TP-2.com
TP-2.com is the fourth solo studio album by American R&B singer-songwriter R. Kelly, released on November 7, 2000, by Jive Records as a sequel to his 1993 debut 12 Play, with "TP-2" abbreviating "Twelve Play 2" and ".com" nodding to the internet era.[1][2] The 19-track project, largely self-produced by Kelly, emphasizes contemporary R&B with funk influences, explicit sexual narratives, and personal reflections, clocking in at over 77 minutes.[3][4] The album achieved immediate commercial dominance, debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts with first-week sales of 543,000 copies in the United States.[5][6] It was certified double platinum by the RIAA on December 8, 2000, for two million shipped units, reflecting strong demand for lead singles like "I Wish," which interpolated 1970s soul hits and peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Fiesta (Remix)" featuring Jay-Z, reaching number six.[7][8] Kelly received the Soul Train Award for Best R&B/Soul Album – Male for TP-2.com in 2001, underscoring its industry recognition at the time.[9] Critically, the record garnered mixed reviews for its polished production and hooks amid repetitive themes, with outlets praising tracks like "Feelin' on Yo Booty" for seductive grooves while critiquing lyrical shallowness.[8] Its overt eroticism, central to Kelly's persona, later drew reevaluation following his 2021 federal convictions for racketeering, sex trafficking, and child sex crimes spanning decades, which empirically tainted retrospectives on works like TP-2.com despite its sales exceeding four million worldwide.[10][11]Concept and production
Development and background
TP-2.com originated as the intended sequel to R. Kelly's 1993 debut solo album 12 Play, with the title serving as an abbreviation for "Twelve Play 2.com," where the ".com" suffix nodded to the burgeoning internet era and dot-com boom of the late 1990s.[12][13] This conceptualization aimed to revive and extend the explicit, narrative-driven sexual themes that propelled 12 Play to multi-platinum success, adapting them to reflect contemporary digital-age sensibilities.[14] Development commenced in the aftermath of Kelly's 1998 double album R., released on November 10, which had experimented with a broader palette including thug-life anthems and introspective ballads, marking a departure from 12 Play's singular focus on erotic vignettes.[8] By then, Kelly's stardom was cemented by crossover hits such as "I Believe I Can Fly" from the 1996 Space Jam soundtrack, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for multiple weeks and secured three Grammy Awards in 1998. In the late 1990s R&B landscape, characterized by the fusion of smooth soul with hip-hop rhythms amid rising explicitness in urban music, Kelly sought to merge polished R&B production with street-infused narratives, building on his evolving "R&B thug" persona to appeal to both romantic and rugged sensibilities.[14] This pre-production phase positioned TP-2.com as a bridge between Kelly's established sensual storytelling and the hip-hop crossover trends dominating the genre, prioritizing personal creative evolution over derivative repetition.[15]Recording process
The recording sessions for TP-2.com primarily occurred at Rockland Studios in Chicago, Illinois, spanning 1999 and 2000, with R. Kelly directing the process as the album's lead producer and arranger.[16] Certain tracks, such as "Fiesta," involved additional work at Sigma Sound Studios and Chicago Recording Company to refine beats and arrangements.[17] Kelly's involvement emphasized meticulous oversight, blending programmed elements with live recordings to craft dense, layered R&B arrangements.[18] Live instrumentation played a key role, featuring contributions from musicians like Donnie Lyle on guitar and bass, and Kendall Nesbitt on keyboards, which added organic texture to the tracks amid programmed rhythms.[19] Engineers such as Ian Cross handled programming and recording duties for specific songs, including the introductory "TP-2," supporting Kelly's vision for a seamless fusion of acoustic and electronic elements.[4] This approach resulted in a production style that prioritized vocal layering and rhythmic precision, evident in the album's overall sonic polish without relying solely on synthetic sounds.[19]Personnel and credits
