3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life Of...

3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life Of...
Studio album by Arrested Development
Released	March 24, 1992[1]
Recorded	1991
Genre	Alternative hip hop[1][2]
Length	61:08
Label	Chrysalis/EMI 0946 3 21929 2 9 F2-21929
Producer	Speech
Arrested Development chronology
3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life Of... (1992) Zingalamaduni (1994)

3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life Of... is the debut album by American hip hop group Arrested Development, released on March 24, 1992. The album's chart success was the beginning of the popularization of Southern hip hop. 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life Of... stood in stark contrast to the gangsta rap that ruled the hip hop charts in 1992 (such as Dr. Dre's The Chronic), in its focus on spirituality, peace and love. The album's title refers to the length of time it took Arrested Development to get a record contract.^[1]

The song "Tennessee" is part of the The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list.^[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Chicago Tribune	[4]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[5]
Entertainment Weekly	A+[6]
Q	[7]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[8]
Select	4/5[9]
Village Voice	[10]

3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life Of... was released to widespread critical acclaim and was later voted as the best album of the year in The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop critics' poll.^[2][11] Entertainment Weekly's James Bernard praised it as a "fresh-sounding debut album" and referred to Arrested Development as "the anti-gangsta" and "perhaps rap's most self-reflective act."^[6] Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune wrote that the group "displays unusual worldliness, wisdom and awareness on its debut, immediately establishing itself as a major new voice in hip-hop", noting Speech's social themes and rejection of "macho boasting and gangster posing".^[4] In a negative assessment, Robert Christgau of The Village Voice assigned the album a "dud" rating and wrote that the album was "not horrible by any means" but "too often the beats shambled and the raps meandered",^[12] though he would later revise his rating to single out "Tennessee" as a "choice cut".^[13]

Retrospectively, Steve Huey of AllMusic wrote that the rise of gangsta rap abruptly put an end to what seemed to be a "shining new era in alternative rap" heralded by 3 Years and that the album, while not "quite as revolutionary as it first seemed", was nonetheless "a fine record that often crosses the line into excellence", further crediting it as "a major influence on a new breed of alternative Southern hip-hop, including Goodie Mob, Outkast, and Nappy Roots".^[2]

Track listing

1. "Man's Final Frontier" – 2:39
2. "Mama's Always on Stage" (Speech) – 3:25
   • Samples "We're Ready" by Buddy Guy and Junior Wells on the album Hoodoo Man Blues
   • "Parents Are People" by Harry Belafonte and Marlo Thomas
3. "People Everyday" (Speech) – 4:57
   • Interpolates "Everyday People" by Sly & the Family Stone & samples "Tappan Zee" by Bob James
4. "Blues Happy" – 0:45
5. "Mr. Wendal" (Speech) – 4:06
   • Samples "Sing a Simple Song" by Sly & the Family Stone
6. "Children Play with Earth" – 2:39
7. "Raining Revolution" (Speech) – 3:25
8. "Fishin' 4 Religion" (Speech) – 4:06
9. "Give a Man a Fish" (Headliner/Speech) – 4:22
   • Samples "When It Comes Down to It" by Minnie Riperton
10. "U" (Speech) – 4:59
    • Samples "Mighty Quinn" by Ramsey Lewis
11. "Eve of Reality" – 1:42
12. "Natural" (Speech) – 4:18
    • Samples "Sunshine" by Earth, Wind & Fire.
13. "Dawn of the Dreads" (Speech) – 5:17
14. "Tennessee" (Speech) – 4:32
    • Samples "Alphabet St." by Prince.
15. "Washed Away" (Speech) – 6:24
    • Samples "Thin Line Between Love and Hate" by The Persuaders.
16. "People Everyday [Metamorphosis Mix]" (Speech) – 4:55

Personnel

• Arrested Development  – Arranger
• Baba Oje
• Brother Larry  – Guitar
• Montsho Eshe
• Dionne Farris – Vocals
• Headliner
• Aerle Taree  – Stylist
• Tom Held  – Engineer
• Larry Jackson  – Saxophone
• Terrance Cinque Mason  – Vocals
• Rasa Don  - Drums
• Sister Paulette  – Vocals
• Speech  – Producer, Executive Producer, Mixing
• Alvin Speights  – Engineer
• Howie Weinberg  – Mastering
• Richard Wells  – Engineer
• Lindsey Williams  – Project Director
• Jeffrey Henson Scales  – Photography
• Matt Still  – Assistant Engineer
• Randall Martin  – Art Direction

Chart positions

Billboard – album

Billboard – singles

References