| Pray IV Reign | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Studio album by Jim Jones | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Released | March 24, 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Recorded | 2007-2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Genre | East Coast hip hop | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Length | 74:45 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Label | E1/Columbia/Sony | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Producer | Jim Jones (exec.), Damon Dash (co-exec.), Ron Browz, Chink Santana, Ryan Leslie, No I.D., TrackSlayerz, Supa Dave West, Magnedo7, Young Yonny, Lemael Ervin, Triple-A, Teraike "Chris Styles" Crawford, Ayinde "Cylla" Thomas, Young Seph , ILLFONICS | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Jim Jones chronology | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Pray IV Reign is the fourth studio album by rapper Jim Jones released on March 24, 2009, under Columbia Records.[1] It's his first album on a major record label.
Contents |
The album is his first album with Columbia Records. The album was originally titled Back 2 Back.[2] Jim Jones released a promotional video for the album, rapping his verse on the remix to Kid Cudi's single "Day 'n' Nite".[3] Jim Jones wanted to release the album on December 9 which was coincidentally the same date Jay-Z was going to release The Blueprint 3 and 50 Cent was going to release Before I Self Destruct.[4]
To Promote the album Jim Jones worked with Damon Dash and director J. Kyle Manzay to stage the play Hip-Hop Monologues: Inside the Life and Mind of Jim Jones. The “Hip-Hop Monologues” is a musical theatrical experience, co-written by Jim Jones, using the music from Pray IV Reign, as the platform. An ensemble of professional actors portray various characters from Jones’ past, while JJones performed his new songs in the context of a scripted story. The two-day only play pulled in a packed audience of fans, media, and celebrities. Infused with a live band the performance "Gives you that live instrumentation feel — more like a real Broadway type of feel as opposed to just seeing a hip-hop track. So, you’ll get to hear both the real music from off of the album and then the band comes in and it takes over and it gives you that really funky feeling" said Jones of the play.[5]
Jim Jones teamed up with BET to promote the album as well. On March 2, Jim Jones appeared on 106 & Park to premier the video for "Na Na Nana Na Na". Later on in the show he announced from March 2 to March 24 he will be announcing a new item out of his "Swag Bag". You kept track of all the items announced each day and once you’ve collected all the items, you had to log on to BET.com/JimJones on Friday, March 20 to enter the contest for a chance to win Jim Jones’ "Swag Bag". Who ever entered all 24 items correctly won the entire "Swag Bag".
iTunes had a "Countdown to Jim Jones Pray IV Reign". On February 17 they released his second single "Na Na Nana Na Na". On March 3 they released "Precious" featuring vocals and production from Ryan Leslie, on March 17 "Frenemies" was released, and on March 24 the entire album was released. The lead single from Pray IV Reign, "Pop Champagne", which spent two weeks as America's #1 urban single, was also incorporated into the countdown and was already available for sale.
The album cover was photographed by Thi Chien. There are many different album covers. The first version is the normal cover, the second, third and fourth are all the same normal cover, but different colored backgrounds, such as red, green and blue. The fifth cover is the Deluxe Edition with a close up of Jim Jones' face.
The album includes production by Ron Browz, Chink Santana, No I.D., Ryan Leslie, Michael Crawford, Triple-A], Young Seph and many more. Guests on the album include Ron Browz, Juelz Santana, NOE, Mel Matrix, Rell, Ludacris, Ryan Leslie, Chink Santana, Brittney Taylor, Starr, Rowana, Oshy, Twista and Lil Wayne.
On July 8, 2008 Jones' released "The Good Stuff" featuring production from Ron Browz and a guest appearance from fellow ByrdGang member NOE, as the first offering off the album.[6] It was intended to be the first single, but was just used for airplay and as promotion on his myspace.[7] "Pop Champagne" a song Jones' recorded with Juelz Santana and Ron Browz was leaked late in the summer of 2008. It quickly became a club banger and hit single, and was released as the lead single on September 4, 2008. On January 1, 2009 a song titled "Na Na Nana Na Na" was premiered and on February 17, 2009 was released to iTunes. It serves as the second official single and features up and coming singer Brittney Taylor aka Bree-Beauty.
In a listening session a few tracks were revealed.[8] The "Intro" was originally titled "Across 110th Street" and "How to Be a Boss" was originally titled "Follow this Blueprint". On the sixth track, titled "Frienemies", Jones' addresses his strained relationships with Cam'ron and Max B.[9] "My My My" is a song he recorded his deceased friend Stack Bundles.[10] Jim Jones says he likes to call this track "Emotionless Pt. 2". According to Jim Jones, "My My My" is one of the hardest songs for him perform because of his emotions. The passing of Stack Bundles was one of the main inspirations for the album Pray IV Reign.[11]
A track that was rumored to be on the album was the remix to MGMT's "Electric Feel":[12]
| “ | They did a show [at United Palace Theater] up in Washington Heights, the initial conversation was just that it was an honor to meet them, I think they're kinna cool. And from there it led into me saying, It'd be crazy if I remixed "Electric Feel". They were like, Yeah, that would be crazy. So I said, Let me get the beats and shit. | ” |
A bonus track on the album will be "Jackin' Swagga from Us" featuring Twista, Lil Wayne and NOE, a direct diss to Jay-Z and T.I. mocking their song "Swagga Like Us".[13]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [14] |
| Artistdirect | [15] |
| Beats Per Millennium | (5.3/10)[16] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (C+)[17] |
| HipHopDX | [18] |
| PREFIXMAG.Com | [19] |
| RapReviews | [20] |
| Slant | [21] |
| Spin | [22] |
| XXL | (XL)[23] |
XXL gave the album a 4/5, stating that the album is an extreme improvement with many heartfelt tracks, but many disappointments. XXL complimented the lead single, "Pop Champagne", "My My My", and the promo singles "Precious" and "Frenemies", but disliked the second single "Na Na Nana Na Na", "Pop Off" and "This Is the Life".
