Make It Hot
Make It Hot is the debut studio album by American R&B singer Nicole Wray (billed as Nicole), released on August 25, 1998, through The Goldmind label in association with EastWest Records America.[1] The project features 17 tracks blending contemporary R&B, hip-hop, and soul influences, with contributions from a range of producers including Timbaland, Missy Elliott, and Anthony Dent.[2] Primarily helmed by Missy Elliott and Timbaland, the album showcases Nicole's versatile vocals over innovative beats that defined late-1990s urban music production.[3] The album's lead single, "Make It Hot" featuring Missy Elliott and Mocha, was released on June 2, 1998, and achieved significant commercial success, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and was certified gold by the RIAA.[4]) Follow-up singles "Eyes Better Not Wander" and "I Can't See" also received radio play, contributing to the album's overall reception as a promising introduction for the then-teenage artist.[2] Make It Hot debuted at number 42 on the Billboard 200, marking Nicole's entry into the music industry under the mentorship of Missy Elliott, who served as executive producer.[5] Notable for its fusion of streetwise lyrics and polished production, the album highlights collaborations with artists like Missy Elliott and Mocha, reflecting the vibrant Virginia Beach music scene influenced by Timbaland and the Neptunes.[6] Despite its moderate chart performance, Make It Hot remains a cult favorite among R&B enthusiasts for capturing the energetic sound of 1990s hip-hop soul.[7]Background and development
Discovery and signing
Nicole Wray was born Nicole Monique Wray on May 2, 1979, in Salinas, California, and raised in Portsmouth, Virginia, where she grew up in a religious household that emphasized gospel music.[8] From an early age, she sang in the church choir, starting at around eight years old, influenced by her father, a gospel singer and choir leader who passed down his musical talent to her.[9][10] Her initial exposure to performing came through these church activities, which honed her vocal skills amid a blend of gospel and R&B influences from artists like Whitney Houston and The Clark Sisters.[9] In 1997, at the age of 17, Wray was discovered by Missy Elliott during an impromptu audition at her mother's home in Virginia, where she performed SWV's "Weak" on the spot.[11][9] Impressed by her raw talent and voice, Elliott signed Wray immediately as the first artist to her newly established Goldmind Inc. label, which was distributed by EastWest Records America.[12][13] This signing positioned Elliott as Wray's key mentor in the early stages of her career, paving the way for the development of her debut album Make It Hot. For the album's release, Wray was credited simply as Nicole on some editions to distinguish her from another artist sharing a similar name.Album concept
The album Make It Hot was envisioned as a vibrant showcase of youthful R&B energy, guided by Missy Elliott's mentorship to highlight Nicole Wray's raw talent and blend hip-hop's edgy rhythms with soulful, church-rooted vocals.[14] Elliott, as Wray's label head at Goldmind Records, aimed to craft a debut that captured the late-1990s sound she pioneered with Timbaland, emphasizing quality tracks that positioned Wray as a fresh voice in R&B without requiring her to write her own material initially.[15] This thematic goal focused on relatable experiences of young love and confidence, setting the stage for Wray's emergence as a protégé in Elliott's creative circle.[16] Wray prepared for the project while still in high school, balancing her senior year with intensive studio work and vocal refinement to harness her powerful range. Drawing from her gospel influences, she underwent guidance from Elliott to temper her tendency toward over-singing or "screaming," instead developing a smoother, more controlled style that emphasized swag and emotional presence.[14] This preparatory phase involved learning songs through repetition and adapting to Elliott's feedback, allowing Wray to refine her natural abilities without formal training, all while her demo circulated and built anticipation post-signing.[15] Early conceptual decisions included incorporating collaborators to enhance the album's dynamics, such as featuring Mocha for a rap verse on the title track to inject hip-hop flair alongside Wray's vocals.[14] Similarly, the group Playa—comprising Static Major, Smokey, and Black—were brought in to contribute verses and harmonies on multiple songs, drawing from Wray's personal stories to add authentic group interplay and depth to the youthful R&B framework.[16] These choices underscored Elliott's vision of layering diverse elements to create a cohesive, energetic debut.[15]Recording and production
Sessions and locations
