Black Panties

Black Panties is the twelfth studio album by American R&B singer R. Kelly. It was released in the United States on December 6, 2013, by RCA Records.[1][2][3][4][5] The album features guest appearances from Ludacris, 2 Chainz, Young Jeezy, Migos, Kelly Rowland, Juicy J and Future.[6]

Black Panties
Studio album by R. Kelly
Released	December 6, 2013
Recorded	2011–13
Genre	R&B hip hop
Length	49:09
Label	RCA
Producer	R. Kelly Mikely Adam David Anthony Mario Bakovic Cardo Christopher Clark Daniel Coriglie Destin Lamar Edwards Donnie Lyle Cheryl A. Mack Bigg Makk John McGee Beat Mechanix Nineteen85 T. Newsome Rich Nice Dennis-Manuel Peters Rahk Darrick "Devyne" Stephens Chef Tone Win DJ Mustard
R. Kelly chronology
Write Me Back (2012) Black Panties (2013) The Buffet (2015)
Deluxe version cover
Singles from Black Panties
"My Story" Released: July 23, 2013 "Genius" Released: September 17, 2013 "Cookie" Released: November 25, 2013 "Legs Shakin'" Released: March 11, 2014

Background

Black Panties, as says Kelly, "is the new 12 Play (1993)", and that it is different from his previous albums Love Letter (2010) and Write Me Back (2012).[7] In October 2013, in an interview with Rolling Stone, R. Kelly spoke about why he wanted to make the album sound similar to his 1993 debut album, 12 Play, saying: "I love that I can play around with all types of music. I did Love Letter and Write Me Back and those were fun albums for me to do, because they took me back to music I love. But, I wanted to change lanes with this new album and remind people of the TP-2.com and 12 Play style of music I can do — 'Kellz music!' I like that I can change lanes and do all different kinds of music. Fans can never accuse R. Kelly of doing the same thing, I keep mixing it up."[8] In December 2013, in an interview with Billboard, R. Kelly spoke about why he decided to name the album Black Panties, saying: "I’m on stage doing the Love Letter tour and I was singing “Seems Like You're Ready”. Every time I'm singing, panties start flying out of everywhere. Seriously. But this particular night, a pair of mediums came out of the sky and they were black and they landed on my wrist. Immediately I looked at that and looked up like “that’s a sign”. Yeah, the idea hit me right away."[9][10] Collaborator Jeremih revealed in an interview that he had not been in the studio together with Kelly for the recording process of "Switch Up", but described the working experience as "dope".[11]

Singles

On July 28, 2013 the album's first single "My Story", was released and later peaked at number 89 on the US Billboard Hot 100[12][13]

On September 24, 2013, the album's second single "Genius" was released.[14]

On November 25, 2013, the album's third single "Cookie" was released.[15] On December 10, 2013, a music video was released for single "Cookie".[16]

"Legs Shakin'" was sent to US urban contemporary radio stations on March 11, 2014, as the album's fourth single.[17]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	61/100[18]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[19]
Chicago Tribune	[20]
Consequence of Sound	[21]
Entertainment Weekly	B[22]
Exclaim!	4/10[23]
HipHopDX	[24]
The Independent	[25]
Slant Magazine	[26]
Spin	5/10[27]
USA Today	[28]

Upon its release, Black Panties received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 61, based on 19 reviews, indicating "generally positive reviews".[18] Andy Kellman of AllMusic gave the album two and a half stars out of five, saying "After Love Letter and Write Me Back, classy and relatively polite throwback albums, R. Kelly reverts to sexually exaggerated and wholly contemporary content for Black Panties. Kelly, joined by a deep roster of fellow songwriters and producers, dispenses with the strings, horns, and dashing charm, and dishes out sleaze by the bucket over modern backdrops that slink and whir. All the material is slow and mostly pared down, made to maximize space for his still generous supply of hooks and outlandish rhymes."[19] Nick Catucci of Entertainment Weekly gave the album a B, saying "Black Panties won't humanize the man for anyone who prefers caricature. But his 12th album, a return to wafting sex jams after two soulful dance discs, also falls short of the Kelly we love: the tireless entertainer-as-lover and suavely esoteric devotee of churchy theatrics, inspirational-poster slogans, Chicago stepping music, and extreme wordplay."[22] Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune gave the album two out of four stars, saying "After two albums of elegant, old-school stepping music, R. Kelly is back doing the raunch. "Black Panties" is a musically detailed, sonically rich porn soundtrack, a formula that has helped the singer sell more than 50 million albums worldwide in two decades."[20] Omar Burgess of HipHopDX gave the album three and a half stars out of five, saying "Black Panties finds his subject matter about as varied as the play-by-play of two dogs in heat. But what it lacks in lyrical depth it makes up for by being a catchy, entertaining and completely in the moment snapshot of the current turned up, hybrid of R&B and Rap for clubs and bedrooms."[24]

