''Meet the Girl Next Door'' is the second

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 and singer

Lil' Mo Cynthia Karen Loving (born November 19, 1978), known professionally as Lil' Mo, is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, television and radio personality. She is best known for her 2001 single " Superwoman Pt. II", featuring then-unknown rapper ...

. It was released on April 29, 2003 by

Elektra Records Elektra Records (or Elektra Entertainment) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, founded in 1950 by Jac Holzman and Paul Rickolt. It played an important role in the development of contemporary folk and rock music between the 1 ...

. Written and recorded during her eighth-month pregnancy break in which she became a part-time anchor for

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

urban radio station WXYV-FM's ''The Lil' Mo Show'', Lil' Mo worked with a variety of producers on the album, including

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette Elliott (born July 1, 1971), better known as Missy Elliott or Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliot, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She embarked on her music career with R&B girl group Sista in the earl ...

, Walter "Lil' Walt" Millsap III, Chucky Thompson, Bryan-Michael Cox, Craig Love, Warryn Campbell, Dwayne Bastiany, and Precision. Guest vocalists on ''Meet the Girl Next Door'' include rappers Fabolous,

Free Free may refer to: Concept * Freedom, having the ability to do something, without having to obey anyone/anything * Freethought, a position that beliefs should be formed only on the basis of logic, reason, and empiricism * Emancipate, to procur ...

, and

Lil' Kim Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974), Those giving 1974 include: * * * * * better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper and reality television personality. Born and raised in Brooklyn, New York City, she lived much of he ...

. The album was released to favorable reviews and mild charting on the US ''Billboard'' 200, reaching number 17, while entering 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 J ...

top five. Promotion for the album was limited; according to Lil' Mo, this was largely due to the fact that she was pregnant and Elektra did not give her proper support. Despite minimal promotion, Mo went on to perform the album singles on very few shows, including ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, Los ...

'' and ''

Soul Train ''Soul Train'' is an American musical variety television show. It aired in syndication from October 2, 1971, to March 25, 2006. Across its 35-year history the show primarily featured performances by R&B, soul, and hip hop artists. The series w ...

''. The album generated three singles, " 4Ever", "

21 Answers "21 Questions" is a song by American rapper 50 Cent featuring fellow American rapper and singer Nate Dogg. It was released in March 2003 through Interscope Records, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, Eminem's Shady Records, and 50 Cent's own G- ...

" and "

Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ� ...

". ''Meet the Girl Next Door'' was her last album produced under Elektra Records.

Background

In 2001, following several delays,

released Lil' Mo's debut album '' Based on a True Story''. The album debuted and peaked at number 14 on the US ''Billboard'' 200, selling 73,000 copies in its first week, and produced the hit single "

Superwoman Pt. II "Superwoman Pt. II" is a song by American recording artist Lil' Mo from her debut album, ''Based on a True Story'' (2001). The song features the debut appearance by then-unknown Fabolous and remixed production by hip-hop producers DJ Clue and Ken ...

" featuring rapper Fabolous, which reached number 11 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and entered the top five of the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

. In early 2002, she found out that she was pregnant with her first child. While she was expecting a negative response from her label, Elektra embraced the news and encouraged her to start work on her second album during her pregnancy. As a result, Lil' Mo resigned from touring and became a part-time anchor for

urban radio station WXYV-FM for the next seven months. In the meantime, she appeared on rapper Angie Martinez's top 20 single "

If I Could Go! "If I Could Go!" is the first single released from American rapper Angie Martinez's second studio album, ''Animal House'' (2002). The track features rapper Sacario and singer Lil Mo and was produced by Rick Rock; Sacario co-wrote the song. It i ...

