This Is Not a Test!
Encyclopedia
This Is Not a Test! is the fifth studio album
by American rapper Missy Elliott
, released by The Goldmind Inc.
and Elektra Records
on November 25, 2003 in the United States. It was primarily produced by Timbaland
, with additional production from Craig Brockman
, Nisan Stewart
and Elliott herself.
The album received generally favorable reviews from critics and debuted at number thirteen on the Billboard 200
, selling 143,600 copies in the first week of release. It has sold 690,000 copies in the United States and has been certified Platinum
by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA).
gave the album four out of five stars, saying, "Why anybody would choose to spend their life without a copy of This Is Not a Test! is a mystery." Dan Martin of NME
gave the album eight out of ten stars, saying the album was "all about the beats" and "not a right lot else", adding it was "Missy's most uncompromising work yet". Nick Catucci of Blender
gave the album three out of five stars, saying the album "lacks feeling" and asked, "besides beats, what else does she care about?" John Bush of Allmusic gave the album three out of five stars, saying the album "is an effective argument for song-by-song downloads." This Is Not a Test! placed on Slant Magazine
's list of best albums of the 2000s at number 87.
The album debuted at number thirteen on the Billboard 200
, selling 143,600 copies in the first week of release. It has sold 690,000 copies in the United States and has been certified Platinum
by the RIAA
.
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 rapper Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
, released by The Goldmind Inc.
The Goldmind Inc.
The Goldmind, Inc. is an American record label founded by hip hop artist Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott. Elliott was once distributed through Elektra Entertainment Group, and more recently by Atlantic Records before starting her own label. The Goldmind, Inc...
and Elektra Records
Elektra Records
Elektra Records is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group. In 2004, it was consolidated into WMG's Atlantic Records Group. After five years of dormancy, the label was revived by Atlantic in 2009....
on November 25, 2003 in the United States. It was primarily produced by Timbaland
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
, with additional production from Craig Brockman
Craig Brockman
Craig Brockman is a hip hop and R&B record producer, arranger, keyboardist, and instrumentalist. He mostly works with Missy Elliott, Timbaland and Nisan Stewart.-Production:...
, Nisan Stewart
Nisan Stewart
Nisan Stewart is a noted drummer, record producer and songwriter. Having worked with Timbaland and Missy Elliott on Missy Elliott's earlier work , he co-produced Karen Clark Sheard's 2002 album 2nd Chance, and co-produced and co-wrote the Nelly Furtado single "No Hay Igual" with Timbaland...
and Elliott herself.
The album received generally favorable reviews from critics and debuted at number thirteen 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...
, selling 143,600 copies in the first week of release. It has sold 690,000 copies in the United States and has been 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,...
by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA).
Reception
Reviews for the album have been generally favorable. Rob Sheffield of Rolling StoneRolling 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...
gave the album four out of five stars, saying, "Why anybody would choose to spend their life without a copy of This Is Not a Test! is a mystery." Dan Martin of NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
gave the album eight out of ten stars, saying the album was "all about the beats" and "not a right lot else", adding it was "Missy's most uncompromising work yet". Nick Catucci of Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
gave the album three out of five stars, saying the album "lacks feeling" and asked, "besides beats, what else does she care about?" John Bush of Allmusic gave the album three out of five stars, saying the album "is an effective argument for song-by-song downloads." This Is Not a Test! placed on 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 list of best albums of the 2000s at number 87.
The album debuted at number thirteen 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...
, selling 143,600 copies in the first week of release. It has sold 690,000 copies in the United States and has been 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,...
by the RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
.
