''Life Story'' is the debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by American rapper

Black Rob Robert Ross (June 8, 1968 – April 17, 2021), known professionally as Black Rob, was an American rapper who was signed to Bad Boy Records. He was best known for his 1999 single " Whoa!", which peaked at number 43 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. ...

. It was released on March 7, 2000 via

Arista Records Arista Records () is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. The label was previously handled by BMG Entertainmen ...

and

Sean "Puffy" 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 direct ...

Bad Boy Entertainment 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, includin ...

. The album was praised by critics for its production and Rob's vocal presence and lyricism being similar to the late

Notorious B.I.G Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...

. ''Life Story'' debuted and peaked at number 3 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and sold close to 178,000 copies in its first week released. The album spawned two

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

s: " Whoa!" and "Espacio". Life Story was ultimately 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". Platinu ...

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) for selling 1,000,000 copies in the United States on August 17, 2000.

Critical reception

''Life Story'' garnered positive reviews from music critics for its production and Rob's musicianship. Roxanne Blanford of

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 ...

commended Rob's vocal delivery for being reminiscent of the "smooth, reserved style" of

the Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...

and being able to "construct explicit tales with hooks you can feel and lyrics that stick" concluding that, " th 20 thoroughly bruising cuts, Black Rob's debut may just succeed in helping Puff Daddy regain the street credibility lost when Combs achieved mainstream/crossover status." Kathryn Farr from ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' gave praise to Rob's skills as a rapper coming across "like a cocky veteran, spitting grim confessions ("Life Story") and baller mantras ("PD World Tour") without breaking a sweat" and Bad Boy's crew of producers supplying the record with "hook-heavy cuts" despite Puff's "threadbare formulas" from previous efforts threatening to pull it down, concluding that "P. Diddy's meddling aside, though, most of ''Life Story'' is, well, like whoa!" ''

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 producti ...

'' contributor Miguel Burke also praised Rob for being "incredibly adept at constructing graphic, autobiographical episodes and intricate tales" and pointed out Puff's "irritating ad-libs ("Make It Hot")" and "wannabe-rough rhymes ("Down the Line")" as negative qualities, concluding with, "But that doesn't change the fact that although the album gets down and dirty, ''Life Story'' is a breath of fresh air."

Track listing

;Note *"I Love You Baby" originally appeared on the 1997 album No Way Out by Puff Daddy and The Family. ;Samples *"Whoa" contains a sample that comes from the instrumental version of

François Valéry François Valéry (real name : Jean-Louis Mougeot, born on 4 August 1954, in Oran, French Algeria) is a French singer-songwriter and composer. Biography He became famous for his romantic songs and his disco hits of the 1970s and for having co ...

's song Joy. *"Drive By (Interlude)" contains a sample of "

The Days of Pearly Spencer "Days of Pearly Spencer" (or in later releases "The Days of Pearly Spencer") is a 1967 song written and originally performed by Northern Irish singer-songwriter David McWilliams, and included on his second album ''David McWilliams Vol. 2''. Alt ...

" performed by

Raymond Lefèvre Raymond Lefèvre (20 November 1929 – 27 June 2008) was a French easy listening orchestra leader, arranger and composer. Biography and career Born on 20 November 1929 in Calais, France, Raymond Lefèvre is best known for his interpretation of ...

*"Lookin' At Us" contains a sample of Terri's Tune" performed by David Axelrod *"Can I Live" contains a sample of "Within the Sound" by Rasa *"B.R." contains a sample from "Yesterdays" by

Paul Chambers Quintet ''Paul Chambers Quintet'' is the fourth studio album by American jazz bassist Paul Chambers recorded in 1957 and released on the Blue Note label in April 1958.

*"Thug Story" contains sample from "Children's Story" by

Slick Rick Richard Martin Lloyd Walters (born January 14, 1965), better known as Slick Rick, is an English-American rapper and record producer. He rose to prominence with Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew in the mid-1980s. Their songs " The Show" and " ...

*"I Love You Baby" contains a sample of "Xtaby (Lure of the Unknown Love)" performed by

Yma Sumac Zoila Augusta Emperatriz Chávarri del Castillo (September 13, 1922 (birth certificate) or September 10, 1922 (later documents) – November 1, 2008), known professionally as Yma Sumac (), was a Peruvian-American coloratura soprano. She was one ...

*"Spanish Fly" contains a sample of "La Isla Bonita" by Madonna *"I Dare You" contains a sample of "Under the Influence of Love" performed by

Love Unlimited Love Unlimited was a female vocal trio that provided backing vocals for American singer-songwriter Barry White on his albums and concert tours. They also found success with their own recordings. Career Formed in 1969, the group included Barry ...

Personnel

* Executive producer: Sean "Puffy Combs", Harve Pierre and Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie * Project manager: Kim Lumpkin * Product/creative manager: Marcus Logan * A&R: Harve Pierre * Engineering: Kamel Abdo, Eric Butler, Roger Che, Stephen Dent, Tony Maserati, Michael Patterson, Joe "Smilin' Joe" Perrera, Ed Raso, Tony Smalios, Doug Wilson * Assistant engineering: Lynn Montrose * Mixing: Prince Charles Alexander, Roger Che, Michael Patterson, Rob Paustian, Joe "Smilin' Joe" Perrera, Ed Raso * Programming: Stephen Dent, Harve Pierre, Mario Winans * Mastering: Herb Powers * Photography: Jonathan Mannion * Cover photo: Jonathan Mannion * Sample clearance: Deborah Mannis-Gardner

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Life Story (Album) 2000 debut albums Black Rob albums Bad Boy Records albums Albums produced by Buckwild Albums produced by Sean Combs