Chocolate Factory
Studio album by
R. Kelly
ReleasedFebruary 18, 2003[1]
Studio
  • Rockland (Chicago)
  • CRC (Chicago)
Genre
Length76:26
LabelJive
ProducerR. Kelly
R. Kelly chronology
The Best of Both Worlds
(2002)		 Chocolate Factory
(2003)		 The R. in R&B Collection, Vol. 1
(2003)
Singles from Chocolate Factory
  1. "Ignition (Remix)"
    Released: October 22, 2002
  2. "Snake"
    Released: February 25, 2003
  3. "Step in the Name of Love"
    Released: October 15, 2003

Chocolate Factory is the fifth studio album by American recording artist R. Kelly, released on February 18, 2003, by Jive Records. Recording sessions took place mainly at Rockland Studios and Chicago Recording Company in Chicago, Illinois, and the album was primarily written, arranged, and produced by R. Kelly. Originally titled Loveland, Chocolate Factory was conceived by Kelly amid controversy over his sex scandal at the time.

The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling over 532,000 copies in its first week of sales. It achieved success in international markets and produced three singles that attained chart success, including "Snake" and "Step in the Name of Love", and the international hit "Ignition (Remix)". Chocolate Factory was well received by critics, receiving rave reviews from publications such as The New York Times and USA Today. The album has sold over 3 million copies worldwide, and received sales certifications in the United States and United Kingdom.

Background

Recording sessions for the album took place primarily at Rockland Studios and Chicago Recording Company in Chicago.[3] Other recording locations included the Record Plant, in Los Angeles, California, Soup Can Music in Harper Woods, Michigan, and Vanguard Studios in Oak Park, Michigan.[3] Chocolate Factory was written, arranged, and produced entirely by R. Kelly. It was released on February 18, 2003 on Jive Records, following a year of legal accusations for which he was acquitted in 2008.[2][4]

Loveland and leaks

The album was originally intended to release in 2002 by the name of "Loveland"; this album was scrapped amid bootlegging.[5] Loveland, which had a significantly different tracklisting,[6] was to feature the original "Step in the Name of Love", his 2001 single "The World's Greatest", and various other songs, including a ten-minute opera remix of his 1996 hit I Believe I Can Fly. Although first-run copies of Chocolate Factory included a bonus disc called Loveland, it is different than the bootleg as it is abridged and features mostly different, unleaked songs. Upon the initial leaks, The New York Times described Loveland as "one of fall's most promising albums" and noted that despite poor audio quality, "much of the music is great".[7] Loveland, in its bootlegged form, is described as containing gospel, romantic 70s-inspired soul, opera, and contemporary R&B.[5]

A few songs from Loveland were included on Chocolate Factory, but the album was never released in its original form. Kelly mentions Loveland by name in the remix to "Step in the Name of Love", and promotional material for Chocolate Factory declare Loveland as "never to be released".[8]

Music and lyrics

Chocolate Factory comprises slow jams and upbeat club tracks, and many of its songs draw on classic soul music with call-and-response choruses and harmonies inspired by the Temptations, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder. Kelly's vocals veer between singing and rapping. Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times writes that he "pack[s] his verses full of words, then improvise[s] a tricky vocal line around a simple tune."[9]

Most of the album's lyrics focuses on romance. On "Forever", Kelly croons about an exaggerated fantasy of the married life, with "a picket fence, dog and a house / About 12 kids, you're cooking me breakfast in the morning, I'm taking the garbage out." The lively "Ignition (Remix)" is a lustful song built on automotive double-entendres.[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic65/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[11]
The Guardian[12]
Los Angeles Times[13]
Mojo[14]
Q[15]
Rolling Stone[16]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[17]
USA Today[18]
Vibe4/5[19]

Chocolate Factory 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 65, based on 10 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[10]

Kelefa Sanneh of The New York Times found the album "elegant and strange".[9] Mojo stated, "Chocolate Factory seems positively inspired... An impressively varied opus",[14] and BBC Online stated "[Kelly] doesn't sound like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders, but a revived soul in spiritual euphoria."[20] Sterling Clover of The Village Voice noted the album's "quantity and consistency of sonic presence" and praised Kelly's performance with respect to his songs' structures, stating "Kelly has sussed how to ground himself in tight rhythmic bass and a solid backup chorus, refiguring them into layered and discontinuous sheets of sound".[21] Rolling Stone's Anthony DeCurtis cited Chocolate Factory as "among the best work of his career" and went on to write "... as a singer, songwriter and producer, he's at the top of his game."[16]

