Welcome, once again, to TGJ Replay.
Designed much like our ‘Retro Rewind’ and ‘From the Vault’ features, ‘Replay’ is That Grape Juice‘s newest retrospective segment – a written quest, if you will, to re-spin the gems and jams of yesterday.
Unlike its ‘Rewind’ and ‘Vault’ predecessors, ‘Replay’ looks to dust off and showcase entire albums (and eras) from a library of pop and Urban pop music hits. As this week marks the 10th anniversary of the ultimate Destiny’s Child album ‘Destiny Fulfilled,’ we thought it only fitting to cater our latest foray down memory lane to one of the best-selling girl groups in history.
Get reacquainted with their final full length studio album below:
After selling over 20 million albums with just three titles under the moniker Destiny’s Child (as a revolving quartet and later a trio), Beyonce Knowles, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams were enjoying the height of their success as their 2001 album ‘Survivor’ shone as one of the year’s top-sellers.
But, to the surprise of fans worldwide, instead of lending a follow-up to capitalize on its success, the trio opted to go on a hiatus and release solo projects. As Michelle dominated Broadway stages and gospel charts with her two projects ‘Heart To Yours’ (2002) and ‘Do You Know’ (2004), Kelly traveled the alternative R&B route with her critically acclaimed 2002 set ‘Simply Deep.’ 2003 saw Beyonce dominate pop and R&B airwaves with her commercially acclaimed album ‘Dangerously In Love,’ featuring two of the year’s top hits ‘Crazy In Love’ and ‘Baby Boy.’
As anticipation grew to see if Bey would suffer a sophomore slump, the songstress shocked fans again with news that she would be reuniting with her former Destiny’s Child bandmates to craft a new album. With producers Swizz Beatz, Rodney Jerkins, and Rockwilder at the helm, the ladies would create their highly anticipated quarternary release…in just three weeks. It would be christened ‘Destiny Fulfilled.’
Said to be based on a collection of conversations held between the girls, the album was designed to reflect the personal and artistic growth each Child experienced over their respective periods of solo performance. The collaborative input would see, for the first time, all of the ladies contribute “equally” to every aspect of the songs from vocals to writing.
The first evidence of this growth was unveiled via the album’s lead single ‘Lose My Breath.’
With thunderous drums, slick horns, and an overdose of sass – the song, penned by Destiny’s Child, Rodney Jerkins, Jay Z, Sean Garrett, and Lashawn Daniels, came as a booming announcement that music’s top group had returned with a vengeance. Its video, as noted by critics, was exact in its purpose of demonstrating that a new “Destiny’s Child” had arrived. Long gone were the days of tacky matching outfits with girlish design and in its place were three learned women whose destiny had led them full circle.
Whatever the message, it worked. Anticipation of the song saw it debut in the top 30 of the Hot 100 before its physical release. Shortly thereafter, the song skyrocketed to the #3 spot where it peaked.
Fans were barely able to catch their breaths by the time the tune’s follow-up, ‘Soldier,’ marched onto radio. Thematically, like its predecessor, the tune showcased a transition from Destiny’s children – so to speak – to women very much in tune with their image and sexuality. Tapping T.I. and Lil’ Wayne to play assistants on the track, the bass driven tune rode right to the top of R&B charts and peaked at #3 on the Hot 100 (just like ‘Breath’).
The warm reception of ‘Fulfilled’s two leading singles came as indication of what was to be expected of its own performance. Taking the unconventional route of releasing an LP on a Monday, ‘Destiny’s Fulfilled’ would debut at #19. An impressive feat given that the album’s first appearance on the Billboard 200 was only based on one day of sales.
By the end of a full tracking week, the set sold nearly 500,000 copies and would be hoisted to the #2 spot on charts (where it peaked). Commercially, ‘Fulfilled’s showing on charts came as proof that the group, despite a brief hiatus, was as hot as ever. Critically, on the other hand, the reception was lukewarm. The trio would earn many-a-thumbs down from critics who felt deceived by the album’s up-tempo singles only to discover an album dressed in mid-tempos and ballads.
One of said mid-tempos would be ‘Girl’ – the follow-up to the massively successful ‘Soldier.’ An ode to the ever-popular ‘Sex & the City,’ DC3 would put Kelly center stage and make her the focal point of a “sister intervention.” Unbeknownst to listeners at the time, her own ‘Dirty Laundry’ would surface a decade later and confirm that the song’s content was not fictionalized.
Not exactly the runaway hit ‘Breath’ and ‘Soldier’ were, ‘Girl’ still sashayed to the #23 spot on the Hot 100 and would be a moderate hit for the girls.
By the time the album’s last single, ‘Cater 2 U,’ was unveiled, the album was moving toward double platinum status. Much like many-a-tune aboard the slow jam CD, ‘Cater 2 U’ caressed topics of sex previously unexplored in Destiny’s Child albums. Forward tunes like ‘T-Shirt’ and ‘Cater’ would prove that their journey into womanhood was more than a visual experience, but also boldly traipsed across the concepts that lined their songs as well.
Like ‘Girl,’ ‘Cater’ did not access the success of the album’s inaugural duo of singles. But, a highly stylized, Jake Nava-directed video and unforgettable BET Awards performance helped hoist the tune to an impressive #14 peak on the Billboard Hot 100.
Shortly after, despite amassing an overall 5 Grammy nominations (over 2 years) for the album, the group went on the McDonald’s sponsored ‘Destiny Fulfilled & Lovin’ It’ tour where they announced a permanent disbandment.
‘Destiny Fulfilled’ has to be the breakup album of the century. Before Taylor Swift and Adele topped charts and saturated radio with their tunes about love gone sour, DC3 tackled every topic of heartbreak aboard their final full length LP. While we still bump jams like ‘If’ and ‘Soldier’ on the regular, we still can’t help but wonder what 2014’s ‘Destiny Fulfilled’ would look and sound like. With Beyonce’s Urban pop-tinged offerings, Kelly’s dance driven numbers, and Michelle’s inspirational/gospel givings, the maturity of their voices and personas over the past decade has undoubtedly imparted to them a fierceness that this new class of R&B/pop starlets couldn’t even comprehend.
Alas, we can only dream and appreciate the album for what it was. For, in our humble opinion, it was truly the album that showcased fully what each member of Destiny’s Child brought to the group. We still rock out to Michelle’s part on ‘Through With Love,’ but you should let us know:
What’s your favorite song from ‘Destiny Fulfilled’?