Relax (Das Racist album) explained

Relax
Type:studio
Artist:Das Racist
Cover:Dr_relax.jpg
Studio:See-Thru Studios, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Genre:Hip hop
Label:Greedhead Music
Prev Title:Sit Down, Man
Prev Year:2010

Relax is the only studio album by American hip hop trio Das Racist.[1] It was released by Greedhead Music on September 13, 2011.[2] It peaked at number 111 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Production

The album is produced by Diplo, El-P, Rostam Batmanglij, and Anand Wilder, among others. It includes guest appearances from El-P, Danny Brown, and Despot.[3]

Release

On August 2, 2011, Das Racist released "Michael Jackson", the lead single from the album.[4] The music video for the song was premiered on September 9, 2011.[5] Directed by Weird Days, the video references Michael Jackson's "Black or White" video,[6] featuring the morphing faces of El-P, Despot, Lakutis, Hari Kondabolu, Mike Finito, Anand Wilder, Rostam Batmanglij, and Ben Schecter, among others.[7]

The album was released by Greedhead Music on September 13, 2011.[2]

The band played Late Night with Conan O'Brien on September, 28, 2011.

Music videos were also created for "Brand New Dance"[8] and "Girl".[9]

Critical reception

At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 78, based on 21 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Tuyet Nguyen of The A.V. Club gave the album a "B+" grade, praising Das Racist's "acutely modern sense of humor." Jesse Cataldo of Slant Magazine gave the album 4 stars out of 5, saying, "Relax finds Das Racist operating as both consumers and creators of pop culture, spawning an endless pomo cycle of criticism and observation." Paul de Revere of Consequence of Sound called it "Das Racist's definitive album to date."

Accolades

PublicationAccoladeRank
Robert ChristgauThe Dean's List: Christgau's Best of 2011
Complex25 Best Albums of 2011
Rolling Stone50 Best Albums of 2011
Spin50 Best Albums of 2011
Spin40 Best Rap Albums of 2011
StereogumTop 50 Albums of 2011

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Das Racist's Victor 'Kool A.D.' Vazquez on Why the Rap Trio Split. Rolling Stone. Patrick. Flanary. December 3, 2012. December 8, 2018.
  2. Web site: Das Racist Reveal New 'Relax' LP. Exclaim!. Josiah. Hughes. July 8, 2011. December 8, 2018.
  3. Web site: Das Racist Announce New Album. Pitchfork. Tom. Breihan. July 8, 2011. December 8, 2018.
  4. Web site: Das Racist "Michael Jackson". Exclaim!. Josiah. Hughes. August 2, 2011. December 8, 2018.
  5. Web site: Video Premiere: Das Racist, 'Michael Jackson'. https://web.archive.org/web/20181209165209/http://www.mtv.com/news/2299058/das-racist-michael-jackson-video/. dead. December 9, 2018. MTV. Jason. Newman. September 9, 2011. December 8, 2018.
  6. Web site: Das Racist Drop Clever "Michael Jackson" Clip. Spin. Marc. Hogan. September 9, 2011. December 8, 2018.
  7. Web site: Das Racist – "Michael Jackson" Video. Stereogum. Corban. Goble. September 9, 2011. December 8, 2018.
  8. Web site: Das Racist – "Brand New Dance" Video. Stereogum. Corban. Goble. December 9, 2011. December 8, 2018.
  9. Web site: Video: Das Racist – "Girl". Consequence of Sound. Chris. Coplan. October 30, 2012. December 8, 2018.