The recording sessions for Make It Hot primarily took place at Master Sound Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia, with additional work conducted in Manhattan, New York. These sessions spanned from late 1997 to early 1998, aligning with the album's release on August 25, 1998. The Virginia studio served as the main hub for much of the vocal and collaborative recording, while the New York sessions focused on key tracks like the lead single "Make It Hot."[15] Nicole Wray, then a high school senior, balanced the demanding schedule by recording after school hours at Master Sound Studios, often extending into overnight sessions or utilizing breaks to accommodate her academic commitments. This arrangement allowed her to maintain attendance at school in Virginia while immersing herself in the creative process, sometimes missing classes for related promotional activities. Timbaland and Missy Elliott oversaw production during these periods, guiding Wray through the logistics of a fast-paced recording environment.[15] Certain elements of the album, including interludes and sketches, were captured spontaneously during sessions to preserve raw, unfiltered energy, reflecting the improvisational style encouraged by the production team. For instance, contributions like the track "Raise Your Frown" emerged from impromptu inspirations drawn from personal conversations. This approach contributed to the album's dynamic feel, blending structured recordings with on-the-spot creativity.[15]Key contributors
Missy Elliott served as the primary executive producer for Nicole Wray's debut album Make It Hot, overseeing its creative direction and releasing it through her Goldmind imprint under EastWest Records America.[2] She co-wrote several tracks, infusing them with her distinctive lyrical flair centered on empowerment and sensuality, and performed on the title track "Make It Hot" as a featured artist alongside Mocha, as well as on several interludes that framed the album's narrative flow.[17] Elliott's involvement extended beyond production to vocal arrangements on multiple songs, shaping the project's cohesive R&B sound while mentoring Wray as a newcomer discovered at age 16.[18] Timbaland provided pivotal production on select tracks, most notably the lead single "Make It Hot," where he crafted innovative beats characterized by stuttering rhythms, sparse percussion, and futuristic synth elements that became hallmarks of late-1990s hip-hop soul.[1] His work on the album highlighted his emerging role as a sonic innovator, collaborating closely with Elliott to elevate Wray's debut with cutting-edge production techniques.[14] Other notable producers included Brian Alexander Morgan, who handled "I Can't See," and Anthony Dent, who produced "Curiosity" featuring Lil' Mo.[19] The R&B group Playa, consisting of Static Major, Smokey (Ronald Edwards), and Black (Markell Riley, aka Digital Black), added significant writing and vocal support throughout Make It Hot. Static Major co-wrote tracks such as "Eyes Better Not Wander," while Smokey produced it and the group provided vocal arrangements. They also featured on "Raise Your Frown," infusing it with smooth harmonies and a confident swagger that complemented the album's bold energy.[2] Static Major, in particular, brought his songwriting expertise to several cuts, drawing from his experience with Timbaland's production circle to enhance the lyrical depth and melodic hooks—reportedly writing about half the album.[15] Their contributions helped solidify the album's streetwise yet polished vibe, bridging R&B traditions with hip-hop influences.[18]Musical style and themes
Genre and influences
Make It Hot is primarily a contemporary R&B album infused with hip-hop elements, reflecting the late-1990s hip hop soul sound that blended soulful vocals with rhythmic rap influences. Its core style features futuristic beats crafted through innovative drum programming and layered vocal arrangements, including harmonized ad-libs and flirtatious banter that add depth to the tracks. This fusion creates an energetic yet glossy production typical of the era's R&B landscape.[7] Timbaland's contributions to the album emphasize a distinctive production approach, incorporating samples from 1970s funk acts like Mandrill on the title track,[20] alongside electronic experimentation with stuttering rhythms and synthesized sounds. This results in a "spacey" and haunting atmosphere, characterized by dark bounces and unconventional percussion that push beyond traditional R&B boundaries. Missy Elliott's oversight further integrates hip-hop flair, enhancing the album's modern edge.[7][14] Nicole Wray's personal influences shine through her gospel-rooted upbringing, where she sang in her father's church choir, manifesting in emotive ad-libs and belted highs that infuse the R&B tracks with soulful intensity. These elements harmonize with the late-1990s hip-hop trends from Elliott's collaborative circle, including bold lyrical flows and beat-driven experimentation, creating a cohesive blend of spiritual expressiveness and urban edge.[10][14]Lyrical content
