Finally Rich

Finally Rich
Studio album by Chief Keef
Released	December 18, 2012
Recorded	2012
Genre	Gangsta rap
Length	45:14
Label	Interscope, Glory Boyz
Producer	Rovaun Manuel (exec.), Larry Jackson (exec.), Young Chop (also exec.), A+, Casa Di, K.E. on the Track, Leek-E-Leek, Lil Keis, Mike WiLL Made It, Nard & B., YGOnDaBeat, Young Ravisu
Chief Keef chronology
Back from the Dead (2011) Finally Rich (2012) Bang, Part 2 (2013) Singles from Finally Rich "I Don't Like" Released: March 11, 2012 "Love Sosa" Released: October 18, 2012 "Hate Bein' Sober" Released: December 12, 2012

Finally Rich is the debut studio album by American rapper Chief Keef. It was released on December 18, 2012, by Glory Boyz Entertainment and Interscope Records.^[1] The album features guest appearances from 50 Cent, Wiz Khalifa, Lil Reese, Rick Ross, Young Jeezy, Master P, French Montana and Fat Trel. The album was supported by three successful singles "I Don't Like", "Love Sosa" and "Hate Bein' Sober". Upon release the album was met with generally mixed reviews from most music critics. It debuted at number 29 on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 50,000 copies in the United States.

Background

Finally Rich was originally planned to be released as a mixtape but was later turned into a full length album.^[2] The album was originally scheduled to be released on November 27, 2012, but it was later pushed back until December 18, 2012.^[3] On September 21, 2012, the music video was released for the song "Ballin'".^[4] On November 10, 2012, the music video was released for the bonus track "Kobe".^[5] On August 15, 2013, the music video was released for "Citgo".^[6]

Singles

	Love Sosa – Chief Keef (2012) A 30-second sample of the chorus to "Love Sosa".
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"I Don't Like" featuring Lil Reese was released as the lead single on March 15, 2012. The song has peaked at #73 on the Billboard Hot 100, #20 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and #15 on the Rap Songs chart.^[7] It appeared on Chief Keef's mixtape Back from the Dead, which was released for free on March 12, 2012. The mixtape was later mastered and made available for purchase on iTunes.^[8] On May 1, 2012, notable rapper and producer Kanye West made a remix which features Pusha T, Big Sean and Jadakiss. The remix is featured as the final track on the G.O.O.D. Music compilation album, Cruel Summer.^[9]

"Love Sosa" was released as the second single on October 18, 2012. The song has peaked at #56 on the Billboard Hot 100, #20 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and #17 on the Rap Songs chart.^[10] The official video for the song was released on October 18, 2012.^[11] Later it was announced that "Love Sosa" will be featured on the video game Grand Theft Auto V.^[12]

"Hate Bein' Sober" was released as the third single on December 13, 2012. The song peaked on the Billboard Heatseekers Songs at #16.^[13]

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[14]
Chicago Tribune	[15]
Consequence of Sound	[16]
Los Angeles Times	[17]
Pitchfork Media	7.5/10[18]
Paste	5.0/10[19]
Rolling Stone	[20]
Slant Magazine	[21]
USA Today	[22]
XXL	(L)[23]

Finally Rich received generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns an normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 62, based on 17 reviews, which indicates "Generally favorable reviews".^[24] Randall Roberts of the Los Angeles Times gave the album two and a half stars out of four, saying "Landing a week before the big day, the 17-year-old Chicago thug offers infectious odes to nihilism and tirades against haters that are as simple-minded and catchy as they are brutal. Musically, however, the album shimmers with power, which makes the dozen songs feel even more dangerous".^[17] Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune gave the album two stars out of four, saying "Finally Rich" owes plenty to the menacing inner-city narratives of Jeezy, Waka Flocka and Gucci Mane. Keef's innovation, if it can be called that, is to appear even colder than any of his predecessors, devoid of feelings, let alone guilt or remorse."^[15] Alex Macpherson of The Guardian gave the album three out of five stars, saying "Ha, ha, ha": 17-year-old Chicago drill rapper Chief Keef's syllables land like lead weights on concrete. Deliberately defining a song titled Laughin' to the Bank by its absence of any mirth is entirely in character for Keef, who wears his perpetual screwface like a badge of pride across Finally Rich and never once lets light in."^[25] Neil Martinez-Belkin of XXL gave the album an L, saying "Keef still remains a one-dimensional character, never breaking from the cold, detached charisma that’s defined him. On Finally Rich he continues to execute a specific type of song — consistently and at a high level. “I Don’t Like” still hasn’t lost its appeal, and much of his debut carries the same level of replay value. So people will love it. People will hate it. Chief Keef probably doesn’t care either way. He’s 17, and he’s finally rich."^[23]