Track listing
| # | Title | Producer(s) | Featured guest(s) | Writers | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Baby Girl Interlude/Intro" | Timbaland Timbaland Timothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper.... , Missy Elliott |
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... |
M. Elliott, T. Mosley | 2:13 |
| 2 | "Bomb Intro/Pass That Dutch Pass That Dutch "Pass That Dutch" is the first single from Missy Elliott's album This Is Not A Test! The single reached No. 27 on the Billboard Hot 100 on October 21, 2003.The song contains samples of "Magic Mountain" by War and "Potholes in My Lawn" by De La Soul.... " |
Timbaland, Missy Elliott | M. Elliott, T. Mosley | 3:37 | |
| 3 | "Wake Up" | Timbaland, Missy Elliott | Jay-Z Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010... |
S. Carter, M. Elliott, T. Mosley | 4:06 |
| 4 | "Keep It Movin'" | Timbaland, Missy Elliott | Elephant Man | O. Bryan, M. Elliott, T. Mosley | 3:39 |
| 5 | "Is This Our Last Time" | Soul Diggaz | Fabolous Fabolous John David Jackson , better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper of African American and Dominican descent. He grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Part of his early popularity arose from his hit single "Can't Deny It" in 2001, from his debut... |
M. Elliott, J. J. Jackson, K. Mack, L. Owens | 5:26 |
| 6 | "Ragtime Interlude/I'm Really Hot I'm Really Hot "I'm Really Hot" is the second and final single from Missy Elliott's 5th album This Is Not a Test! The video remix of the song contains a sample of "Hot Music" by British pop trio Soho. The video makes reference to the Quentin Tarantino movie Kill Bill: Volume 1.-Track listing:-Chart performance:... " |
Timbaland, Missy Elliott | C. Brockman, M. Elliott, T. Mosley | 3:30 | |
| 7 | "Dats What I'm Talkin About" | Missy Elliott, Nisan Stewart Nisan Stewart Nisan Stewart is a noted drummer, record producer and songwriter. Having worked with Timbaland and Missy Elliott on Missy Elliott's earlier work , he co-produced Karen Clark Sheard's 2002 album 2nd Chance, and co-produced and co-wrote the Nelly Furtado single "No Hay Igual" with Timbaland... , Craig Brockman Craig Brockman Craig Brockman is a hip hop and R&B record producer, arranger, keyboardist, and instrumentalist. He mostly works with Missy Elliott, Timbaland and Nisan Stewart.-Production:... |
R. Kelly R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play... |
C. Brockman, M. Elliott, R. Kelly, N. Stewart | 4:48 |
| 8 | "Don't Be Cruel" | Monica and Beenie Man Beenie Man Anthony Moses Davis , better known by his stage name Beenie Man, is a Grammy award winning Jamaican reggae artist. He is the self-proclaimed "King of the Dancehall".-Biography:... |
M. Davis, M. Elliott, T. Mosley | 4:33 | |
| 9 | "Toyz Interlude/Toyz" | C. Brockman, M. Elliott, T. Mosley | 2:52 | ||
| 10 | "Let It Bump" | M. Elliott, T. Mosley | 2:50 | ||
| 11 | "Pump It Up" | Timbaland, Missy Elliott | 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... |
M. Elliott, T. Mosley, C. Haynes | 3:05 |
| 12 | "It's Real" | Missy Elliott, Craig Brockman | C. Brockman, M. Elliott | 2:52 | |
| 13 | "Let Me Fix My Weave" | Timbaland, Missy Elliott | M. Elliott, T. Mosley | 3:59 | |
| 14 | "Spelling Bee Interlude/Spelling Bee" | Timbaland, Missy Elliott | M. Elliott, T. Mosley | 3:34 | |
| 15 | "I'm Not Perfect" | Missy Elliott, Nisan Stewart, Craig Brockman | The Clark Sisters The Clark Sisters The Clark Sisters are an American gospel vocal group consisting of four sisters:Jacky Clark Chisholm, Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark, Dorinda Clark-Cole, and Karen Clark Sheard. A fifth sister, Denise Clark Bradford, no longer performs with the group. The Clark Sisters are the daughters of legendary... |
C. Brockman, M. Elliott, N. Stewart | 3:49 |
| 16 | "Outro" | Timbaland, Missy Elliott | Mary J. Blige | M. Elliott, T. Mosley | 1:21 |
| 17 | "Pass That Dutch (Kao Pass Brothers Remix)"(Japanese Bonus Track) |
Personnel
- June Ambrose – stylistBarberA barber is someone whose occupation is to cut any type of hair, and to shave or trim the beards of men. The place of work of a barber is generally called a barbershop....