In a mixed review, Slant Magazine's Sal Cinquemani wrote that "Kelly's songwriting skills leave much to be desired; for every hook-driven 'You Knock Me Out' there's a 'Showdown,' an asinine, interlude-filled insult to songwriters everywhere".[22] Q wrote that "as ever, [the album's] songs veer between the nigglingly infectious and cliched slush."[15] Chicago Tribune writer Greg Kot viewed that "the subtext for this one makes it sound like musical spin control, a public-relations manifesto as much as an R&B album. [...] There are a few moments when the disconnect between Kelly's lyrics and his sordid legal troubles becomes disturbing, no more so than when he refers to himself as the 'pied piper of R&B' in 'Step in the Name of Love,' a reference to the fairy-tale figure who enticed a village full of children away from their parents".[23]

Dan Leroy of Yahoo! Music's felt that "Kelly’s hot-blooded horniness is an integral part of his persona; he can hardly back away from the risque R&B that’s made him what he is, despite the underage sex scandal that dogs him".[24] On Kelly's performance, Leroy concluded by writing:

In the end, though, it’s R’s musical genius that pulls his bare butt out of this fire. Channeling greats from Gaye to Wonder, his stripped-down bangers bang harder, his ballads have more gospel bluster, and he sings with the desperation of a loveman who knows the cops are waiting at his bedroom door.[24]

The A.V. Club's Nathan Rabin wrote that Kelly "stitches" his "hopelessly cheesy" come-ons and "honeyed promises ... together with such craft and invests them with such conviction that they become a strange sort of pulp poetry", adding that he "matches his shamelessness with a gift for crafting melodies that burrow their way into listeners' subconscious with almost sadistic force".[25] Keith Harris of The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004) wrote that by the album's release, Kelly had "apparently learned from Michael Jackson's publicity mistakes, because the new Kelly was less haunted, if no less horny. The hit 'Ignition (Remix)' was his warmest pick-up joint to date, and set the tone for the new record—and maybe a new stage in his career".[17]

More critical was veteran Village Voice reviewer Robert Christgau. While singling out "Ignition (Remix)" as the only worthy song from the album,[26] he dismissed the recognition received by the album as critics having reevaluated Kelly's "manifestly skillful, manifestly simplistic" body of work more for its news value amid the performer's child pornography charges. For Christgau, Chocolate Factory had "bum-rushed the populace with woman-friendly rhetoric—pledges of devotion and other idealistic fancies, individualized sexual flattery, and an abject token in which Kelly not only ranks female 'backbone' above male 'bullshit' but allows as how said bullshit may be why women smoke cigarettes and snap off on their kids." He went on to dismiss "Showdown", "Snake", and "Who's That" as a "Kelly-vs.-Isley cuckolding contest", an "Orientalist sex fantasy", and "some pimp-and-thug—how'd he put it?—bullshit", respectively. While finding the remix of "Step in the Name of Love" to be "hugely engaging", Christgau pointed out how "cavalier" or "stupid" it is for Kelly to declare himself "the pied piper of r&b" given the title's "pedophilic implications".[27]

Accolades

The album was included in Rolling Stone's 50 Best Albums of 2003. Chocolate Factory was ranked in several "End of Year" lists, including Blender magazine's 2003 Albums of the Year List at number 12 and The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop Critics' Poll at number 44.[28] Three New York Times staff writers included it on their top ten lists for 2003.[29][30][31]

Chocolate Factory was nominated for the 2004 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album, and "Step in the Name of Love" was nominated for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance.[32] Rhapsody named it the second best R&B album of the first decade of the 21st century.[33] Billboard magazine ranked Chocolate Factory at number 169 on its list of the Top 200 Albums of the Decade.[34]

Commercial performance

Chocolate Factory was first released by Jive Records on February 17, 2003, in the United Kingdom,[35] and then on February 18 in the United States.[36] It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of over 532,000 copies.[4] After the release of Kelly's hit single, "Ignition (Remix)", which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, the album went on to sell over 2.72 million copies in the United States.[37] Other hits released from Chocolate Factory included "Snake" featuring Big Tigger, peaking at number 16, and the classic soul-inspired "stepper's anthem", "Step in the Name of Love", peaking at number 9. The album's packaging design is very similar to the design of Parliament's Chocolate City album.

