Under Construction
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 12, 2002 (2002-11-12)
Genre
Length56:41
Label
Producer
Missy Elliott chronology
Miss E... So Addictive
(2001)
Under Construction
(2002)
This Is Not a Test!
(2003)
Singles from Under Construction
  1. "Work It"
    Released: September 16, 2002[2]
  2. "Gossip Folks"
    Released: December 9, 2002[3]
  3. "Back in the Day"
    Released: February 8, 2003

Under Construction is the fourth studio album by American rapper Missy Elliott, released by The Goldmind Inc. and Elektra Records on November 12, 2002, in the United States. The album was primarily produced by Timbaland, with additional production by Craig Brockman, Nisan Stewart, Errol "Poppi" McCalla and Elliott herself.

The album debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 259,000 copies in its first week.[4] It was also certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[5] The album received Grammy Award nominations for Best Rap Album and Album of the Year. Elliott dedicated the album to Aaliyah (who had died on August 25, 2001) and to victims of the September 11 attacks.

Controversy

The album's third single was intended to be a newly recorded remix of "Pussycat" with guest vocals by Janet Jackson and featuring Lil' Kim. Elliott's label felt the song was too explicit to release and plans were withdrawn.[6][7]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100[8]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Blender[9]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[10]
The Guardian[11]
Los Angeles Times[12]
NME[13]
Pitchfork7.2/10[14]
Q[15]
Rolling Stone[16]
USA Today[17]

Under Construction received general acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, it earned an average score of 81 out of 100, based on 19 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[8] The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[18]

"It still sounds incredibly fresh, in all meanings of the word," observed the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' guitarist, Nick Zinner. "Karen [O, Yeah Yeah Yeahs' singer] and I listened to it all the time. We used to play it before we'd go onstage... 'Funky Fresh Dressed' is my favourite track. I don't know what else to say other than it's amazing."[19]

Year-end lists

Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
BBC Radio 6 Music 16 Albums That Define 2002
HipHopDX The 20 Best Rap Albums of All Time 3
The Muse The Best Albums of 2002
NME Best Albums and Tracks of 2002 25
Pitchfork Top 50 Albums of 2002 28
PopMatters Best Music of 200
Rolling Stone 100 Best Albums of the 2000s 28
Slant Top 10 Albums and Singles of 2002 54
Slant The 100 Best Albums of the 2000s 54
Village Voice Top 10 Albums of 2002 10

Commercial performance

Under Construction debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 259,000 copies in its first week.[4] The album stayed on the chart for a total of 36 weeks.[30] On July 14, 2003, the album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over two million copies in the United States.[5] By November 2015, the album had sold 2,142,000 copies in the US.[31]

Track listing

Under Construction track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro"/"Go to the Floor"
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott[A]
5:06
2."Bring the Pain" (featuring Method Man)
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott[A]
2:59
3."Gossip Folks" (featuring Ludacris)
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott[A]
3:54
4."Work It"
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott[A]
4:53
5."Back in the Day" (featuring Jay-Z)
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott[A]
4:55
6."Funky Fresh Dressed" (featuring Ms. Jade)
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott[A]
3:56
7."Pussycat"
  • Elliott
  • McCalla
4:32
8."Nothing Out There for Me" (featuring Beyoncé)
  • Elliott
  • Brockman
  • Stewart
3:05
9."Slide"
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott[A]
3:43
10."Play that Beat"
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott[A]
3:02
11."Ain't that Funny"
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott[A]
2:48
12."Hot"
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott[A]
4:09
13."Can You Hear Me" (featuring TLC)
  • Elliott
  • Brockman
  • Stewart
  • Elliott
  • Brockman
  • Stewart
4:29
International bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
14."Work It (Remix)" (featuring 50 Cent)
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott[A]
4:59
15."Drop the Bomb"
  • Elliott
  • Mosley
  • Timbaland
  • Elliott[A]
3:27

Notes

  • ^[A] denotes co-producer

Production

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for Under Construction
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[61] Gold 35,000^
Japan (RIAJ)[62] Gold 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[63] Gold 260,000[64]
United States (RIAA)[65] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  2. "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1470. September 13, 2002. p. 45.
  3. "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1482. December 6, 2002. p. 18.
  4. 1 2 Keith Caulfield (November 24, 2010). "Kanye West, Nicki Minaj Set for Huge Billboard 200 Debuts". Billboard. Retrieved November 25, 2010..
  5. 1 2 "RIAA Certifications - Missy Elliott". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  6. "Missy Elliott Teases Collaboration with Lil' Kim and Eve". Rap-Up. September 18, 2012.
  7. "Missy Elliot "Janet Jackson & Lil' Kim Was Supposed To Be On The Record Pussy Cat"". 92 Q Jams. December 18, 2012.
  8. 1 2 "Reviews for Under Construction by Missy Elliott". Metacritic. Retrieved March 30, 2010.
  9. Weiner, Jonah (December 2002). "Missy Elliott: Under Construction". Blender (12): 142. Archived from the original on October 25, 2004. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  10. Browne, David (November 15, 2002). "Under Construction". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 16, 2017. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  11. Sullivan, Caroline (November 8, 2002). "Missy Elliott: Under Construction". The Guardian. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  12. Nichols, Natalie (November 10, 2002). "Miss E.'s her own work in progress". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  13. Segal, Victoria (November 22, 2002). "Elliott, Missy : Under Construction". NME. Archived from the original on March 23, 2013. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  14. Chennault, Sam (November 21, 2002). "Missy Elliott: Under Construction". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
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  17. Jones, Steve (November 12, 2002). "Missy Elliott has some constructive fun". USA Today. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
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