Marah Eakin of The A.V. Club gave the album a B–, saying "Whether Kelly consciously meant to make it one or not, Black Panties could be a big step forward for the sex-positive movement. Or it could just be another R. Kelly record."[29] Jason King of Spin gave the album a five out of ten, saying "Black Panties also happens to be a serious musical step backwards from the melodious Write Me Back. The production is suitably retro 1990s-meets-contemporary-hip-hop: Synth strings and gated drums are matched to pitched-down, chopped & screwed vocals. But the songwriting is the big problem: These are serviceable but mediocre and tuneless slow jams. Then again, no one thinks of 12 Play's “I Like the Crotch on You” as lyrically or musically transcendent, either."[27] Jordan Sargent of Pitchfork Media gave the album a 6.8 out of 10, saying "With Black Panties, what you see is mostly what you get. What we get is a pretty good modern R&B album, but it’s also one that feels just a bit fossilized. With its undulating synths, abundance of screwed vocals and slowly churning tempos, Black Panties sounds suspiciously like the-Dream’s first two albums."[30] Ryan B. Patrick of Exclaim! gave the album a four out of ten, saying "Ultimately, there isn't much to recommend with Black Panties. Kelly is crazy talented, but has always been at his best when he controls his obsessions, not the other way around. Dogged by personal scandals for the better portion of his career, Kelly is unrepentant, unfazed, and unaware that just because he's in on the joke doesn't make it any less funny."[23]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 133,000 copies in the United States. It is R. Kelly's highest-charting album since Untitled (2009) debuted at number four.[31] In its second week, the album fell to number 15 and sold 60,000 more copies, a 55% drop from its first week sales.[32][33] In its third week, the album sold 44,000 more copies in the United States, falling two spots to number 17.[34][35] In its fourth week, the album sold 31,000 more copies and rose to number 11 on the US Billboard 200.[36] As of October 2015, the album has sold 462,000 copies in the United States.[37]

Track listing

Standard version

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Legs Shakin'" (featuring Ludacris)	Robert Kelly Christopher Bridges Lamar "Marz" Edwards	Marz Kelly	4:26
2.	"Cookie"	Kelly Joseph Angel Winfred Crabtree II Rebecca Johnson Aaron Revelle Destin Mungall	Crabtree II T. Newsome Rahk Destin Kelly	3:45
3.	"Throw This Money on You"	Kelly Dennis-Manuel Peters Daniel Coriglie Mario Bakovic	Peters Coriglie Bakovic Kelly	3:40
4.	"Prelude"			3:11
5.	"Marry the Pussy"	Kelly Antonio Brown	Beat Mechanix Kelly	4:14
6.	"You Deserve Better"	Kelly Peters Coriglie Bakovic	Peters Coriglie Bakovic Kelly	3:51
7.	"Genius"	Kelly Dorrell Mays	Bigg Makk Kelly	3:59
8.	"All the Way" (featuring Kelly Rowland)	Kelly Sly Jordan	David Anthony Rich Nice Kelly	3:49
9.	"My Story" (featuring 2 Chainz)	Kelly Tauheed Epps Paul Jefferies	Nineteen85 Kelly	4:26
10.	"Right Back"	Kelly	Darrick "Devyne" Stephens Christopher Clark Kelly Cheryl A. Mack^[a]	3:26
11.	"Spend That" (featuring Young Jeezy)	Kelly Dijon McFarlane Mikely Adam Jay Jenkins	DJ Mustard Adam Kelly	3:42
12.	"Crazy Sex"	Kelly Ron LaTour Brock Korsan	Cardo Kelly	2:37
13.	"Shut Up"	Kelly Mays	Bigg Makk Kelly	4:03
Total length:				49:09

Deluxe version (bonus tracks)

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
14.	"Tear It Up" (featuring Future)	Kelly Nayvadius Wilburn Peters Coriglie Bakovic	Peters Coriglie Bakovic Kelly	3:41
15.	"Show Ya Pussy" (featuring Migos & Juicy J)	Kelly Donnie Lyle Quavious Marshall Kirshink Ball Jordan Houston	Lyle Kelly	3:37
16.	"Physical"	Kelly Tony Scales John McGee	Chef Tone McGee Kelly	4:16
17.	"Every Position"	Kelly Peters Coriglie Bakovic	Peters Coriglie Bakovic Kelly	3:26
Total length:				64:10

Japan bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
18.	"Best at It"			3:08
19.	"Circles"			3:02
Total length:				70:20

