| 1999 | |
|---|---|
 Above is a photoshopped photograph of two skateboarding children in the 90's, which was used as the cover. | |
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Released |
12 June 2012 |
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Recorded |
2011-2012 |
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Genre |
|
|
Length |
61:20 |
|
Label |
Cinematic Music Group |
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Producer |
Bruce LeeKix, Chuck Strangers, Creative Control (exec.), J Dilla, Freddie Joachim, Jonnyshipes (exec.), Knxwledge, Lord Finesse, MF DOOM, Lewis Parker, Statik Selektah, Vin Skully |
1999 is the debut mixtape by rapper and actor Joey Bada$$, released on June 12, 2012 through Cinematic Music Group. 1999 is seen as one of the greatest mixtapes of all time, with many praising it's old school style sound and eventually going on to be nominated mixtape of the mixtape of the year by BET. 1999 has features from hip hop collective Pro Era members such as Capital Steez, CJ Fly, and Chuck Strangers. The mixtape is heavily credited for starting Joey Bada$$'s career, along with it starting a resurgence in east coast hip hop. Because of 1999's success, Joey Bada$$ went on to release Rejex and Rejex 2, which were mixtapes comprised of songs that didn't end up making the mixtape.
Background & Inspiration[]
While not much is known for the making, we know about 43 songs were made, with only 15 actually making the mixtape and the rest being released in the Rejex and Rejex 2 mixtapes. The album is heavily inspired by old school and east coast hip hop, with production using previous beats made by Metal Fingers, the producer alter ego of MF DOOM and having mass amounts of sample usage. 1999 also takes inspiration from southern hip hop, where Snakes and Where It'$ At? using previous productions from the late J Dilla. Almost five months later, on November 9, 2012, the song Waves was released as a single.
Reception & Legacy[]
1999 came out to critically acclaimed reviews, scoring an 8/10 from Pitchfork and four out of five stars from HipHopDX[1][2]. Despite it's success, 1999 was only to be able for purchase on iTunes in 2015, with it taking six years in order to be published on streaming services, however it was at the cost of having to change Funky Ho's instrumental. Because of 1999's legacy, it was able to get a vinyl release and eventually spawn a sequel album titled 2000.
Tracklisting[]
| No. | Title | Performer(s) | Producer(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Summer Knights" | Joey Bada$$ | Chuck Strangers | 1:56 |
| 2. | "Waves" | Joey Bada$$ | Freddie Joachim | 3:32 |
| 3. | "FromdaTomb$" | Joey Bada$$, Chuck Strangers | Chuck Strangers | 3:25 |
| 4. | "Survival Tactics" | Joey Bada$$, Capital STEEZ | Vin Skully | 3:32 |
| 5 | Killuminati | Joey Bada$$, Capital STEEZ | Knxwledge | 2:34 |
| 6. | "Hardknock" | Joey Bada$$, CJ Fly | Lewis Parker | 5:18 |
| 7. | "World Domination" | Joey Bada$$ | MF DOOM | 2:43 |
| 8. | "Pennyroyal" | Joey Bada$$ | MF DOOM | 2:50 |
| 9. | "Funky Ho'$" | Joey Bada$$ | Lord Finesse | 4:29 |
| 10. | "Daily Routine" | Joey Bada$$ | Chuck Strangers | 2:58 |
| 11. | "Snakes" | Joey Bada$$, T'nah Apex | J Dilla | 4:19 |
| 12. | "Don't Front" | Joey Bada$$, CJ Fly | Statik Selektah | 4:22 |
| 13. | "Righteous Minds" | Joey Bada$$ | Bruce LeeKix | 3:44 |
| 14. | "Where It'$ At?" | Joey Bada$$, Kirk Knight | J Dilla | 4:09 |
| 15. | "Suspect" | Joey Bada$$, Capital STEEZ, CJ Fly, Chuck Strangers, Dyemond Lewis, NYCk Caution, Kirk Knight, Rokamouth, T'nah Apex, Dessy Hinds | Chuck Strangers | 11:47 |
Sampling Credits[]
- Summer Knights contains a sample of "Summer Nights", performed by Lonnie Liston Smith.
- Waves contains a sound bite of Tupac Shakur.
- Waves also contains a sample of "Waves" by Freddie Joachim (Instrumental)
- FromdaTomb$ contains a sample of "Main Theme (Piano & Trumpet)" by Andrew Hale, from the video game L.A. Noire.
- Survival Tactics contains a sample of "Survival Tactics" by Styles of Beyond.
- Killuminati contains a sample of "WhºK∆res" by Knxwledge.
- Hardknock contains a sample of "Eyes Of Dreams" by Lewis Parker.
- World Domination contains dialogue from Pinky and the Brain.
- World Domination also contains a sample of "The Fat Albert Halloween Special" by Ray Ellis, which MF DOOM, the producer of the song, had sampled before in "Poo-Putt Platter", as "Datura Stramonium" in the instrumental version.
- Pennyroyal contains a sample of "Cathedral" by Galt MacDermot.
- Funky Ho's contains a sample of "All Night" by Xperadó.
- Daily Routine contains a sample of "The Highways of My Life" by The Isley Brothers.
- Snakes contains a sample of "Alien Family" by J Dilla.
- Don't Front contains a sample of "Tudo Que Você Podia Ser" by Lô Borges.
- Righteous Minds contains a sample of "Holy Thursday" by David Axelrod.
- Righteous Minds also contains samples of "Love and Happiness" by Monty Alexander and "Hit Me with That" by The Beatnuts.