3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of... is the debut album by American hip hop group Arrested Development, released on March 24, 1992. The album's chart success ignited the popularization of Southern hip hop. Named after the length of time it took the group to get a record contract, 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of... starkly contrasted the gangsta rap that ruled the hip hop charts in 1992 (such as Dr. Dre's The Chronic), focusing on spirituality, peace and love.[1]
| 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of... | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 24, 1992[1] | |||
| Genre | Alternative hip hop[1][2] | |||
| Length | 56:13 | |||
| Label | Chrysalis/EMI | |||
| Producer | Speech | |||
| Arrested Development chronology | ||||
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| Singles from 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life of... | ||||
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The album is also included in Robert Dimery's book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.
The song "Tennessee" is part of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list.[3]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Calgary Herald | B+[4] |
| Chicago Tribune | [5] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |  [6] |
| Los Angeles Times | [7] |
| Orlando Sentinel | [8] |
| Q | [9] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [10] |
| Select | 4/5[11] |
| Spin Alternative Record Guide | 7/10[12] |
3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of... was released to widespread critical acclaim and was later voted as the best album of the year in The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics' poll.[2][13] Entertainment Weekly's James Bernard gave the album an "A+" and praised it as a "fresh-sounding debut", referring to the group as "the anti-gangsta" and "perhaps rap's most self-reflective act."[14] Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune wrote that the group "displays unusual worldliness, wisdom and awareness on its debut, immediately establishing itself as a major new voice in hip-hop", noting Speech's social themes and rejection of "macho boasting and gangster posing".[5] In a negative assessment, Robert Christgau of The Village Voice assigned the album a "dud" rating and wrote that the album was "not horrible by any means" but "too often the beats shambled and the raps meandered",[15] though he would later revise his rating to single out "Tennessee" as a "choice cut".[16]
Retrospectively, Steve Huey of AllMusic wrote that the rise of gangsta rap abruptly ended what seemed to be a "shining new era in alternative rap" heralded by 3 Years and that the album, while not "quite as revolutionary as it first seemed", was nonetheless "a fine record that often crosses the line into excellence", further crediting it as "a major influence on a new breed of alternative Southern hip-hop, including Goodie Mob, Outkast, and Nappy Roots".[2]
The Wire named the album its record of the year, the first time the magazine had expanded its year-end critics' poll to include albums in non-jazz genres.[17] The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[18]
Track listing
edit- "Man's Final Frontier" – 2:38
- "Mama's Always on Stage" (Speech) – 3:25
- Samples "We're Ready" by Buddy Guy and Junior Wells on the album Hoodoo Man Blues
- "Parents Are People" by Harry Belafonte and Marlo Thomas
- "People Everyday" (Speech) – 3:26
- Interpolates "Everyday People" by Sly & the Family Stone & samples "Tappan Zee" by Bob James
- "Blues Happy" – 0:46
- "Mr. Wendal" (Speech) – 4:06
- Samples "Sing a Simple Song" by Sly & the Family Stone
- "Children Play with Earth" – 2:38
- "Raining Revolution" (Speech) – 3:55
- "Fishin' 4 Religion" (Speech) – 4:06
- "Give a Man a Fish" (Headliner/Speech) – 4:22
- Samples "When It Comes Down to It" by Minnie Riperton
- "U" (Speech) – 4:59
- Samples "Mighty Quinn" by Ramsey Lewis
- "Eve of Reality" – 1:53
- "Natural" (Speech) – 4:18
- Samples "Sunshine" by Earth, Wind & Fire.
- "Dawn of the Dreads" (Speech) – 5:17
- "Tennessee" (Speech) – 4:32
- Samples "Alphabet St." by Prince
- "Papa Was Too" by Joe Tex
- "Funky Drummer" by James Brown
- "BNH" by The Brand New Heavies
- "Tough" by Kurtis Blow
- "Washed Away" (Speech) – 6:22
- Samples "Thin Line Between Love and Hate" by The Persuaders.
Personnel
edit- Arrested Development – arranger
- Baba Oje
- Brother Larry – guitar
- Montsho Eshe
- Dionne Farris – vocals
- Headliner
- Aerle Taree – stylist
- Tom Held – engineer
- Larry Jackson – saxophone
- Terrance Cinque Mason – vocals
- Rasa Don – drums
- Sister Paulette – vocals
- Speech – producer, executive producer, mixing
- Alvin Speights – engineer
- Howie Weinberg – mastering
- Richard Wells – engineer
- Lindsey Williams – project director
- Jeffrey Henson Scales – photography
- Matt Still – assistant engineer
- Randall Martin – art direction
Charts
edit| Chart (1992–1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[19] | 4 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM)[20] | 8 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[21] | 30 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[22] | 32 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[23] | 6 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[24] | 48 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[25] | 3 |
| US Billboard 200[26] | 7 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[27] | 3 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[28] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[29] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[30] | Platinum | 300,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[31] | 4× Platinum | 4,000,000^ |
|
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ a b c Madden, Sidney (March 15, 2015). "Today in Hip-Hop: Arrested Development Drop '3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life of..'". XXL. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
- ^ a b c d Huey, Steve. "3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of... – Arrested Development". AllMusic. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
- ^ "500 Songs That Shaped Rock". Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Retrieved November 15, 2014.
- ^ Muretich, James (May 10, 1992). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald.
- ^ a b Kot, Greg (April 9, 1992). "Arrested Development: 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life of... (Chrysalis)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
- ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-85712-595-8.
- ^ Hilburn, Robert (December 6, 1992). "Holiday Gift-Giving--The Hints of '92". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
- ^ Gettelman, Parry (April 24, 1992). "Arrested Development". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
- ^ "Arrested Development: 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of...". Q (70): 89. July 1992.
- ^ Moon, Tom (2004). "Arrested Development". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 24–25. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Higginbotham, Adam (June 1992). "Arrested Development: Three Years, Five Months and Two Days In The Life Of Arrested Development". Select (24): 69.
- ^ Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
- ^ "The 1992 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". The Village Voice. March 2, 1993. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
- ^ Bernard, James (May 22, 1992). "3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of..." Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (March 2, 1993). "Between a Rock and a Hard Place". The Village Voice. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (2000). "Arrested Development: 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life of . . .". Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan Publishers. ISBN 0-312-24560-2. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
- ^ "The Critics' Choice 1992: Records of the Year". The Wire. No. 106/107. London. January 1993. p. 24 – via Exact Editions.
- ^ Robert Dimery; Michael Lydon (7 February 2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition. Universe. ISBN 0-7893-1371-5.
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – Arrested Development – 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of...". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
- ^ "Top Albums/CDs - Volume 57, No. 11, 27 Mar 1993". RPM. 27 March 1993. Retrieved 2 May 2023.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Arrested Development – 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of..." (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Arrested Development – 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of..." (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Arrested Development – 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of...". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Arrested Development – 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of...". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
- ^ "Arrested Development Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
- ^ "Arrested Development Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1993 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved November 28, 2021.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – Arrested Development – 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life Of". Music Canada. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
- ^ "British album certifications – Arrested Development – 3 Years, 5 Months, and 2 Days in the Life Of..." British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
- ^ "American album certifications – Arrested Development – 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of ..." Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
