Ghetto Classics

• Artist: Jaheim
• Rating:
• Release Date: February 14, 2006
• Type: Contains explicit content
• Genre: Rhythm & Blues

Review

Jaheim's viewpoints on music haven't changed a bit since he debuted in 2000, and fans of intelligent R&B should be praising that fact. With a raft of excellent productions from KayGee (Naughty by Nature) and others, plus a focus on celebrating love and family with well-written songs, he's remained free to craft albums full of rich harmonies and his excellent vocals (he's one of the few modern vocalists who knows exactly how far he should go with melisma). Ghetto Classics may boast nothing as ambitious as 2002's "Fabulous" (a Top 20 hit and an artistic breakthrough, all in one), and it may amp up the rapper collaborations in search of hits (Jadakiss and Styles P have appearances), but overall very little distracts from the qualities that have made him the most durable talent in commercial yet traditional R&B music. Opener "The Chosen One" is an immediate standout, a bumping love song that finds Jaheim floating serenely over one of KayGee's best productions (based on Willie Hutch's "I Choose You"). He and Jadakiss trade off on the single "Everytime I Think About Her," and the combination of smooth and rough sounds perfect. The final three songs ditch the samples for straight R&B, and while the absence is missed, it represents an intriguing direction for Jaheim in the future. Classic R&B may seem like just a memory to some, but with artists like Heather Headley and Jaheim in action, it doesn't have to be about the past. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
The Chosen One	Cliff Lighty, Bernard Belle, Keir Gist, Balewa Muhammad	Jaheim	(3:51)
Everytime I Think About Her (Lyrics)	R. Harrell, J.C. Phillips	Jadakiss, Jaheim	(4:27)
Daddy Thing (Lyrics)	Keir Gist, Balewa Muhammad	Jaheim	(3:50)
Forgetful	Scott Storch	Jaheim	(3:42)
Like a DJ (Lyrics)	Darren Lighty, Keir Gist, Balewa Muhammad, Eritza Laues, Terence "Tramp Baby" Abney	Jaheim	(3:49)
Friend	Balewa Muhammad, William "Poogie" Hart, Terence "Tramp Baby" Abney, Keir Gist, Thom Bell	Styles P, Jaheim	(4:56)
I Ain't Never (Lyrics)		Jaheim	(4:02)
125th (Lyrics)	Sylvia Robinson, Larry Roberts, Jaheim Hoagland, Eric Williams, Melvin Lewis	Jaheim	(4:16)
Masterpiece (Lyrics)	Melvin Lewis, Eric Williams	Jaheim	(4:03)
Conversation (Lyrics)		Jaheim	(3:02)
Come Over (Lyrics)	Eric Williams, Harry Jordan, Wesley Hogges	Jaheim	(3:01)

Credits

James Gist (Executive Producer), Denise A. Williams (Marketing), Styles P (Rap), Shakira Atily (Vocals), "You Can Ask" Giz (Mixing), Bernard Belle (Producer), Scott Storch (Audio Production), Bink (Producer), Kai Regan (Photography), Craig Baylis (Marketing), Liza Joseph (A&R), Phil Tan (Mixing), "You Can Ask" Giz (Engineer), Balewa Muhammad (Producer), Bink (Audio Production), Terence "Tramp Baby" Abney (Producer), Desiree Diggs (Groomer), Jane Morledge (Art Direction), Bernard Belle (Arranger), James Roach (Mixing Assistant), Jadakiss (Rap), Kevin "KD" Davis (Mixing), Bernard Belle (Audio Production), Scott Storch (Producer), Darren Lighty (Producer), Jaheim (Vocals), Eric Williams (Producer), Jane Morledge (Design), Wesley Hogges (Producer), "You Can Ask" Giz (Arranger), Brian Gardner (Mastering), Kam Houff (Engineer), Monica Marrow (Stylist), Eddie F. (Producer), Kay-Gee's (Audio Production), Eritza Laues (Vocals), Niki Benjamin (Marketing), James Gist (Management), Vadim Chislov (Tracking Assistant), Conrad Golding (Engineer), Kam Houff (Mixing), Wayne Allison (Engineer), Daoud Abubakar Balewa (Producer), James Roach (Tracking Assistant), Rob Herra (Engineer)

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