''Tha Block Is Hot'' is the debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by American rapper

Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is often regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, as well as one of the greatest rappers of all ...

. It was released on November 2, 1999, by

Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as Universal Music Group or Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, ...

and Bryan "Baby" Williams'

Cash Money Records Cash Money Records is an American record label founded in 1991 by brothers Ronald "Slim" Williams and Birdman (rapper), Bryan "Baby" Williams. The label gained prominence in the late 1990s for having signed and released albums for New Orleans– ...

. The recording sessions took place at Cash Money Studios in

Metairie, Louisiana Metairie ( ) is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States, and is part of the New Orleans metropolitan area. With a population of 143,507 in 2020, Metairie is ...

, with the executive production from Bryan "Baby" Williams and Ronald "Slim" Williams. The album was produced by

Mannie Fresh Byron Otto Thomas (born March 20, 1969), better known by his stage name Mannie Fresh, is an American record producer, DJ and rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. He is best known for his production work for Cash Money Records releases, as well b ...

. It was intended to be titled ''I Ride at Night''.

Critical reception

The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' wrote that "Wayne's appeal lies in his esoteric slang and squeaky-voiced phrasing."

Commercial performance

"Tha Block Is Hot" debuted at number three on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, selling 229,500 copies in its first week. However, in its second week, the album dropped to number ten on the chart, with an additional 117,000 copies sold. On December 10, 1999, the album earned

Platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...

certification from the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA) for exceeding a million copies in sales. As of June 2012, "Tha Block Is Hot" has sold 1.4 million copies in the United States.

Track listing

* All songs produced by

Samples credits * "Loud Pipes" contains a sample of "Rich Niggaz" performed by Juvenile.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Block Is Hot, Tha 1999 debut albums Lil Wayne albums Albums produced by Mannie Fresh Bounce music albums Cash Money Records albums