Forever (Puff Daddy album)
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''Forever'' is the second studio album of American hip hop recording artist Puff Daddy, released on August 24, 1999 by
Bad Boy Records Bad Boy Records (or Bad Boy Entertainment) is an American record label founded in 1993 by rapper Sean "Puffy" Combs. It operates as an imprint of Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. It has been home to many artists, including ...
and Arista Records. The album rose to No. 2 on the ''Billboard'' 200 album chart. ''Forever'' has also been certified
platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...
in the US by the RIAA. The album was a commercial success, selling 205,343 copies in its first week and debuting at number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, despite receiving generally mixed reviews from critics.


Overview

This was the first
Sean Combs Sean Combs (born Sean John Combs; November 4, 1969), also known by his stage names Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Puffy, or Diddy, is an American rapper, actor, record producer, and record executive. Born in New York City, he worked as a talent directo ...
album released under the name of "Puff Daddy", as his debut album was released under "Puff Daddy & the Bad Boy Family". ''Forever'' received mixed reviews from most music critics, with criticism directed at the commercialization of hip-hop music, specifically this albums more pop dance sound and lacklustre lyrics compared to its predecessor, which caused controversy at the time. In 2006, ''Q'' magazine included ''Forever'' in their list of the 50 worst albums of all time.


Background and production

Nearly two years following the release of his first collaboration album, '' No Way Out'', which debuted on the US ''Billboard'' 200 at number one and won the
Grammy Award for Best Rap Album The Grammy Award for Best Rap Album is an award presented to recording artists for quality albums with rapping at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. Honors in several categories ...
in February 1998, whereas Combs (under the name "Puff Daddy"), was nominated for
Best New Artist The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967. The official guidelines are as ...
, which he lost. He also collaborated with Jimmy Page of
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
, for the single " Come with Me" for the 1998 film ''
Godzilla is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film '' Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films prod ...
''. The song reached #2 on the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
and #4 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. During the summer of 1998, the recording for Combs' debut album began, continuing the following year.


Critical reception


Commercial performance

''Forever'' debuted at number 2 on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 205,343 copies behind
Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...
's self-titled album with first week sales of 252,800 copies. The album opened at the top spot of the
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated ...
chart. In the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
, the album peaked at number nine on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts ...
. *For ''Black Panties'': The album debuted at number one on the
UK R&B Chart The UK Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart and the UK Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart (also known as The Official UK Hip Hop and R&B Charts, the Top 40 Hip Hop and RnB Singles and the Top 40 Hip Hop and RnB Albums, or simply the UK Urban Chart) are 40-posi ...
. In Canada, the album opened at number four on the Canadian Albums Chart, becoming Combs' highest charting album in the country. As of September 24, 1999, ''Forever'' has been certified
platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Pla ...
by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for selling 1,000,000 copies.


Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. Sample credits * "Journey Through the Life" contains a sample of "For the Good Times" written by
Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (born June 22, 1936) is a retired American singer, songwriter and actor. Among his songwriting credits are " Me and Bobby McGee", " For the Good Times", " Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down", and " Help Me Make It Through the ...
as performed by Al Green. * "I'll Do This for You" contains a sample of "Get Off" written by Carl Driggs and
Ish Ledesma Ismael Angel Ledesma (born October 2, 1952) professionally known as Ish Ledesma is an American, Miami-based singer, songwriter, musician, and producer. Ledesma has fronted, written for, or produced hits for the bands Foxy, Oxo, and Company B ...
as performed by Foxy. * "Do You Want It... Do You Like It..." contains an interpolation of "Wanna Get Paid" as performed by LL Cool J and the Lost Boyz. * "I Hear Voices" contains a sample of "Bamboo Child" by
Ryo Kawasaki was a Japanese jazz fusion guitarist, composer and band leader, best known as one of the first musicians to develop and popularise the fusion genre and for helping to develop the guitar synthesizer in collaboration with Roland Corporation and K ...
. * "Fake Thugs Dedication" samples " Paper Thin" written by Lana Michelle Moorer and Freddie Byrd as performed by MC Lyte and "Shining Star" written by Maurice White,
Larry Dunn Larry is a masculine given name in English, derived from Lawrence or Laurence. It can be a shortened form of those names. Larry may refer to the following: People Arts and entertainment * Larry D. Alexander, American artist/writer *Larry Boone ...
and
Philip Bailey Philip James Bailey (born May 8, 1951) is an American R&B, soul, gospel and funk singer, songwriter and percussionist, best known as an early member and one of the two lead singers (along with group founder Maurice White) of the band Earth, ...
as performed by
Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million reco ...
. * "Angels With Dirty Faces" samples "
Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...
" written by Maurice White,
Verdine White Verdine Adams White (born July 25, 1951) is an American musician, best known as a founding member and bassist for the band Earth, Wind & Fire. White was placed at No. 19 on Rolling Stone's list of The 50 Greatest Bassists of All Time. Early l ...
and
Eddie del Barrio Eduardo Gutiérrez del Barrio, known professionally as Eddie del Barrio, is an Argentinian composer, arranger, songwriter, and pianist. He is a founding member of the jazz fusion band Caldera. He has collaborated with Earth, Wind & Fire, Stan G ...
as performed by
Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million reco ...
. * "Satisfy You" samples "I Got 5 On It" written by Jerold Dwight Ellis III and Garrick Husbands as performed by Luniz, "Why You Treat Me So Bad" written by Denzil Foster, Jay King and
Thomas McElroy Denzil Foster and Thomas McElroy are an American R&B record production and songwriting duo, releasing recordings under the names Foster & McElroy and Fmob. They have written and produced songs for musicians such as Club Nouveau, Tony! Toni! T ...
as performed by
Club Nouveau Club Nouveau is an American R&B group formed by record producer/performer Jay King in 1986 in Sacramento, California, following the breakup of the Timex Social Club. The group's name ( French for "New Club") was changed from its original inca ...
and "Sexual Healing" written by Marvin Gaye and
Odell Brown Odell Elliott Brown Jr. (February 2, 1940 – May 3, 2011) was an American jazz organist. He was active in the late 1960s and early 1970s, playing soul jazz and jazz funk with his backing band as Odell Brown & the Organ-Izers. Biography Brown was ...
as performed by Gaye. * "P.E. 2000" contains a sample of "Public Enemy No.1" written by Carlton Douglas Ridenhour and
Hank Shocklee The Bomb Squad were an American hip hop production team known for its work with hip hop group Public Enemy. The Bomb Squad is noted for its dense, distinct, innovative production style, often utilizing dozens of samples on just one track. The ...
as performed by
Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...
and "Blow Your Head" written by
Fred Wesley Fred Wesley (born July 4, 1943) is an American trombonist who worked with James Brown in the 1960s and 1970s and Parliament-Funkadelic in the second half of the 1970s. Biography Wesley was born the son of a high school teacher and big band lead ...
and James Brown as performed by Wesley and the J.B.'s. * "Best Friend" contains a sample of "Sailing" written and performed by Christopher Cross. * "Pain (Forever)" contains a sample of "Benjamin" written and performed by Les McCann and "Children's Story" * "Reverse" contains a sample of "Romeo" by the Dynamic Superiors. * "Real Niggas" contains a sample of "Real Niggaz" written by Christopher Wallace as performed by the Notorious B.I.G.


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications and sales


Singles


See also

* List of number-one R&B albums of 1999 (U.S.)


References

{{Authority control 1999 albums Sean Combs albums Bad Boy Records albums Albums produced by Sean Combs