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 debuted and peaked at number 3 on the Billboard 200, selling 179,000 units during the first week. It was subsequently certified gold in July 2000, and received platinum certification on October 31, 2017. Fat Joe served as the executive producer of the album.
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. The album, though released, was unfinished at the time of his death.

Background

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.

Reception

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 – 3.5 stars out of 5 – "... has gone out with a bang. He attacked standard hip-hop topics with witty, unpredictable elasticity.... Pun is at his habanero hottest..."
  • Q – 3 stars out of 5 – "... Would have established as both a radio-friendly commercial force and rebellious icon..."
  • CMJ – "... Beams the spotlight on the Boricua bomber's unparalleled breath control and hilarious jaw-dropping wordplay."
  • Vibe – "... A triumphant final effort for one of the Boogie Down Bronx's favorite super-lyrical sons.... showcases Pun's matured artistic vision and newly mastered flows but never ceases to move bodies and minds..."
  • The Source – 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 – 7 out of 10 – "... 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."

Track listing

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.
Notes
  • signifies a co-producer
Sample credits