''Neighborhood Watch'' is the third studio album by American hip hop trio
Dilated Peoples
Dilated Peoples is an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California. They have had little mainstream success in the US, with the exception of the song " This Way", a 2004 collaboration with Kanye West. Better known in the UK, they reached t ...
. It was released on April 6, 2004, through
Capitol Records
Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...
. Recording sessions took place at
D&D Studios
D&D Studios was a recording studio located in New York City on the west side of 37th street. Artists that recorded there include Jay-Z, Foxy Brown, The Notorious B.I.G., Fat Joe, Nas, Gang Starr, Jeru the Damaja, Afu-Ra, KRS-One, Frankie Cu ...
in
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, at Soundproof Recordings, at the Nodd Factor in
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, at Larrabee West in
West Hollywood
West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most ...
, at Ameraycan Studios in
North Hollywood
North Hollywood is a neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, the El Portal Theatre, several art galleries, and the Academy of TV Arts and Sciences. The North ...
, and at
Record Plant
The Record Plant is a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and currently operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it has produced highly influential albums, including Blon ...
in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
.
Production
Production may refer to:
Economics and business
* Production (economics)
* Production, the act of manufacturing goods
* Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services)
* Production as a stati ...
was handled by members
Evidence
Evidence for a proposition is what supports this proposition. It is usually understood as an indication that the supported proposition is true. What role evidence plays and how it is conceived varies from field to field.
In epistemology, evidenc ...
and
DJ Babu
Chris Oroc a.k.a. Melvin Babu (born September 17, 1974), better known as DJ Babu or DJ Babu the Dilated Junkie, is a Filipino-American DJ and producer. He is a member of the hip hop trio Dilated Peoples, with Rakaa Iriscience and Evidence an ...
, as well as
Alchemist
Alchemy (from Arabic: ''al-kīmiyā''; from Ancient Greek: χυμεία, ''khumeía'') is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscience, protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in Chinese alchemy, C ...
, Joey Chavez,
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
, Nucleus, Rob "Reef" Tewlow and
DJ AM
Adam Michael Goldstein (March 30, 1973 – August 28, 2009), known professionally as DJ AM, was an American disc jockey (DJ). Born in Philadelphia, Goldstein became interested in deejaying as a child after watching Herbie Hancock perform his 1 ...
. It features
guest appearance
In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other p ...
s from Defari,
Devin the Dude
Devin Copeland (born June 4, 1970), better known by his stage name Devin the Dude, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. He is known for his unique rapping style and his 2002 songs "Lacville '79" and "Doobie Ashtray".
Early life
Devin Cop ...
, J. Rocc, Kanye West,
Phil Da Agony
Strong Arm Steady, often referred to as SAS, is a hip hop group in California's underground hip hop scene. As of December 2009, the act consists of members Phil Da Agony, Krondon, of Los Angeles, and Mitchy Slick of San Diego, California. Orig ...
and
Planet Asia
Jason Cullen Green (born October 24, 1976), better known as Planet Asia, is a rapper from Fresno, California. He is prominent for being one half of the now reunited hip-hop duo the Cali Agents and is currently a member of the groups Gold Chain ...
.
The album debuted at number 55 on the
''Billboard'' 200 and number 16 on 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 ...
in the United States. It also made it to number 96 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 C ...
and number 16 on the UK Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart, as well as number 91 in Switzerland, and number 155 in France. Its lead single, "
This Way", peaked at number 78 on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 35 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 ...
. The album also features the singles "Marathon" and "Poisonous", as well as the
DJ showcase "DJ Babu in Deep Concentration", an ode to
Gang Starr
Gang Starr was an American hip hop duo, consisting of Texas record producer DJ Premier and Massachusetts rapper Guru. For the entirety of their association, they were based out of Brooklyn, New York. Gang Starr was at its height from 1989 to 2 ...
's 1989 track "DJ Premier in Deep Concentration". The song "Who's Who" was used in two video games ''
SSX 3
''SSX 3'' is a snowboarding video game developed by EA Vancouver and published by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports BIG label. The game was originally released on October 20, 2003, for the GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. It was later ported ...
