Informal Introduction
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Informal Introduction
| type = Studio album
| artist = Shade Sheist
| cover = Informal Introduction.jpg
| alt =
| released = {{start date|2002|9|10}}
| recorded = 2000–02
| studio = {{hlist|Larrabee Sound Studios|Soundcastle|Skip Saylor Recording|Westlake Recording Studios (Los Angeles, CA)}}
| genre = {{hlist|West Coast hip hop|gangsta rap}}
| length = {{Duration|h=1|m=1|s=39}}
| label = {{hlist|Baby Ree|MCA}}
| producer = {{hlist|Damizza (also exec.)|DJ Quik|Eddie Berkeley|Howie Hersh|KayGee|Timbaland}}
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title = Before The Waitin' Before The Hatin'
| next_year = 2005
| misc = {{Singles
| name = Informal Introduction
| type = studio
| single1 = Where I Wanna Be
| single1date = October 7, 2000
| single2 = Money Owners
| single2date = May 14, 2002
| single3 = John Doe
| single3date = 2002
| single4 = Wake Up
| single4date = 2002
}}
}}
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev1score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/informal-introduction-mw0000224446|title=Informal Introduction - Shade Sheist {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits|last=Henderson|first=Alex|date=|website=AllMusic|language=en-us|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=March 7, 2020}}
| rev2 = HipHopDX
| rev2score = 2.5/5{{Cite web|url=https://hiphopdx.com/reviews/id.210/title.shade-sheist-informal-introduction|title=Shade Sheist - Informal Introduction|last=Williams|first=DeMarco|date=September 20, 2002|website=HipHopDX|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=March 7, 2020}}
}}
Informal Introduction is the debut studio album by American rapper Shade Sheist. It was released on September 10, 2002, through Baby Ree Prodcutions and MCA Records. Recording sessions took place at Larrabee Studios, at Soundcastle, at Skip Saylor Recording, and at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles. Production was handled by Damizza, Eddie Berkeley, KayGee, DJ Quik, Howie Hersh and Timbaland. It features guest appearances from Nate Dogg, AMG, DJ Clue, Fabolous, Hi-C, Knoc-turn'al, Kurupt, Vita and Warren G among others.
Due to little promotion, the album was not a commercial success, only reaching number 69 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. It did, however, feature his biggest hit to date "Where I Wanna Be", which peaked at 95 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 12 on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs. The album spawned three additional singles, "Money Owners", "John Doe" and "Wake Up" all of which became minor hits on the R&B charts.
Track listing
{{Track listing
| all_writing =
| extra_column = Producer(s)
| title1 = Holla Boyz Intro
| note1 = featuring DJ Echo and DJ Vice
| writer1 =
| extra1 =
| length1 = 1:08
| title2 = Somebody Steals the Show
| note2 =
| writer2 = {{hlist|T. Thompson|D. Young|H. Hersh}}
| extra2 = Damizza
| length2 = 4:25
| title3 = Act Like You Know Me
| note3 = featuring Fabolous and Knoc-turn'al
| writer3 = {{hlist|T. Thompson|J. Jackson|R. Harbor|H. Hersh}}
| extra3 = {{hlist|Howie Hersh|Damizza ({{abbr|co.|co-producer}})}}
| length3 = 5:04
| title4 = John Doe
| note4 = featuring DJ Quik, AMG, Hi-C and Swift
| writer4 = {{hlist|D. Blake|C. Wilkerson|J. Lewis|K. Martin}}
| extra4 = DJ Quik
| length4 = 3:25
| title5 = X2
| note5 = featuring DJ Clue
| writer5 = {{hlist|T. Thompson|D. Young|H. Hersh|W. Withers}}
| extra5 = Damizza
| length5 = 4:27
| title6 = Walk a Mile
| note6 = featuring Barbara Wilson, Nate Dogg, N.U.N.E. and Vita
| writer6 = {{hlist|T. Thompson|N. Hale|C. McCauley|L. Raynor|D. Young|H. Hersh}}
| extra6 = Damizza
| length6 = 3:45
| title7 = Stop...And Think About It
| note7 = featuring Big Caz
| writer7 = {{hlist|T. Thompson|D. Young|H. Hersh|B. Eland}}
| extra7 = {{hlist|Damizza|Shade Sheist ({{abbr|co.|co-producer}})}}
| length7 = 4:50
| title8 = Money Owners
| note8 = featuring Timbaland
| writer8 = {{hlist|T. Thompson|T. Mosley}}
| extra8 = Timbaland
| length8 = 4:26
| title9 = Wake Up
| note9 = featuring Nate Dogg and Warren G
| writer9 = {{hlist|T. Thompson|N. Hale|W. Griffin III|E. Berkeley|K. Gist|J. Mtume|R. James}}
| extra9 = {{hlist|Eddie Berkeley|Kay Gee}}
| length9 = 4:33
| title10 = BMF
| note10 =
| writer10 = {{hlist|T. Thompson|D. Young|H. Hersh}}
| extra10 = Damizza
| length10 = 4:17
| title11 = Thug Luv
| note11 = featuring Barbara Wilson
| writer11 = {{hlist|T. Thompson|D. Young|H. Hersh}}
| extra11 = Damizza
| length11 = 3:42
| title12 = Cali Diseaz (Musik)
| note12 = featuring Nate Dogg
| writer12 = {{hlist|T. Thompson|N. Hale|D. Young|H. Hersh}}
| extra12 = Damizza
| length12 = 4:12
| title13 = Here I Come
| note13 = featuring Damizza
| writer13 = {{hlist|T. Thompson|D. Young|H. Hersh}}
| extra13 = Damizza
| length13 = 3:24
| title14 = Where I Wanna Be
| note14 = featuring Kurupt and Nate Dogg
| writer14 = {{hlist|T. Thompson|R. Brown|N. Hale|E. Berkeley|K. Gist|R. Kimball|D. Paich}}
| extra14 = {{hlist|Eddie Berkeley|Kay Gee|Damizza ({{abbr|co.|co-producer}})}}
| length14 = 4:20
| title15 = The Urban Gospel
| note15 = featuring King Arthur and N.U.N.E.
