Muddy Waters is the third studio album by American rapper Redman. It was released on December 10, 1996, through Def Squad Records and Def Jam Recordings. The recording sessions took place at Mirror Image and Rockin' Reel Recording Studios in New York City. The album was produced by Erick Sermon, who also served as executive producer, Rockwilder, Jerry Duplessis, Pras, Ty Fyffe, and Redman. It features guest appearances from Erick Sermon, Jamal, Keith Murray, K-Solo, Method Man, Napalm, and Rockwilder. The album debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200 and topped the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in the United States. It was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on February 12, 1997, for exceeding shipments of 500,000 copies. The album spawned three charted singles: "It's Like That (My Big Brother)", "Whateva Man" and "Pick It Up" and a promotional single "Smoke Buddah".
On December 24, 2024, Redman released a sequel to the album under the title Muddy Waters Too.
Contents
Critical reception
Muddy Waters was met with generally favourable reviews from music critics. Steve Huey of AllMusic, though critical of the album's numerous interludes, stated that "lyrically, Redman is as strong as ever", and of the overall work, remarked that "Muddy Waters solidifies Redman's growing reputation as one of the most consistent rappers of the '90s".
Redman has stated that he had planned on releasing a sequel to the album entitled Muddy Waters 2, considering it is his most classic work. The album was ultimately released on December 24, 2024, styled as Muddy Waters Too.
Commercial performance
In the United States, the album debuted at number 12 on the Billboard 200 on the week of December 28, 1996, and stayed on the chart for 17 weeks. On the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, Muddy Waters repeated the success of his predecessor, Dare Iz a Darkside, also debuting at number-one. On February 12, 1997, the album received gold status from the RIAA for selling half a million units. As of October 2009, the album has 767,000 copies sold in the US alone.
The album's lead single, a reunion duet with former Hit Squad group-mate K-Solo "It's Like That", peaked at number 95 on the Billboard Hot 100. A follow-up single from the album, "Whateva Man", reached number 42 on the same chart. The third and final single off of the project, "Pick It Up", did not made it to the Hot 100, however, it found mild success on R&B/Hip-Hop and Rap Songs charts.
In the United Kingdom, the album managed to debut only on the Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart at number 27. The album repeated its success twice, again climbing to the 27th spot on this chart in the weeks ending January 25 and February 1, 1997. None of its singles went charted.
The album debuted in Germany at number 100 on the chart in the week of February 10, 1997, becoming the rapper's first album to break through in the country.
Personnel
Reginald "Redman" Noble – vocals, producer (tracks: 1, 2, 7, 8, 10, 13–15, 17, 20, 21), co-producer (track 19)
Dana "Rockwilder" Stinson – vocals (track 5), producer (tracks: 5, 19)
A. "Napalm" Stanton – vocals (track 5)
Chris Tricarico – vocals (track 7)
Erick Sermon – vocals (track 9), producer (tracks: 2–4, 6, 9, 11, 16, 18, 21–23), executive producer
Clifford "Method Man" Smith – vocals (track 12)
Kevin "K-Solo" Madison – vocals (track 15)
Naja – vocals (track 17)
Jamal "Mally G" Phillips – vocals (track 23)
Keith Murray – vocals (track 23)
Tyrone "Ty" Fyffe – producer (track 3)
Prakazrel "Pras" Michél – producer (track 12)
Jerry "Wonda" Duplessis – producer (track 12)
Dave Greenberg – recording (tracks: 1, 2, 5, 7, 10, 13, 14, 17, 19, 21, 23), mixing (tracks: 1, 7, 10, 12, 13, 14, 17, 19)
Troy Hightower – recording (tracks: 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, 15, 16, 18, 20–22), mixing (tracks: 2–6, 8, 9, 11, 15, 16, 18, 20–23)
Tony Dawsey – mastering
The Drawing Board – art direction, design