'' and ''
Need for Speed: Underground''. "Love & War" was used in the video game ''
NBA Live 2004
''NBA Live 2004'' is the 2004 installment of the '' NBA Live'' video games series. The cover features Vince Carter as a member of the Toronto Raptors and in Spain copies of ''NBA Live 2004'' feature Raul Lopez. The game was developed by EA Spor ...
''.
Critical reception
''Neighborhood Watch'' was met with generally favorable reviews from
music critics
Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on w ...
. At
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
, which assigns a
normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an
average
In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...
score of 62, based on nineteen reviews.
''
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 ...
'' reviewer praised the album, saying "here's a group at the top of its game". ''
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 it "suitable for both the streets and chain stores".
''Q'' magazine called it "imaginative".
In mixed reviews, Dorian Lynskey of ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' wrote: "chunky, hook-laden songs like Tryin' to Breathe and This Way show a newfound sonic confidence, but Dilated Peoples remain astoundingly dull MCs, delivering earnest and predictable rhymes".
''
Tiny Mix Tapes
''Tiny Mix Tapes'' (also ''TMT'' or ''tinymixtapes'') is an online music and film webzine that focuses primarily on new music and related news. In addition to its reviews, it is noted for its subversive, political, and sometimes surreal news, a ...
'' critic wrote: "on ''Neighborhood Watch'', their delivery is stale and unimpressive, much like the overproduced ''
Expansion Team
An expansion team is a new team in a sports league, usually from a city that has not hosted a team in that league before, formed with the intention of satisfying the demand for a local team from a population in a new area. Sporting leagues also ...
''".
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 ...
's John Bush stated: "most of the blame for ''Neighborhood Watch'' has to go to the previously invincible Alchemist, whose productions are front-loaded on the record. Unfortunately, his beats aren't rugged or hooky, just astonishingly weak".
''
Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'' reviewer wrote: "Evidence and Iriscience remain so humorlessly hard they could guard
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...
".
Track listing
;Sample credits
*Track 2 contains elements from "Night Games" by
Bobby "Blue" Bland
Robert Calvin Bland (born Robert Calvin Brooks; January 27, 1930 – June 23, 2013), known professionally as Bobby "Blue" Bland, was an American blues singer.
Bland developed a sound that mixed gospel with the blues and R&B. He was descr ...
.
*Track 3 embodies portions of "It Ain't Rainin' (On Nobody's House But Mine)" by
The Dramatics
The Dramatics are an American soul music vocal group, formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1964. They are best known for their 1970s hit songs " In the Rain" and "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get", both of which were Top 10 Pop hits, as well as their late ...
.
*Track 5 contains samples from "Can't Find The Judge" by
Gary Wright
Gary Malcolm Wright (born April 26, 1943) is an American musician and composer best known for his 1976 hit songs " Dream Weaver" and " Love Is Alive", and for his role in helping establish the synthesizer as a leading instrument in rock and po ...
.
*Track 9 embodies portions of "I Can't Fake It Anymore" by
Ted Taylor.
*Track 11 contains elements from "Lovemaniacs" by Boobie Knight.
*Track 12 contains elements from "Pack Of Lies" by
The Counts.
*Track 13 features samples from "Old Men" by Jimmie & Vella Cameron.
*Track 14 contains samples from "Stoop Rap" by Double Trouble and samples from "
I Ain't No Joke
"I Ain't No Joke" is a song by rap duo Eric B. & Rakim, released as the second single from their debut studio album ''Paid in Full (album), Paid in Full''. It peaked at number thirty-eight on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tr ...
" by
Eric B. & Rakim.
Personnel
*Michael "
Evidence
Evidence for a proposition is what supports this proposition. It is usually understood as an indication that the supported proposition is true. What role evidence plays and how it is conceived varies from field to field.
In epistemology, evidenc ...
