12 Play

12 Play
Studio album by R. Kelly
Released November 9, 1993 (1993-11-09)
Recorded 1992–93
Genre
Length 63:10
Label Jive
Producer
R. Kelly chronology
Born into the 90's
(1992)		 12 Play
(1993)		 R. Kelly
(1995)
Singles from 12 Play
  1. "Sex Me"
    Released: August 6, 1993
  2. "Bump N' Grind"
    Released: January 25, 1994
  3. "Your Body's Callin'"
    Released: March 11, 1994
  4. "Summer Bunnies"
    Released: July 28, 1994
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
The Baltimore Sun(mixed)[3]
BBC Online(favorable)[1]
Chicago Tribune[4]
Robert Christgau(C+)[5]
Entertainment Weekly(C-)[6]
Los Angeles Times[7]
Rolling Stone[8]
Virgin Encyclopedia[9]
Yahoo! Music(favorable)[10]

12 Play is the debut studio album by American R&B and soul musician R. Kelly; it was released on November 9, 1993, by Jive Records. The album follows his tenure with R&B group Public Announcement, with whom he released one album, Born into the 90's (1992). It went on to top the R&B albums chart for nine weeks straight, while reaching the second position on the US Billboard 200 chart.

The album features the sexually-themed singles "Bump n' Grind" (US, number 1), "Your Body's Callin'" (US, number 13), and the more overtly direct "Sex Me, Pts. 1 & 2" (US, number 20). The album serves as the first of a trilogy of albums Kelly later released under the "12 Play" moniker including TP-2.com (2000) and TP-3: Reloaded (2005). Since its initial mixed response from critics, 12 Play has received more favorable retrospective criticism. This album earned Kelly the title King of R&B.

Background

Following the success of Born into the 90's, as the member of the R&B group Public Announcement, Kelly began touring as an opening act for Gerald Levert and Glenn Jones. During the tour, Kelly said that he became frustrated with the poor lighting and empty seats during his set. To generate more attention during his set, Kelly begin thinking of what would be his gimmick to take his show to the next level, something that would make people remember him.[11] Kelly stated: "I thought about it for a couple of days, and I finally came up with a little skit, me just talking to the audience. At the point in the show where I would break down "Honey Love," I would start talking to the audience."

The audience yelled "YES!" and Kelly's piano player accompanied him with chords. Kelly then begun the countdown, "One. We'll go to my room of fun." The "12 Play" gimmick became so big that when Kelly went to radio stations to promote Born into the 90's, the DJ's wanted to hear "12 Play." The demand for "12 Play" was so big that R. Kelly decided to create an album titled 12 Play.[11]

Success

"I didn't really know if the album would be as successful as it has been, but I hoped that it would. I was really taking a chance with the concept of this album." - Kelly on the concept of the 12 Play album, 1994.[12]

Track listing

All tracks written by R. Kelly, except "Sadie" by Joseph B. Jefferson, Bruce Hawes, and Charles Simmons.

No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Your Body's Callin'"R. Kelly, Timmy Allen4:39
2."Bump n' Grind"R. Kelly4:17
3."Homie Lover Friend"R. Kelly, Timmy Allen4:23
4."It Seems Like You're Ready"R. Kelly5:40
5."Freak Dat Body"R. Kelly3:45
6."I Like The Crotch On You"R. Kelly6:38
7."Summer Bunnies"R. Kelly4:15
8."For You"R. Kelly5:02
9."Back To the Hood Of Things"R. Kelly3:53
10."Sadie"R. Kelly4:31
11."Sex Me Pt 1 & 2"R. Kelly11:28
12."12 Play"R. Kelly, Timmy Allen5:56

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic.[13]

Chart positions

Chart (1993) Peak
position
Dutch Albums (MegaCharts)[14] 66
UK Albums (OCC)[15] 20
US Billboard 200[16] 2
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[17] 1

Certifications

Territory Certifier Certification Sales
Canada CRIA[18] Gold 50,000
England BPI[19] Silver 60,000
United States RIAA[20] 6× Platinum 6,000,000

Release History

Year Label Format
1993JiveCD[21]
JiveCassette
JiveCD (with bonus track)
2003JiveCD
2004JiveCD (with bonus track)
2005JiveCD (with bonus track)
2007JiveCD

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Easlea, Daryl. Review: 12 Play. BBC Online. Retrieved on 2010-07-08.
  2. ↑ Birchmeier, Jason. Review: 12 Play. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2009-10-11.
  3. ↑ Considine, J.D. "Review: 12 Play". The Baltimore Sun: 9. December 24, 1993. Archived from the original on 2009-10-11. (Transcription of original review at talk page)
  4. ↑ Kot, Greg. "Review: 12 Play". Chicago Tribune: 8. January 20, 1994. (Transcription of original review at talk page)
  5. ↑ Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide: 12 Play". The Village Voice: November 29, 1993. Archived from the original on 2009-10-11.
  6. ↑ Aaron, Charles. Review: 12 Play. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2009-10-11.
  7. ↑ Cromelin, Richard. Review: 12 Play. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2009-10-11.
  8. ↑ Harris, Keith. "Review: 12 Play". The Rolling Stone Album Guide: 448. November 2, 2004.
  9. ↑ Larkin, Colin. "Review: 12 Play Archived 2011-01-04 at the Wayback Machine.". Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music: 189. March 1, 2002.
  10. ↑ DeRogatis, Jim. Review: 12 Play. Yahoo! Music. Retrieved on 2009-10-11. Archived from the original on 2012-05-12.
  11. 1 2 "Soulacoaster". Google Books. p. 177-179. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  12. ↑ Reynolds, J.R. (December 10, 1994). "Career Milestones Keep Coming For Jive's Kelly". Billboard. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
  13. ↑ 12 Play - R. Kelly | Credits | AllMusic
  14. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – R. Kelly – 12 Play" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  15. ↑ "R Kelly | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  16. ↑ "R. Kelly Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  17. ↑ "R. Kelly Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  18. ↑ "Gold/Platinum". Retrieved 2013-09-06.
  19. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-04. Retrieved 2012-08-24.
  20. ↑ "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". RIAA. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
  21. ↑ "12 Play release history". AllMusic. Retrieved February 13, 2016.

Further reading

  • Nathan Brackett, Christian Hoard (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Completely Revised and Updated 4th Edition. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  • Colin Larkin (2002). Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Edition 4. Virgin Books. ISBN 1-85227-923-0.
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