SremmLife
| SremmLife | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Studio album by Rae Sremmurd | ||
| Released | January 6, 2015 | |
| Recorded |
2013–14 Ear Druma Studios Tree Sound Studios Mean Street Studios (Atlanta, Georgia) No Excuses Windmark Studios (Santa Monica, California) Larrabee Sound Studios (North Hollywood, California) Glenwood Place Studios (Burbank, California) | |
| Genre | Hip hop | |
| Length | 45:32 | |
| Label | EarDrummers, Interscope | |
| Producer | Mike WiLL Made-It (exec.), P-Nazty (exec.), Rae Sremmurd (exec.) Credits and personnel | |
| Singles from SremmLife | ||
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SremmLife is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Rae Sremmurd; it was released on January 6, 2015, by EarDrummers Entertainment and Interscope Records. The album was preceded by four singles, "No Flex Zone", "No Type", "Throw Sum Mo" and "Up Like Trump". The album features guest appearances from fellow American rappers, Jace of Two-9, Nicki Minaj, Young Thug and Big Sean.[1]
Background
Rae Sremmurd is a Mississippi-born hip hop duo composed of Swae Lee and Slim Jimmy.[2] In 2014, the duo signed a recording contract with American music producer Mike Will Made It's newly found label, the Interscope Records imprint, EarDrummers Entertainment.[2][3]
Singles
- The album's debut single, titled "No Flex Zone" was released via digital download on May 18, 2014. The song has gained media attention, after officially remixed the track, featuring rappers Nicki Minaj and Pusha T. The song has since peaked at number 36 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.[4]
- The album's second single "No Type" was released on September 15, 2014 and has since peaked at number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.[4]
- The album's third single "Throw Sum Mo" was released on December 9, 2014 and features vocals from recording artists Nicki Minaj and Young Thug. The song has peaked at number 30 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.[5]
- The album's fourth single "Up Like Trump" was released on December 16, 2014. It has since peaked at number 42 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[6]
- The album's fifth single "This Could Be Us" was sent to US urban adult contemporary radio on April 21, 2015.[7]
Critical reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 78/100[8] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [9] |
| Robert Christgau | A–[10] |
| Complex | [11] |
| Exclaim! | 7/10[12] |
| HipHopDX |  [13] |
| Newsday | B[14] |
| Paste | 8.1/10[15] |
| Rolling Stone | [16] |
| Spin | 6/10[17] |
| Sputnikmusic | 3.8/5[18] |
SremmLife received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 78, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 15 reviews. Writing for Exclaim!, Eric Zaworski concluded that "SremmLife sounds like how cheap vodka works — it burns a little, yeah, but it gets you there," explaining that the record "only further reinforces the vice grip hip-hop from south of the Mason-Dixon has on the mainstream."[12] Justin Charity of Complex said "the chants and ecstatic poetry of SremmLife are fully charged from start to finish."[11]
Commercial performance
The album debuted at number 5 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling a total of 49,000 copies in its first week, with 15,000 copies included based on individual song sales and streaming data,[19] which is taken from the tracking change implemented by Nielsen SoundScan and Billboard in December 2014.[20] In its second week, the album dropped to number 17, and sold an additional 23,000 copies, bringing its total to 72,000 copies. Of the 23,000 copies sold that week, 11,000 copies consisted of traditional whole album sales, while the remaining 12,000 copies were of individual song sales and streaming data.[21] As of February 25, 2015, the album has sold 186,000 copies in the US.[22]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Lit Like Bic" |
| BackPack | 4:34 | |
| 2. | "Unlock the Swag" (featuring Jace of Two-9) |
|
|
5:22 | |
| 3. | "No Flex Zone" |
|
|
3:51 | |
| 4. | "My X" |
| Young Chop | 3:34 | |
| 5. | "This Could Be Us" |
|
|
3:26 | |
| 6. | "Come Get Her" |
|
|
3:32 | |
| 7. | "Up Like Trump" |
| Sonny Digital | 3:13 | |
| 8. | "Throw Sum Mo" (featuring Nicki Minaj and Young Thug) |
|
|
4:20 | |
| 9. | "YNO" (featuring Big Sean) |
|
|
5:24 | |
| 10. | "No Type" |
|
|
3:20 | |
| 11. | "Safe Sex Pay Checks" |
| Honorable C.N.O.T.E. | 4:56 | |
Total length: |
45:32 | ||||
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from the album booklet and Allmusic.[23]
- Performance
- Rae Sremmurd – primary artist
- Big Sean – featured artist
- Jace of Two-9 – featured artist, additional vocals
- Nicki Minaj – featured artist
- Young Thug – featured artist
- Producers
- Michael "Mike Will Made-It" Williams – executive producer
- Pierre "P-Nazty" Slaughter – executive producer
- Rae Sremmurd – executive producer
- A+ – producer
- BackPack – producer
- Honorable C.N.O.T.E. – producer
- Marz – producer
- Sonny Digital – producer
- Soundz – producer
- Young Chop – producer
- Technical
- Todd Bergman – recording assistant
- Maddox Chhim – mixing assistant
- Aubry "Big Juice" Delaine – engineer
