These Days... (album)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Template:DMCA Script error: No such module "Unsubst-infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters".

These Days... is the third studio album by American rapper Ab-Soul. It was released on June 24, 2014, by Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). The record serves as the follow-up to his critically acclaimed Control System (2012). The album features guest appearances from Black Hippy affiliates Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q and Jay Rock; as well as Rick Ross, Lupe Fiasco, Action Bronson and Mac Miller (as Delusional Thomas), whose in-house studio is where Ab-Soul recorded the majority of the record, among others.[1]

The album's production was handled by Digi+Phonics' Dave Free, Sounwave and Tae Beast, among others such as Rahki, Curtiss King, DJ Dahi, Like of Pac Div, Terrace Martin, Corin Roddick, Mac Miller as Larry Fisherman and J. Cole.

Background

On May 5, 2014, after clearing up these rumors that his new album was initially titled Black Lip Pastor, Ab-Soul later revealed that the true title for his new album will be called These Days….[2] In May 2014, in an interview with Jay Z's Life+Times, Ab-Soul spoke on several topics. When asked about what should listeners take away from These Days…, Ab-Soul answered: "Balance. Variation. A spice of life. I want to try and touch as many bases as possible. I want something on there for everybody. There will be a lot of references to the vibe of today, the sound of today and the subject matter of today."[3]

When asked about what had been his favorite part of creating These Days…, Ab-Soul answered: "It would probably be this part – being able to present it and talk about it. This is what I’ve really been waiting on. The recording process was very fun, of course. I recorded the majority of it at Mac Miller's house, so you know that was just crazy. It was great recording, but I just couldn't wait for this part."[3]

When speaking on the album's title with HipHopDX, Ab-Soul stated: "It's kind of like self-explanatory. I just wanted it to be a little time capsule of the last couple of years since my absence. The vibe of music and life right now like the last couple of years."[4]

Recording and production

On June 1, 2014, Ab-Soul described the album would be a "Top Dawg party" and will feature the production from Sounwave, Tae Beast, Skyhe Hutch and Tommy Black, among others.[4] He called the recording process for These Days… "fun" and says he recorded most of the album at fellow American rapper Mac Miller's Los Angeles home: "We had a lot of fun in that red room," Ab-Soul says. "Very psychedelic, you could lose track of time. Just open the door and it's daylight. People like recording there 'cause of the vibe."[4]

Release and promotion

On August 6, 2013, Ab-Soul announced that he was working on a new project.[5] The following day he would speak to XXL, to confirm that JMSN and Jhené Aiko will be appearing on the upcoming project.[6] On October 17, 2013, Ab-Soul stated that he was close to finalizing it.[7] On October 25, Ab-Soul released a track, titled "Dub Sac".[8] Later that week, he confirmed that his new album has been turned in for mixing and cleared up these rumors that it was initially titled Black Lip Pastor.[9][10]

On January 6, 2014, in an interview with Bootleg Kev, when speaking on the album, Ab-Soul stated: "Ali is mixing it right now," and that they were waiting on the perfect way to present the project, as a result of creative releases such as Nipsey Hussle's Crenshaw.[11] He also revealed that the album is about progression and confirmed there would be appearances from his TDE label-mates, as well as the production from a hip hop producer Statik Selektah.[11] On April 18, 2014, Ab-Soul premiered a song, titled "Tree of Life", to promote the album.[12] On May 5, 2014, Ab-Soul took to Twitter, announcing that his third solo effort would be titled These Days….[2] On May 22, Ab-Soul released a song, titled "Stigmata", via TDE's SoundCloud page. The song was produced by Rahki. The song was inspired by Nas' "The Cross", and features guest verses from Action Bronson and Philadelphia-based rapper Asaad.[13] On May 30, its music video, which was directed by Dave Free and APLUSFILMZ, was released.[14] The video clocks in a minute and a half, because of the removal of the two guest rappers' verses, finds a blood-soaked Ab-Soul, re-imagined as Jesus Christ, trekking alone through a desert environment with a wooden cross on his back and a crown of thorns on his head. The clip ends with the album's cover art and release date.[15][16] Top Dawg management took it to Twitter to confirm that These Days… is scheduled for a June 24, release date.[14][17][18] On June 1, 2014, Ab-Soul appeared on Hot 97's Real Late with Rosenberg, to discuss and promote the album.[4] On June 10, he premiered the audio for a song off the album, titled "Hunnid Stax", featuring his Black Hippy cohort ScHoolboy Q.[19] Ab-Soul performed "Stigmata" sans Action Bronson and Asaad on Revolt Live on June 19.[20] On June 20, TDE released a music video for a song from the album, titled "Closure".[21][22] On July 15, 2014, Top Dawg Ent. released the music video for "Hunnid Stax".[23][24]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic70/100[25]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStar[26]
The A.V. ClubB−[27]
AllHipHop7.5/10[28]
Exclaim!7/10[29]
HipHopDXStarStarStarStar[30]
Paste7.7/10[31]
Pitchfork Media7.7/10[32]
PopMatters5/10[33]
Rolling StoneStarStarStar[34]
XXL4/5[35]