On May 19, 2003, the album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), for shipments in excess of two million copies in the United States.[36] Chocolate Factory has also been certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for shipments in excess of 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[35] It has sold over three million copies worldwide.[38]

Track listing

All songs written, produced, and arranged by R. Kelly.

Regular edition

No.TitleLength
1."Chocolate Factory"3:50
2."Step in the Name of Love"5:42
3."Heart of a Woman"4:31
4."I'll Never Leave"3:45
5."Been Around the World" (featuring Ja Rule)4:05
6."You Made Me Love You"4:34
7."Forever"4:06
8."Dream Girl"3:57
9."Ignition"3:16
10."Ignition (Remix)"3:06
11."Forever More"3:33
12."You Knock Me Out"4:10
13."Step in the Name of Love (Remix)"7:12
14."Imagine That"4:38
15."Showdown" (featuring Ronald Isley)7:54
16."Snake" (featuring Big Tigger)4:51
17."Who's That" (featuring Fat Joe)3:33

Notes

  • "Step in the Name of Love", "Forever", and "You Knock Me Out" were previously leaked in 2002 on bootleg copies of Loveland.[39]

Loveland (Bonus Disc)

A limited edition of the album was also released, containing a bonus disc that has a seven-track EP titled Loveland, named after the original, scrapped version of the album. Despite this, only two songs from the bonus disc, "The World's Greatest" and "Far More", were leaked on bootleg copies of Loveland.[39]

Loveland (Limited Edition Bonus Disc)
No.TitleLength
1."Loveland"4:27
2."What Do I Do"3:35
3."Heaven I Need a Hug"5:12
4."The World's Greatest"4:37
5."Far More"3:26
6."Raindrops"3:55
7."Apologies of a Thug" (Europe bonus track)4:26

Personnel

Credits for Chocolate Factory adapted from Allmusic.[40]

