Homebase (album)

Homebase
Studio album by
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince
ReleasedJuly 23, 1991
RecordedMay 1990–April 1991
StudioBattery Studios
Soundtrack Studios
(New York City, New York)
Warehouse/J.E.M Recording Studios
(Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Genre
Length53:04
Label
Producer
DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince chronology
And in This Corner...
(1989) 		Homebase
(1991) 		Code Red
(1993)
Singles from Homebase
  1. "Summertime"
    Released: May 20, 1991
  2. "Ring My Bell"
    Released: September 13, 1991
  3. "The Things That U Do"
    Released: January 20, 1992
  4. "You Saw My Blinker"
    Released: 1992
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Calgary HeraldB[2]
Entertainment WeeklyB−[3]
Los Angeles Times(favorable)[4]
NME4/10[5]
Q[6]
Rolling Stone[7]

Homebase is the fourth studio album released by hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. The album was released on July 23, 1991, reaching number 12 on the Billboard 200 charts and number 5 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. It received generally favorable reviews from critics. The album was certified Platinum and won an American Music Award for Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Album in 1992.

Album information

Four singles were released from the album: "Summertime", "The Things That U Do", "Ring My Bell", and "You Saw My Blinker". The second track on and lead single from the album, "Summertime", earned the duo a second Grammy Award for Best Single in early 1992. Smith admitted that he tried to make his voice sound deeper than usual for this album, as many fans enjoyed the track "Then She Bit Me" from the duo's previous album, And in This Corner..., which was sung in this style, while "You Saw My Blinker" is one of only two instances in which Smith uses obscenities in his music. The single "Ring My Bell" reached number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 22 on the Hot R&B/Hip Hop Singles chart.[8][9]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."I'm All That"
3:43
2."Summertime"
4:30
3."The Things That U Do"
  • W. Smith
  • Townes
  • Craig King
4:56
4."This Boy Is Smooth"
  • Smith
  • Townes
4:58
5."Ring My Bell"
4:44
6."A Dog Is a Dog"
  • Smith
  • Townes
4:29
7."Caught in the Middle (Love & Life)"
  • W. Smith
  • Townes
  • King
4:21
8."Trapped on the Dance Floor"
  • Smith
  • Townes
5:19
9."Who Stole the D.J."
  • Smith
  • Townes
4:50
10."You Saw My Blinker"
  • Smith
  • Townes
4:14
11."Dumb Dancin'"
  • Smith
  • Townes
4:55
12."Summertime (Reprise)"
  • W. Smith
  • Townes
  • Robert Bell
  • Ronald Bell
  • Brown
  • Mickens
  • Mahone
  • Simpkins
  • C. Smith
  • Taylor
  • Thomas
  • Westfield
2:05
Total length:53:04

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for Homebase
Chart (1991) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[10] 110
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[11] 33
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[12] 43
UK Albums (OCC)[13] 69
US Billboard 200[14] 12
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[15] 5

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for Homebase
Chart (1991) Position
US Billboard 200[16] 73
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[17] 53

Singles

Chart performance of singles from Homebase
Title Year Chart positions
US
Pop
[8] 		US
R&B
[9]
"Summertime" 1991 4 1
"Ring My Bell" 20 22
"The Things That U Do" 1992 — 43

Certifications

Certifications for Homebase
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[18] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[19] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ AllMusic review, AllMusic
  2. ^ Obee, Dave (July 21, 1991). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald.
  3. ^ "Homebase". Ew.com.
  4. ^ Dennis Hunt (1991). "DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince – Homebase". Los Angeles Times – via Milwaukee Journal. (August 11, 1991).
  5. ^ Dalton, Stephen (September 21, 1991). "Long Play". NME. p. 36. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  6. ^ "Q review". Cduniverse.com.
  7. ^ "Rolling Stone review". Cduniverse.com.
  8. ^ a b "D.J. Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  9. ^ a b "D.J. Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  10. ^ "Bubbling Down Under Week Commencing April 20, 1992". Bubbling Down Under. Retrieved May 4, 2023.
  11. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 1617". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  12. ^ "Charts.nz – DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince – Homebase". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  13. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  14. ^ "D.J Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  15. ^ "D.J Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  16. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1991". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 24, 2015. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  17. ^ "1991 The Year in Music" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 103, no. 51. December 21, 1991. p. YE-17. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  18. ^ "Canadian album certifications – D.J. Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince – Homebase". Music Canada.
  19. ^ "American album certifications – DJ Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince – Homebase". Recording Industry Association of America.