It's a Beautiful Thing (album)

It's a Beautiful Thing
It's a Beautiful Thing
Studio album by Keith Murray
Released	January 12, 1999
Recorded	1997–1998
Studio	Mirror Image (Dix Hills, New York)
Genre	East Coast hip hop
Length	51:50
Label	Jive
Producer	Erick Sermon (also exec.)
Keith Murray chronology
Singles from It's a Beautiful Thing
	"Incredible"; Released: September 15, 1998;

It's a Beautiful Thing is the third solo studio album by American rapper Keith Murray. It was released on January 12, 1999,^[3] via Jive Records, making it his final record for the label. Recording sessions took place at Mirror Image Recording Studios in Dix Hills, New York. Production was handled entirely by Erick Sermon, who also served as executive producer. It features guest appearances from Déjà Vu, Canibus, Erick Sermon, LL Cool J, Redman and Too $hort. The album peaked at number thirty-nine on the Billboard 200 and number nine on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in the US. Its single "Incredible" reached number 70 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and number 36 on the Hot Rap Songs.

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
The Source	^[2]

The recording of the album began during the difficult times of Murray's legal and financial troubles, along with his desire to leave the label. However, the album was unfinished when Murray went into incarceration, with the label deciding to complete and release the album despite Murray's disapproval.^[4] AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine considered the album to be a rather indistinctive one in Murray's discography, but did state that "there's enough to make It's a Beautiful Thing a reasonably entertaining listen, even if they aren't enough to make it memorable".

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Intro"	Erick Sermon Ryo Kawasaki	0:53
2.	"When I Rap"	Keith Murray Sermon James Todd Smith Clifford Smith Earl Simmons Germaine Williams	3:21
3.	"Incredible" (featuring LL Cool J)	Murray J.T. Smith Sermon James Brown Charles Bobbit Fred Wesley	3:03
4.	"Some Shit" (featuring Canibus and Déjà Vu)	Murray Williams D. Everett Sermon Ennio Morricone	3:14
5.	"Bodega Skit"	Murray Sermon	0:40
6.	"Slap Somebody"	Murray Sermon	3:57
7.	"Secret Indictment"	Murray Sermon G. Raeford	3:41
8.	"Radio"	Murray Sermon Douglas Davis G. Griffin Aaron Hall Timmy Gatling El DeBarge William DeBarge Etterlene Jordan	3:50
9.	"Intersection"	Murray Sermon Parrish J. Smith	3:35
10.	"Shut the Fuck Up"	Murray Sermon	2:15
11.	"Interlude"	Murray	0:36
12.	"Media"	Murray Sermon Herbert Hancock Reginald Noble Harold Ousley	3:30
13.	"Life on the Street"	Will Jennings Joe Sample	4:04
14.	"Ride Wit Us" (featuring Erick Sermon, Redman and Too $hort)	Murray Sermon Noble Todd Shaw	3:51
15.	"Jungle Boogie"	Ronald Bell Claydes Charles Smith Robert Spike Mickens Donald Boyce Rick Westfield Dennis Thomas Robert Bell George Brown	0:56
16.	"High as Hell"	Murray Sermon Ray Jackson	3:22
17.	"Bad Day"	Murray Sermon Ronald Isley Ernie Isley Rudolph Isley Marvin Isley O'Kelly Isley Jr. Chris Jasper	3:55
18.	"A Message from Keith"	Murray	2:05
19.	"My Life" (featuring Déjà Vu)	Murray Everett Sermon Eddie Holland Lamont Dozier Brian Holland	3:45
Total length:			51:50

Personnel

Keith Omar Murray – vocals
James Todd "LL Cool J" Smith – vocals (track 3)
D. "Déjà Vu" Everett – vocals (tracks 4, 19)
Germaine "Canibus" Williams – vocals (track 4)
Erick Sermon – vocals (track 14), producer, executive producer
Reginald "Redman" Noble – vocals (track 14)
Todd "Too $hort" Shaw – vocals (track 14)
Chaz Harper – digital editing
Mark Berto – recording, mixing
Troy Hightower – recording, mixing
Ivan 'Doc' Rodriguez – mixing
Camillo Rodriguez – assistant engineering
Dave O'Donnell – assistant engineering
Tony Dawsey – mastering
Chris Tricarico – project coordination
Damon "Smooth" Hart – management
Rashad El-Amin – management

Charts

Chart (1999)	Peak position
UK Independent Albums (OCC)^[5]	32
UK R&B Albums (OCC)^[6]	24
US Billboard 200^[7]	39
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[8]	9

References

^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "It's a Beautiful Thing – Keith Murray". AllMusic. Retrieved June 4, 2021.
^ Osorio, Kim (January 1999). "Record Report: Keith Murray – It's A Beautiful Thing". The Source. No. 112. New York. pp. 180, 182.
^ "Keith Murray Gets Charitable As He Fights Prison Term". MTV. December 11, 1998. Archived from the original on December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
^ ":: BlackElectorate.com ::". www.blackelectorate.com. April 4, 2003. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
^ "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 6, 2024.
^ "Keith Murray Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
^ "Keith Murray Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 5, 2021.

External links

It's a Beautiful Thing at Discogs (list of releases)

[1] Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "It's a Beautiful Thing – Keith Murray". AllMusic. Retrieved June 4, 2021.

[2] Osorio, Kim (January 1999). "Record Report: Keith Murray – It's A Beautiful Thing". The Source. No. 112. New York. pp. 180, 182.

[3] "Keith Murray Gets Charitable As He Fights Prison Term". MTV. December 11, 1998. Archived from the original on December 20, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.

[4] ":: BlackElectorate.com ::". www.blackelectorate.com. April 4, 2003. Retrieved June 5, 2021.

[ac_UKIndependent_-5] "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 6, 2024.

[ac_UKR&B_-6] "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 6, 2024.

[ac_Billboard200_Keith_Murray-7] "Keith Murray Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 5, 2021.

[ac_BillboardRandBHipHop_Keith_Murray-8] "Keith Murray Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 5, 2021.

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