Make It Hot

For other uses, see Make It Hot (disambiguation).

Make It Hot is the debut studio album by American singer Nicole Wray. The album was released in August 1998 through Missy Elliott's Elektra-distributed vanity label, The Goldmind. The album was produced by Missy Elliott and Timbaland. Some editions of the release credit Nicole as Nicole Ray, a name she only used here and on her single "I Can't See".

Make It Hot
Studio album by Nicole Wray
Released	August 25, 1998 (1998-08-25)
Genre	R&B[1]
Length	58:30
Label	Elektra The Goldmind
Producer	Missy Elliott (also exec.) Merlin Bobb (co-exec.) Sylvia Rhone (co-exec.) Big Baby Dent Kevin Hicks Donald "Lenny" Holmes Brian Alexander Morgan Suga Mike Smokey of Playa Timbaland Static Major Gerard "Soundman" Thomas
Nicole Wray chronology
Make It Hot (1998) Queen Alone (2016)

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Robert Christgau	[2]
Entertainment Weekly	B[3]
Rolling Stone	[4]

Michael Gallucci from AllMusic wrote that Make It Hot "is virtually a textbook primer on Elliott's stylistic touch and influence on end-of-the-millennium hip-hop (she raps on, writes songs for, produces, and executive produces Make It Hot – and it's on her custom label). Along with pal Timbaland, Elliott transforms young Nicole's somewhat standard bow into a stuttering slab of post-rap R&B that's as sleekly modern as it is customarily cold."^[1] Entertainment Weekly journalist Rob Brunner gave the album a B rating and concluded: "Even if the distinctive Missy-Timbaland sound is getting a little old, Hot proves the formula hasn’t gone cold just yet."^[3]

Chart performance

Make It Hot reached number forty-two on the US Billboard 200 and number nineteen on the R&B album chart.^[5][6] The first single, "Make It Hot", reached number five on the Hot 100 chart,^[7] number two on the R&B singles chart,^[8] and was certified gold.^[9] The second single, "I Can't See", reached number thirty-six on the Rhythmic Top 40 chart.^[10] In 1999, the third and final single from the album, "Eyes Better Not Wander", reached number seventy-one on the R&B singles chart.^[11]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"The Time Is Now (Intro)" (featuring Missy Elliott)	Missy Elliott	Anthony Dent	1:39
2.	"Seventeen"	Elliott	Elliott Gerard "Soundman" Thomas Donald "Lenny" Holmes	4:53
3.	"In da Street" (featuring Mocha & Missy Elliott)	Elliott Nicole Wray	Elliott Thomas Holmes	4:02
4.	"Traffic Jam (Interlude)"	Wray	Dent	1:22
5.	"Curiosity" (featuring Lil' Mo & Dent)	Cynthia Loving Dent	Dent Kevin Hicks	4:12
6.	"Make It Hot" (featuring Mocha & Missy Elliott)	Elliott Tim Mosley	Timbaland	4:27
7.	"Prelude (I Can't See)"	Morgan Loving	Brian Alexander Morgan	0:44
8.	"I Can't See"	Morgan Loving	Morgan	4:46
9.	"Nervous" (featuring Lil' Mo)	Elliott Wray	Elliott Thomas Holmes	3:34
10.	"Pressure (Interlude)"	Wray	Dent Hicks	1:14
11.	"Boy You Should Listen"	Elliott Wray	Elliott Thomas Holmes	4:47
12.	"Eyes Better Not Wander"	Stephen Garrett J. Peacock	Smokey	4:33
13.	"Radio DJ (Interlude)"	Darryl McClary Michael Allen	Big Baby Suga Mike	1:04
14.	"Silly Love Song"	Loving McClary Allen	Big Baby Suga Mike	4:39
15.	"Raise Your Frown"	Garrett Peacock B. Bush	Smokey	4:10
16.	"Borrowed Time"	Loving McClary Allen	Big Baby Suga Mike	5:01
17.	"Testing Our Love (Suga)"	Garrett Peacock	Smokey	3:36

Limited Edition bonus disc

1. Clipse - "We Get Money (Got Caught, Pt. 2)"
2. Flipmode Squad - "Everything"
3. Yo Yo - "Do You Wanna Ride?"
4. Missy Elliott - "Get Contact" ¹
5. Coko - "He Be Back" ¹
6. En Vogue - "No Fool No More"

¹ Denotes demo version

Personnel

Credits are taken from the album's liner notes.^[12]

Instruments and performances

Davis Barnett – viola Larry Gold – cello Donald "Lenny" Holmes – bass, guitar Emma Kummrow – violin

Brian Morgan – keyboard Nat The Great – beatbox Igor Sewic – violin

Technical and production

• Executive producers: Missy Elliott, Merlin Bobb, Sylvia Rhone
• Producers: Big Baby, Merlin Bobb, Missy Elliott, Kevin Hicks, Donald Holmes, Brian Alexander Morgan, Tim Mosley, Sylvia Rhone, Smokey, Suga Mike, Timbaland
• Vocal producer: Nicole Wray
• Vocal assistance: Missy Elliott
• Engineers: Claude "Swifty" Achille, Jimmy Douglas, Paul Falcone, Nat Foster, Eddie Hudson, Ted Reiger, Jon Smeltz, Stevie Sola
• Assistant engineers: Chuck Bailey, Steve Macauley, Rob Murphy, Jason Rea
• Mixing: Claude "Swifty" Achille, Kevin Davis, Jimmy Douglas, Paul Falcone, Nat Foster, Senator Jimmy D
• Programming: Timbaland
• Mastering: Herb Powers
• Arranger: Missy Elliott, Nat Foster, Larry Gold, Brian Morgan,

Charts

Chart (1998)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[13]	42
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[14]	19

Release history

List of release dates, showing region and label

Region	Date	Label
Japan	August 20, 1998	The Goldmind Elektra
United Kingdom	August 24, 1998
United States	August 25, 1998
Germany	September 14, 1998