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies an assistant producer

Personnel

Credits adapted from AllMusic.[38]

2 Chainz - Featured Artist Mikely Adam - Composer, Producer J. Angel - Composer David Anthony - Producer Chris Athens - Mastering Jonathan Azu - Management Diana Copeland - Executive Assistant Mario Bakovic - Composer, Producer Bigg Makk - Keyboards, Producer Sam Bohl - Assistant, Assistant Engineer Theola Borden - Publicity Andre "Drizza Don" Bridges - Engineer Chris Bridges - Composer Antonio Brown - Composer Coran Capshaw - Management Cardo - Producer Chris Clark - Engineer, Producer The Closers - Producer Daniel Coriglie - Composer, Producer Winfred Crabtree II - Composer Da Beat Mechanix - Producer DJ Wayne Williams - A&R Lamar Edwards - Composer, Producer Tauheed Epps - Composer Meghan Foley - Art Direction, Design Kristen Foster - Publicity Abel Garibaldi - Engineer, Mixing, Programming Brisha Hemby - Make-Up Dave Huffman - Mastering Jaycen Joshua - Mixing Jeezy - Featured Artist Paul Jefferies - Composer Jay Jenkins - Composer Rebecca Johnson - Composer

Sly Jordan - Composer Ryan Kaul - Assistant R. Kelly - Arranger, Composer, Creative Director, Mixing, Primary Artist, Producer Brock Korsan - Composer Ron LaTour - Composer Ludacris - Featured Artist Donnie Lyle - Guitar, Music Direction Cheryl A. Mack - Assistant Fabian Marasciullo - Mixing Dorrell Mays - Composer Dijon McFarlane - Composer, Producer Ian Mereness - Engineer, Mixing, Programming Destin Reza Mungall - Composer Rich Nice - Producer Lauren Nikooz - Production Design Megan Nimerosky - Assistant Nineteen85 - Producer Chiquita Oden - Grooming Anthony Patterson - Assistant Dennis-Manuel Peters - Composer, Producer Rahk - Producer Aaron Revelle- Composer Antonio Rey - Vocal Engineer April Rommet - Stylist Kelly Rowland - Featured Artist Zane Shoemake - Assistant Darrick Stephens - Creative Director, Producer Randee St. Nicholas - Photography Ryan Supple - Assistant Carolyn Williams - Product Manager Win - Producer Young Jeezy - Featured Artist

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2013)	Peak position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[39]	159
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[40]	177
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[41]	94
UK Albums (OCC)[42]	128
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[43]	9
US Billboard 200[44]	4
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[45]	2

Year-end charts

Chart (2014)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[46]	41
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[47]	8
US Top R&B Albums (Billboard)[48]	6

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[49]	Gold	462,000[37]

Release history

Country	Date	Version(s)	Label
Australia[50]	December 13, 2013	Standard (CD, Download) deluxe (CD, Download)	Sony
Belgium[51]	December 6, 2013	Standard (Download) deluxe (Download)
Brazil[52]	December 10, 2013	Standard (Download) deluxe (Download)
Canada[53]	December 10, 2013	Standard (CD, Download) deluxe (CD, Download)
France[54]	December 9, 2013	Standard (CD, Download) deluxe (Download)
Germany[55]	December 10, 2013	deluxe (CD, Download)
Japan[56]	December 12, 2013	deluxe (CD, Download)	Sony Music Japan
Netherlands[1]	December 6, 2013	Standard (Download) deluxe (Download)	Sony
New Zealand[57]	December 13, 2013	Standard (Download) deluxe (Download)
Switzerland[58]	December 6, 2013	Standard (Download) deluxe (Download)
Thailand[59]	December 9, 2013	Standard (Download) deluxe (Download)
United Kingdom[60]	December 9, 2013	Standard (Download) deluxe (CD, Download)	RCA
United States[61]	December 10, 2013	Standard (CD, Download) deluxe (CD, Download)

