Dare Iz a Darkside

Dare Iz a Darkside is the second studio album by American rapper Redman. It was released on November 22, 1994, by Def Jam Recordings. The album debuted at 13 on the US Billboard 200.^[1] The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).^[2]

The album cover features Redman buried in the ground up to his neck, a reference to the cover of Funkadelic's 1971 album Maggot Brain. In addition, the song "Cosmic Slop" shares its name with a 1973 Funkadelic album.^[3] The album spawned the two singles "Rockafella" & "Can't Wait".

In 2010, Redman told Vibe Magazine that he never performed any songs from Dare Iz A Darkside in recent years - primarily due to the album being made during one of the dark times in his life.^[4] The positive reaction to the album stunned Redman, who said "I was doing a lot of drugs on Dare Iz A Darkside. I have chicks that come up to me and say, 'Yo, Dare Iz A Darkside is my favorite fuckin' album, ever.' I swear, I have not played Dare Iz A Darkside damn near since I did it. Seriously! I was so lost, I was so fucked up during that album".^[5] However, during his Verzuz battle with fellow rapper Method Man on April 20, 2021, Redman performed "Can't Wait" for the first time since its single release in 1995.^[6]

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Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[7]
Q	^[8]
RapReviews	9/10^[9]
The Source	^[8]
Vibe	(favorable)^[8]

Jason Birchmeier of AllMusic gave the album a mixed review, remarking that producer Erick Sermon, who plays a large role in the production of the album, "isn't up to his usual standards here." Birchmeier also noted Redman's eccentric personality on Darkside in particular may have alienated fans of his earlier work with EPMD.^[7] Though when checking the production credits, Erick Sermon is only listed as an executive producer. He was executive producer for 5 of the albums' 16 actual tracks, not including skits. In reality, it was Reggie Noble who handled lead production of the album. The Source gave it 4 stars. It is considered a cult classic by a section of Redman's fans who believed the album showed Redman at his most cynical and hardcore.

Commercial performance

Dare Iz a Darkside debuted at number 13 on the US Billboard 200 chart, and number one on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, becoming his first number one on the chart.^[1] On January 27, 1995, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 copies.^[10] As of October 2009, the album has 587,000 copies in the United States.^[11]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Dr. Trevis"	Reggie Noble	Redman	1:37
2.	"Bobyahed2dis"	Noble Dana Stinson J. Stewart George Clinton Jr. Garry Marshall Shider David Lee Spradley	Redman Rockwilder	3:24
3.	"Journey Throo da Darkside"	Noble Erick Sermon Norman Whitfield	Redman Erick Sermon (co.)	2:26
4.	"Da Journee"	Noble	Redman	2:12
5.	"A Million and 1 Buddah Spots"	Noble Sermon	Erick Sermon Redman (co.)	3:23
6.	"Noorotic"	Noble Stinson	Rockwilder Redman (co.)	3:32
7.	"Boodah Session"	Noble	Redman	0:31
8.	"Cosmic Slop" (featuring Erick Sermon and Keith Murray)	Noble Sermon Keith Murray	Redman Erick Sermon (co.)	2:56
9.	"Rockafella (R.I.P.)"	Noble Sermon	Redman	0:25
10.	"Rockafella"	Noble Leon Haywood Clinton Jr. Bernard George Worrell William Collins	Redman	4:44
11.	"Green Island"	Noble Robert Alexander Anderson A. Stillman	Redman	5:42
12.	"Basically"	Noble	Redman	2:03
13.	"Can't Wait"	Noble Sermon Rick James Antonio Hardy	Erick Sermon Redman (co.)	4:13
14.	"Winicumuhround"	Noble Sermon Clinton Jr. Shider Spradley	Erick Sermon Redman (co.)	4:28
15.	"Wuditlooklike"	Noble	Redman	4:09
16.	"Slide and Rock On"	Noble Vaughan Mason Robert Telson Clinton Jr. Shider Spradley	Redman	3:54
17.	"Sooperman Luva II"	Noble John Watson Reynaldo Rey Timothy Gatling Alton Stewart	Redman	4:50
18.	"We Run N.Y." (featuring Hurricane G)	Noble Gloria Rodríguez Lawrence Parker Rodney LeMay Alan Lomax Eric Burdon Bryan Chandler	Redman	4:13
19.	"Dr. Trevis (Signs Off)"	Noble	Redman	1:39
20.	"Tonight's da Nite (Remix)" (CD only bonus track)	Noble	Redman	3:51
Total length:				1:04:03

The cassette version is tinted red.