" and spent four months writing and recording ''Meet the Girl Next Door''. In a 2003 interview with '' ''Billboard'' magazine'' she elaborated that she decided to work with producers that "didn't get the credit they deserved" and she was going to purposely use a different sound for the effort in hopes of convincing the public to overlook her credibility for "

Critical reception

Reviews for the album were mostly positive. ''Meet the Girl Next Door'' was rated four of five stars by

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 ...

editor Andy Kellman, who described Mo's voice more "rangy" and "versatile". He also stated that the album had terrific highlights, as well as more better lyrics than her debut. However, he described the album being, "four songs too long." He also stated that, "... it's apparent that Lil' Mo really ought to devote the bulk of her working time — if not all of it — to making music." S. Tia Brown from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' found that "with her sophomore effort, ''Meet the Girl Next Door'', Lil’ Mo solidifies her brand – a hybrid of street sassiness and mature lyrics set to waist-swaying melodies. The new wife and mother soulfully belts misty-eyed ballads and R&B remakes without resorting to cliches and slang to express her take on love." ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' remarked: "A merging of traditional R&B and hip-hop, ''Meet the Girl Next Door'' showcases a depper, more lyrical frank Lil' Mo who definitely still has the chops ..However, the set is ultimately weighed down by unnecessary interludes and a formulaic sameness to several of the songs."

Commercial performance

''Meet the Girl Next Door'' debuted and peaked at number 17 on the US ''Billboard'' 200, selling 53,000 copies in its first week. It was a considerable decline from Lil' Mo's previous effort ''Based on a True Story'', which had opened to sales of 73,000 units in 2001. On ''Billboard''s component charts, it reached number four on the

chart, becoming her first solo top five entry on any chart. ''Billboard'' ranked the album 99th on its 2003 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums year-end listing. The album produced several singles. In February 2003, " 4Ever", another collaboration with Fabolous, was released as a lead single for the album, and received somewhat lukewarm reviews by most critics. The song peaked at number 37 on ''Billboard''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

and at number 13 on he

. "

" featuring

was slated to follow as the second single; however, due to limited promotion, the single was never properly released. It however, peaked at number one at the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart. "

", a known response to

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

's song "

21 Questions "21 Questions" is a song by American rapper 50 Cent featuring fellow American rapper and singer Nate Dogg. It was released in March 2003 through Interscope Records, Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment, Eminem's Shady Records, and 50 Cent's own G- ...

", was sent to radio in May 2003 as a promotional single.

Track listing

;Notes * signifies a co-

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

;Sample credits *"Ten Commandments" contains a sample from "

Ten Crack Commandments "Ten Crack Commandments" is a song by American rapper The Notorious B.I.G. on disc two of his final studio album, ''Life After Death''. It was written by B.I.G. (credited under his legal name, Christopher Wallace) along with producer DJ Premier. ...

", performed by

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 ...

*"Heaven (Interlude)" contains excerpts from "Love Is Watching You", written and performed by Peabo Bryson.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Meet the Girl Next Door''. * Dwayne Bastiany – producer * Charles "El Loco" Bedoya – engineer * Kalixto Blount – hair stylist * Merlin Bobb – A&R, executive producer * Jay Brown – A&R, executive producer * Sandra Campbell – project coordinator * Candice Childress – project coordinator * Sherry Clardy – artist coordination * Steve Conover – assistant * Bryan-Michael Cox – instrumentation, producer * DJ Premier – producer * Missy Elliott – producer * Fabolous – vocals * Mike Ging – engineer * Heavy D – producer * Jean-Marie Horvat – mixing * J.J. Jackson – composer * Andre Johnson – artist coordination * Claudine Joseph – project manager * Rich Keller – mixing * Lil' Kim – vocals * C.P. Love – vocals * Craig Love – composer *

Anthony Mandler Anthony Mandler (born April 18, 1973) is an American film director, music video director, television commercial director and photographer. As a music video director, his most notable and frequent collaborator is Rihanna. The two have worked on s ...

– photography * Glen Marchese – mixing * Manny Marroquin – mixing * Ann Mincieli – assistant engineer * Celeste Moses – artist coordination * Tim Olmstead – mixing assistant * Brian Stanley – engineer * Nate Thelen – engineer * A.P. Thompson – composer * Chucky Thompson – mixing * Patrick Viala – engineer

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2003 albums Lil' Mo albums Elektra Records albums Albums produced by Bryan-Michael Cox Albums produced by Missy Elliott Albums produced by Warryn Campbell