''Jewelz'' is the second album by the rapper O.C. Unlike his debut, 1994's '' Word...Life'', ''Jewelz'' features a wider number of guest producers and rappers. Producer

DJ Premier Christopher Edward Martin (born March 21, 1966), known professionally as DJ Premier (also known as Preemo), is an American record producer and DJ. He is considered one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time. He was half of the hip hop duo ...

(who also oversaw and mixed other parts of the album) lends his hand on four songs, while Buckwild,

Da Beatminerz Da Beatminerz are a hip-hop production crew from Bushwick, Brooklyn, and are known for their dark, gritty sound that is very popular with the underground hip-hop scene. History The crew, originally composed of brothers Mr. Walt (born June 2, 19 ...

and O.Gee all drop three songs each.

D.I.T.C. The Diggin' in the Crates Crew, commonly known as D.I.T.C., is an American hip hop collective formed in 1992 in New York City. The collective's name derives from the act of seeking out LP record, records to Sampling (music), sample for Hip hop ...

members Showbiz and

Lord Finesse Lord Finesse (born Robert Hall Jr., February 19, 1970) is an American rapper and hip-hop record producer from The Bronx, New York best known as the leader of the D.I.T.C. crew. About.com ranked him number 29 on its list of the Top-50 Hip-Hop Pro ...

each contribute one number and as the album was released the production was highly praised for its clean, crispy but at the same time dark and menacing sound. O.C. plays with a wide array of styles on the album, from the war-metaphor battle song "War Games" to abstract stories on the haunting "The Crow" and a very special history on a mystique woman that enters Credle's life in "Stronjay". Though the differences between O.C.'s two first efforts are very noticeable many fans are constantly, and still, arguing which was the better album out of them. This album, like his first, received strong reviews, but lacked in sales. He made his first appearance on the ''Billboard'' 200 album chart with the album, and also made his first appearance on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart, with the single "Far From Yours". The album is now out of print. As part of the concept for Jewelz, the CD was sold with different colored disc art inspired by the color palette of various jewels.

Critical reception

Matt Conaway from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

praised O.C. for maintaining his "street-based" musicianship by having top-notch New York producers and rappers contribute quality work throughout the record and delivering strong lyricism of his own, highlighting "My World" and "Dangerous" as examples. ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...

'' contributor Noah Callahan-Bever also gave praise to the album's production team for emitting an aura of "melodic contentment" for O.C.'s more naturalistic flow to deliver solid rhymes on "Dangerous" and the title track, despite "Far From Yours" being the only dud, concluding that: "Thankfully, O.C. is still concerned with the decline of rap music, only now he's stopped criticizing and has started to lead by example, unveiling one of his most finely polished ''Jewelz'' this year has seen."

Track listing

;Samples credits *"My World" samples "Killer's Lullaby" by

Barry White Barry Eugene Carter (September 12, 1944 – July 4, 2003), better known by his stage name Barry White, was an American singer and songwriter. A two-time Grammy Award winner known for his bass voice and romantic image, his greatest success came ...

. *"War Games" samples "It's My Thing" by

Marva Whitney Marva Whitney (born Marva Ann Manning; May 1, 1944 – December 22, 2012) was an American funk singer commonly referred to by her honorary title, Soul Sister #1. Whitney was considered by many funk enthusiasts to be one of the "rawest" and "brass ...

. *"Can't Go Wrong" samples "American Tango" by

Weather Report Weather Report was an American jazz fusion band active from 1970 to 1986. The band was founded in 1970 by Austrian virtuoso keyboardist Joe Zawinul, American saxophonist Wayne Shorter, Czech bassist Miroslav Vitouš, American drummer and vocali ...

. *"The Chosen One" samples "White Clouds" by

Hiroshi Fukumura Hiroshi Fukumura (福村博) (born February 21, 1949, Tokyo) is a Japanese jazz trombonist. Fukumura played with Sadao Watanabe for much of the 1970s, excepting a period where he studied in the United States at the New England Conservatory of Mus ...

and Sadao Watanabe. *"Dangerous" samples "Daisy Lady" by 7th Wonder. *"Far From Yours" samples "Tomorrow" by

The Brothers Johnson The Brothers Johnson were an American funk and R&B band consisting of American musicians and brothers George ("Lightnin' Licks") and Louis E. Johnson ("Thunder Thumbs"). They achieved their greatest success from the mid-1970s to early 1980s, ...

. *"M.U.G." samples "The Saddest Thing of All" by

Michel Legrand Michel Jean Legrand (; 24 February 1932 – 26 January 2019) was a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and jazz pianist. Legrand was a prolific composer, having written over 200 film and television scores, in addition to many son ...

. *"The Crow" samples "Zen-Gun" by

Ryuichi Sakamoto is a Japanese composer, pianist, singer, record producer and actor who has pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his bandmates Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, Sakamoto inf ...

. *"You & Yours" samples "A Garden of Peace" by

Lonnie Liston Smith Lonnie Liston Smith Jr. (born December 28, 1940) is an American jazz, soul, and funk musician who played with such jazz artists as Pharoah Sanders and Miles Davis before forming Lonnie Liston Smith and the Cosmic Echoes, recording a number of ...

. *"Hypocrite" samples "Sensitize" by

Roy Ayers Roy Ayers (born September 10, 1940) is an American funk, soul, and jazz composer, vibraphone player, and music producer. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at Pol ...

. *"It's Only Right" samples "Do You Like It" by B.T. Express. *"Jewelz" samples "Changing Faces" by J.J. Band and "I'll Take Time" by John Kasandra.

Album singles

Personnel

Adapted credits from the liner notes of ''Jewelz''. * Patrick Moxey - executive producer * Mr. Dave - executive producer * Eddie Sancho - engineering * Max Vargas - engineering * Norty Cotto - engineering * Tony Smalios - engineering * Chris Conway - engineering * Kieran Walsh - engineering * Michael Gilbert - engineering * DJ Premier - mixing * Ogee - mixing * Buckwild - mixing * Da Beatminerz - mixing * Showbiz - mixing * Lord Finesse - mixing *

Tony Dawsey Tony Dawsey is an American mastering engineer at Masterdisk in New York City. He has been active since 1980.Danny Clinch Danny Clinch (born 1964) is an American photographer and film director. Biography Born in Toms River, New Jersey, Clinch graduated from Toms River High School East in 1982. After attending Ocean County College, he attended the New England Scho ...

- photography * Gregory Burke - art direction, design

Album chart positions

Singles chart positions

References

{{Authority control 1997 albums O.C. (rapper) albums Albums produced by Buckwild Albums produced by Da Beatminerz Albums produced by DJ Premier Albums produced by Lord Finesse