Anuthatantrum
View on Discogs
View on Wikipedia
Album Summary
Da Brat's second studio album 'Anuthatantrum' came into this world in 1996, released through So So Def Recordings and Chaos/Columbia Records, and baby, it carried every ounce of that Atlanta heat with it. Executive produced by the incomparable Jermaine Dupri and recorded at Doppler Studios in Atlanta, this record found Da Brat stepping back into the booth with something to prove — and she proved it. Dupri wrapped her in that heavy, funk-drenched production style that had become the signature of the So So Def sound, and Da Brat met every beat with the kind of aggressive, braggadocious lyricism that made heads turn when she first burst onto the scene. This was a woman who had already made history as the first female solo rap artist to go platinum, and 'Anuthatantrum' was her declaration that she wasn't going anywhere.
Reception
- The album found its footing on the Billboard 200 and held its own on the rap charts, though the commercial lightning-in-a-bottle moment of her debut proved a difficult benchmark to match in an era where the rap landscape was shifting fast and competition was fierce.
- Critical response landed on the favorable side of the dial, with reviewers giving due respect to Da Brat's commanding delivery and Dupri's polished production work, even as some voices in the press felt the sonic palette stayed closer to familiar territory than it ventured toward new ground.
- The album helped Da Brat maintain her presence on urban radio and in the cultural conversation during one of the most competitive stretches in mid-1990s hip-hop history, no small feat for any artist, let alone a woman navigating a male-dominated industry.
Significance
- 'Anuthatantrum' stood as a powerful statement that Da Brat was not a one-album phenomenon — she was a career artist, and in a mid-1990s rap industry that chewed through talent at a ruthless pace, that distinction carried enormous weight for women in hip-hop.
- Jermaine Dupri's production across this album was a living document of the So So Def aesthetic — that rich, soulful blending of funk samples and modern rap architecture that was putting Atlanta on the map as a serious force in the crossover rap world.
- The album reinforced the So So Def label's credibility as an institution capable of nurturing and sustaining rap acts across multiple releases, a rarer achievement than it sounds in an era defined by flash-in-the-pan success stories.
Tracklist
-
A1 Anuthatantrum 175
1:10
-
A2 My Beliefs 175
4:03
-
A3 Sittin' On Top Of The World 92
4:16
-
A4 Let's All Get High 87
3:44
-
A5 West Side Interlude —
0:14
-
A6 Just A Little Bit More 92
3:26
-
B1 Keepin' It Live 92
3:37
-
B2 Ghetto Love 93
3:21
-
B3 Lyrical Molestation 81
3:47
-
B4 Live It Up 85
2:33
-
B5 Make It Happen 90
3:31
Artist Details
Da Brat burst onto the scene out of Chicago, Illinois in the early 1990s, bringing a hard-hitting, street-smart rap style that was all fire and finesse, becoming the first female solo rap artist to achieve platinum certification with her 1994 debut album *Funkdafied*, produced by the legendary Jermaine Dupri. Her sound was a slick blend of West Coast-influenced gangsta rap and Southern hip-hop swagger, and she held her own in a male-dominated game with a confidence and lyrical sharpness that commanded nothing but respect. Da Brat cracked open doors for women in hip-hop that had been barely ajar, proving that a sister from the South Side could step into the spotlight and shine just as bright as anybody in the game.