- Stephen Hybicky – engineer, mixing
- Maximilian Jaeger – engineer
- Jaycen Joshua – mixing
- Dave Kutch – mastering
- Ryan Kaul – mixing assistant
- Randy Lanphear – engineer
- Marquel "Marz" Middlebrooks – engineer
- Cody Seal – engineer
- Pierre "P-Nazty" Slaughter – engineer
- Gregg Rominiecki – engineer
- Hakeem Wallace – engineer
- Michael "Mike Will Made-It" Williams – mixing
- Miscellaneous
- Ray Alba – publicity
- Chelsea Blythe – A&R coordinator
- Archie Davis – marketing
- Khalfani "Fani" Dennis – stylist
- DJ Mormile – management
- Todd Douglas – business affairs
- Jeremey "Migo The Plug" Ellis – management
- Dan Friedman – management
- Auro Harewood – digital
- Max "Directed By Max" Hliva – videography
- Stephanie Hsu – creative
- Tracy Kies – business affairs
- Justine Massa – creative
- Chris Mortimer – digital
- Aubrey "Aubz" Potter – style, merchandise
- Gunner Safron – marketing
- Pierre "P-Nazty" Slaughter – A&R
- Manny Smith – A&R
- Justin "JusDesignz" Thomas – graphic designer, cover art
- Diwang Valdez – photography
- Brian "Bwrightous" Wright – marketing, creative director
Charts
| Chart (2015) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[24] | 193 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[25] | 13 |
| Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[26] | 22 |
| UK R&B Albums (OCC)[27] | 24 |
| US Billboard 200[28] | 5 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[29] | 1 |
| US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[30] | 1 |
References
- ↑ "iTunes - Music - SremmLife by Rae Sremmurd". iTunes. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Life+Times. "Rae Sremmurd Speak On "No Flex Zone," Mike Will Made It, & Brotherly Love - Life+Times". Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ↑ "Nicki Minaj Debuts Her Remix Of Rae Sremmurd’s "No Flex Zone!!": Listen - Music News, Reviews, and Gossip on Idolator.com". Music News, Reviews, and Gossip on Idolator.com. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Rae Sremmurd - Chart history (singles)". Retrieved February 16, 2015.
- ↑ "Rae Sremmurd: Throw Sum Mo - Music on Google Play". google.com.
- ↑ "Rae Sremmurd: Up Like Trump - Music on Google Play". google.com.
- ↑ "Urban/UAC Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on April 17, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
- ↑ "SremmLife – Rae Sremmurd". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 6, 2014.
- ↑ David Jeffries. "Sremmlife - Rae Sremmurd - Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
- ↑ Christgau, Robert (April 3, 2015). "Robert Christgau: Expert Witness". Medium. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Charity, Justin (January 5, 2015). "On Their "SremmLife" Debut, Rae Sremmurd Are Swag Rap Tag Team Champions". Complex. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Zaworski, Eric (January 13, 2015). "Rae Sremmurd - SremmLife". Exclaim!. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
- ↑ Diep, Eric (January 6, 2015). "Rae Sremmurd – SremmLife". HipHopDX. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
- ↑ Gamboa, Glenn (January 5, 2015). "Rae Sremmurd's 'SremmLife' review: Hip-hop premiere with promise". Newsday. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
- ↑ Drew Blackburn, H. (January 6, 2015). "Rae Sremmurd: SremmLife Review". Paste. Wolfgang's Vault. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
- ↑ Dolan, Jon (January 20, 2015). "‘SremmLife' review: 'No Flex Zone' stars make a fanstastic, full-flex debut LP". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
- ↑ Carley, Brennan (January 7, 2015). "Review: Rae Sremmurd Flex With Promise and Big-Name Guests on 'SremmLife'". Spin. SpinMedia. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
- ↑ Robinson, Will (January 6, 2015). "Review: Rae Sremmurd – SremmLife". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
- ↑ Balfour, Jay. "Hip Hop Album Sales: Nicki Minaj, J. Cole, and Iggy Azalea". HipHopDX. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
- ↑ Sisario, Ben. "Billboard, Changing the Charts, Will Count Streaming Services". NYTimes. NYTimes. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
- ↑ Balfour, Jay. "Hip Hop Album Sales: Nicki Minaj, J. Cole & Rae Sremmurd". HipHopDX. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
- ↑ Balfour, Jay. "Hip Hop Album Sales: Drake, Big Sean, Nicki Minaj". hiphopdx. Cheri Media Group. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
- ↑ "SremmLife - Rae Sremmurd: Credits". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
- ↑ "Rae Sremmurd – Sremmlife" (in French). Ultratop.be. Hung Medien.
- ↑ "Rae Sremmurd Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Canadian Albums Chart for Rae Sremmurd. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
- ↑ "Rae Sremmurd – Sremmlife". Danishcharts.com. Hung Medien.
- ↑ "2015-01-17 Top 40 R&B Albums Archive . Official Charts Company.
- ↑ "Rae Sremmurd Album & Song Chart History" Billboard 200 for Rae Sremmurd.
- ↑ "Rae Sremmurd Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Rae Sremmurd.
- ↑ "Rae Sremmurd Album & Song Chart History" Billboard Top Rap Albums for Rae Sremmurd.
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