''Bobby Digital in Stereo'' is the debut studio album by American rapper and producer
RZA. It was released on November 24, 1998, and was certified Gold on February 5, 1999, by the
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA). It is an experimental album that is based on a story featuring him rhyming as a
hedonistic
Hedonism refers to a family of theories, all of which have in common that pleasure plays a central role in them. ''Psychological'' or ''motivational hedonism'' claims that human behavior is determined by desires to increase pleasure and to decre ...
, fun-loving
alter-ego
An alter ego (Latin for "other I", "doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a different ...
named Bobby Digital and showcasing a unique keyboard-driven sound (rather than samples) that RZA called digital orchestra, receiving mostly positive, though somewhat mixed, reviews.
Background
He explained the origins of Bobby Digital, saying:
Music
Lyrical content
On the pseudonym and character of Bobby Digital, which dominated the album's lyrics, RZA later stated:
Production
The sound of the album is largely keyboard-driven, but there are still samples. On the sound of ''Bobby Digital'', RZA stated:
Track listing
Track listing information is taken from the official
liner notes
Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes.
Origin
Liner notes are desce ...
.
Tracks 1-17 are Bobby Digital songs, while tracks 18-21 are RZA songs.
Notes
* "Intro" contains vocals by Frank "Foxy" Niedlich.
* "Slow Grind African" contains vocals by Lisa I'Anson.
* "Love Jones" is erroneously credited to King Tech, who produced "Airwaves".
* "Slow Grind French" contains vocals by Victorie Heathcole.
* "Kiss Of A Black Widow" contains raps by
Ol' Dirty Bastard
Russell Tyrone Jones (November 15, 1968 – November 13, 2004), better known by his stage name Ol' Dirty Bastard (often abbreviated as ODB), was an American rapper. He was one of the founding members of the Wu-Tang Clan, a rap group primarily fr ...
, not the entire Wu-Tang Clan.
* "Slow Grind Italian" contains vocals by Lorenza Calamanderi.
* "Do You Here The Bells" is listed as ''Special Bonus Track For Japan Only''.
Sample list
* "Love Jones" contains a sample of "Star Children" performed by Mighty Ryeders.
* "Kiss Of A Black Widow" contains a sample of
"Over" performed by
Portishead.
* "My Lovin' Is Digi" contains a sample of "It Ain't Easy" performed by
Syl Johnson
Sylvester Johnson (born Sylvester Thompson; July 1, 1936 – February 6, 2022) was an American blues and soul singer, musician, songwriter and record producer. His most successful records included "Different Strokes" (1967), " Is It Because I' ...
.
Personnel
* Barney Chase – Engineer, Mixing
* Gabe Chiesa – Engineer
* Tom Coyne – Mastering
* Inspectah – Producer
* King Tech – Producer, Engineer, Mixing
* Nolan "Dr. No" Moffitte – Engineer, Mixing
* Carl Nappa – Mixing
* Tony Prendatt – Engineer, Mixing
* RZA – Producer, Engineer, Mixing
* Miles Showell – Mastering, Assembly
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
External links
* RZA as Bobby Digita
"Holocaust (Silkworm) Video
* RZ
"Domestic Violence Video
* RZA featuring Beretta
"Daily Routine Video
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bobby Digital In Stereo
1998 debut albums
RZA albums
Albums produced by RZA
Gee Street Records albums
Concept albums