| writer15 = {{hlist|T. Thompson|D. Young|H. Hersh}}
| extra15 = {{hlist|Damizza|Shade Sheist ({{abbr|co.|co-producer}})}}
| length15 = 4:18
| title16 = Holla Boys Outro
| note16 = featuring DJ Echo, DJ Vice and Damizza
| writer16 =
| extra16 =
| length16 = 1:24
| total_length = 1:01:39
}}
Personnel
- Tramayne Thompson – main artist, co-producer (tracks: 7, 15), co-executive producer, mixing (track 10)
Guest artists/vocalists
{{div col}}
- Henry "DJ Echo" Olortegui – featured artist (tracks: 1, 16)
- Eric "DJ Vice" Aguirre – featured artist (tracks: 1, 16)
- Damion Young – featured artist (tracks: 13, 16), backing vocals (track 2)
- Latonya Holmes – backing vocals (track 2)
- John Jackson – featured artist (track 3)
- Royal Harbor – featured artist (track 3)
- David Blake – featured artist (track 4)
- Crawford Wilkerson – featured artist (track 4)
- Jason Lewis – featured artist (track 4)
- Kenyan "Swift" Martin – featured artist (track 4)
- Ernesto "DJ Clue" Shaw – featured artist (track 5)
- Barbara Wilson – featured artist (tracks: 6, 11), backing vocals (tracks: 6, 7, 11, 13)
- Nathaniel Dwayne Hale – featured artist (tracks: 6, 9, 12, 14)
- Chris "Nune" McCauley – featured artist (tracks: 6, 15)
- LaVita Raynor – featured artist (track 6)
- Caz – featured artist (track 7)
- Timothy Mosley – featured artist (track 8)
- Warren Griffin III – featured artist (track 9)
- Ricardo "Kurupt" Brown – featured artist (track 14)
- King Arthur – featured artist (track 15)
{{div col end}}
Instrumentalists
{{div col}}
- Damion "Damizza" Young – drums (tracks: 2, 5, 6, 10–13, 15), programming (tracks: 2, 5, 6, 10, 11, 15), percussion (tracks: 2, 6, 13, 15), keyboards (track 5)
- Howard B. Hersh – bass & keyboards (tracks: 2, 5, 6, 10–13)
- DeVante Swing – keyboards (track 4)
- Emmanuel "DJ EMan" Coquia – scratches (track 5)
- Anthony Mazza – guitar (tracks: 7, 10)
- Florian Ammon – Pro Tools (tracks: 6, 7, 12, 13)
- D.B. Murda – programming (track 12)
- B.W.N. – programming (track 12)
{{div col end}}
Technicals
{{div col}}
- Damizza – producer (tracks: 2, 5–7, 10–13, 15), co-producer (tracks: 3, 14), executive producer, recording (tracks: 6, 7, 11, 13)
- Howie Hersh – producer (track 3)
- David "DJ Quik" Blake – producer & mixing (track 4)
- Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley – producer & mixing (track 8)
- Edward Berkeley – producer (tracks: 9, 14)
- Kier Gist – producer (tracks: 9, 14)
- Michael Schlesinger – mixing (tracks: 2, 5–7, 10–15), recording (tracks: 2, 5, 6, 10–15)
- Jimmy Douglass – mixing (track 8)
- Steve Penny – engineering (track 8)
- Jeremy – recording (tracks: 6, 8)
- Ray – recording (track 7)
- Jason Schweitzer – recording (track 13)
- Evren Göknar – mastering
- Brian – additional editing (track 5)
- Aaron – additional engineering (track 8)
{{div col end}}
Additional
{{div col}}
- Jesse Alvarez – art direction, design & illustration
- JP Robinson – art direction, design & illustration
- Manuel J. Donayre – art direction, design & illustration
- David Irvin – photography
- Anthony Mandler – photography
- Naim Ali – A&R
- Alicia N. Graham – A&R
- Sujit Kundu – management, co-executive producer
{{div col end}}
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2002)
! scope="col"| Peak |
|---|
| {{album chart|BillboardRandBHipHop|69|artist=Shade Sheist|rowheader=true|accessdate=March 7, 2020}} |
| {{album chart|BillboardHeatseekers|20|artist=Shade Sheist|rowheader=true|accessdate=March 7, 2020}} |
= Singles =
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Discogs master|583591|Informal Introduction}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Albums produced by KayGee
Category:Albums produced by Damizza
Category:Albums produced by DJ Quik