| "In Public" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byKelis featuringNas | ||||
| from the albumTasty | ||||
| Released | April 4, 2005 (2005-04-04) | |||
| Recorded | 2003 | |||
| Studio | Mirror Image Recorders (New York City) | |||
| Length | 4:25 | |||
| Label | Virgin | |||
| Songwriters |
| |||
| Producer | Rockwilder | |||
| Kelis singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Nas singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"In Public" is a song by American singerKelis, featuring American rapperNas, taken from the former's third studio album,Tasty (2003). It was released as the album's fourth and final single on April 4, 2005. Kelis co-wrote the song with its producer,Rockwilder.
Like previous singles "Trick Me" and "Millionaire", "In Public" was not released in the United States as Kelis' American labelArista had folded. Although no music video was filmed for the song, it managed to reach number 17 on theUK Singles Chart. The track was originally due to be released as adouble A-side single with the track "Glow",[1] although this did not happen and a reason for the change has never been given.
"In Public" was met with mixed reviews from music critics. Adam Webb ofYahoo! Music cited the song as one ofTasty's highlights, stating that it "espouses the delights ofal fresco sex over a clinicalelectro beat and features a filthy rap courtesy of new husbandNas. Suffice to say it leavesBeyoncé andJay-Z sounding likeMary Whitehouse andCliff Richard."[2] Conversely, Andy Kellman ofAllMusic viewed the track as one of the album's "miscues thwarting perfection" and advised listeners to skip past it.[3]
The Guardian's Dorian Lynskey described the song as "an eyebrow-raisingly explicit duet."[4]The Independent opined, "For his part, Nas appears rather more flustered than he ever did in his accounts of life as a dope-dealing streetwise hustler."[5]Pitchfork reviewer Scott Plagenhoef felt that the song is "possibly the low-point of what is often a transparent Beyoncé-aping full-length (starting with the cover art, which bears a striking resemblance to that of the "Crazy in Love" single)."[6] Ernest Hardy ofRolling Stone commented that on "In Public", Kelis sounds like "Donna Summer with an action plan".[7]
"In Public" debuted and peaked at number 17 on theUK Singles Chart for the week ending April 16, 2005, ending Kelis' string of UK top-five singles.[8] In Ireland, the single debuted and peaked at number 22 on theIrish Singles Chart on April 7, 2005.[9] It also reached number 54 on theEuropean Hot 100 Singles chart on April 23, 2005.[10]
Credits adapted from the liner notes ofTasty.[12]
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[11] | 6 |
| Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[13] | 11 |
| Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[10] | 54 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[9] | 22 |
| Scotland Singles (OCC)[14] | 26 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[8] | 17 |
| UK Hip Hop/R&B (OCC)[15] | 7 |
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | April 4, 2005 | CD single | Virgin | [16] |
| Germany | April 18, 2005 | EMI | [17] |
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)