Unfinished Business (Jay-Z and R. Kelly album)

Unfinished Business
Studio album by
Jay-Z and R. Kelly
ReleasedOctober 26, 2004
Recorded2001–2004
StudioThe Chocolate Factory and Rock Land Studios
(Chicago)
Baseline Recording Studios
(New York City)
Genre
Length44:34
Label
Producer
Jay-Z and R. Kelly chronology
The Best of Both Worlds
(2002) 		Unfinished Business
(2004)
Jay-Z chronology
The Black Album
(2003) 		Unfinished Business
(2004) 		Collision Course
(2004)
R. Kelly chronology
Happy People/U Saved Me
(2004) 		Unfinished Business
(2004) 		TP.3 Reloaded
(2005)
Singles from Unfinished Business
  1. "Big Chips"
    Released: October 19, 2004
  2. "Don't Let Me Die"
    Released: October 26, 2004

Unfinished Business is the second and final collaboration album between American rapper Jay-Z and American singer R. Kelly. The album was released worldwide on October 26, 2004. It was distributed in the United States and Canada by Jive Records and Island Def Jam Music Group, by the Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG) and its subsidiary Jive Records, except in Canada and the United States of America where Island Def Jam Music Group and its labels Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records replaced BMG. The album was composed of unreleased tracks from the recording sessions of 2002's The Best of Both Worlds, although slight additions were made.[1]

The album was promoted by the "Best of Both Worlds" concert tour with R. Kelly and Jay-Z performing songs from both their solo and joint albums. The "Best of Both Worlds" tour filled with tension and accusations that boiled over at an October 31 show where R. Kelly was accused of erratic behavior and was pepper sprayed by a Jay-Z associate. Jay-Z and the tour promoter then banned R. Kelly from the tour claiming "lack of professionalism". R. Kelly responded by suing his co-act and touring company for $75 million for breach of contract, among other things, on November 2.[1][2]

Unfinished Business was supported by two singles: "Big Chips" and "Don't Let Me Die". They were both sent to radio stations, but only the former saw a physical release.[1] Like its predecessor, the album was criticized for repetitive lyrics but was a commercial success. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 215,000 copies in its first week, and later was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in December 2004.[3][4]

  1. ^ a b c "R. Kelly And JAY-Z Release Unfinished Business on October 26, 2004" (Press release). Def Jam Recordings. 2004-09-21. Archived from the original on August 26, 2006. Retrieved 2009-06-27.
  2. ^ Devinish, Devin (2004-11-02). "R. Kelly Sues Jay-Z". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 26, 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-29.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference No1 Debut was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference RIAA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).