The lyrics of Make It Hot predominantly explore themes of romantic confidence, sensuality, and empowerment, often portraying intimate relationships with a bold, assertive edge. In the title track, Wray urges a partner to embrace physical closeness amid infidelity, singing lines like "Make it hot, make it hot, baby won't you make it hot," which emphasize seduction as a means of reclaiming agency in a troubled romance.[7] This sensual narrative extends to tracks like "Testing Our Love (Suga)," where co-writer Static Major draws from Wray's personal experiences with boyfriends to craft verses about testing relational boundaries with playful yet empowered flirtation.[14] Many of the album's lyrics were primarily written by Missy Elliott and collaborators like Static Major of Playa, focusing on youthful relationships and self-assurance that reflect Wray's early experiences as a teenager navigating love and independence, with verses drawing from her personal stories. Songs such as "Seventeen" and "Curiosity" capture the awkward energy of young flirtations and dating dilemmas, with Wray asserting emotional resilience through lines that balance vulnerability with growing confidence, as in the nuanced exploration of flawed partnerships in "Eyes Better Not Wander."[21] Rap verses, particularly Missy Elliott's and Mocha's contributions on "Make It Hot," inject streetwise flair with clever, rhythmic wordplay that contrasts Wray's melodic hooks, adding layers of hip-hop-infused bravado to the relational themes.[7] Wray's vocal delivery enhances these narratives through techniques like melismatic runs and call-and-response elements, showcasing her range from sultry lows to soaring highs influenced by her gospel roots. Elliott guided Wray to refine her "all over the place" runs into more controlled expressions of emotion, evident in the empowering ad-libs and harmonies that underscore self-assurance across the album.[14] On the ballad "Snowflakes," Wray employs extended melismatic phrasing during the chorus to convey tender yet confident reflections on love, highlighting her vocal versatility in quieter, introspective moments.[21]Promotion
Singles
The lead single from Make It Hot, titled "Make It Hot" and featuring Missy Elliott and Mocha, was released on June 2, 1998, and produced by Timbaland. It achieved significant commercial success, peaking at number 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The track was certified gold by the RIAA, denoting 500,000 units sold in the United States. The second single, "I Can't See," followed in late 1998 and was produced by Brian Alexander Morgan. Featuring a rap verse from Mocha, it reached number 36 on the Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 chart but did not match the crossover appeal of the debut single. In 1999, the album's third single, "Eyes Better Not Wander," was released and produced by Smokey. The mid-tempo R&B track peaked at number 71 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, marking a more modest performance compared to prior releases.Music videos and marketing
The music video for the lead single "Make It Hot" was directed by Christopher Erskin and featured Nicole Wray alongside Missy Elliott and Mocha from the group Playa, showcasing choreography in a theater setting.[18] The video premiered on major networks including BET and MTV, highlighting Wray's energetic performance and the track's sultry R&B vibe.[22] To promote the album, Wray joined the Superfriends supergroup tour in 1998, which included Aaliyah, Ginuwine, Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Magoo, and Playa, performing across various venues to capitalize on the collective's rising popularity in urban music circles.[23] Elektra Records marketed Make It Hot through targeted urban radio campaigns and in-store promotions, positioning Wray as a fresh teen sensation while leveraging Missy Elliott's and Timbaland's established production credentials to appeal to young R&B audiences.Critical reception
Contemporary reviews
Upon its release in 1998, Nicole Wray's debut album Make It Hot received positive contemporary reviews, with critics highlighting the innovative production work of Missy Elliott and Timbaland while noting areas for growth in Wray's vocal performance.[6] AllMusic's Michael Gallucci awarded the album 3.5 out of 5 stars, praising it as "virtually a textbook primer on Elliott's stylistic touch and influence on end-of-the-millennium R&B," and commending the dense, futuristic arrangements on tracks like the title song and "Eyes Better Not Wander" for their accessibility and strength. He also acknowledged Timbaland and Elliott's contributions as the album's highlight, though he observed that the 17-year-old Wray's voice remained "a little underdeveloped," sounding appropriately youthful but in need of further maturation to match her conviction and flexibility.[6]Retrospective views
In the years following its release, Make It Hot has been reevaluated by critics and fans as an underrated R&B gem, particularly for its embodiment of the late-1990s sound pioneered by Timbaland and Missy Elliott, characterized by dark, haunting beats and innovative production. A 2025 retrospective from YouKnowIGotSoul described the album as an "extremely underrated" showcase of this era's signature style, praising Nicole Wray's powerful, church-influenced vocals as raw talent that was tamed into a distinctive soulful delivery under Elliott's guidance.[14] The album has also gained recognition in broader assessments of Missy Elliott's production catalog as a pivotal early project that demonstrated her emerging prowess as a writer and executive producer through her Goldmind label. In a 2025 analysis of Elliott's iconic contributions, Collider highlighted Make It Hot—alongside her work on Total's Kima, Keisha, and Pam—as a key 1998 release where Elliott wrote the bulk of the material, blending hip-hop innovation with R&B accessibility and foreshadowing her influence on the genre.