Yeeeah Baby

Yeeeah Baby is the second and final studio album by rapper Big Pun, released April 4, 2000 through Columbia Records, SRC Records, Loud Records and Fat Joe's Terror Squad Productions. It was released as planned, peaking at number 3 on the Billboard 200, and selling 179,000 units during the week it was released.[1] It was subsequently certified Gold in July three months later and would go on to be certified Platinum on October 31, 2017.[2] Fat Joe executive producer, produced the album.

Yeeeah Baby
Studio album by
Big Pun
ReleasedApril 4, 2000
Genre
Length52:08
Label
Producer
Big Pun chronology
Capital Punishment
(1998)		 Yeeeah Baby
(2000)		 Endangered Species
(2001)
Singles from Yeeeah Baby
  1. "It's So Hard"
    Released: March 30, 2000
  2. "100%"
    Released: June 5, 2000

Struggling with morbid obesity, Pun experienced breathing problems throughout the album's recording process, slowing down his signature flow. He died at 28 years of age, just two months before the album's release.

Background

The album consists of two of Big Pun's biggest hits, the first single "It's So Hard" and the Puerto Rican anthem "100%". In the former song, he exclaims: "It's hard work, baby. I just lost 100 pounds. I'm trying to live. I ain't going nowhere."

In his last magazine interview, conducted by Industry Insider only a week before his death, Pun detailed that his approach on Yeeeah Baby was not as "hardcore" as his previous album Capital Punishment, in an attempt to reach out to an even wider fanbase than his debut album already had.[3]

Tracks

Terror Squad members and affiliates such as Sunkiss, Tony Sunshine, Prospect, Cuban Link, Remy Ma, and Fat Joe were featured on the album.

The album featured lighthearted songs like "100%" and "It's So Hard". It opens with an introduction "The Creation", likening Big Pun to Frankenstein. The first song "Watch Those" is a rock-oriented rap song with the beat derived from the theme song of Starsky and Hutch. With Tony Sunshine, there were also jokey R&B ballads like "My Dick" and "Laughing at You", an interpretation of Notorious B.I.G.'s "Juicy" with lyrics like "It was all a scheme / I used to load the tech with the magazine". The track "Nigga Shit" is a two-minute skit where Pun jokes about indulging in African-American stereotypes. There were also hardcore revenge-fantasy songs with a dark sinister sound like "Off With His Head", "LeatherFace" and "Wrong Ones". In the song "My Turn", Big Pun made a jab at a then up-and-coming rapper 50 Cent in response to the remark 50 made about Pun in his song "How to Rob".

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[4]
Billboard(Favorable)[5]
Entertainment WeeklyC[6]
NME(7/10)[7]
Q[8]
RapReviews(8.5/10)[9]
Robert Christgau(2-star Honorable Mention)(2-star Honorable Mention)[10]
Rolling Stone[11]
The Source[8]
Vibe(Favorable)[12]

Commercial

Yeeeah Baby posted a strong debut on the Billboard 200, the album sold more than 179,000 copies in its first week in stores to take the third slot on the chart. It reached Gold status within three months.

Critical

Yeeeah Baby received favorable reviews from music critics.

  • Rolling Stone (4/13/00, p. 128) – 3.5 stars out of 5 – "... [Pun] has gone out with a bang. He attacked standard hip-hop topics with witty, unpredictable elasticity. ... Pun is at his habanero hottest ..."[11]
  • Q (7/00, p. 111) – 3 stars out of 5 – "... Would have established [him] as both a radio-friendly commercial force and rebellious icon ..."
  • CMJ (4/24/00, p. 30) – "... Beams the spotlight on the Boricua bomber's unparalleled breath control and hilarious jaw-dropping wordplay."
  • Vibe (6/00, p. 214) – "... A triumphant final effort for one of the Boogie Down Bronx's favorite super-lyrical sons....[It] showcases Pun's matured artistic vision and newly mastered flows but never ceases to move bodies and minds ..."
  • The Source (5/00, p. 186) – 4 mics out of 5 – "... An even more in-depth peep inside the heart and soul of a man in constant struggle with himself. ... a backstage pass to the all-out jam that was Pun's personality: street-wise, intellectually sharp, sex-crazed – and funny as hell ..."
  • NME (4/29/00, p. 35) – 7 out of 10 – "... [A] raucous final musical statement. ... like a library of every cool contemporary hip-hop sound squeezed onto one compact disc. ... One for delinquent work experience boys everywhere."[7]

Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[13]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."The Creation" (intro)  1:29
2."Watch Those"
Knobody3:20
3."Off Wit His Head" (featuring Prospect and Opera Steve)
Just Blaze4:06
4."It's So Hard" (featuring Donell Jones)
2:52
5."We Don't Care" (featuring Cuban Link)
Younglord3:12
6."New York Giants" (featuring M.O.P.)
  • Minnesota
  • Mahogany
3:30
7."My Dick" (featuring Tony Sunshine)
  • KNS
  • Guy Boogie
3:19
8."Leatherface"
The Infinite Arkatechz3:25
9."Air Pun" (skit)  0:51
10."100%" (featuring Tony Sunshine)
Sean Cane3:51
11."Wrong Ones" (featuring Sunkiss)
  • Rios
  • DeShawn Barzey
  • J. Smith
Just Blaze4:07
12."Laughing at You" (featuring Tony Sunshine)
Ogee4:26
13."Nigga Shit"
Buckwild1:45
14."Ms. Martin" (featuring Remi Martin)
  • Rios
  • Michael Gomez
DJ Shok4:16
15."My Turn"
3:48
16."You Was Wrong" (featuring Drag-On, Fat Joe, & Remi Martin)
DJ Shok3:51

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer

Sample credits[13]

Album chart positions

Singles chart positions
Year Song Chart positions
Hot 100 Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot Rap Singles Rhythmic Top 40
2000 "It's So Hard" #75 #19 #11 #39
2000 "100%" #84 #53 #16 -

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[19] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Big Punisher's 'Yeeeah Baby!' Debuts at No. 3". Los Angeles Times. April 13, 2000.
  2. "Gold & Platinum". riaa.com. Recording Industry Association Of America. Archived from the original on 2016-01-05. Retrieved 2017-11-26.
  3. "Big Pun Remembered In Final Magazine Interview". MTV News. Archived from the original on 2019-09-16. Retrieved 2020-11-08.
  4. Allmusic review
  5. Inc, Nielsen Business Media (April 15, 2000). "Billboard". Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2016 – via Google Books. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  6. "Yeeeah Baby". EW.com. Archived from the original on 2019-08-20. Retrieved 2020-11-08.
  7. "Yeeeah Baby | NME". NME. September 12, 2005. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  8. "Big Punisher - Yeeeah Baby CD Album MP3". www.cduniverse.com. Archived from the original on 2020-11-08. Retrieved 2020-11-08.
  9. "Big Punisher :: Yeeeah Baby :: Loud". www.rapreviews.com. Archived from the original on 2009-07-23. Retrieved 2009-11-22.
  10. "Robert Christgau: CG: big punisher". www.robertchristgau.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2012-10-12.
  11. Rolling Stone review
  12. "Vibe review". Archived from the original on 2020-11-08. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  13. Yeeeah Baby (booklet). Terror Squad, Loud. 2000.
  14. "R&B : Top 50". Jam!. May 22, 2000. Archived from the original on May 23, 2000. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  15. "Big Punisher Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  16. "Big Punisher Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  17. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2000". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Archived from the original on May 26, 2018. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  18. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2000". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Archived from the original on May 8, 2018. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  19. "American album certifications – Big Punisher – Yeeeah Baby". Recording Industry Association of America.
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