All-Amerikkkan Badass | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | April 7, 2017 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Conscious hip hop[1] | |||
Length | 49:42 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer | ||||
Joey Badass chronology | ||||
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Singles from All-Amerikkkan Badass | ||||
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All-Amerikkkan Badass (stylized as ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$) is the second studio album by American rapper Joey Badass. It was released on April 7, 2017, through Pro Era Records and Cinematic Music Group. The album features guest appearances from Schoolboy Q, J. Cole, Kirk Knight, Meechy Darko, Styles P, and Chronixx. Production of the album was handled executively by Joey Badass himself and Jonny Shipes, along with 1-900 as an associate producer. Production contributions also came from Pro Era members Kirk Knight and Chuck Strangers, as well as industry producers such as DJ Khalil and Statik Selektah.
All-Amerikkkan Badass was supported by three singles: "Devastated", "Land of the Free" and "Temptation". The album received generally positive reviews from critics and debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200.
Background and release
In an interview with Tampa Bay radio station WiLD 94.1, Joey Badass spoke on the creation of the album:
This new project is very powerful. That's the best thing I can say about it: it's very strong music. It's like hella vegetables. It's hella good for you, and it's almost my hesitance with it: the fact that it's so good for you, because these kids these days want candy. 'Devastated' is almost like the organic candy because the message is still good for you.[2]
Joey Badass revealed the importance of the release date during an interview with Angie Martinez, relating April 7 to late friend and Pro Era founder Capital Steez:
The significance of the date, 4/7, goes back to Capital STEEZ, that was a number that followed him throughout his lifetime, which he saw a lot of meaning from.[3]
The album's title is a reference to the 2012 mixtape AmeriKKKan Korruption by the late rapper Capital Steez, which was later re-released at the five-year anniversary of the project. The titles from both projects contains an overt reference by Los Angeles-based rapper Ice Cube's first solo album AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted. In all three cases "America" was intentionally misspelled, alluding to the white supremacist movement of the Ku Klux Klan.[4]
Promotion
The album's lead single, "Devastated", was released on May 27, 2016.[5] The song was produced by Powers Pleasant, Kirk Knight and Adam Pallin.[6]
The album's second single, "Land of the Free", was released on January 20, 2017.[7] The song was produced by Kirk Knight and Adam Pallin, both of whom produced Joey's first single.[8] The song's accompanying music video was released on March 6, 2017, on Pro Era's YouTube account.[9] Joey performed the single on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert on April 3, 2017.[10]
The album's third single, "Temptation", was released to urban contemporary radio on June 13, 2017.[11] The song was produced by 1-900 and Kirk Knight.[12]
Critical reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.2/10[13] |
Metacritic | 75/100[14] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [15] |
The A.V. Club | B+[16] |
Consequence | B[17] |
Drowned in Sound | 7/10[18] |
Exclaim! | 8/10[19] |
HipHopDX | 4.1/5[20] |
Pitchfork | 6.4/10[21] |
Q | [22] |
Vice | A−[23] |
XXL | 4/5[24] |
All-Amerikkkan Badass was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 75, based on 15 reviews.[14] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.2 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[13]
Clayton Purdom of The A.V. Club said, "He's still reaching to the golden age for inspiration, but updating it so thoroughly that we're reminded why we considered it golden in the first place".[16] Jonathan Hatchman of Clash said, "Although refreshing, visceral and completely understandable—when listening to the whole LP, the political themes are occasionally overwhelming".[25] Greg Whitt of Consequence said, "The 12-song project is the Brooklyn native's most well-rounded release to date".[17] Jack Doherty of Drowned in Sound said, "The strange thing about the record is that the tracks just keep getting better and better as you go along".[18] A. Harmony of Exclaim! said, "Courageous and passionate, Badass is a well-timed soundtrack to social and political struggle. While the album specifically chronicles the horrors of being a young black man in America, Joey articulates his angst in a way that easily resonates with anyone stumbling under the weight of oppression".[19]
