Cloud 9 (album)

For the George Harrison album see Cloud Nine (George Harrison album)

Cloud 9
Studio album by Nine
Released	August 6, 1996
Recorded	October,1995-June,1996
Genre	Hip hop
Label	Profile
Producer	Rob Lewis, Rockwrecka, Jesse West
Nine chronology
Nine Livez (1995) Cloud 9 (1996) Quinine (2009)

Cloud 9 is the second album by Nine, released on August 6, 1996 through Profile Records.

Background

Nine had releasd his debut album Nine Livez the previous year. The album was an underground hit, reaching No. 90 on the Billboard 200, while also reaching the top 20 on the R&B charts. The album also spawned the crossover hit, "Whutcha Want?", which reached No. 50 on the Billboard Hot 100. After the success on "Whutcha Want?", Profile gave Nine the green light to begin work on his second album. Like his previous album, this album was mostly produced by Rob Lewis. The album featured several guest appearances, including Smoothe da Hustler and 3rd Eye, a departure from his previous album which featured virtually no guest appearance.^[1]

The album's lead single was "Lyin' King", an indirect diss to rappers who were trying to capitalize on the popular gangsta rap and mafioso rap genres at the time. It made it to No. 81 on the R&B singles chart and 21 on the Hot Rap Singles chart. The album's second single was "Make or Take", which was a duet with label-mate Smoothe da Hustler.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]

Brad Mills of Allmusic gave the album three out of five stars and called the album "solid from start to finish. Nine's raspy, deep catchy voice is ever present, and, with really simple beats complemented by hard basslines, it's easy to throw this back in for another round. Smoothe da Hustler makes a welcome appearance on "Make or Take," while every other track on the album bangs just as hard".^[3]

Commercially, Cloud 9 failed to sell as many copies as Nine Livez and only reached No. 45 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, not selling enough copies to reach the Billboard 200. Due to Profile Records' financial problems, the album featured virtually no promotion, with the exception of the music videos for "Lyin' King" and "Make or Take". The lack of promotion is the main reason behind the album's poor sales..^[4]

Track listing

1. "Know Introduction"- 2:38 (featuring King Just)
2. "Every Man 4 Himself"- 3:11
3. "We Play 4 Keeps"- 3:53
4. "Tha Product"- 4:19 (featuring U-Neek)
5. "Uncivilized"- 3:38 (featuring Father Shaheed)
6. "No Part a Me"- 3:42
7. "Lyin' King"- 3:36
8. "Richman, Poorman"- 2:50 (featuring 3rd Eye)
9. "Jon Doe"- 3:51
10. "Make or Take"- 4:00 (featuring Smoothe Da Hustler)
11. "Warriors"- 3:46 (featuring Bounty Killer)
12. "4 Chicken Wings and Rice"- 3:31

Samples

• "Know Introduction"
  • "Biscuit" by Portishead
• "Lyin' King"
  • "An Old Fashioned Love Song" by Three Dog Night
  • "Here We Go (Live at the Funhouse)" & "Peter Piper" by Run-DMC
• "4 Chicken Wings and Rice"
  • "Let's Get Closer" by Atlantic Starr
  • "Sally Got A One Track Mind" by Diamond D
• "Richman, Poorman"
  • "Young, Gifted & Black" by Aretha Franklin
• "Make or Take"
  • "Just As You Are" by Ronnie Laws
• "Tha Product"
  • "Ode To Billie Joe" by Lou Donaldson

Charts

Chart (1996)	Peak position
Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums	45

Personnel

Bounty Killer - Performer Tim Carter - Photography Father Shaheed - Producer, Mixing Ken Ifill - Engineer King Just - Performer Chris Landry - Executive Producer

Carla Leighton - Art Direction, Design Rob Lewis - Producer, Engineer Joe Quinde - Engineer Smoothe da Hustler - Performer U-Neek - Performer Jesse West - Producer, Engineer

References

1. ^ "Cloud 9 credits at Discogs.com". Discogs.com. 2010-09-30. http://www.discogs.com/Nine-Cloud-9/release/1205953. 
2. ^ Allmusic review
3. ^ "Cloud 9 review at Allmusic.com". Allmusic.com. 2010-09-30. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r238143. 
4. ^ "Cloud 9 chart history at Billboard.com". Billboard.com. 2010-09-30. http://www.billboard.com/#/album/nine/cloud-9/188260.