These Days... received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 70 based on 17 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[25] Jabbari Weaks of Exclaim! wrote "the self-proclaimed 'Genius, idiot' succeeds for the most part in moving out of his sonic comfort zone while toeing the lyrical line between enlightenment and ignorance."[36] G. Avant of AllHipHop wrote "These Days was just one step further in solidifying the position of Ab-Soul and TDE as a collective for long term success."[37] Eric Thurm of The A.V. Club noted "for someone so comfortable wearing his poetic heart on his sleeve, the black-lipped pastor has made an oddly distant album."[27] Kellan Miller of XXL wrote "if he continues to release profound, well-rounded material, his name will no doubt be included in Top Five Lists across the board."[35] Philip Cosores of Paste wrote "These days, there is almost always as much reason to be thinking deeply as there is to escape. That Ab-Soul tries to do both makes for a pretty entertaining ride, even when he technically falters."[31] In a positive review, AllMusic's David Jeffries wrote "his third album is a bit scattered and a tad overwhelming, but those who like their hip-hop to be a mix of machismo and maverick can easily ignore these small bumps in the road, because These Days... offers a whirlwind of excellent hooks and exciting ideas."[26] In a more critical review, Marshall Gu of PopMatters wrote that the album is "too long" and that it felt like Ab-Soul was "just trying to throw everything at the wall in the hopes that something will stick so that Interscope will take notice and finally sign him."[33] Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone wrote "He rarely strives for the depth of Lamar or the intensity of Q; there's plenty of clever imagery on These Days . . ., but a fully realized dude never quite comes into focus."[34]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 11 on the Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 21,812 copies in the United States.[38]

Track listing

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Track listing/configuration' not found.

Notes[39]

  • "God's Reign" features additional vocals by Isaiah Rashad.
  • "Tree of Life" features additional vocals by Audra the Rapper and Joey Badass.
  • "Hunnid Stax" features additional vocals by Mac Miller and Puff Daddy.
  • "Dub Sac" features additional vocals by A-Mack and Punch.
  • "World Runners" features additional vocals by Jade Honesty.
  • "Nevermind That" features additional vocals by BJ the Chicago Kid.
  • "Twact" features additional vocals by DoeBurger.
  • "Just Have Fun" features additional vocals by Dash, Mac Miller and F.O.A.R.
  • "Just Have Fun" contains the hidden track "These Days..." featuring The O'My's.
  • "Kendrick Lamar's Interlude" features additional vocals by JaVonté.
  • "Closure" features additional vocals by Jhené Aiko.
  • "Sapiosexual" features additional vocals by Bilal Chaudhry (B-Diddy), Jae Crizz, SZA and Isaiah Rashad.
  • "Ride Slow" features additional vocals by Earl Sweatshirt and DoeBurger.
  • "W.R.O.H" features additional vocals by Daylyt.

Sample credits

Charts

Page Template:Col-begin/styles.css has no content.

References

Page Template:Reflist/styles.css has no content.