Brian Josephs of Spin said, "All-Amerikkkan Badass manages to find a balance between necessary gravity and inviting wistfulness. The message can be preachy, but the pace is conversational".[26] Eric Diep of HipHopDX said, "All-Amerikkkan Badass shows an ample amount of growth for a socially aware rapper discussing heavy issues".[20] Daniel Jeakins of The Line of Best Fit said, "It's concise and straight-to-the-point, with no signs of over-indulgence. In short, it's the album fans of the New York rapper always knew he was capable of making".[1] Scott Glaysher of XXL said, "Diehard fans of Joey Badass' older, more minimalist will applaud the latter half of the album. Whereas the top half dozen songs flex Joey's evolved songwriting and beat selection, the bottom has Statik Selektah handling a few more beats and thus opening up Joey's perfect in-pocket rhyming".[24] Matthew Strauss of Pitchfork said, "While constant one-liners were a bit leaden on B4.Da.$$, they are sorely missed on AABA".[21] Steve Yates of Q found that Badass' music does not cover "new ground" and "remains wedded to a mid-'90s New York headnod template", while criticizing the album's excessive "mid-tempo drear".[22]
Year-end lists
Publication | List | Rank | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
Complex | The Best Albums of 2017 | 18 |
|
Exclaim! | Top 10 Hip-Hop Albums of 2017 | 8 |
|
HipHopDX | Best Rap Albums of 2017 | 13 |
|
Rap-Up | 20 Best Albums of 2017 | 14 |
Commercial performance
All-Amerikkkan Badass debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200 with 51,000 album-equivalent units, of which 28,000 were pure album sales.[31]
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Good Morning Amerikkka" | DJ Khalil | 1:38 | |
2. | "For My People" |
| 3:53 | |
3. | "Temptation" |
|
| 4:04 |
4. | "Land of the Free" |
|
| 4:44 |
5. | "Devastated" |
|
| 3:27 |
6. | "Y U Don't Love Me? (Miss Amerikkka)" |
|
| 3:19 |
7. | "Rockabye Baby" (featuring Schoolboy Q) |
|
| 3:44 |
8. | "Ring the Alarm" (featuring Kirk Knight, Nyck Caution and Meechy Darko) |
|
| 4:20 |
9. | "Super Predator" (featuring Styles P) | Statik Selektah | 4:12 | |
10. | "Babylon" (featuring Chronixx) |
|
| 5:36 |
11. | "Legendary" (featuring J. Cole) |
| Statik Selektah | 4:38 |
12. | "Amerikkkan Idol" |
| DJ Khalil | 6:12 |
Total length: | 49:42 |
Notes
- ^[a] signifies a co-producer
- ^[b] signifies an uncredited co-producer
- All song titles in this album, including its singles, are stylized in all capital letters (except for the featured artists). All instances of the letters "KKK" are struck through.
Sample credits
- "Devastated" contains elements of "SpottieOttieDopaliscious", written and performed by Outkast and Sleepy Brown.
- "Rockabye Baby" contains elements of "Blue Stone", written and performed by Janko Nilović.
- "Super Predator" contains elements of "Voice on the Wind", performed by Tunesville Inc. courtesy of Peer International Library Limited.
- "Legendary" contains elements of "Thembisa (The People)", performed by Andile Yenana.
Personnel
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[12]
Musicians
|
Technical
|
Additional personnel
- 1-900 – associate producer
- Christian Farrad – director of operations
- Tony Whign – art direction, design
- Gari Askew – director of photography
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
|
References
- 1 2 Jeakins, Daniel (April 4, 2017). "All hail King Joey". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
- ↑ "Joey Badass Compares His New 'A.A.B.A.' Album to Vegetables". XXL. Archived from the original on March 4, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
- ↑ Ortiz, Edwin (April 7, 2017). "Joey Badass Freestyles Over Kodak Black's "Tunnel Vision"". Pigeons & Planes. Archived from the original on October 20, 2017. Retrieved October 19, 2017.
- ↑ "Joey Bada$$ Reveals Title, Release Date for Sophomore Album". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 2, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
- ↑ "Devastated – Single by Joey Bada$$". Apple Music. Archived from the original on June 5, 2016. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ↑ "Hear Joey Bada$$' Resilient New Single 'Devastated'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 14, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
- ↑ "Land of the Free – Single by Joey Bada$$". Apple Music. Archived from the original on January 21, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ↑ "Joey Bada$$ Shares New Song "Land of the Free": Listen – Pitchfork". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 4, 2017. Retrieved March 3, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ↑ "Watch Joey Bada$$' Devastating 'Land of the Free' Video". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 30, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
- ↑ "Joey Bada$$ Performs "Land of the Free" On The Late Show With Stephen Colbert". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on April 4, 2017. Retrieved April 4, 2017.