References

1. Netherlands release of 'Black Panties':
   • "Black Panties (Deluxe Version)". Itunes. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
2. "R. Kelly drops another sex/food crossover single, 'Cookie': Hear it here". EW.com. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
3. "R. Kelly". Pitchfork. Retrieved 27 November 2014.
4. Lemieux, Jamilah (2011-10-07). "RCA shuts down Jive and Arista Records | Clutch Magazine". Clutchmagonline.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-12. Retrieved 2013-11-16.
5. "R. Kelly | The Official Rca Records Press Site". Rcarecordspress.com. 2013-07-29. Retrieved 2013-11-16.
6. R. Kelly Shares 'Black Panties' Artwork and Track List | Music News | Rolling Stone
7. Beard, Lanford (2011-09-16). "R. Kelly says his new album, 'Black Panties,' gets back to his nasty ways: Are you going to miss his sweeter side? | The Music Mix | EW.com". Music-mix.ew.com. Retrieved 2011-11-14.
8. Kory Grow (2013-10-30). "R. Kelly Talks 'Black Panties' Sound | Music News". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2013-12-09.
9. Keith Nelson Jr. "R. Kelly: A Pair of Flying Black Panties Inspired My New Album (VIDEO)". AllHipHop.com. Retrieved 2013-12-09.
10. "R. Kelly on "Black Panties", "Trapped" and working w/ Kanye West | The Juice". Billboard. Retrieved 2013-12-09.
11. Malcolm Ohanwe. "Jeremih not amused by Apple Music, talks Love Life". MalcolmMusic. Retrieved 2016-12-10.
12. "R. Kelly feat. 2 Chainz - My Story (Audio)". YouTube. 2013-07-29. Retrieved 2013-11-16.
13. "Listen to R. Kelly's new single, "My Story", featuring 2 Chainz". Consequence of Sound. 2013-07-29. Retrieved 2013-11-16.
14. "iTunes - Music - Genius - Single by R. Kelly". Itunes.apple.com. 2013-09-24. Retrieved 2013-12-09.
15. https://www.amazon.com/Cookie-Explicit/dp/B00GTZ7UEO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389411689&sr=8-1&keywords=r.+kelly+cookie
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23. Patrick, Ryan B. "R. Kelly - Black Panties • Soul, Funk & World Reviews •". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2013-12-09.
24. Burgess, Omar (2013-12-03). "R. Kelly - Black Panties | Read Hip Hop Reviews, Rap Reviews & Hip Hop Album Reviews". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2013-12-09.
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32. Tardio, Andres (2013-12-26). "Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 12/22/2013". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2013-12-26.
33. Ramirez, Rauly (27 December 2013). "Beyonce's 'Drunk In Love' Debuts at No. 2 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
34. Tardio, Andres (2014-01-02). "Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 12/29/2013". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2014-01-02.
35. Ramirez, Rauly (3 January 2014). "Eminem's 'Monster' Posts Biggest Sales Week Yet". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
36. Ramirez, Rauly (9 January 2014). "Pharrell Gets 'Happy' With Debut on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 10 January 2014.
37. "Upcoming Releases: Hits Daily Double". Hits Daily Double. Archived from the original on October 1, 2015.
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39. "Ultratop.be – R. Kelly – Black Panties" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 20, 2013.
40. "Ultratop.be – R. Kelly – Black Panties" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved February 12, 2014.
41. "Dutchcharts.nl – R. Kelly – Black Panties" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
42. "CHART LOG UK: NEW ENTRIES UPDATE". ChartsPlus. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
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44. "R. Kelly Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 14, 2013.
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46. "Billboard 200 – Year of 2014". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
47. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year of 2014". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 22, 2014.
48. http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2014/r-and-b-albums
49. "American album certifications – R. Kelly – Black Panties". Recording Industry Association of America. April 19, 2016. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
50. Australia release of 'Black Panties':
    • "Black Panties (Deluxe Version)". Itunes. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
51. Belgium release of 'Black Panties':
    • "Black Panties (Deluxe Version)". Itunes. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
52. Brazil release of 'Black Panties':
    • "Black Panties (Deluxe Version)". Itunes. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
53. Canada release of 'Black Panties:
    • "Black Panties (Deluxe Version)". amazon. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
    • "Black Panties (Deluxe Version)". Itunes. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
54. Francy release of 'Black Panties':
    • "Black Panties". amazon. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
    • "Black Panties (Deluxe Version)". Itunes. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
55. Germany release of 'Black Panties':
    • "Black Panties (Deluxe Version)". amazon. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
    • "Black Panties (Deluxe Version)". Itunes. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
56. Japan release of 'Black Panties':
    • "Black Panties (Deluxe Version)". amazon. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
57. New Zealand release of 'Black Panties':
    • "Black Panties (Deluxe Version)". Itunes. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
58. Switzerland release of 'Black Panties':
    • "Black Panties (Deluxe Version)". Itunes. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
59. Thailand release of 'Black Panties':
    • "Black Panties (Deluxe Version)". Itunes. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
60. UK release of 'Black Panties':
    • "Black Panties (Deluxe Version)". amazon. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
    • "Black Panties (Deluxe Version)". Itunes. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
61. US release of 'Black Panties':
    • "Black Panties (Deluxe Version)". amazon. Retrieved November 25, 2013.
    • "Black Panties (Deluxe Version)". Itunes. Retrieved November 25, 2013.