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[62] Gold 100,000^
United States (RIAA)[63] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "R. Kelly Calls Out Foes, Entices Fans to Join Him at Chocolate Factory". MTV.
  2. 1 2 3 Henderson, Alex. "Chocolate Factory – R. Kelly". AllMusic. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
  3. 1 2 Track listing and credits as per liner notes for Chocolate Factory album
  4. 1 2 R Kelly timeline. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved on 2009-08-05.
  5. 1 2 MTV News Staff. "R. Kelly Vows To Clamp Down As New Bootleg Hits Streets". MTV News. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  6. ↑ "R.Kelly - Love Land (Advanced), Album & songs details & Covers (jaquettes)". music.xcess.info. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  7. ↑ Sanneh, Kelefa (2002-09-08). "THE NEW SEASON/MUSIC; The Adventures Of 'Loveland'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  8. ↑ "R. Kelly: chocolate factory + Loveland Bonus CD (Jive, 2003) • £0.99". PicClick UK. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  9. 1 2 3 Sanneh, Kelefa. Review: Chocolate Factory. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2009-08-05.
  10. 1 2 "Reviews for Chocolate Factory by R. Kelly". Metacritic. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
  11. ↑ Sinclair, Tom (February 28, 2003). "Chocolate Factory". Entertainment Weekly. New York. Archived from the original on July 1, 2019. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
  12. ↑ Sullivan, Caroline (February 14, 2003). "R Kelly: Chocolate Factory". The Guardian. London. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  13. ↑ Nichols, Natalie (February 16, 2003). "Which is the real R. Kelly?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
  14. 1 2 "R. Kelly: Chocolate Factory". Mojo. London (114): 100. May 2003.
  15. 1 2 "R. Kelly: Chocolate Factory". Q. London (202): 109. May 2003.
  16. 1 2 DeCurtis, Anthony (January 14, 2003). "Chocolate Factory". Rolling Stone. New York. Archived from the original on March 27, 2003. Retrieved May 12, 2012.
  17. 1 2 Harris, Keith (2004). "R. Kelly". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 448. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
  18. ↑ Jones, Steve (February 17, 2003). "R. Kelly keeps juices flowing on 'Chocolate Factory'". USA Today. McLean. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
  19. ↑ Murphy, Keith (April 2003). "R. Kelly: Chocolate Factory". Vibe. New York. 11 (4): 173–74. Retrieved August 5, 2009.
  20. ↑ Review: Chocolate Factory. BBC Online. Retrieved on 2010-10-31.
  21. ↑ Clover, Sterling. Review: Chocolate Factory. The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2009-08-05.
  22. ↑ Cinquemani, Sal. Review: Chocolate Factory. Slant Magazine. Retrieved on 2009-08-05.
  23. ↑ Kot, Greg (February 16, 2003). Review: Chocolate Factory. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved on 2010-10-31.
  24. 1 2 Leroy, Dan. Review: Chocolate Factory. Yahoo! Music. Retrieved on 2009-08-05.
  25. ↑ Rabin, Nathan. Review: Chocolate Factory. The A.V. Club. Retrieved on 2009-08-05.
  26. ↑ Christgau, Robert (February 10, 2004). "Consumer Guide: Parts of the Elephunk". The Village Voice. Retrieved June 6, 2021 – via robertchristgau.com.
  27. ↑ Christgau, Robert (January 27, 2004). "Good Morning Little School Girl". The Village Voice. Retrieved June 6, 2021 – via robertchristgau.com.
  28. ↑ Rocklist.net: Village Voice 2003
  29. ↑ Sanneh, Kelefa. The Albums and Songs of the Year. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2009-08-05.
  30. ↑ Strauss, Neil. The Albums and Songs of the Year. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2009-08-05.
  31. ↑ Ratliff, Ben. The Albums and Songs of the Year. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2009-08-05.
  32. ↑ Product Page: Chocolate Factory. Muze. Retrieved on 2010-10-31.
  33. ↑ "Best R&B Albums of the Decade" Archived 2009-12-17 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 12 January 2010.
  34. ↑ "Best of the 2000s - Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media. Retrieved December 16, 2009.
  35. 1 2 "Certified Awards Search: R Kelly (albums)". BPI. Archived from the original on March 13, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
  36. 1 2 Gold & Platinum - Searchable Database: Chocolate Factory. Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Retrieved on 2009-10-31.
  37. ↑ "R. Kelly Music News & Info". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2012-02-09.
  38. ↑ Staff. R Kelly Biography. Contactmusic.com. Retrieved on 2010-10-31.
  39. 1 2 "R.Kelly - Love Land (Advanced), Album & songs details & Covers (jaquettes)". music.xcess.info. Retrieved 2021-05-10.
  40. ↑ Credits: Chocolate Factory. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-10-30.
  41. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – R. Kelly – Chocolate Factory". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  42. ↑ "ARIA Urban Chart – Week Commencing 18th August 2003" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association (704): 14. August 18, 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 February 2008. Retrieved April 16, 2023 – via Pandora Archive.
  43. ↑ "Ultratop.be – R. Kelly – Chocolate Factory" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  44. ↑ "Albums : Top 100". Jam!. March 13, 2003. Archived from the original on December 13, 2004. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  45. ↑ "R&B : Top 50". Jam!. June 26, 2003. Archived from the original on July 3, 2003. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  46. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – R. Kelly – Chocolate Factory" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2010.
  47. ↑ "Lescharts.com – R. Kelly – Chocolate Factory". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2010.
  48. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – R. Kelly – Chocolate Factory" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  49. ↑ "Irish-charts.com – Discography R. Kelly". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  50. ↑ "Charts.nz – R. Kelly – Chocolate Factory". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  51. ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  52. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – R. Kelly – Chocolate Factory". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 20, 2010.
  53. ↑ "R Kelly | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  54. ↑ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  55. ↑ "R. Kelly Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  56. ↑ "R. Kelly Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 2, 2016.
  57. ↑ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2003". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  58. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2003". Billboard. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  59. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2003". Billboard. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  60. ↑ "Top 50 Global Best Selling Albums for 2003" (PDF). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 17, 2008. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
  61. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2004". Billboard. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
  62. ↑ "British album certifications – R. Kelly – Chocolate Factory". British Phonographic Industry.
  63. ↑ "American album certifications – R. Kelly – Chocolate Factory". Recording Industry Association of America.

Bibliography

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