Jewelz is the second album by the rapper O.C. Unlike his debut, 1994's Word...Life, Jewelz features a wider number of guest producers and rappers. Producer DJ Premier (who also oversaw and mixed other parts of the album) lends his hand on four songs, while Buckwild, Da Beatminerz and O.Gee all drop three songs each. D.I.T.C. members Showbiz and Lord Finesse each contribute one number and as the album was released the production was highly praised for its clean, crispy but at the same time dark and menacing sound.
| Jewelz | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | August 19, 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 1996–1997 | |||
| Studio | Unique Studios D&D Studios New York City, New York | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 61:18 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | ||||
| O.C. chronology | ||||
| ||||
O.C. plays with a wide array of styles on the album, from the war-metaphor battle song "War Games" to abstract stories on the haunting "The Crow" and a very special history on a mystique woman that enters Credle's life in "Stronjay". Though the differences between O.C.'s two first efforts are very noticeable many fans are constantly, and still, arguing which was the better album out of them.
This album, like his first, received strong reviews, but lacked in sales. He made his first appearance on the Billboard 200 album chart with the album, and also made his first appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, with the single "Far From Yours". The album is now out of print.
As part of the concept for Jewelz, the CD was sold with different colored disc art inspired by the color palette of various jewels.
Critical reception edit
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Source |  [2] |
| Sputnikmusic | 3.5/5[3] |
Matt Conaway from AllMusic praised O.C. for maintaining his "street-based" musicianship by having top-notch New York producers and rappers contribute quality work throughout the record and delivering strong lyricism of his own, highlighting "My World" and "Dangerous" as examples.[1] Vibe contributor Noah Callahan-Bever also gave praise to the album's production team for emitting an aura of "melodic contentment" for O.C.'s more naturalistic flow to deliver solid rhymes on "Dangerous" and the title track, despite "Far From Yours" being the only dud, concluding that: "Thankfully, O.C. is still concerned with the decline of rap music, only now he's stopped criticizing and has started to lead by example, unveiling one of his most finely polished Jewelz this year has seen."[4]
Track listing edit
| # | Title | Songwriters | Producer(s) | Performer (s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Intro" | *Interlude* | ||
| 2 | "My World" | O. Credle, C. Martin | DJ Premier | O.C. |
| 3 | "War Games" | O. Credle, C. Martin | DJ Premier | O.C., Organized Konfusion |
| 4 | "Can't Go Wrong" | O. Credle, G. Scott | DJ Ogee | O.C. |
| 5 | "The Chosen One" | O. Credle, A. Best | Buckwild | O.C. |
| 6 | "Dangerous" | O. Credle, W. Dewgarde, L. Coleman, R. Lapread |
Mr. Walt of Da Beatminerz | O.C., Big L |
| 7 | "Win the G" | O. Credle, C. Martin, J. Campbell |
DJ Premier | O.C., Freddie Foxxx |
| 8 | "Far from Yours" | O. Credle, A. Best, M. Bryant, G. Johnson, L. Johnson, E. Barrier, W. Griffin |
Buckwild; intro interlude by DJ Premier | O.C., Yvette Michele, Roc Raida |
| 9 | "Stronjay" | O. Credle, W. Dewgarde | Mr. Walt of Da Beatminerz | O.C. |
| 10 | "M.U.G." | O. Credle, C. Martin, J. Campbell |
DJ Premier | O.C., Freddie Foxxx |
| 11 | "The Crow" | O. Credle, R. Lemay | Showbiz | O.C. |
| 12 | "You & Yours" | O. Credle, G. Scott | DJ Ogee | O.C. |
| 13 | "Hypocrite" | O. Credle, A. Best, W. Garfield, C. Clay |
Buckwild | O.C. |
| 14 | "It's Only Right" | O. Credle, W. Dewgarde, C. Ward |
Mr. Walt of Da Beatminerz | O.C. |
| 15 | "Jewelz" | O. Credle, R. Hall | Lord Finesse; intro interlude by DJ Premier[5] | O.C. |
- Samples credits
This section needs additional citations for verification. (October 2023) |
- "My World" samples "Killer's Lullaby" by Barry White and "Theme d'Amour" by Ennio Morricone.[6]
- "War Games" samples "It's My Thing" by Marva Whitney.
- "Can't Go Wrong" samples "American Tango" by Weather Report.
- "The Chosen One" samples "White Clouds" by Hiroshi Fukumura and Sadao Watanabe.
- "Dangerous" samples "Daisy Lady" by 7th Wonder.[7]
- "Far From Yours" samples "Tomorrow" by The Brothers Johnson and "For the Listeners" by Eric B. & Rakim.[7]
- "M.U.G." samples "The Saddest Thing of All" by Michel Legrand.
- "The Crow" samples "Zen-Gun" by Ryuichi Sakamoto.
- "You & Yours" samples "A Garden of Peace" by Lonnie Liston Smith.
- "Hypocrite" samples "Sensitize" by Roy Ayers.[7]
- "It's Only Right" samples "Do You Like It" by B.T. Express.[7]
- "Jewelz" samples "Changing Faces" by J.J. Band and "I'll Take Time" by John Kasandra.
Album singles edit
| Single information |
|---|
"Far From Yours"
|
"Can't Go Wrong"
|
Personnel edit
Adapted credits from the liner notes of Jewelz.[7]
|
|
- Petawane & Miles Anthony -Backgrounds (Can't Go Wrong)
Album chart positions edit
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[8] | 90 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[9] | 16 |
Singles chart positions edit
| Year | Song | Chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billboard Hot 100 | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Hot Rap Singles | Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | ||
| 1997 | "Far From Yours" | 81 | 43 | 12 | 23 |
| "My World" | – | – | – | 15 | |
| 1998 | "Can't Go Wrong" | – | 90 | – | – |
References edit
- ^ a b Conaway, Matt. "Jewelz - O.C." AllMusic. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
- ^ Patel, Joseph "Jazzbo" (September 1997). "Record Report: O.C. – Jewelz". The Source. No. 96. New York. p. 211.
- ^ Robertson, Alex (February 24, 2013). "Album Review - O.C.: Jewelz". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
- ^ Callahan-Bever, Noah (September 1997). "Revolutions: O.C. 'Jewelz'". Vibe. Vol. 7, no. 5. New York: Vibe Media. p. 232. ISSN 1070-4701. Retrieved January 4, 2015.[dead link]
- ^ Mr. Walt [@Beatminerz] (November 8, 2013). "@stuntmanflip Preemo did that beat" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Kenner, Rob; Ahmed, Insanul; Isenberg, Daniel; Kwak, Donnie; Kamer, Foster (August 2, 2013). "The 25 Best DJ Premier Beats". Complex. Retrieved October 25, 2023.
- ^ a b c d e O.C (1997). Jewelz (liner notes). Payday Records, FFRR. 314-524 399-2.
- ^ "O.C. Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
- ^ "O.C. Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 28, 2016.