Homebase (album)
Homebase is the fourth studio album released by hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. The album was released on July 23, 1991, reaching number 12 on the Billboard 200 charts and number 5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It received generally favorable reviews from critics. The album was certified Platinum and won an American Music Award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album in 1992.
Homebase | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | July 23, 1991 | |||
Recorded | May 1990–April 1991 | |||
Studio | Battery Studios Soundtrack Studios (New York City, New York) Warehouse/J.E.M Recording Studios (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 53:04 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
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DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince chronology | ||||
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Singles from Homebase | ||||
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Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
Calgary Herald | B[2] |
Entertainment Weekly | B−[3] |
Los Angeles Times | (favorable)[4] |
NME | 4/10[5] |
Q | [6] |
Rolling Stone | [7] |
Album information
Four singles were released from the album: "Summertime", "The Things That U Do", "Ring My Bell", and "You Saw My Blinker". The second track on and lead single from the album, "Summertime", earned the duo a second Grammy Award for Best Single in early 1992. Smith admitted that he tried to make his voice sound deeper than usual for this album, as many fans enjoyed the track "Then She Bit Me" from the duo's previous album, And in This Corner..., which was sung in this style, while "You Saw My Blinker" is one of only two instances in which Smith uses obscenities in his music. The single "Ring My Bell" reached number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 22 on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Singles chart.[8][9]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "I'm All That" |
| 3:43 |
2. | "Summertime" |
| 4:30 |
3. | "The Things That U Do" |
| 4:56 |
4. | "This Boy Is Smooth" |
| 4:58 |
5. | "Ring My Bell" |
| 4:44 |
6. | "A Dog Is a Dog" |
| 4:29 |
7. | "Caught in the Middle (Love & Life)" |
| 4:21 |
8. | "Trapped on the Dance Floor" |
| 5:19 |
9. | "Who Stole the D.J." |
| 4:50 |
10. | "You Saw My Blinker" |
| 4:14 |
11. | "Dumb Dancin'" |
| 4:55 |
12. | "Summertime (Reprise)" |
| 2:05 |
Total length: | 53:04 |
Charts
Weekly charts
Chart (1991) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA)[10] | 110 |
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[11] | 33 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[12] | 43 |
UK Albums (OCC)[13] | 69 |
US Billboard 200[14] | 12 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[15] | 5 |
Year-end charts
Chart (1991) | Position |
---|---|
US Billboard 200[16] | 73 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[17] | 53 |
Singles
Title | Year | Chart positions | |
---|---|---|---|
US Pop [8] |
US R&B [9] | ||
"Summertime" | 1991 | 4 | 1 |
"Ring My Bell" | 20 | 22 | |
"The Things That U Do" | 1992 | — | 43 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada)[18] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[19] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
References
- AllMusic review
- Obee, Dave (July 21, 1991). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald.
- Entertainment Weekly review
- Dennis Hunt (1991). "DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince – Homebase". Los Angeles Times – via Milwaukee Journal. (August 11, 1991).
- Dalton, Stephen (September 21, 1991). "Long Play". NME. p. 36. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
- Q review
- Rolling Stone review
- "D.J. Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- "D.J. Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- "Bubbling Down Under Week Commencing April 20, 1992". Bubbling Down Under. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
- "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1617". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- "Charts.nz – DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince – Homebase". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- "D.J Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- "D.J Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
- "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1991". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 24, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- "1991 The Year in Music" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 103, no. 51. December 21, 1991. p. YE-17. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
- "Canadian album certifications – D.J. Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince – Homebase". Music Canada.
- "American album certifications – DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince – Homebase". Recording Industry Association of America.