- Yaneley Arty – A&RA&RArtists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and overseeing the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
- Carlos "El Loco" Bedoya – engineer
- Beenie ManBeenie ManAnthony Moses Davis , better known by his stage name Beenie Man, is a Grammy award winning Jamaican reggae artist. He is the self-proclaimed "King of the Dancehall".-Biography:...
– vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, guest appearanceGuest appearanceIn show business , a guest appearance is a participation of an outsider performer , usually called guest artist , in an event , i.e., the participation of a performer which does not belong to the regular crew In performance... - Ian Blanch – engineer
- Bless – scratchingScratchingScratching is a DJ or turntablist technique used to produce distinctive sounds by moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable while optionally manipulating the crossfader on a DJ mixer. While scratching is most commonly associated with hip hop music, since the late 1980s, it has been used...
, group member - Mary J. BligeMary J. BligeMary 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...
– vocals, guest appearance - Merlin Bobb – A&R
- Stacy Boge – photo production
- Anita Marisa Boriboon – art directionArt directorThe art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
, designDesignerA designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a... - Craig "Boogie" BrockmanCraig BrockmanCraig Brockman is a hip hop and R&B record producer, arranger, keyboardist, and instrumentalist. He mostly works with Missy Elliott, Timbaland and Nisan Stewart.-Production:...
– keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
, producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music... - Jay Brown – executive producer, A&R
- Suzanne Burge – product managerProduct ManagerA product manager investigates, selects, and develops products for an organization, performing the activities of product management.A product manager considers numerous factors such as intended demographic, the products offered by the competition, and how well the product fits with the company's...
- Demacio Castellon – mixing assistant
- Vadim Chislov – mixing assistant
- The Clark SistersThe Clark SistersThe Clark Sisters are an American gospel vocal group consisting of four sisters:Jacky Clark Chisholm, Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark, Dorinda Clark-Cole, and Karen Clark Sheard. A fifth sister, Denise Clark Bradford, no longer performs with the group. The Clark Sisters are the daughters of legendary...
– vocals, guest appearance - Annette Coleman – hair stylist
- Jimmy Douglass – engineer
- Elephant Man – vocals, guest appearance
- Missy ElliottMissy ElliottMelissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
– vocals, producer, executive producer - Patricia Elliott – A&R
- FabolousFabolousJohn David Jackson , better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper of African American and Dominican descent. He grew up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York. Part of his early popularity arose from his hit single "Can't Deny It" in 2001, from his debut...
– vocals, guest appearance - Roberto Fantauzzi – photo production
- Linda Fields – background vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
- Andre Johnson – coordination
- Claudine Joseph – product manager
- R. KellyR. KellyRobert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
– vocals, guest appearance - Michael Kennedy – prop design
- Scott Kieklak – mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- Safiya Lewis – coordination
- NellyNellyCornell 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...
– vocals, guest appearance - Lili Picou – design
- Herb Powers – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
- Chris Puram – engineer
- Senator Jimmy D – mixing
- Nisan StewartNisan StewartNisan Stewart is a noted drummer, record producer and songwriter. Having worked with Timbaland and Missy Elliott on Missy Elliott's earlier work , he co-produced Karen Clark Sheard's 2002 album 2nd Chance, and co-produced and co-wrote the Nelly Furtado single "No Hay Igual" with Timbaland...
– producer - TimbalandTimbalandTimothy Zachery Mosley , better known by his stage name Timbaland, is an American record producer, songwriter and rapper....
– producer, executive producer
Charts
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
39 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 67 |
| Belgian Albums Charts (Flanders Flanders Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp... ) |
32 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 44 |
| French Albums 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... |
63 |
| German Albums Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
37 |
| Netherlands Albums Chart | 44 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 35 |
| Swedish Albums Chart | 50 |
| Swiss Albums Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
25 |
| 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... |
13 |
| 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... |
3 |
| 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... |
49 |
Release history
| Region | Date |
|---|---|
| Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
November 24, 2003 |
| United Kingdom United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... |
|
| Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
November 25, 2003 |
| France France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
|
| Japan Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
|
| United States United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |