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It's a Beautiful Thing (album)

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It's a Beautiful Thing
Studio album by
Keith Murray
ReleasedJanuary 12, 1999
Recorded1997–1998
StudioMirror Image (Dix Hills, New York)
GenreEast Coast hip hop
Length51:50
LabelJive
ProducerErick Sermon (also exec.)
Keith Murray chronology
El Niño
(1998) 		It's a Beautiful Thing
(1999) 		He's Keith Murray
(2003)
Singles from It's a Beautiful Thing
  1. "Incredible"
    Released: September 15, 1998
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Source[2]

It's a Beautiful Thing is the third solo studio album by American rapper Keith Murray. It was released on January 12, 1999,[3] via Jive Records, making it his final record for the label. Recording sessions took place at Mirror Image Recording Studios in Dix Hills, New York. Production was handled entirely by Erick Sermon, who also served as executive producer. It features guest appearances from Déjà Vu, Canibus, Erick Sermon, LL Cool J, Redman and Too $hort. The album peaked at number thirty-nine on the Billboard 200 and number nine on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in the US. Its single "Incredible" reached number 70 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and number 36 on the Hot Rap Songs.

The recording of the album began during the difficult times of Murray's legal and financial troubles, along with his desire to leave the label. However, the album was unfinished when Murray went into incarceration, with the label deciding to complete and release the album despite Murray's disapproval.[4] AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine considered the album to be a rather indistinctive one in Murray's discography, but did state that "there's enough to make It's a Beautiful Thing a reasonably entertaining listen, even if they aren't enough to make it memorable".

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Intro"
0:53
2."When I Rap"
3:21
3."Incredible" (featuring LL Cool J)
3:03
4."Some Shit" (featuring Canibus and Déjà Vu)
3:14
5."Bodega Skit"
  • Murray
  • Sermon
0:40
6."Slap Somebody"
  • Murray
  • Sermon
3:57
7."Secret Indictment"
  • Murray
  • Sermon
  • G. Raeford
3:41
8."Radio"
3:50
9."Intersection"
3:35
10."Shut the Fuck Up"
  • Murray
  • Sermon
2:15
11."Interlude"Murray0:36
12."Media"
3:30
13."Life on the Street"
4:04
14."Ride Wit Us" (featuring Erick Sermon, Redman and Too $hort)
3:51
15."Jungle Boogie"
0:56
16."High as Hell"
  • Murray
  • Sermon
  • Ray Jackson
3:22
17."Bad Day"
3:55
18."A Message from Keith"Murray2:05
19."My Life" (featuring Déjà Vu)
3:45
Total length:51:50

Personnel

[edit]
  • Keith Omar Murray – vocals
  • James Todd "LL Cool J" Smith – vocals (track 3)
  • D. "Déjà Vu" Everett – vocals (tracks 4, 19)
  • Germaine "Canibus" Williams – vocals (track 4)
  • Erick Sermon – vocals (track 14), producer, executive producer
  • Reginald "Redman" Noble – vocals (track 14)
  • Todd "Too $hort" Shaw – vocals (track 14)
  • Chaz Harper – digital editing
  • Mark Berto – recording, mixing
  • Troy Hightower – recording, mixing
  • Ivan 'Doc' Rodriguez – mixing
  • Camillo Rodriguez – assistant engineering
  • Dave O'Donnell – assistant engineering
  • Tony Dawsey – mastering
  • Chris Tricarico – project coordination
  • Damon "Smooth" Hart – management
  • Rashad El-Amin – management

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1999) Peak
position
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[5] 32
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[6] 24
US Billboard 200[7] 39
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[8] 9

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "It's a Beautiful Thing – Keith Murray". AllMusic. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
  2. ^ Osorio, Kim (January 1999). "Record Report: Keith Murray – It's A Beautiful Thing". The Source. No. 112. New York. pp. 180, 182.
  3. ^ "Keith Murray Gets Charitable As He Fights Prison Term". MTV. December 11, 1998. Archived from the original on December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  4. ^ ":: BlackElectorate.com ::". www.blackelectorate.com. April 4, 2003. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  5. ^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  6. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
  7. ^ "Keith Murray Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  8. ^ "Keith Murray Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
[edit]
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