Alex Thornton of HopHopDX liked the songs "How to Be a Boss" with Ludacris saying it stole the show, "Precious" with Ryan Leslie and "My My My". He also liked the lead single "Pop Champagne" but like most critics he hated the second single "Na Na Nana Na Na"[24]
The album debuted at #9 on the Billboard 200 with 42,982 copies sold in its first week released.[25]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" (featuring Starr) | Andre Parker, Aqueelah McCummings, Ernest Wilson, Gene McDaniels, Joseph Jones | No I.D., Chink Santana (co.) | 5:14 |
| 2. | "Pulling Me Back" (featuring Chink Santana) | Charles Bobino III, Demetri Duncan, Dexter Randall, Jones, Parker | TrackSlayerz, Chink Santana (co.) | 3:45 |
| 3. | "Let It Out" | Dave West, Jones | Supa Dave West | 4:08 |
| 4. | "How to Be a Boss" (featuring Ludacris, NOE & Busta Rhymes) | Duane Bridgeford, Christopher Bridges, Jones, Rondell Turner, Trevor Smith, Jr. | Ron Browz | 5:07 |
| 5. | "Medicine" (featuring NOE & Chink Santana) | Bridgeford, Jones, Parker | Chink Santana | 5:36 |
| 6. | "Frienemies" | Ernest Isley, Christopher Jasper, Jones, Marvin Isley, O'Kelly Isley, Parker, Ronald Isley, Rudolph Isley | Chink Santana | 4:16 |
| 7. | "Precious" (featuring Ryan Leslie) | Anthony Leslie, Jones, Parker | Ryan Leslie | 4:10 |
| 8. | "Blow the Bank" (featuring Oshy & Starr) | Jones, Michael Crawford, Thomas Byrd | Magnedo7 | 3:46 |
| 9. | "This Is for My Bitches" (featuring Oshy) | Byrd, Jones, Ronald Ferebee Jr. | The8thgraders, Lemael Ervin | 3:44 |
| 10. | "Girlfriend" (featuring Juelz Santana & Oshy) | Bridgeford, Byrd, Jones, LaRon James, Parker | Chink Santana | 4:51 |
| 11. | "This Is the Life" (featuring Starr) | Bridgeford, Charles King, McCummings, Jones, Andre Atkins, Michael Floyd | Triple-A | 4:18 |
| 12. | "My My My" (featuring Rawana) | Ayinde Thomas, Jones, Teraike Crawford | Chris Styles, Cylla | 4:28 |
| 13. | "Pop Off" (featuring NOE & Mel Matrix) | Bridgeford, Jones, Joseph Holmes | Young Seph | 4:12 |
| 14. | "Pop Champagne" (with Ron Browz featuring Juelz Santana) | James, Jones, Turner | Ron Browz | 3:35 |
| 15. | "Rain" (featuring Rell, NOE & Starr) | Bridgeford, Gerrell Gaddis, Jones, Turner | Ron Browz | 5:33 |
| 16. | "Na Na Nana Na Na" (featuring Bree-Beauty) | Bridgeford, Brittney Taylor, Jed Cappelli, Jones, Matthew Friedman | ILLFONICS | 3:59 |
| Bonus Track | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length | |||||
| 14. | "Jackin' Swagga From Us" (featuring Lil' Wayne, NOE & Twista) | Bridgeford, Carl Mitchell, Dwayne Carter, Jones, Parker | Chink Santana | 6:03 | |||||
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200[30] | 9 |
| U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[31] | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Rap Albums[32] | 1 |
| Pray IV Reign: The Mixtape | ||||||||
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| Mixtape by Jim Jones | ||||||||
| Released | March 3, 2009 | |||||||
| Recorded | 2008–2009 | |||||||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||||||
| Label | Columbia/Sony | |||||||
| Jim Jones chronology | ||||||||
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Jim Jones released a mixtape on March 3 to promote the album. The songs on the mixtape are cut tracks or leaked tracks off the album.
| No. | Title | Producer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Trippin" (featuring Laylee) | 4:44 | |
| 2. | "Shorty" (featuring NOE & Rell) | 5:39 | |
| 3. | "Religion" | Harley Is Majik | 5:22 |
| 4. | "Medicine" (featuring NOE & Chink Santana) | 5:36 | |
| 5. | "Fast Money" (featuring Mel Matrix & Sandman) | 4:02 | |
| 6. | "Uptown" (featuring Rell) | 4:27 | |
| 7. | "Precious" (featuring Ryan Leslie) | 4:10 | |
| 8. | "My Life" (featuring Chink Santana & NOE) | 5:50 | |
| 9. | "Catch Up" (featuring Oshy) | 2:28 |
| Charts (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Top Rap Albums | 11[34] |
| U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 38[35] |
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