Personnel

Information taken from Allmusic.^[12]

Engineering – Mike Bona, Bob Fudjinski, Dave Greenberg, Bob Morse
Executive Production – Erick Sermon
Mastering – Tony Dawsey
Mixing – Bob Fudjinski, Dave Greenberg, Bob Morse
Narration – Jeff Stewart
Performing – Hurricane G, Keith Murray, Erick Sermon
Photography – Danny Clinch
Production – Reggie Noble, Erick Sermon
Sequencing – Reggie Noble, Jeff Trotter
Vocals – Reggie Noble, Erick Sermon

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1994)	Peak position
US Billboard 200^[13]	13
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[14]	1

Year-end charts

Chart (1995)	Position
US Billboard 200^[15]	191
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[16]	33

Singles

Year	Single	Peak chart positions^[17]
Year	Single	U.S. Billboard Hot 100	U.S. Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales	U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	U.S. Hot Rap Singles
1994	"Rockafella"	—	3	62	10
1995	"Can't Wait"	94	5	61	11
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.

Certifications


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)^[18]	Gold	500,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

^ ^a ^b "allmusic ((( Dare Iz a Darkside > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))". Allmusic. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
^ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum - December 02, 2010 : Search Results - Redman". RIAA. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
^ Weingarten, Christopher R. (July 11, 2021). "Before & After 'Maggot Brain'". New York Times. Retrieved 2023-02-05.
^ "Full Clip: Redman Runs Down His Entire Catalogue". interview. vibe.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2014. Retrieved February 14, 2014.
^ Paine, Jake. "Redman Revisits "Dare Iz A Darkside" And Talks Gilla House, Saukrates". hiphopdx.com. Cheri Media. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
^ Bloom, Madison; Minsker, Evan. "Method Man and Redman's VERZUZ Battle: Here's What Happened". Pitchfork. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
^ ^a ^b Birchmeier, Jason. "allmusic ((( Dare Iz a Darkside > Review )))". AllMusic. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Redman - Dare Iz a Darkside CD Album". Muze. CD Universe. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
^ 'Flash' Juon, Steve (March 5, 2002). "Redman :: Dare Iz a Darkside :: Def Jam". RapReviews.com. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
^ "RIAA Certifications - Redman". Retrieved March 1, 2020.
^ "XXL SCANS: DEF JAM'S ENTIRE DISCOGRAPHY & RECORD SALES". October 18, 2009. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
^ "allmusic ((( Dare Iz a Darkside > Credits )))". Allmusic. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
^ "Redman Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
^ "Redman Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 23, 2015. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1995". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
^ "allmusic ((( Dare Iz a Darkside > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))". Allmusic. Retrieved December 2, 2010.
^ "American album certifications – Redman – Dare Iz a Darkside". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links

Dare Iz a Darkside at AllMusic
Dare Iz a Darkside at Discogs

v t e Redman
Discography
Studio albums	Whut? Thee Album Dare Iz a Darkside Muddy Waters Doc's da Name 2000 Malpractice Red Gone Wild: Thee Album Reggie Mudface
Collaboration albums	El Niño (with Def Squad) Blackout! (with Method Man) Blackout! 2 (with Method Man)
Singles	"Blow Your Mind" "Time 4 Sum Aksion" "Tonight's da Night" "Rockafella" "Can't Wait" "How High" "Funkorama" "It's Like That" "Whateva Man" "Pick It Up" "Full Cooperation" "I'll Bee Dat!" "Let's Get Dirty (I Can't Get in da Club)" "Part II" "Put It Down" "A-Yo" "Mrs. International"
Featured artist	"Head Banger" "The Points" "4, 3, 2, 1" "Made It Back" "How Deep Is Your Love" "Symphony 2000" "Left & Right" "Oooh." "Rollin' (Urban Assault Vehicle)" "React" "Dirrty" "Yeah Yeah U Know It"
Related articles	Def Squad Hit Squad Method Man & Redman Wu-Tang Clan Method & Red Rockwilder

This page was last edited on 25 March 2024, at 01:05

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