12 Play

12 Play
Studio album by
R. Kelly
ReleasedNovember 9, 1993 (1993-11-09)
Genre
Length63:10
LabelJive
Producer
R. Kelly chronology
Born into the 90's
(1992) 		12 Play
(1993) 		R. Kelly
(1995)
Singles from 12 Play
  1. "Sex Me"
    Released: August 6, 1993
  2. "Bump N' Grind"
    Released: January 25, 1994
  3. "Your Body's Callin'"
    Released: March 11, 1994
  4. "Summer Bunnies"
    Released: July 28, 1994
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Chicago Tribune[1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[6]
Entertainment WeeklyC−[3]
Los Angeles Times[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[8]
The Village VoiceC+[4]
"Bump n' Grind"
R. Kelly's "Bump n' Grind" from 12 Play
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12 Play is the debut solo studio album by American R&B and soul singer-songwriter R. Kelly; it was released on November 9, 1993, by Jive Records. The album follows his tenure with R&B group Public Announcement, with whom he released one album, Born into the 90's (1992). It went on to top the R&B albums chart for nine weeks straight, while reaching the second position on the US Billboard 200 chart.

The album features four singles including the sexually-themed singles "Bump n' Grind" (US, number 1), "Your Body's Callin'" (US, number 13), and the more overtly direct "Sex Me, Pts. 1 & 2" (US, number 20). The album serves as the first of a trilogy of albums Kelly released under the "12 Play" moniker including TP-2.com (2000) and TP-3: Reloaded (2005). Since receiving an initially mixed response from critics, 12 Play has received more favorable retrospective criticism.

  1. ^ a b Kot, Greg (January 20, 1994). "Suave Chicagoan". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Easlea, Daryl (2010). "R. Kelly 12 Play Review". BBC Music. Retrieved July 8, 2010.
  3. ^ a b c Aaron, Charles (December 10, 1993). "12 Play". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  4. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (November 29, 1994). "Turkey Shoot". The Village Voice. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  5. ^ Birchmeier, Jason. "12 Play – R. Kelly". AllMusic. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  6. ^ Larkin, Colin (2002). "Kelly, R.". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 1-85227-923-0.
  7. ^ Cromelin, Richard (December 12, 1993). "R. Kelly, '12 Play,' Jive". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 27, 2020.
  8. ^ Harris, Keith (2004). "R. Kelly". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 448. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8. Retrieved October 11, 2009.