Life (Yo Gotti album)

Life
Studio album by Yo Gotti
Released May 13, 2003
Recorded 2002-2003
Genre Southern hip hop
Length 60:30
Label TVT Records
Yo Gotti chronology
Self-Explanatory
(2001)		 Life
(2003)		 Back 2 da Basics
(2006)
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
Allmusic [1]

Life is the third independent album by rapper Yo Gotti.[2] It was released on May 13, 2003 through TVT Records.

Track listing

  1. "Intro" — 3:56
  2. "All I Ever Wanted to Do" (featuring Kia Shine) — 4:03
  3. "Sell My Dope" (featuring Kia Shine) — 4:24
  4. "Dirty South Soldiers" (featuring Lil Jon) — 4:57
  5. "Reppin' North Memphis" — 3:06
  6. "Str8 from da North" — 4:35
  7. "Get Down" (featuring Lil' Flip) — 4:12
  8. "After I Fuck Ya Bitch (Remix)" — 4:37
  9. "Entering the Game" — 3:52
  10. "Life" — 4:07
  11. "9 to 5" — 3:17
  12. "Breakaman" — 4:22
  13. "Shake It" (featuring Rich Burn) — 2:56
  14. "Look at Old Girl" (featuring Block Burnaz) — 4:50
  15. "On da Grind" — 3:22
  16. "U Understand" — 4:53
  17. "Mr. Tell It" — 4:49
  18. "Dirty South Soldiers (Rap Hustlaz Remix)" (featuring Lil Jon, V-Slash & Kia Shine) — 5:38
  19. "Pop Kone" (featuring Lil Jon) — 3:44

Critical reception

Allmusic writer Jason Birchmeier awarded the album three stars and described it as "typical of the genre".[3] Matt Gonzales of PopMatters also gave the album a lukewarm review, viewing Yo Gotti as "lyrically indistinguishable from a sea of bitter, street-hustling rappers exactly like himself".[4] Geoff Harkness, writing for The Pitch saw merit in Gotti's lyrics, but opined that "the played-out beats, the hoary "Dirty South" shout-outs and Gotti's perfunctory delivery ... hinder the album beyond repair."[5] The Memphis Flyer commented on the "vintage Def Jam-style production" and "facility with R&B hooks", and viewed the album as revealing "a wider range of musical and emotional options than is usually heard on Memphis rap records".[6] The New York Times' Kelefa Sanneh, reviewing his next album, described Life as "an uncelebrated gem".[7]

Several reviewers commented on the cover art, with Gonzales stating that from the cover the album could be mistaken "for a Wayans Brothers project skewering the worn-out conventions of hardcore rap".[4] Harkness described the cover showing Yo Gotti "surrounded by snazzy cars, diamond-encrusted hubcaps and a flurry of $100 bills -- not exactly indicators that songs about the current political climate or uplifting one's spiritual self will be found inside."[5]

References

  1. ^ Allmusic review
  2. ^ http://www.amazon.com/Life-Yo-Gotti/dp/B002I2PHWE/
  3. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/album/r640825
  4. ^ a b Gonzales, Matt (2003) "Yo Gotti Life", PopMatters, 21 October 2003, retrieved 2010-01-31
  5. ^ a b Harkness, Geoff (2003) "Yo Gotti Life", The Pitch, July 31, 2003, retrieved 2010-01-31
  6. ^ "Hear This: Al Green, Memphix, and Yo Gotti helped lead the way in Memphis music for 2003", Memphis Flyer, January 1, 2004, retrieved 2010-01-31
  7. ^ Sanneh, Kelefa (2006) "Critics' Choice: New CDs", New York Times, May 22, 2006, retrieved 2010-01-31
Yo Gotti
Studio albums
Independent albums
Singles
Featured singles
Related articles