- ↑ "Urban/UAC Future Releases". All Access. Archived from the original on June 12, 2017. Retrieved June 12, 2017.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - 1 2 All-Amerikkkan Badass (CD liner notes). Joey Badass. Cinematic Music Group. 2017.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - 1 2 "All-Amerikkkan Badass by Joey Bada$$ reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on April 11, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
- 1 2 "Reviews and Tracks for All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ by Joey Bada$$". Metacritic. Archived from the original on April 13, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
- ↑ Yeung, Neil Z. "All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ – Joey Bada$$". AllMusic. Archived from the original on April 27, 2017. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
- 1 2 Purdom, Clayton (April 7, 2017). "Joey Badass' sophomore record, All-Amerikkkan Badass, couches political insight in pop appeal". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on August 29, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
- 1 2 Whitt, Greg (April 6, 2017). "Joey Bada$$ – All-Amerikkkan Bada$$". Consequence. Archived from the original on April 13, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
- 1 2 Doherty, Jack (April 7, 2017). "Album Review: Joey Bada$$ – All-Amerikkkan Badass". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on April 8, 2017. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
- 1 2 Harmony, A. (April 5, 2017). "Joey Bada$$: All-Amerikkkan Bada$$". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on April 11, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
- 1 2 Diep, Eric (April 10, 2017). "Review: Joey Bada$$ Gets Political Without Preachiness On "ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$"". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on April 13, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
- 1 2 Strauss, Matthew (April 10, 2017). "Joey Bada$$: All-Amerikkkan Bada$$ Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on April 12, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2017.
- 1 2 Yates, Steve (June 2017). "Joey Bada$$: All-Amerikkkan Bada$$". Q (372): 102.
- ↑ Christgau, Robert (January 19, 2018). "Robert Christgau on Joey Bada$$'s Timely Consciousness". Vice. Archived from the original on October 24, 2018. Retrieved October 23, 2018.
- 1 2 Glaysher, Scott (April 14, 2017). "Joey Badass Empowers the People on 'All-Amerikkkan Badass'". XXL. Archived from the original on April 15, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
- ↑ Hatchman, Jonathan (April 7, 2017). "Joey Bada$$ – ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$". XXL. Archived from the original on April 15, 2017. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
- ↑ Josephs, Brian (April 10, 2017). "Review: Joey Bada$$ Figures Himself Out on All-Amerikkkan Bada$$". Spin. Archived from the original on April 21, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
- ↑ "The Best Albums of 2017". Complex. December 6, 2017. Archived from the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
- ↑ "Exclaim!'s Top 10 Hip-Hop Albums". Exclaim!. December 5, 2017. Archived from the original on December 15, 2017. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
- ↑ "HipHopDX's Best Rap Albums Of 2017". HipHopDX. December 29, 2017. Archived from the original on December 30, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
- ↑ "Rap-Up's 20 Best Albums of 2017". Rap-Up. December 12, 2017. Archived from the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
- ↑ Caulfield, Keith (April 16, 2017). "The Chainsmokers' 'Memories' Album Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 16, 2017. Retrieved April 17, 2017.
- ↑ "Australiancharts.com – Joey Bada$$ – All-Amerikkkan Bada$$". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
- ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Joey Bada$$ – All-Amerikkkan Bada$$" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Joey Bada$$ – All-Amerikkkan Bada$$" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Joey Bada$$ – All-Amerikkkan Bada$$" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
- ↑ "Joey Bada$$ Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
- ↑ "Danishcharts.dk – Joey Bada$$ – All-Amerikkkan Bada$$". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
- ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Joey Bada$$ – All-Amerikkkan Bada$$" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
- ↑ "Joey Bada$$: All-Amerikkkan Bada$$" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved April 16, 2017.
- ↑ "Lescharts.com – Joey Bada$$ – All-Amerikkkan Bada$$". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
- ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Joey Bada$$ – All-Amerikkkan Bada$$" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 21, 2017.
- ↑ "Irish Albums Chart: 14 April 2017". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
- ↑ "Charts.nz – Joey Bada$$ – All-Amerikkkan Bada$$". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
- ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Joey Bada$$ – All-Amerikkkan Bada$$". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
- ↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
- ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Joey Bada$$ – All-Amerikkkan Bada$$". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
- ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Joey Bada$$ – All-Amerikkkan Bada$$". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
- ↑ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
- ↑ "Joey Bada$$ Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
- ↑ "Joey Bada$$ Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 18, 2017.
- ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved June 26, 2020.