R. Kelly wrote, arranged, and produced all tracks on TP-2.com, performing lead vocals throughout the album.[20][19] Guitarist Donnie Lyle contributed to the majority of songs, providing guitar on tracks 1–2, 5–7, 9, 11–12, 14, and 16–19, as well as bass on tracks 1, 5, and 15; Greg Landfair handled guitar duties on tracks 3 and 12.[20] Keyboardist Kendall Nesbitt added performances on tracks 1–2, 11, 16, and 19.[20][19] Recording engineers included Abel Garibaldi (tracks 1–7, 9, 11–15, 17–19), Ian Mereness (tracks 1–7, 9–11, 13–19), Andy Gallas (tracks 1, 5, 12–14, 19), and James Lee (tracks 3, 6–7, 12–13, 19), with additional engineering on track 8 by Cheek and Jeff Lane.[20] Mixing was led by Tony Maserati on tracks 1–3, 7, 9, 11–13, and 16–17; Peter Mokran handled tracks 4–6, 9, 14, 18–19; and R. Kelly with Ian Mereness mixed tracks 10 and 15.[20] Paul Riser arranged strings for tracks 4, 6, 12–13, 16, and 19.[20] Guest rap vocals appeared on track 7 by General and on tracks 8 and 16 by Boo and Gotti.[20] The album was primarily recorded at Rock Land Studios in Chicago, Illinois.[20]Musical and lyrical content
Style and composition
TP-2.com primarily adheres to contemporary R&B conventions, characterized by slow-tempo grooves infused with hip-hop rhythmic elements and programmed beats.[19] The album's 19 tracks span a total runtime of approximately 77 minutes, yielding an average length of 4 to 5 minutes per song, allowing for extended builds in vocal layering and instrumental swells.[4] R. Kelly produced the majority of the material (tracks 1–7 and 9–19), employing multi-tracked harmonies, falsetto ad-libs, and lush string sections over mid-tempo drum patterns to craft immersive soundscapes.[19] Departures from the predominant slow-jam template appear in uptempo selections like "Fiesta," which integrates rapid rap cadences from guest artists Jay-Z and Twista against R&B melodic hooks and synthesized basslines, fusing street-oriented hip-hop flows with soulful refrains.[21] This track exemplifies the album's occasional genre-blending, where hip-hop verse structures contrast with polished R&B choruses, reflecting early-2000s production trends toward crossover accessibility. Overall, the compositions prioritize original melodic constructions and beat programming, minimizing reliance on looped samples in favor of bespoke arrangements tailored to Kelly's vocal range and phrasing.[19]Themes and songwriting
TP-2.com's lyrics center on romance and seduction through explicit depictions of physical intimacy and desire, often framed within urban nightlife encounters. Tracks like "Feelin' on Yo Booty" illustrate this via narrative vignettes of club dancing escalating to tactile exploration, employing direct, sensory language to convey male pursuit and mutual arousal.[14] [15] This approach aligns with Kelly's established persona as a self-assured urban seducer, incorporating "thug-pimp" tropes that emphasize assertive masculinity in romantic and sexual dynamics.[14] Kelly's songwriting style features confessional narratives that draw on autobiographical elements, using rhythmic, repetitive rhyme schemes to build emotional immediacy in tales of relational tension. For instance, "I Don't Mean It" adopts a remorseful tone to confess verbal abuse and infidelity, portraying cycles of regret and reconciliation from a first-person perspective.[14] [15] Similarly, "Be Careful" balances male vulnerability with warnings against betrayal, highlighting domestic strife through dialogue-like exchanges.[14] While explicit sexuality dominates, the album integrates deeper emotional layers via reflective tributes, such as "I Wish," which honors lost loved ones including Kelly's mother and a close friend, evoking gospel-rooted introspection amid themes of mortality and longing.[14] [22] This juxtaposition underscores a songwriting range that tempers carnal motifs with personal reckoning, though critics noted limitations in lyrical variety beyond these core motifs.[15][23]Track listing
The standard edition of TP-2.com comprises 19 tracks, with a total runtime of 77 minutes.[2] Explicit and clean versions exist, differing primarily in lyrical content due to censorship, but sharing the same track order and durations; no bonus tracks appear on the original release, though some later reissues include remixes.[24][4]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TP-2 | 2:18 |
| 2 | Strip for You | 4:09 |
| 3 | R&B Thug | 4:03 |
| 4 | The Greatest Sex | 4:39 |
| 5 | I Don't Mean It | 4:18 |
| 6 | Just Like That | 4:34 |
| 7 | Like a Real Freak | 4:34 |
| 8 | Fiesta | 3:16 |
| 9 | Don't You Say No | 4:06 |
| 10 | The Real R. Kelly | 0:54 |
| 11 | One Me | 3:53 |
| 12 | I Wish | 5:34 |
| 13 | A Woman's Threat | 5:55 |
| 14 | I Decided | 4:12 |
| 15 | I Mean (I Don't Mean It) | 3:24 |
| 16 | I Wish (Remix) (To the Homies That We Lost) | 5:17 |
| 17 | All I Really Want | 3:59 |
| 18 | Feelin' on Yo Booty | 4:05 |
| 19 | The Storm Is Over Now | 4:32 |