Coming of Age (Memphis Bleek album)

{{Infobox album

| name = Coming of Age

| type = Studio

| cover = Memphis Bleek - The Coming of Age.jpg

| alt =

| released = August 3, 1999

| recorded =

| studio = {{hlist|Roc-A-Fella Center Studio {{small|(New York City, New York)}}|Platinum Island Studios {{small|(New York City, New York)}}|Soundtrack Studio {{small|(New York City, New York)}}|Sony Music Studios {{small|(New York City, New York)}}|Battery Studios {{small|(New York City, New York)}}|Right Track Studios {{small|(New York City, New York)}}}}

| genre = Hip hop

| length = 50:13

| label = {{hlist|Island Def Jam|Def Jam|Roc-A-Fella}}

| producer = {{hlist|Swizz Beatz|Irv Gotti|Buckwild|Omen}}

| prev_title =

| prev_year =

| next_title = The Understanding

| next_year = 2000

| misc = {{Singles

| name = Coming of Age

| type = studio

| single1 = Memphis Bleek Is...

| single1date = June 8, 1999

| single2 = What You Think Of That

| single2date = October 6, 1999

}}

Coming of Age is the debut studio album by American rapper Memphis Bleek. It was released August 3, 1999, via The Island Def Jam Music Group, Def Jam Recordings and Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records on August 3, 1999. The album spawned the hit single "Memphis Bleek Is...".

Commercial performance

The album debuted and peaked at number 7 on the Billboard 200, with 118,000 units sold in its first week.[https://web.archive.org/web/20231102160440/https://www.mtv.com/news/4x5t9p/memphis-bleek-is-coming-of-age-with-top-ten-debut Memphis Bleek Is "Coming Of Age" With Top Ten Debut]. Mtv.com. Retrieved on January 26, 2013. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA on September 14, 1999, for shipments and sales of over 500,000 units in America.

Critical reception

{{Music ratings

|rev1 = AllMusic

|rev1score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/coming-of-age-mw0000241092|title=Coming of Age - Memphis Bleek|last=Farley|first=Keith|website=AllMusic|accessdate=November 28, 2011}}

|rev2 = Entertainment Weekly

|rev2score = B+{{cite magazine|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,270537,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070429093306/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,270537,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 29, 2007|title=Music Review: 'Coming of Age'|last=Diehl|first=Matt|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|publisher=Time Inc|date=September 3, 1999|issue=501|page=71|accessdate=November 28, 2011}}

|rev3 = Rolling Stone

|rev3score = {{Rating|2|5}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/memphisbleek/albums/album/95360/review/6211092/coming_of_age|title=Memphis Bleek : Coming of Age|department=Recordings|last=Sheffield|first=Rob|authorlink=Rob Sheffield|magazine=Rolling Stone|publisher=Wenner Media|date=August 19, 1999|pages=111–112|accessdate=November 28, 2011|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919084339/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/memphisbleek/albums/album/95360/review/6211092/coming_of_age|archivedate=September 19, 2008|url-status=dead}}

|rev4 = The Source

|rev4score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite magazine|last=Bonanno|first=Jonathan|date=September 1999|issue=120|title=Memphis Bleek – Coming of Age|department=Record Report|magazine=The Source|pages=304, 306|location=New York}}

|rev5 = USA Today

|rev5score = {{Rating|3|4}}{{cite news|last=Jones|first=Steve|date=August 3, 1999|title=Bleek's dark 'Age' is dawning Gray's unpredictable 'Life'|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/43657206.html?dids=43657206:43657206&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+03,+1999&author=&pub=USA+TODAY&desc=Bleek's+dark+'Age'+is+dawning+Gray's+unpredictable+'Life';+Pavarotti's+sloppy+'Recital'+from+the+past&pqatl=google|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130131190444/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/USAToday/access/43657206.html?dids=43657206:43657206&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+03,+1999&author=&pub=USA+TODAY&desc=Bleek's+dark+'Age'+is+dawning+Gray's+unpredictable+'Life';+Pavarotti's+sloppy+'Recital'+from+the+past&pqatl=google|archive-date=January 31, 2013|work=USA Today|page=07D|location=|publisher=|access-date=November 27, 2024}}

}}

Matt Diehl of Entertainment Weekly praised Bleek for holding his own lyrically alongside guest artists Ja Rule and N.O.R.E., and displaying striking sensitivity on "Regular Cat". He also noted how the album's production of "ominous inner-city symphonies and raw street beats" was ageless. Keith Farley from AllMusic noted how Bleek's vocal delivery was more "street-level" than Jay-Z's, along with the album containing an "urban funk" style like most of his material, concluding that "Still, Coming of Age is a fine debut that shows Memphis Bleek already leaps and bounds ahead of most rappers." In a dual review with Ja's Venni Vetti Vecci, Rolling Stone{{'}}s Rob Sheffield felt that Bleek came across as a cliché-filled rapper that lacked witticism in his lyrics and wasted the beats given to him by his producers.

