''Under Construction, Part II'' is the third and final studio album released by

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

duo

Timbaland & Magoo Timbaland & Magoo were an American hip hop duo, composed of Virginia natives Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley (born March 10, 1972) and Melvin "Magoo" Barcliff (July 12, 1973 – August 13, 2023). Formed in 1989, the duo signed with Blackground Re ...

. It was released by Blackground and

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company that is a subsidiary of Comcast ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of N ...

on November 18, 2003, in the United States. The group's third album and Timbaland's fourth overall LP, as he issued ''Tim's Bio: Life from da Bassment'', a solo album, in 1998, ''Under Construction Part II'' is nominally a sequel to

Missy Elliott Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott (born July 1, 1971), also known as Misdemeanor, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She began her musical career as a member of the Contemporary R&B, R&B girl group 4 All the Sistas Arou ...

's fourth studio album '' Under Construction'', which was also chiefly produced by Timbaland. The album was dedicated to R&B singer and regular Timbaland collaborator

Aaliyah Aaliyah Dana Haughton ( ; January 16, 1979 – August 25, 2001) was an American singer, actress, dancer, and model. Known as the " Princess of R&B" and "Queen of Urban Pop", she is credited with helping to redefine contemporary R&B, p ...

, who had died on August 25, 2001. Elliott appears on the album's lead single, " Cop That Shit. Many other guest stars, from

Brandy Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. Brandy generally contains 35–60% alcohol by volume (70–120 US proof) and is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif. Some brandies are aged in wooden casks. Others are coloured ...

Sebastian Sebastian may refer to: People and fictional characters * Sebastian (name), including a list of persons and fictional characters with the name * Saint Sebastian, a Christian saint martyred in the 3rd century * Sebastian of Portugal (1554–1578 ...

Bubba Sparxxx Warren Anderson Mathis (born March 6, 1977), better known by his stage name Bubba Sparxxx, is an American rapper. His 2001 single, " Ugly" (featuring Timbaland) peaked at number 15 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and led him to sign with Timbaland ...

Wyclef Jean Nel Ust Wyclef Jean ( ; born October 17, 1969) is a Haitian rapper, singer, and record producer. Born in Haiti, Jean emigrated to the Northeastern United States, United States as a child. He gained fame as a founding member of the Fugees, a Ne ...

and

Beenie Man Moses Anthony Davis OD (born 22 August 1973), professionally known as Beenie Man, is a Jamaican dancehall deejay. His awards include DJ of the Year Award eight years in a row. His twelfth studio album '' Art and Life'' received a Grammy Award ...

, also appear on the album. Three singles were released from ''Under Construction, Part II'': "Cop That Shit", "Indian Flute", and the promotional single "Naughty Eye". In August 2021, Blackground rebranded as Blackground 2.0, with

Barry Hankerson Barry Hankerson (born August 3, 1947) is an American record producer, music label owner, and manager. Hankerson is the founder of Blackground Records, and the uncle of late singer and actress Aaliyah. Career Born and raised in Harlem, New Yor ...

remaining as founder. Blackground 2.0 signed a distribution deal with

Empire Distribution Empire Distribution, Records and Publishing Inc. (stylized as EMPIRE) is an independent American record label, distribution and publishing company founded in 2010 by Ghazi Shami. Based in San Francisco, EMPIRE has offices in New York, London, ...

, which will re-release the label's catalogue onto digital download sites and streaming services. ''Under Construction, Part II'' was rereleased on August 27, 2021. This was the last album by Magoo before his death in August 2023.

Critical reception

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

editor John Bush found that "there aren't quite enough guest features or catchy hooks to make this a must-purchase for most rap fans, but Timbaland always has a few tricks up his sleeve." He remarked that "aside from Missy and

, Timba's actually the best rapper on display, much improved from his previous solo shots or his infrequent rhymes on other artists' records. Magoo is still an unimaginative, pint-sized

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

." Ben Sisario from ''

Blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer (from Latin ''mixus, the PPP of miscere eng. to Mix)'' or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsify food and other substances. A stationary ...

'' felt that "for the most part, the grooves ride low and easy, like a next-generation

G-funk G-funk, short for gangsta funk, (or funk rap) is a sub-genre of gangsta rap that emerged from the West Coast scene in the early 1990s. The genre is heavily influenced by the synthesizer-heavy 1970s funk sound of Parliament-Funkadelic (aka P-F ...

transplanted to the Virginia coastline: Call it V-funk ..But Timbaland can't rest that easy, and just beneath the languid surface is effortlessly brilliant innovation in every direction." Robert Christgau wrote: "Good thing the two rappers have less personality combined than any of their 10-cameo-artists-in-16-tracks, because personality would distract from the beats, which with Timbo means what it says – no mainstream DJ relies so heavily on rhythm instruments per se. His sweetener of choice is chants." In a negative review, ''

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

''s Jon Caramanica called ''Under Construction, Part II'' the "duo's third and weakest collaborative album." He remarked that "Tim's normally dazzling beats dodder along harmlessly, proof that he's looking over his shoulder when he should be hunching over his studio equipment."

Track listing

Sample credits * "Cop That Shit" contains re-sung elements from "I Know You Got Soul," written by E. Barrier and W. Griffin, and "Paper Thin," as written by L. Moorer and F. Byrd. * "Indian Flute" contains an uncredited sample of "Curura" by

Toto la Momposina Toto or TOTO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Toto (''Oz''), a dog in the novel and film ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' * Toto, in Japanese '' The Cat Returns'' * a character in '' Le château à Toto'' (Toto’s cas ...

. * "Hold On" contains an uncredited sample of "Breaking Glass" by

Geri Halliwell Geraldine Estelle Halliwell-Horner (''née'' Halliwell; born 6 August 1972) is an English singer, songwriter, television personality, author, and actress. She rose to fame in the mid-1990s as a member of the pop group the Spice Girls, in which ...

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2003 albums Magoo (rapper) albums Timbaland albums Albums produced by Timbaland Sequel albums Universal Records albums