''Roc-A-Fella Records Presents Teairra Marí'' is the debut studio album by recording artist

Teairra Marí Teairra Marí Thomas (born December 2, 1987) is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, dancer, and actress from Detroit, Michigan. At the age of 16, she signed with Def Jam Recordings and Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records to release her debut studio ...

. It was released on August 2, 2005, by

Roc-A-Fella Records Roc-A-Fella Records was an American record label and music management company founded in 1994 by record executives and entrepreneurs Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke. Carter issued his debut album, '' Reasonable Doubt ...

Background

At the age of 16, Marí's mentor, K.I.S.S. Productions executive Big Mike, felt that she was ready to launch her music career, and he brought the singer in front of a who's who of several label execs. Candy Tookes, a friend of Big Mike, introduced the pair to industry veteran

Daryl Simmons Daryl L. Simmons is an American R&B record producer and songwriter. Best known for his production work with L.A. Reid and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, Simmons was credited on the majority of albums by their label LaFace Records, as well as sev ...

in Atlanta, Georgia. Simmons then shared Marí's demo disc with Antonio "L.A." Reid, Chairman of the

Island Def Jam Music Group Island Def Jam Music Group (IDJMG) was an American record label group formed on December 31, 1998, by Universal Music Group. Before 2014, IDJMG encompassed labels originally established under the umbrella of Island Records and Def Jam Recording ...

. After hearing Marí perform live, Reid offered her a contract on the spot. According to

Shakir Stewart Shakir Stewart (April 12, 1974 – November 1, 2008), a native of Oakland, California, was an American record producer and record executive in a number of companies, the latest being Def Jam. At the time of his death he was the Senior Vice Pr ...

, VP A&R at Def Jam, in an interview with

HitQuarters HitQuarters was an international music industry publication and contact database founded in 1999. It was noted for its in-depth interviews with industry figures, as well as its A&R and manager contact directory, free artist promo pages and song ...

, "Teairra was a star when she walked into the room. She captured the room when she did her audition. We fell in love with her from day one."

Promotion

''Roc-A-Fella Records Presents Teairra Marí'' was preceded by lead single "Make Her Feel Good," released on April 26, 2005. The song reached number 35 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Follow-up single peaked at a number 84 on 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 ...

chart. "Phone Booth" was released as the third single on November 1, 2005 but failed to chart.

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 Andy Kellman found that "despite her age and the amount of assistance, arísounds seasoned and in charge, entirely aware of who she is and what she's capable of doing. There's too much feeling, too much knowing – in her voice to enable the common kneejerk criticism that she's merely a puppet with all the right connections. A lean album at 45 minutes (with no guest verses or anything ending in "-lude"), at least five of its songs deserve as much play as the lead single, all of which are different enough from one another (both lyrically and sonically) to establish Marí as one to watch." ''

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 ...

'' critic Christian Hoard compared ''Roc-A-Fella Records Presents Teairra Marí'' to singer

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

's music and wrote: "The debut from Detroit native Teairra Mari is full of Knowlesian crooning and sex appeal, although the seventeen-year-old Mari doesn't have her idol's vocal presence yet."

Chart performance

The album debuted and peaked at number five on the US ''Billboard'' 200, selling 69,000 copies in the first week. By September 2008, ''Roc-A-Fella Records Presents Teairra Marí'' had sold 248,000 units, according to

Nielsen SoundScan Luminate Data, LLC (formerly MRC Data and P-MRC Data) is a provider of music and entertainment data. Established as a joint-venture in 2020, it brought together Nielsen Music, Alpha Data (formerly BuzzAngle Music) and Variety Business Intellige ...

Track listing

Notes * signifies a co-producer * signifies an additional producer Sample credits *"Make Her Feel Good" contains interpolations from the composition "My Melody" (1986) as written by Eric B. & Rakim as well as a sample from "California My Way" (1974) as performed by Main Ingredient.

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2005 debut albums Teairra Marí albums Albums produced by Bryan-Michael Cox Albums produced by Sean Garrett Albums produced by Rodney Jerkins Albums produced by Cool & Dre Roc-A-Fella Records albums