Original Ai

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Original Ai (stylized in all upper cased lettering) is the second studio album by Japanese–American singer-songwriter Ai. It was released on July 23, 2003, by Def Jam Japan. The album features guest appearances and collaborations from Dabo, American rapper Joe Budden and Sphere of Influence.

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Original Ai
Standard edition cover
July 23, 2003 (2003-07-23)
2003
Michael "Lofey" Sandlofer's home studio (New York City, New York)
Right Track Studios (New York City)
Little Buch Studios
Tai Studio
Folio Sound Studio
Audio Achievements (Hollywood, California)
The Studio (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Gunpoint (Philadelphia)
Purple Velvet Studios
Peninsula
J-poppop rockhip hop
48:57
JapaneseEnglish
Def Jam Japan
LofeySkaneDesert Storm813Carsten LindbergJoachim SvareRyousuke ImaiSwing-OFatin HortonRob "Reef" TewlowStephanie Stokes FountainKazunori Fujimoto
My Name Is Ai(2001)

Original Ai(2003)

Original Ai (stylized in all upper cased lettering) is the second studio album by Japanese–American singer-songwriter Ai. It was released on July 23, 2003, by Def Jam Japan. The album features guest appearances and collaborations from Dabo, American rapper Joe Budden and Sphere of Influence.

Four singles were released from Original Ai. The lead single "Last Words" became Ai's best performing single on the Oricon singles chart until her 2005 single "365".

Ai previously released her debut studio album, My Name Is Ai in 2001 under BMG Japan. Following its very little commercial success, Ai moved to Def Jam Japan and became the first woman signed to the label. Compared to her previous label, Ai stated she felt more at home with Def Jam Japan. Her first release under the label was the lead single "Last Words", which peaked at number 27 on the Japanese Oricon singles chart. The second single "Thank U" was released in June 2003, peaking at number 37 on the Oricon singles chart.

Original Ai was released in a time where very little female artists were in the hip hop scene in Japan. In 2021, OKMusic's editorial department described Original Ai as "a fine work that shows the high potential of Ai". The journalist noted Ai made history as the first woman signed to Def Jam's Japanese division and helped pave the way for the hip hop and R&B scene in Japan to grow.

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Notes

.mw-parser-output .citation{word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}^[a] signifies a co-producer
Tracks 1, 9 and 13 are titled in Japanese.
Tracks 2, 5, 6, 10, and 12 are stylized in all capitals.
"2Hot" interpolates Kool & the Gang's 1979 song "Too Hot" written by Brown.
"Summer Time" interpolates R. Kelly's 2002 song "Ignition (Remix)" written by Kelly.

Credits adapted from album's liner notes and Tidal.

Musicians

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Technical

Visuals and imagery

Hiroaki Doi – art direction, design
Toru Wada – design
Satoshi Minakawa – photography
Rie Inada – hair, makeup
Noriko Gotoh – stylist
Teknical – tag
Mayuko Sudo – coordination

Chart (2003)	Peakposition
Japanese Albums (Oricon)	15

Region	Date	Format(s)	Version
July 23, 2003	Digital downloadstreaming	Standard	Def Jam JapanUniversal
CD	Universal Japan
November 26, 2003	Digital downloadstreaming	Deluxe	Def Jam JapanUniversal
CD	Universal Japan
December 5, 2012	CDdigital downloadstreaming	Standard	USM Japan

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Original Ai at AllMusic