Playing with Fire (Kevin Federline album)

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Playing with Fire
Playing with Fire cover
Studio album by Kevin Federline
Released October 31, 2006 (U.S.)
Recorded 2005-2006
Genre Hip hop, rap
Length 49:36
Label Federation Records
Producer(s) Disco D, Notes, Jonathan "J.R." Rotem
Professional reviews
Kevin Federline chronology
Playing with Fire
(2006)


Playing with Fire is the debut studio album from American hip hop rapper Kevin Federline, released on October 31, 2006 in North America, and on November 6th in the UK. The lyrics were all co-written by Federline according to AMG.

Despite months of promotion, Federline's album debuted in the Billboard 200 at #151, with first-week sales reported at about 6,500. According to SoundScan numbers, Playing with Fire was the 16th highest debut out of 19 albums released that week.[1] In its second week, it dropped out of the chart, selling a mere 1,200 copies.[2]

Contents

[edit] Reception

Critical reviews of Federline’s debut album have mostly been negative. Playing with Fire is the worst-reviewed album in Metacritic's database, with a score of 15 out of 100.[3] Between Metacritic's founding in 1999 and the album's release, no album has scored below 28, partially because many critics have a minimum 1 of 5 score, which is translated to 20 out of 100 in Metacritic. One notable exception to this almost universal derision is Ron Harris of the Associated Press, who enthused: “All jokes aside about his climb to fame, Kevin Federline’s album Playing With Fire (Federline Records) is a credible, entertaining debut. I kid you not.... The streets of Fresno County are no joke, and good for Fed-Rock if wants to boast about surviving that life.”[4] However, Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Senior Editor of All Music Guide (AMG) was less charitable: “Federline's debut album, Playing with Fire, is indeed bad, but it's bad in an uninteresting way; it's as dull and predictable as its title... he's not nearly as shocking as he'd like to believe or as amusing as his haters would hope: he just comes across as a big boob.... It's also a bore because he's a boor, writing endlessly about the same three topics: his alleged superstardom, his hatred of the media, his love of parties and dope... it often sounds like he can't quite understand the meaning of what he saying, whether he's casually blaspheming ('Like Jesus in every way/I'm crucified every day'), (or) suggesting that he loves dope as much as he loves his wife ('fell in love with the herbs just like my wife')".[5] Similarly, Preston Jones of Slant Magazine echoed, "Federline can only rap about weed, his bank account, his wife, fighting anyone who looks at him sideways, and partying 'til three days from now—roughly in that order.... An oh-so-tiny sliver of myself kind of wanted Playing With Fire to be less aggressively shitty than it is, if only so the restless, rapacious media would ease off this tattered target of its ire—unfortunately, this disc is just as disposable and dumb as you'd expect."[6] Other critics panned the album, as Rolling Stone's Kevin O'Donnell called it "reprehensible" and a "tragicomedy";[7] while Entertainment Weekly's Chris Willman proclaimed that it was "a concept album about squandering Britney Spears' fortune."[8]

The "Playing with Fire" concert tour was a commercial disaster. In New York City, Federline performed before an estimated audience of 300, out of a total seating capacity of 1,500 at Webster Hall, with only one-third of them remaining by the end of the concert.[9] Despite giving away free tickets, approximately three-quarters of the seats at his Chicago performance remained empty.[10] Four of the eight scheduled tour performances (Cleveland, Atlantic City, Anaheim, and San Diego) were ultimately cancelled.[11][12]

[edit] Track listing

  1. "Intro" - 0:57
  2. "The World Is Mine" (W. Crawford/K. Federline/C. Olsen) - 2:43
  3. "America's Most Hated" (W. Crawford/K. Federline/J.R. Rotem) - 3:42
  4. "Snap" (C. Brooks IV/W. Crawford/K. Federline) - 2:14
  5. "Lose Control" (K. Federline/J.R. Rotem) - 3:36
  6. "Dance with a Pimp" (featuring Ya Boy) (W. Crawford/K. Federline/J.R. Rotem) - 3:50
  7. "Privilege" (featuring Bosko) (B. Kante/K. Federline) - 3:59
  8. "Crazy" (featuring Britney Spears) (K. Federline/M. Greene/B. Kante/G. Louriano) - 3:23
  9. "A League of My Own" (K. Federline/Versatyle) - 3:25
  10. "Playing with Fire" (K. Federline/Fingers/Twirp) - 4:48
  11. "Caught Up (Intro)" - 0:56
  12. "Caught Up" (W. Crawford/K. Federline/C. Olsen) - 3:47
  13. "Kept on Talkin'"/"Middle Finger" [Hidden Track] (W. Crawford/K. Federline/C. Olsen) - 10:36

[edit] Cancelled tracks

  • "PopoZão"
  • "Y'all Ain't Ready"
  • "Sin City" (featuring Britney Spears)
  • "Keep Messing with My Family"
  • "U Should" (featuring Ya Boy and Phat Rat)
  • "Rockstar" (Ya Boy featuring Kevin Federline)

[edit] Chart performance

[edit] Charts

Chart (2006) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard 200 151
U.S. Top Heatseekers 2

[edit] Chart trajectories

U.S. Billboard 200
Week 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Position
151
-
-
Sales
6,485
1,200
114
Total Sales
6,485
7,685
7,796

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.vh1.com/news/articles/1545217/20061108/federline_kevin.jhtml?headlines=true
  2. ^ http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/1545837/11152006/fergie__4_.jhtml
  3. ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15486683/
  4. ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15486683/
  5. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:scddyl76xp9b~T1
  6. ^ http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/music_review.asp?ID=1005
  7. ^ http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/12015164/review/12245201/playing_with_fire
  8. ^ http://www.ew.com/ew/article/review/music/0,6115,1553890_4_0_,00.html
  9. ^ http://www.postchronicle.com/news/original/article_21248350.shtml
  10. ^ http://www.tmz.com/2006/11/08/desperate-k-fed-cant-give-it-away/
  11. ^ http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/two%20federline%20shows%20cancelled%20due%20to%20poor%20ticket%20sales_1012300
  12. ^ http://weblog.signonsandiego.com/news/weblogs/music/archives/006132.html
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