[24] Among fans and critics, there is a growing consensus that Make It Hot exerted subtle influence on subsequent R&B acts by exemplifying the fusion of rap verses, soulful melodies, and experimental production, even as its initial commercial underperformance overshadowed its potential at the time. Soul In Stereo's 2020 review noted its role in the "triple threat" collaborations of Timbaland, Elliott, and Static Major, which helped shape the hip-hop-infused R&B sound that later inspired artists navigating similar rap-soul hybrids. This view was echoed in the site's 2023 rewind piece, where contributors ranked it highly among 1998's R&B outputs for its enduring appeal in blending gritty rap elements with emotive soul, influencing the genre's evolution despite competing releases like Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.[7][21]Commercial performance
Chart positions
"Make It Hot" debuted on the US Billboard 200 chart and ultimately peaked at number 42 in September 1998.[5] On the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, the album reached a higher position of number 19.[25] The album experienced minor international charting, including a peak of number 94 on the UK Albums Chart.[26]Sales and certifications
"Make It Hot" marked a moderate commercial success in the competitive R&B landscape of the late 1990s. The album itself received no major certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[27] In contrast, the lead single "Make It Hot" earned RIAA Gold certification for surpassing 500,000 units sold.[18] Following the strong debut driven by the single's hype, album sales declined amid increasing saturation within the R&B market.[15]Track listing and formats
Standard edition
The standard edition of Make It Hot comprises 17 tracks that form the core of Nicole's debut album, released on August 25, 1998, by Goldmind/EastWest Records. The track listing emphasizes a mix of uptempo R&B grooves, hip-hop influenced cuts, and slower moments, with interludes integrated to provide narrative transitions between songs, enhancing the album's storytelling aspect around themes of romance, confidence, and urban life. Tracks were produced by a team including Missy Elliott, Timbaland, Anthony Dent, and others, contributing to the album's signature late-1990s sound characterized by innovative beats and layered vocals.[2] Key tracks include the ballad "Eyes Better Not Wander," a soulful standout written by J. Peacock where Nicole addresses infidelity with raw emotion over Smokey's smooth production (duration: 4:33), and the mid-tempo "Seventeen," co-written by Elliott and featuring reflective lyrics on youth and relationships (duration: 4:53). The album opens with an interlude-like intro and builds momentum through energetic numbers before closing on a contemplative note.[28]| No. | Title | Duration | Writer(s) | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Time Is Now (Intro) (feat. Missy Elliott) | 1:39 | Missy Elliott | Anthony Dent |
| 2 | Seventeen | 4:53 | Missy Elliott | Missy Elliott, Gerard Thomas, Donald Holmes |
| 3 | In da Street (feat. Mocha & Missy Elliott) | 4:02 | Missy Elliott, Nicole | Missy Elliott, Gerard Thomas, Donald Holmes |
| 4 | Traffic Jam (Interlude) | 1:22 | - | Anthony Dent |
| 5 | Curiosity (feat. Lil' Mo & Dent) | 4:12 | - | Anthony Dent, Kevin "KD" Davis |
| 6 | Make It Hot (feat. Mocha & Missy Elliott) | 4:27 | Missy Elliott, Nicole, Mocha | Timbaland |
| 7 | Prelude (I Can't See) | 0:44 | Brian Alexander Morgan, Eric L. Loving | Brian Alexander Morgan |
| 8 | I Can't See | 4:46 | Brian Alexander Morgan, Eric L. Loving | Brian Alexander Morgan |
| 9 | Nervous (feat. Lil' Mo) | 3:51 | Missy Elliott, Nicole | Missy Elliott, Gerard Thomas, Donald Holmes |
| 10 | Pressure (Interlude) | 1:14 | - | Anthony Dent, Kevin "KD" Davis |
| 11 | Boy You Should Listen | 4:24 | Missy Elliott, Nicole | Missy Elliott, Gerard Thomas, Donald Holmes |
| 12 | Eyes Better Not Wander | 4:33 | J. Peacock | Smokey |
| 13 | Radio DJ (Interlude) | 1:04 | Thomas McClary, Jon Allen | Big Baby, Suga Mike |
| 14 | Silly Love Song | 4:39 | Eric L. Loving, Thomas McClary, Jon Allen | Big Baby, Suga Mike |
| 15 | Raise Your Frown | 4:10 | Siedah Garrett, J. Peacock, B. Bush | Smokey |
| 16 | Borrowed Time | 5:01 | Eric L. Loving, Thomas McClary, Jon Allen | Big Baby, Suga Mike |
| 17 | Testing Our Love (Suga) | 3:36 | Siedah Garrett, J. Peacock | Smokey |
Limited edition bonus disc
The limited edition bonus disc was exclusive to the initial US pressing of Make It Hot, bundled as a 2-disc set to enhance the album's value for early buyers. This disc is a promotional 1998 Elektra Records Summer sampler featuring snippets of unreleased tracks from label artists.[29][30]| No. | Title | Duration | Artist |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Get Caught Part II (We Get Money) | 3:03 | Clipse |
| 2 | Everything | 1:37 | Flipmode Squad |
| 3 | Do You Wanna Ride | 1:37 | Yo Yo (feat. Kelly Price) |
| 4 | Get Contact | 1:08 | Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott |
| 5 | He Be Back | 1:52 | Coko |
| 6 | No Fool No More | 1:24 | En Vogue |