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

Critical reception

3 Years, 5 Months and 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. Entertainment Weekly's James Bernard gave the album an "A+" and praised it as a "fresh-sounding debut", referring to the group as "the anti-gangsta" and "perhaps rap's most self-reflective act." 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". 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", though he would later revise his rating to single out "Tennessee" as a "choice cut".

Retrospectively, Steve Huey of AllMusic wrote that the rise of gangsta rap abruptly ended 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".

The Wire named the album its record of the year, the first time the magazine had expanded its year-end critics' poll to include albums in non-jazz genres. The album was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Track listing

1. "Man's Final Frontier" – 2:38
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

1. "People Everyday" (Speech) – 3:26

• Interpolates "Everyday People" by Sly & the Family Stone & samples "Tappan Zee" by Bob James

1. "Blues Happy" – 0:46
2. "Mr. Wendal" (Speech) – 4:06

• Samples "Sing a Simple Song" by Sly & the Family Stone

1. "Children Play with Earth" – 2:38
2. "Raining Revolution" (Speech) – 3:55
3. "Fishin' 4 Religion" (Speech) – 4:06
4. "Give a Man a Fish" (Headliner/Speech) – 4:22

• Samples "When It Comes Down to It" by Minnie Riperton

1. "U" (Speech) – 4:59

• Samples "Mighty Quinn" by Ramsey Lewis

1. "Eve of Reality" – 1:53
2. "Natural" (Speech) – 4:18

• Samples "Sunshine" by Earth, Wind & Fire.

1. "Dawn of the Dreads" (Speech) – 5:17
2. "Tennessee" (Speech) – 4:32

• Samples "Alphabet St." by Prince
• "Papa Was Too" by Joe Tex
• "Funky Drummer" by James Brown
• "BNH" by The Brand New Heavies
• "Tough" by Kurtis Blow

1. "Washed Away" (Speech) – 6:22

• Samples "Thin Line Between Love and Hate" by The Persuaders.

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

Charts

Certifications

References

References

1. Madden, Sidney. (March 15, 2015). "Today in Hip-Hop: Arrested Development Drop '3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life of..'". [[XXL (magazine).
2. Huey, Steve. "3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of... – Arrested Development". [[AllMusic]].
3. Muretich, James (May 10, 1992). "Recent Releases". ''[[Calgary Herald]]''.
4. Kot, Greg. (April 9, 1992). "Arrested Development: 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life of... (Chrysalis)". [[Chicago Tribune]].
5. Larkin, Colin. (2011). "[[The Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]". [[Omnibus Press]].
6. Hilburn, Robert. (December 6, 1992). "Holiday Gift-Giving--The Hints of '92". [[Los Angeles Times]].
7. Gettelman, Parry. (April 24, 1992). "Arrested Development". [[Orlando Sentinel]].
8. (July 1992). "Arrested Development: 3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of...". [[Q (magazine).
9. Moon, Tom. (2004). "[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide". [[Simon & Schuster]].
10. Higginbotham, Adam. (June 1992). "Arrested Development: Three Years, Five Months and Two Days In The Life Of Arrested Development". [[Select (magazine).
11. (1995). "[[Spin Alternative Record Guide]]". [[Vintage Books]].
12. (March 2, 1993). "The 1992 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll". [[The Village Voice]].
13. Bernard, James. (May 22, 1992). "3 Years, 5 Months and 2 Days in the Life Of...". [[Entertainment Weekly]].
14. Christgau, Robert. (March 2, 1993). "Between a Rock and a Hard Place". [[The Village Voice]].
15. Christgau, Robert. (2000). "Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s". [[Macmillan Publishers]].
16. (January 1993). "The Critics' Choice 1992: Records of the Year".
17. (7 February 2006). "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: Revised and Updated Edition". Universe.
18. (27 March 1993). "Top Albums/CDs - Volume 57, No. 11, 27 Mar 1993". [[RPM (magazine).