''Missunderstood'' (stylized in
all lowercase) is the debut studio album by American singer
Queen Naija. The album was released on October 30, 2020, through
Capitol. The production on the album was handled by multiple producers including
Boi-1da,
T-Minus
A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...
, Jahaan Sweet,
Hitmaka,
Lil' Ronnie
Lil' Ronnie (born Ronnie Jackson) is an American record producer from Kansas City, Missouri and Atlanta, Georgia, who has produced tracks for artists R. Kelly, T.I., Bow Wow, Britney Spears T-Pain, Usher, Mary J. Blige, Ciara, Reuben Studda ...
and Pooh Beatz among others. The album also features guest appearances by
Lil Durk
Durk Derrick Banks (born October 19, 1992), known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper and singer. He is the lead member and founder of the collective and record label Only the Family (OTF). Durk garnered a cult following with the ...
,
Russ,
Toosii,
Jacquees,
Mulatto
(, ) is a racial classification to refer to people of mixed African and European ancestry. Its use is considered outdated and offensive in several languages, including English and Dutch, whereas in languages such as Spanish and Portuguese is ...
and
Kiana Ledé. The deluxe version features guest appearances by
Ari Lennox,
Wale
Wale or WALE may refer to:
Places
*Wale, Devon, a hamlet in England
*Wale, Tomaszów Mazowiecki County, a village in Poland
People
*Wale (surname)
*Wale (rapper), stage name of American rapper Olubowale Victor Akintimehin
Radio and television ...
and
J.I the Prince of N.Y.
''Missunderstood'' was supported by four singles: "Butterflies Pt. 2", "Pack Lite", "Lie to Me" and "Set Him Up". The album received generally positive reviews from music critics and was a moderate commercial success. It debuted at number nine on the US
''Billboard'' 200 and number one on the US
Top R&B Albums charts, earning 34,000
album-equivalent units in its first week.
A deluxe edition titled ''Missunderstood...Still'' was released on April 16, 2021, including six new tracks and a remix of ''Butterflies Pt. 2'' featuring Wale.
Critical reception
Andy Kellman of
AllMusic praised Queen Naija's artistic development. Kellman said "While Queen Naija has excelled with singles, the longer format allows her diaristic songwriting to truly flourish, and there's more poise and nuance in her lithe vocals without sacrificing the power of her rawest expressions." He also praised her work saying that "Queen Naija could have rushed her debut album. Instead, she took her time with ''Missunderstood'', and it shows." Ultimately, Kellman gave the album a rating of 4 stars out of 5.
Commercial performance
''Missunderstood'' debuted at number one on the US
Top R&B Albums chart, earning 34,000
album-equivalent units in its first week, according to
MRC Data.
This became Queen Naija's first number one album on the chart.
The album also debuted at number nine on the US
''Billboard'' 200 and number six on the US
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts respectively.
This became Queen Naija's first US top-ten debut on both charts.
In addition, the album also accumulated a total of 33.87 million on-demand streams of the set's songs.
Five songs from ''Missunderstood'' charted on the US
Hot R&B Songs chart, with "Lie to Me" at number 10, "Butterflies Pt. 2" at number 12, "Pack Lite" at number 14, "Bitter" at number 18 and "Too Much to Say" at number 25.
Track listing
Sample credits
* “Pack Lite” samples “
Xxplosive” by
Dr. Dre
Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...
& interpolates “
Bag Lady” by
Erykah Badu.
* “Lie to Me” samples “
A Dream” by
DeBarge & interpolates “This Luv” by
Donell Jones.
* “Pressure” interpolates “Can U Get Away” by
Tupac Shakur.
Charts
References
{{Authority control
2020 debut albums
Capitol Records albums
Universal Music Group albums