Understand This is the third solo studio album by American rapper and record producer Grand Puba. It was released on October 23, 2001 through Koch Records. Recording sessions took place at Acme Recording Studios in Mamaroneck, New York. Production was handled by Grand Puba and Lord Jamar. It features guest appearances from Tiffany Johnson, Khadijah Mohammed, The Restless, and fellow Brand Nubian members Sadat X and Lord Jamar. The album did not reach the Billboard 200, however, it peaked at number 32 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and number 12 on the Independent Albums charts in the United States. The album produced three singles: "Understand This", "Up & Down", and "Issues".

Understand This.
Studio album by
ReleasedOctober 23, 2001 (2001-10-23)
Recorded2000–2001
StudioACME Studios (Mamaroneck, NY)
GenreHip hop
Length54:47
LabelKoch
Producer
Grand Puba chronology
2000
(1995)
Understand This.
(2001)
Retroactive
(2009)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
HipHopDX3/5[2]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide[3]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Grand Pu" (featuring Khadijah Mohammed)Maxwell DixonGrand Puba3:38
2."All Day" (featuring Khadijah Mohammed)DixonGrand Puba3:56
3."Issues"DixonGrand Puba3:35
4."What U Gonna Do for Me" (featuring Tiffany Johnson)
  • Dixon
  • Tiffany Johnson
Grand Puba3:50
5."Skit 1"  1:15
6."Don't Lie to Me"DixonGrand Puba2:07
7."Skit 2"  0:20
8."What's Up Wit It" (featuring Tiffany Johnson and Sadat X)
Grand Puba3:54
9."Skit 3"  0:23
10."Dreams"DixonGrand Puba4:20
11."Skit 4"  0:21
12."Understand This" (featuring Khadijah Mohammed)DixonGrand Puba4:03
13."Skit 5"  0:40
14."Baby Mama Drama"DixonGrand Puba3:53
15."Up & Down" (featuring Sadat X)DixonLord Jamar3:07
16."Skit 6"  0:29
17."What U Want" (featuring Tiffany Johnson)
  • Dixon
  • Johnson
Grand Puba4:03
18."Keep It Movin" (featuring Lord Jamar and Khadijah Mohammed)Grand Puba4:06
19."Spazz Out 2" (featuring The Restless)
  • Dixon
  • The Restless
Grand Puba3:59
20."How Many More"DixonGrand Puba2:53
Total length:54:47

Personnel

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  • Maxwell "Grand Puba" Dixon – vocals, arrangement, producer (tracks: 1-14, 16-10), executive producer
  • Khadijah Islah Mohammed – chorus (tracks: 1, 2, 12, 18)
  • Tiffany Johnson – vocals (tracks: 4, 8, 17)
  • Derek "Sadat X" Murphy – vocals (track 8), chorus (track 15)
  • Lorenzo "Lord Jamar" Dechalus – vocals (track 18), producer (track 15)
  • The Restless – vocals (track 19)
  • Plat-Numb Mike – engineering (tracks: 1-9, 11-14, 16-20), mixing
  • Jim Albert – engineering (tracks: 10, 15)
  • Jeff Gilligan – artwork, design
  • Güler Ugar – photography

Charts

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Chart (2001) Peak
position
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[4] 32
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[5] 12

References

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  1. ^ Birchmeier, Jason. "Grand Puba - Understand This Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  2. ^ "Grand Puba - Understand This". HipHopDX. November 26, 2001. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  3. ^ Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian David (2004). {The New} Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon and Schuster. p. 102. ISBN 978-0-7432-0169-8 – via Google Books.
  4. ^ "Grand Puba Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  5. ^ "Grand Puba Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
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