This Is Not a Test!

2003 studio album by Missy Elliott

This Is Not a Test! is the fifth studio album by American rapper Missy Elliott, released by The Goldmind Inc. and Elektra Records on November 25, 2003, in the United States. It was primarily produced by Timbaland, with additional production from Craig Brockman, Nisan Stewart and Elliott herself.

The album received generally favorable reviews from critics. The album debuted at number thirteen on the US Billboard 200, selling 183,600 copies in the first week of release.^[1] It has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and has sold 705,000 copies in the United States.^[2][3]

Critical reception

This Is Not a Test! was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 79 out of 100, based on 21 reviews.^[4] Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone gave the album four out of five stars, saying, "Why anybody would choose to spend their life without a copy of This Is Not a Test! is a mystery."^[12] Dan Martin of NME gave the album eight out of ten stars, saying the album was "all about the beats" and "not a right lot else", adding it was "Missy's most uncompromising work yet".^[9] Nick Catucci of Blender gave the album three out of five stars, saying the album "lacks feeling" and asked, "besides beats, what else does she care about?"^[15] John Bush of AllMusic gave the album three out of five stars, saying the album "is an effective argument for song-by-song downloads."^[5] This Is Not a Test! placed on Slant Magazine's list of best albums of the 2000s at number 87.^[16]

Year-end lists

Commercial performance

This Is Not a Test! debuted at number thirteen on the US Billboard 200, selling 183,600 copies in the first week of release.^[1] The album stayed on the chart for a total of 19 weeks.^[19] On December 17, 2003, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of over one million copies in the United States.^[2] As of November 2015, the album has sold 705,000 copies in the US.^[3]

Track listing

Sample credits

• "Pass That Dutch":
  • 'The Rapper' by The Jaggerz (1970)
  • 'Magic Mountain' by Eric Burdon and War (1970)
  • 'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood' by Santa Esmeralda (1977)
  • 'Potholes in My Lawn' by De La Soul (1989)
  • 'Scenario' by A Tribe Called Quest feat. Leaders of the New School (1991)
• "Keep It Movin":
  • 'I Know I've Been Wrong' by Mashmakhan (1970)
• "Is This Our Last Time":
  • 'The Second Time Around' by Shalamar (1979)
• "I'm Really Hot":
  • 'Buffalo Gals' by Malcolm McLaren (1982)
  • 'Release Yourself' by Aleem (1984)
  • 'Hot Music (Jazz Mix)' by Soho (1989)
  • 'Doin It' by LL Cool J (1995)
• "Don't Be Cruel":
  • 'Push It' by Salt-N-Pepa (1986)
• "Let It Bump":
  • 'I Cram to Understand U' by MC Lyte (1988)
• "Pump It Up":
  • 'Please, Please, Please' by James Brown and The Famous Flames (1956)
• "Let Me Fix My Weave":
  • 'Please Understand' by MC Lyte (1989)

Personnel

• June Ambrose – stylist
• Carlos "El Loco" Bedoya – engineer
• Beenie Man – vocals, guest appearance
• Ian Blanch – engineer
• Bless – scratching, group member
• Mary J. Blige – vocals, guest appearance
• Stacy Boge – photo production
• Anita Marisa Boriboon – art direction, design
• Craig "Boogie" Brockman – keyboards, producer
• Jay Brown – executive producer
• Suzanne Burge – product manager
• Demacio Castellon – mixing assistant
• Vadim Chislov – mixing assistant
• The Clark Sisters – vocals, guest appearance
• Annette Coleman – hair stylist
• Jimmy Douglass – engineer
• Elephant Man – vocals, guest appearance
• Missy Elliott – vocals, producer, executive producer
• Fabolous – vocals, guest appearance
• Roberto Fantauzzi – photo production
• Linda Fields – background vocals
• Andre Johnson – coordination
• Claudine Joseph – product manager
• R. Kelly – vocals, guest appearance
• Michael Kennedy – prop design
• Scott Kieklak – mixing
• Safiya Lewis – coordination
• Nelly – vocals, guest appearance
• Lili Picou – design
• Herb Powers – mastering
• Chris Puram – engineer
• Senator Jimmy D – mixing
• Nisan Stewart – producer
• Timbaland – producer, executive producer
• Alonzo Vargas – assistant engineer

Charts

Certifications

Release history

References

1. Martens, Todd. "Jay-Z Back Atop The Billboard 200". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved November 25, 2008.
2. "RIAA Certifications - Missy Elliott". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
3. Trust, Gary (November 22, 2015). "Ask Billboard: Missy Elliott's Career Album Sales". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
4. "Reviews for This Is Not A Test! by Missy Elliott". Metacritic. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
5. Bush, John. "This Is Not a Test! – Missy Elliott". AllMusic. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
6. Sinclair, Tom (November 24, 2003). "This Is Not a Test!". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 12, 2016. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
7. Lynskey, Dorian (November 21, 2003). "Missy Elliott: This Is Not A Test". The Guardian. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
8. Nichols, Natalie (November 23, 2003). "Elliott at the top of her class with 'Test'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
9. Martin, Dan (December 3, 2003). "Elliott, Missy : This Is Not A Test!". NME. Archived from the original on June 3, 2013. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
10. DiCrescenzo, Brent (December 3, 2003). "Missy Elliott: This Is Not a Test". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
11. "Missy Elliott: This Is Not a Test!". Q (211): 100. February 2004.
12. Sheffield, Rob (December 2, 2003). "Missy Elliott: This Is Not A Test!". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 21, 2008. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
13. Pappademas, Alex (January 2004). "Booty call—for help?". Spin. 20 (1): 95–96. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
14. Christgau, Robert (January 13, 2004). "Consumer Guide: MLK Fever". The Village Voice. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
15. Catucci, Nick. "Missy Elliott: This Is Not A Test Review". Blender. Dennis Publishing. Archived from the original on January 14, 2009. Retrieved November 25, 2008.
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