Heaven'z Movie
Heaven'z Movie is the first solo studio album by American rapper Bizzy Bone. It was released on October 6, 1998, via Ruthless/Relativity Records. The recording sessions took place at Ocean Way and at Groove Mine in Nashville, and at Music Grinder and at Studio 56 in Los Angeles. The production was handled by Bizzy Bone himself under his B.B. Gambini alias together with Mike Smoov, Johnny "J", Mafisto, Erik Nordquist, Cat Cody, Nina and Mike Johnson. It features guest appearances from Cat Cody, H.I.T.L.A.H. Capo-Confuscious and Mr. Majesty. The album reached number 3 on the Billboard 200 and number 2 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in the United States, selling 130,000 units in its first week.[1] It was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America a month after its release date. The album is dedicated to the memory of Byron "Big B" Carlos McCane.
| Heaven'z Movie | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 6, 1998 | |||
| Recorded | 1997–98 | |||
| Studio | ||||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 49:07 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Bizzy Bone chronology | ||||
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The songs "Marchin' on Washington", "Roll Call", "Yes Yes Y'all" and "Brain on Drugs" were cut short due to sample clearances not being made on time. Many songs did not make the album in time, leaving Heaven'z Movie incomplete. Songs omitted included the Tupac Shakur tribute "Life Goes On", "Trials & Tribulations", "Walking In Da Cold", "Way 2 Strong" from The PJs: Music from & Inspired by the Hit Television Series, "Relentless", "Retaliation", "Praise The Lord, Pass The Ammunition", "Power", "War Time", "Murder, Murder", "These Are My Family", "Seven", "10 Commandments", "Dying", "Mercenary", "Surrender My Love" and "Confessions".
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [2] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B−[3] |
| The New Rolling Stone Album Guide | [4] |
Heaven'z Movie received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Many reviewers criticized the cutting short of four prominent tracks ("Roll Call", "March On Washington", "Yes, Yes Ya'll", "Brain On Drugs") due to sample clearances. Matt Diehl of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B− rating, stating "Bone Thugs-n-Harmony's youngest member continues their formula of hip-hop harmony, fire-and-brimstone spirituality, and roughneck rhymes on his solo debut. Bizzy Bone also throws in inner-city cautionary tales ("Social Studies") and flirts dangerously with fascism (check out guest H.I.T.L.A.H. Capo — Confucius' handle). Any enlightening messages in Heaven'z Movie are made unintelligible by Bizzy's over-the-speed-limit rapping, which will satisfy Bone Thugs aficionados — but confuse everyone else".[3] AllMusic's Jason Birchmeier wrote: "One of the more troubled members of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Bizzy Bone takes the opportunity presented to him by his solo debut to explore much of his personal life. It's a fairly naked album, often confessional and, relative to his work with Bone, very serious. As such, it's an album orientated mostly toward Bone fans curious about the group's respective inner workings".[2]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Roll Call" |
|
| 0:52 |
| 2. | "Thugz Cry" |
|
| 3:39 |
| 3. | "Marchin' on Washington" |
|
| 0:58 |
| 4. | "Yes Yes Y'all" |
|
| 0:58 |
| 5. | "Menensky Mobbin'" |
|
| 3:56 |
| 6. | "Waitin' for Warfare" (featuring H.I.T.L.A.H. Capo-Confuscious) |
|
| 5:46 |
| 7. | "Mr. Majesty II" (performed by Mr. Majesty) |
|
| 4:21 |
| 8. | "Brain on Drugs" |
|
| 1:08 |
| 9. | "On the Freeway" (featuring Cat Cody) |
|
| 4:34 |
| 10. | "Demons Surround Me" |
|
| 2:49 |
| 11. | "(The Roof Is) On Fire" |
|
| 3:33 |
| 12. | "Nobody Can Stop Me" |
|
| 4:03 |
| 13. | "Social Studies" |
|
| 11:46 |
- Sample credits
- Track 2 contains elements from "My Eyes Adored You" written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan and performed by Frankie Valli, and "When Doves Cry" performed by Prince
- Track 3 contains elements from Ludwig van Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 14
- Track 6 contains elements from "Sunglasses at Night" written by Corey Hart
- Track 7 contains elements from "My Melody" written by Eric Barrier and William Griffin
- Track 8 contains elements from the Partnership for a Drug-Free America's campaign This Is Your Brain on Drugs.
- Tracks 11 and 13 contain replayed elements from "The Roof Is on Fire" written by Charles Pettiford, Gregory Wigfall, Richard Fowler, C. Evans and Jerry Bloodrock
- Track 12 contains replayed elements from "If Only You Knew" written by Cynthia Biggs, Kenneth Gamble and Dexter Wansel
- Track 13 contains a direct sample of "Gay Spirits" written by David Rose.
Personnel
- Bryon "Bizzy Bone"/"B.B. Gambini" McCane II – main performer (tracks: 1-6, 8-13), producer, mixing assistant (track 1), art direction
- Adrian "H.I.T.L.A.H. Capo-Confuscious" Parlette – featured performer (track 6)
- Cedric "Mr. Majesty" Feaster, Jr. – main performer (track 7)
- Torrance "Cat" Cody – additional vocals & producer (track 9)
- Ronnie King – keyboards (tracks: 2, 4)
- Michelle Foster – producer (track 1)
- Dave Paisley – co-producer (track 1)
- Johnny "J" Jackson – producer & mixing (tracks: 2, 4, 12), arranger (tracks: 2, 4)
- Harold "Mafisto" Durrett – producer (tracks: 3, 8, 13), co-producer (track 5), mixing (track 13), engineering assistant (track 3)
- Michael "Mike Smoov" Bell – producer (tracks: 5, 7, 10, 11), recording (track 10), mixing (tracks: 5, 10), engineering assistant (track 11)
- Erik "E" Nordquist – producer & mixing (track 6), recording (tracks: 6, 11)
- Mike Johnson – producer (track 8)
- Jupiter Joe – recording (tracks: 1, 7, 9, 10), mixing (tracks: 1, 3, 5-8, 10, 11, 13), engineering assistant (tracks: 2, 4, 12)
- Ian Boxill – recording & mixing (tracks: 2, 4, 12)
- Alvin Williams – recording (track 3)
- Chad Brown – recording (tracks: 5, 8, 13), engineering assistant (tracks: 9, 11)
- Dean Fisher – engineering assistant (tracks: 2, 4, 12)
- Joe Brown – engineering assistant (track 6)
- David Bett – art direction
- Chiu Liu – design
- Randy Ronquillo – design
- Daniel Hastings – cover photo
- United Press International – photography
- Bettmann Corbis – photography
- Agence France-Presse – photography
- Uniphoto – photography
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[8] | Gold | 500,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
- Reiss, Randy (October 14, 1998). "Jay Z's New Hard Knock Life Has A Golden Week". MTV.
- Birchmeier, Jason. "Heaven'z Movie - Bizzy Bone | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
- Diehl, Matt (October 23, 1998). "Heaven'z Movie". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
- Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. p. 92. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8.
- "Bizzy Bone Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
- "Bizzy Bone Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
- "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1998". Billboard. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
- "American album certifications – Bizzy Bone – Heaven'z Movie". Recording Industry Association of America.
External links
- Heaven'z Movie at Discogs (list of releases)