Free City

“Free City” is the debut studio album by the St. Lunatics, released on June 5, 2001, through Fo’ Reel and Universal Records.

The story

The St. Lunatics formed in St. Louis in 1993 and released their first single, “Gimme What U Got”, in 1996. When Nelly signed to Universal as a solo artist, the group appeared across his debut, “Country Grammar”, and its multi-platinum success led Universal to sign the St. Lunatics as a group in 2000. The album was recorded in 2000 and 2001 at New York studios including Electric Lady Studios, Unique Studios and Sound On Sound Recordings. Its title honored member City Spud, who was incarcerated while the record was being made. The lineup on the album includes Nelly, Ali, Murphy Lee, Kyjuan, Slo Down and City Spud.

Sound and production

Production was handled by Jason “Jay E” Epperson, who had produced most of “Country Grammar”, along with Waiel “Wally” Yaghnam, City Spud and Rich Travali. The result keeps the melodic, sing-song delivery and regional slang that had made Nelly’s album a hit, spread across several distinct voices. Guest appearances include Brian McKnight on “Groovin’ Tonight” and Penelope on “Jang a Lang”. The tracklist is broken up by a four-part skit, “Mad Baby Daddy”, and later editions add “Batter Up” featuring Nelly as a bonus track.

Legacy

“Free City” debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 with 196,000 copies sold in its first week and reached No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The RIAA certified it platinum a month after release, and it was certified gold in Canada, where it peaked at No. 18. Its singles included “Summer in the City”, “Midwest Swing”, which reached No. 88 on the Hot 100 and No. 41 on the R&B chart, and “Batter Up”, which was certified gold. RapReviews rated the album 7 out of 10. It remains the only studio album the St. Lunatics released as a group; a follow-up planned for 2009 under the title “City Free” never came out. Ali and Murphy Lee went on to release solo albums in 2002 and 2003.

Released June 5, 2001. More from hip hop in 2001.