" Peretta – vocals, producer
(tracks: 5, 9), recording
(tracks: 1, 3-5, 7-9, 11, 12, 14), executive producer
*Rakaa "
Iriscience" Taylor – vocals, co-producer
(track 8), recording
(tracks: 1, 3-5, 7-9, 11, 12), executive producer
*Chris "
DJ Babu
Chris Oroc a.k.a. Melvin Babu (born September 17, 1974), better known as DJ Babu or DJ Babu the Dilated Junkie, is a Filipino-American DJ and producer. He is a member of the hip hop trio Dilated Peoples, with Rakaa Iriscience and Evidence an ...
" Oroc – scratches, producer
(tracks: 8, 12, 14), recording
(tracks: 1, 3-5, 7-9, 11, 12, 14), executive producer
*
Noelle Scaggs
Noelle Scaggs (born October 8, 1979) is an American musician and singer-songwriter from Los Angeles, known as the co-lead singer of the pop group Fitz and the Tantrums. Scaggs has also had numerous collaborations with the Black Eyed Peas, Dilated ...
– additional vocals
(tracks: 1, 5-7, 9)
*Devin "
The Dude" Copeland – vocals
(track 6)
*Alejandro "2Mex" Ocana – additional vocals
(track 8)
*Jason "J. Rocc" Jackson – vocals
(track 10)
*Duane A. "Defari" Johnson Jr. – vocals
(track 12)
*Jason "Phil Da Agony" Smith – vocals
(track 12)
*Jason "
Planet Asia
Jason Cullen Green (born October 24, 1976), better known as Planet Asia, is a rapper from Fresno, California. He is prominent for being one half of the now reunited hip-hop duo the Cali Agents and is currently a member of the groups Gold Chain ...
" Smith – vocals
(track 12)
*
Kanye West
Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer.
Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...
– vocals & producer
(track 13)
*Alan "
The Alchemist
An alchemist is a person who practices alchemy.
Alchemist or Alchemyst may also refer to:
Books and stories
* ''The Alchemist'' (novel), the translated title of a 1988 allegorical novel by Paulo Coelho
* ''The Alchemist'' (play), a play by Be ...
" Maman – producer
(tracks: 1, 2, 6, 11), recording
(tracks: 2, 4, 6), co-executive producer
*Rob "Reef" Tewlow – producer
(track 3)
*West "Nucleus" Plischke – producer
(track 4)
*Adam "
DJ AM
Adam Michael Goldstein (March 30, 1973 – August 28, 2009), known professionally as DJ AM, was an American disc jockey (DJ). Born in Philadelphia, Goldstein became interested in deejaying as a child after watching Herbie Hancock perform his 1 ...
" Goldstein – producer
(track 5)
*Joey Chavez – producer
(track 7)
*Kieran Walsh – recording
(tracks: 1, )
*Michael "Domo" Poye – recording
(track 6)
*Wassim Zreik – recording
(track 13)
*Richard "Segal" Huredia – mixing
(tracks: 1, 3, 4, 6, 12), recording
(track 6)
*Troy Staton – mixing
(tracks: 2, 5, 7-9, 11, 14), recording
(tracks: 7, 8)
*
Manny Marroquin
Manny Marroquin (born September 21, 1971) is an American mixing engineer.Daley, Dan (May 2005).Manny Marroquin. ''Sound on Sound''. Retrieved February 10, 2007 He has received ten Grammy awards for his professional audio work.
Life and career
M ...
– mixing
(track 13)
*Jeremy Mackenzie – engineering assistant
(track 1)
*Kent Hitchcock – engineering assistant
(tracks: 2, 5, 7-9, 11, 14)
*Sean Tallman – engineering assistant
(tracks: 3, 6, 12)
*Nick Ferrero – engineering assistant
(track 4)
*Rabeka Tunei – engineering assistant
(track 13)
*
Bernie Grundman
Bernie Grundman is an American audio engineer.
He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chris Bellman, Patricia Sullivan, and Mi ...
– mastering
*Ben "Beni B" Nickleberry Jr. – execitive producer
*Brian "
B+" Cross – photography
*
Pat Shannahan – sample clearance
*David "Happy" Walters – management
Charts
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Neighborhood Watch (Album)
2004 albums
Capitol Records albums
Dilated Peoples albums
Albums produced by DJ Babu
Albums produced by Kanye West
Albums produced by Evidence (musician)
Albums produced by the Alchemist (musician)