Track listing

{{track listing

| total_length =

| extra_column = Producer(s)

| title1 = Pain in da Ass Intro

| note1 =

| writer1 =

| extra1 =

| length1 = 0:43

| title2 = Who's Sleeping

| note2 = featuring Reb

| writer2 = {{hlist|Malik Cox|Patrick Viala|Leon Lorick|Marvin Gaye}}

| extra2 = Pat Viala

| length2 = 2:40

| title3 = Memphis Bleek Is...

| note3 =

| writer3 = {{hlist|Cox|Kasseem Dean}}

| extra3 = Swizz Beatz

| length3 = 4:08

| title4 = What You Think of That

| note4 = featuring Jay-Z

| writer4 = {{hlist|Cox|Anthony Best|Shawn Carter|Keith Mansfield}}

| extra4 = Buckwild

| length4 = 4:40

| title5 = Murda 4 Life

| note5 = featuring Ja Rule

| writer5 = {{hlist|Cox|Jeffrey Atkins|Taiwan Green|Irving Lorenzo}}

| extra5 = {{hlist|Mr. Fingers|Irv Gotti}}

| length5 = 4:47

| title6 = You're All Welcome (Pain Interlude)

| note6 =

| writer6 =

| extra6 =

| length6 = 0:37

| title7 = Stay Alive In NYC

| note7 =

| writer7 = {{hlist|Cox|Jerald Stoute|Patti Austin|James Harris|Terry Lewis}}

| extra7 = {{hlist|J-Runnah|Darold "Pop" Trotter {{small|({{abbr|co.|co-producer}})}}}}

| length7 = 4:14

| title8 = You a Thug Nigga

| note8 =

| writer8 = {{hlist|Cox|Lorenzo|Robert Mays}}

| extra8 = {{hlist|Irv Gotti|Lil Rob}}

| length8 = 4:14

| title9 = N.O.W.

| note9 = featuring Da Ranjahz

| writer9 = {{hlist|Cox|Malcolm Byer|Nigel Leguerre}}

| extra9 = Dark Half

| length9 = 4:16

| title10 = Everybody

| note10 =

| writer10 = {{hlist|Cox|Sidney Brown}}

| extra10 = Omen

| length10 = 4:00

| title11 = I Won't Stop

| note11 = featuring Dark Half

| writer11 = {{hlist|Cox|Bernard Parker|Leguerre}}

| extra11 = Bernard "Big Demi" Parker

| length11 = 3:07

| title12 = My Hood to Your Hood

| note12 = featuring Beanie Sigel

| writer12 = {{hlist|Cox|Dwight Grant|Lorenzo|Green}}

| extra12 = {{hlist|Irv Gotti|Mr. Fingers}}

| length12 = 3:47

| title13 = Why U Wanna Hate For

| note13 = featuring Noreaga

| writer13 = {{hlist|Cox|Victor Santiago|Joseph Brim|Christopher Kellam|James Heard}}

| extra13 = The Burn Unit

| length13 = 3:49

| title14 = Regular Cat

| note14 =

| writer14 = {{hlist|Cox|Stoute|Ralph MacDonald|William Eaton|William Salter}}

| extra14 = J-Runnah

| length14 = 5:12

}}

Sample credits

"Who's Sleeping" contains a sample from "If This World Were Mine", written by Marvin Gaye, and performed by Zulema.
"What You Think of That" contains a sample of "High Velocity", written and performed by Keith Mansfield.
"Stay Alive in NYC" contains an interpolation of "Summer is the Coldest Time of Year", written by Patti Austin, James Harris, and Terry Lewis.
"Regular Cat" contains a sample of "Love and Let Love", written by Ralph MacDonald, William Eaton, and William Salter; and performed by Roberta Flack.

Personnel

Juan Allen – engineer (12)
B-High – co-executive producer
Big Jaz – co-executive producer
Kareem "Biggs" Burke – executive producer
Eric "EBO" Butler – mixing (7, 14)
Shawn Carter – executive producer
Tom Coyne – mastering
Damon Dash – executive producer
The Drawing Board – art direction, design
Irv Gotti – mixing (5)
Ken Duro Ifill – mixing (4, 8, 11)
Jonathan Mannion – photography
Monica Morrow – stylist
Joe Quinde – engineer (3), mixing (3, 13)
Chico Spades – engineer (4, 13)
Brian Stanley – engineer (10)
Tai – instrumentation (5)
Pat Viala – engineer (2, 5, 7-12, 14), mixing (2, 5, 9, 10, 12)

Charts

=Weekly charts=

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="col"\| Chart (1999) ! scope="col"\| Peak position
{{album chart\|Billboard200\|7\|artist=Memphis Bleek\|rowheader=true\|accessdate=August 21, 2020}}
{{album chart\|BillboardRandBHipHop\|1\|artist=Memphis Bleek\|rowheader=true\|accessdate=August 21, 2020}}

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

scope="col"| Chart (1999)

! scope="col"| Peak
position

{{album chart|Billboard200|7|artist=Memphis Bleek|rowheader=true|accessdate=August 21, 2020}}

{{album chart|BillboardRandBHipHop|1|artist=Memphis Bleek|rowheader=true|accessdate=August 21, 2020}}

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
scope="col"\| Chart (1999) ! scope="col"\| Position
scope="row"\| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard){{cite web\|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1999/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums\|title=Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1999\|work=Billboard\|accessdate=August 21, 2020}} \| 72

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

scope="col"| Chart (1999)

! scope="col"| Position

scope="row"| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard){{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1999/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums|title=Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1999|work=Billboard|accessdate=August 21, 2020}}

| 72

Certifications

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United States|artist=Memphis Bleek|title=Coming of Age|award=Gold|relyear=1999|certyear=1999|refname=riaa}}