From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Justified
Studio album by Justin Timberlake
Released	November 5, 2002
Recorded	2002
Genre	Pop, dance-pop, teen pop, R&B
Length	63:17
Label	Jive/Zomba
Producer	The Neptunes, Timbaland, Brian McKnight, Claus Norreen, The Underdogs, Pharrell Williams, Scott Storch (co-producer)
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link Entertainment Weekly B link Rolling Stone link
Justin Timberlake chronology
Justified (2002) FutureSex/LoveSounds (2006)

Justified is the debut studio album by singer Justin Timberlake. Released after the break up of the group *NSYNC, the album signaled Timberlake's desire to craft a more mature image than that of a "boy band member". The album features guest performances by Timbaland, Clipse, Bubba Sparxxx, and Janet Jackson. The final song, "Never Again", featured Brian McKnight on nearly all of the instruments. Justified was honored with two Grammy Awards at the 2004 Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles. The album has sold more than 9 million copies.

The album was fronted by "Like I Love You", a hit single that proved Timberlake's solo sales could rival his former band's success. It was produced by the famous hip-hop production duo The Neptunes, and was accompanied by a music video that showed Timberlake's veneration for pop icon Michael Jackson.

The album peaked at #2 on the US Billboard 200, selling 450,000 copies and was eventually certified 3x Platinum by the RIAA.

Justified debuted at #6 on the UK Albums Chart selling 38,842 copies. However, 11 weeks later the album shot to #1 (staying there for 7 weeks) and was eventually certified 6x Platinum.

The popularity of the first single was equalled or surpassed by the releases which followed:

• "Cry Me a River", a ballad (accompanied by a dark video depicting a tale of rejection and revenge, which could be seen as evocative of his relationship with Britney Spears)
• "Rock Your Body", a disco-infused dance number (which is said to have originally been for Michael Jackson)
• "Señorita", a danceable love song with a vaguely Latin feel

In 2003, a fifth single was released, titled "I'm Lovin' It". The song, partly a leftover song from the Justified sessions, did not appear on the album, which proved extremely lucrative when it was sold to the McDonald's Corporation for use in a massive TV and radio advertising campaign of the same name. Justified was not re-released to include the song.

Note: The Neptunes are officially credited as "Williams and Hugo" in the album's liner notes.