  1. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Ramirez, Erika (May 30, 2014). "The Juice Podcast Ab-Soul Talks 'These Days' Delays, Plus Ratking Interview". Billboard. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  2. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Walsh, Peter (May 6, 2014). "Ab-Soul's Album Title Is 'These days…'". XXLmag.com. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  3. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ab-Soul Talks New Music, T.D.E., and "These Days…" Album". Life+Times. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Harling, Danielle (June 4, 2014). "Ab-Soul Says "These Days…" Will Be A "Top Dawg Party"". HipHopDX.com. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Nostro, Lauren (August 6, 2013). "Ab-Soul "Christopher DRONEr"". Complexmag.ca. Retrieved June 6, 2014.
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Johnson, Miranda (August 8, 2013). "Ab-Soul Speaks On New Single And Upcoming Project With JMSN". XXLmag.com. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  7. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Johnson, Miranda (October 17, 2013). "Ab-Soul Is Putting The Final Touches On His Next Project". XXLmag.ca. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ab-Soul – "Dub Sac" - Stereogum". Stereogum. October 25, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lilah, Rose (October 22, 2013). "Ab-Soul Talks On Upcoming Project & Confusion Surrounding Title, Isaiah Rashad & "Unit 6"". HotNewHipHop.com. Urbanlinx Media, Inc. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Tardio, Andres (October 19, 2013). "Ab-Soul Finalizing New Album, Title Unknown". HipHopDX.com. Cheri Media Group. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  11. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ab-Soul Interview w/ Bootleg Kev (Exclusive)". BootlegKev.com. BSC MultiMedia LLC. January 6, 2014. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  12. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Listen to Ab-Soul's New Song "Tree Of Life"". Complex. April 18, 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  13. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Gordon, Jeremy (May 23, 2014). "Ab-Soul Teams With Action Bronson on Nas-Inspired "Stigmata"". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved June 11, 2014.
  14. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ab-Soul details new album, unveils video for 'Stigmata'". The 405. May 31, 2014. Archived from the original on June 2, 2014. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  15. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lyons, Patrick (May 30, 2014). "Ab-Soul "Stigmata" Video". HotNewHipHop.com. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  16. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ab-Soul Reveals Video for "Stigmata" & Album Release Date". Hypetrack.com. May 30, 2014. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  17. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Benton-Martin, Erika (May 31, 2014). "Ab-Soul Releases 'These Days…' Album Art, Release Date And 'Stigmata' Teaser Video". MusicTimes.com. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  18. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Frydenlund, Zach (May 30, 2014). "Watch Ab-Soul's Video for "Stigmata"". Complexmag.com. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  19. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Karaslamb (June 10, 2014). "Ab-Soul x Schoolboy Q – "Hunnid Stax"". Okayplayer.com. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  20. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Goddard, Kevin (June 19, 2014). "Ab-Soul Performs 'Stigmata' On Revolt TV [New Video]". HotNewHipHop.com. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  21. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Rap-Up.com -- Video: Ab-Soul – 'Closure'". Rap-Up.com. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  22. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ab-Soul - "Closure"". HipHopDX. June 20, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  23. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ab-Soul, Schoolboy Q, Mac Miller Share "Hunnid Stax" Video". Pitchfork. July 14, 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  24. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Watch Ab-Soul's "Hunnid Stax" Video f/ ScHoolBoy Q". Complex. July 14, 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  25. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Reviews for These Days... by Ab-Soul". Metacritic. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  26. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."These Days... - Ab-Soul - Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  27. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Review: Ab-Soul loses control on These Days… · Music Review". The A.V. Club. June 24, 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  28. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ab-Soul: 'These Days' Album Review". AllHipHop. June 24, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  29. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Weekes, Jabbari (June 23, 2014). "Ab-Soul These Days". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  30. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Balfour, Jay (June 28, 2014). "Ab-Soul - These Days". HipHopDX. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  31. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ab-Soul: These Days... Review". pastemagazine.com. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  32. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ab-Soul: These Days..." Pitchfork. June 26, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  33. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ab-Soul". PopMatters. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  34. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ab-Soul These Days... Album Review". Rolling Stone. July 25, 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  35. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ab-Soul Crafts A Lyrical Masterpiece On 'These Days...' - XXL". Xxlmag.com. June 24, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2015.
  36. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ab-Soul". Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  37. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."AllHipHop » Ab-Soul: 'These Days' Album Review". AllHipHop. June 24, 2014. Retrieved October 6, 2014.
  38. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Tardio, Andres (July 2, 2014). "Hip Hop Album Sales: Week Ending 06/29/2014". HipHop DX. Retrieved July 2, 2014.
  39. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Pizzo (June 12, 2014). "Ab-Soul – "These Days" (feat. The O'My's) + Album Tracklist". HipHopSite.com. Archived from the original on June 17, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  40. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2020.

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Navbox/configuration' not found.

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Authority control/config' not found.

Retrieved from "https://cosmopedia.co/index.php?title=These_Days..._(album)&oldid=13224766"