Beginnings:Polydor was originally an independent branch of the Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. Its name was first used as an export label in 1924, the British and German branches of the Gramophone... |
|||
| Poland | January 21, 2011 | Universal Music | 00602527536804 | |
| Japan | January 26, 2011 | UICS1217 | ||
| Germany | July 8, 2011
|
External links
- No Boys Allowed 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,...