Jesse Fairfax of HipHopDX gave the album three out of five stars, saying "A fair assessment can see his dangerous character as a product of his environment rather than simple glorification of wrongdoing, with Finally Rich creating entertainment out of hopelessness. Having taken off in a short time span while growing into adulthood, immaturity is certainly a big part of his shtick, but most importantly Keef's rise puts a mirror up to devastating socioeconomic conditions all too often swept under the rug."^[26] Jayson Greene of Pitchfork Media gave the album a 7.5 out of 10, saying "There's nothing to add or subtract to this sound that could substantially improve it. Fellow Chicagoan Kanye West found that out the hard way when his Michigan Avenue makeover of "I Don't Like" was given a public dressing-down by Young Chop the day after it hit the web. Finally Rich benefits from some professional tweaks in the mix, but otherwise leaves Keef's sound untouched. And in addition to succeeding on its own terms, it proves that Keef has a lot of potential—much more than his detractors might have hoped."^[18] Jesse Cataldo of Slant Magazine gave the album two stars out of five, saying "Keef's debut, Finally Rich, begins with a breathless tantrum that, with a slight change in subject matter, could reasonably be directed at a parent rather than the audience. This tone of manic, furious immaturity persists throughout, whether he's railing on "bitches" or "snitches" or detailing the outlines of boilerplate affluence to which he robotically aspires."^[21]

Jordan Sargent of Spin gave the album an eight out of ten, saying "It remains to be seen if Finally Rich will be the start of a fruitful rap career, or if Keef will flame out like so many before him. But he's proven he can assimilate into the world of mainstream rap while still retaining his singularity. He may forever be known as the kid whose videos depicted children waving handguns, but you wouldn't know it from his Interscope bow: He’s no longer asking for that to be his calling card. Instead, as the torrent of controversy continues to swirl around him, Keef has written an album positioning him as one of rap's most rewarding pop stars. How's that for an upset?"^[27] Anupa Mistry of Now gave the album two out of five stars, saying "Maybe the lasting value of Finally Rich won’t be found in questioning its moral content (less a glorification of violence and poverty than a lament), but in parsing how we’ve reacted to it, and the differing socio-economic realities that make his music resonant for one demographic and a voyeuristic pleasure for another."^[28]

Mike Madden of Consequence of Sound gave the album two and a half stars out of four, saying "There were a couple of big questions floating around the Keef Conversation in the run-up to his major-label debut, Finally Rich: Would he broaden his aesthetic for the album? If not, just how much life would he be able to suck out of his primitive style? The answers, unfortunately, are “no” and “not very much.” If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Keef so far, it’s that he’s done a pretty good job putting his own spin on familiar sounds."^[16] Ryan Reed of Paste gave the album a five out of ten, saying "Keef has plenty of raw talent and compelling real-life drama to draw from, and with Young Chop, he’s found one of hip-hop’s most exciting new production talents. Let’s hope he stays clean long enough to actually bank on that promise."^[19] Nick Catucci of Rolling Stone gave the album three out of five stars, saying "Rapping with his affectless slur and bricklayer's tempo over rolling, mid-speed beats, Keef (who was criticized for mocking a murder victim, his rival, on Twitter) seems unshakably confident but profoundly directionless. The effect is mesmerizing, and a little scary."^[20]

David Jeffries of Allmusic gave the album two and a half stars out of five, saying "In the end, it's raw, irresponsible, unforgiving, and often infectious, but the controversial Finally Rich isn't a step forward on any counts. Consider this the guiltiest of pleasures, if considered at all."^[14] Kitty Empire of The Observer gave the album three out of five stars, saying "Throughout the course of 2012, Keef parlayed his local infamy into a deal with Interscope. His major label debut, Finally Rich compiles a slew of his tracks that have done the rounds, with a handful of new songs. It's distressing, elementary and samey yet utterly unignorable."^[29]

Accolades

Spin ranked the album at number 14 on their list of the best 40 hip hop albums of 2013.^[30] Pitchfork ranked the bonus track "Citgo" at number 56 on their list of the top 100 tracks of 2013.^[31]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 29 on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 50,000 copies in the United States.^[32] As of March 27, 2013, it has sold 152,000 copies.^[33]

Track listing

Notes

• Writing and production credits are according to the album booklet.

Personnel

Credits for Finally Rich adapted from Allmusic.^[34]

Charts

References