Still Brazy Explained

Still Brazy
Type:studio
Artist:YG
Cover:Ygstillbrazycover.jpeg
Border:yes
Genre:
Label:
Producer:
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Still Brazy is the second studio album by American rapper YG. It was made available for streaming on June 14, 2016, by Apple Music. Later, it was released physically for the digital download purchases on June 17, 2016, by 4Hunnid Records, CTE World and Def Jam Recordings. The album features production handled by Swish, P-Lo, Terrace Martin, Larrance Dopson, CT Beats, Ty Dolla Sign and Hit-Boy, while YG enlisted the collaborators such as Lil Wayne, Drake, Nipsey Hussle and Slim 400, among others.

Still Brazy was supported by three singles: "Twist My Fingaz", "FDT" and "Why You Always Hatin?" The album received widespread acclaim from critics and debuted at number six on the US Billboard 200, earning 38,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Promotion

To promote the album release, YG released the track, "I Wanna Benz", was released on December 12, 2015. The song features guest appearances from American rappers Nipsey Hussle and 50 Cent, with production was provided by London on da Track. The track also premiered by Oliver El-Khatib on the twelfth episode of OVO Sound Radio.[1] The album was made available for streaming on June 14, 2016.[2] Later, it was released physically for the digital download purchases on June 17.[3] [4]

Singles

The lead single from the album, "Twist My Fingaz", was released on July 16, 2015.[5] The song was produced by Terrace Martin.

The second single from the album, "FDT" (stylized for "Fuck Donald Trump"), was released on March 30, 2016.[6] [7] The song features a guest appearance from American rapper Nipsey Hussle, with production was provided by Swish. Much of the original lyrics in the single version was censored and replaced with newer verses on the album, after YG revealed the government contacted his label regarding the song.[8] On July 20, 2016, YG released a remixed version of the track, "FDT Part 2". The song features guest appearances from American rappers G-Eazy and Macklemore.[9]

The third single from the album, "Why You Always Hatin?", was released on May 21, 2016. The song premiered by Oliver El-Khatib on OVO Sound Radio.[10] The song features guest appearances from Canadian rapper Drake and American rapper Kamaiyah, with production was handled by CT Beats.

Promotional singles

The album's first promotional single, "Still Brazy", was released on June 3, 2016, alone with an accompanied music video.[11] The track was produced by Ty Dolla Sign and Swish.

The album's second promotional single, "Word Is Bond", was released on July 29, 2016, alone with an accompanied music video.[12] The song features a guest appearance from American rapper Slim 400, with production was handled by P-Lo.

Critical reception

Still Brazy was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 83, based on 14 reviews. Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 7.7 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.

David Jeffries of AllMusic said, "A heavy album that doesn't pander to what's PC, what's on the radio, or what safe, suburban America believes." Martín Caballero of The Boston Globe said, "Here, it's less about what Y.G. does than how he does it; digging deeper into vintage G-funk flavors with a blend of personal, party, and political tracks, the young Compton rapper takes a sizzling step forward."[13] Michael Madden of Consequence said, "It's full of the kind of warm G-funk that never fails to transport you to the part of the country it belongs to." Exclaim!s Themistoklis Alexis gave the album a positive review, writing that it succeeds in "evoking the crown jewels of West Coast hip-hop royalty." Trent Clark of HipHopDX said, "Still Brazy is a testament that real-life experience breeds the best music but we can do without the shootouts from this point on."

Grant Rindner of PopMatters said, "No one out there is crafting visceral street tales like he is, and if he could just trim his track lists a bit, he has the talent to make a gangster rap classic in the future." Patrick Taylor of RapReviews said, "While most of the album is concerned with asserting that YG is still a G despite his fame, it closes with a trio of protest songs."[14] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times said, "Still Brazy is an artisanal, proletarian Los Angeles gangster rap record, less tribute to the sound's golden age than a full-throated and wholly absorbed recitation."[15] Sheldon Pearce of Pitchfork said, "Still Brazy solidifies YG as a torch-bearer for west coast gangster rap." Sam C. Mac of Slant Magazine said, "Make no mistake—musically and lyrically, this is an expansion." Drew Millard of Spin said, "YG has gone and done himself one better, creating a record that stands tall alongside the full-lengths he once mined."

Rankings

Publication! scope="col" class="unsortable"
ListRank
2DOPEBOYZBest Hip Hop Albums of 2016
Billboard50 Best Albums of 2016
ComplexThe 50 Best Albums of 2016
FactThe 50 Best Albums of 2016
PitchforkThe 50 Best Albums of 2016
PopMattersThe 70 Best Albums of 2016
SpinThe 50 Best Albums of 2016
StereogumThe 50 Best Albums of 2016

Commercial performance

Still Brazy debuted at number six on the Billboard 200, earning 38,000 album-equivalent units, (including 28,000 copies in pure albums sales) in its first week.[16] It marked YG's second top ten debut on the chart.[16] On July 22, 2020, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over 500,000 units in the United States.

Track listing

Credits were adapted from the album's liner notes.[17]

Notes

Personnel

Credits for Still Brazy adapted from AllMusic.[18]

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart (2016)! scope="col"
Position
US Billboard 200[19] 182
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[20] 44

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Walker. Angus. YG – I Wanna Benz Feat. Nipsey Hussle & 50 Cent (Prod. By London On Da Track) [New Song]]. hotnewhiphop. July 21, 2016. December 12, 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160520070105/http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/yg-i-wanna-benz-feat-nipsey-hussle-and-50-cent-prod-by-london-on-da-track-new-song.1967647.html. May 20, 2016.
  2. Web site: YG on Twitter. Twitter. June 15, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170924030402/https://twitter.com/YG/status/742921118848286720. September 24, 2017.
  3. Web site: Still Brazy [Deluxe Edition]]. Amazon . August 16, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170924030403/https://www.amazon.com/Still-Brazy-Deluxe-YG/dp/B01FEU1EB4. September 24, 2017.
  4. Web site: Still Brazy (Deluxe) by YG on iTunes. June 17, 2016 . iTunes Store. August 16, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160819045219/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/still-brazy-deluxe/id1118225386. August 19, 2016.
  5. Web site: Krishnamurthy. Sowmya. YG Does His West Coast Dance on 'Twist My Fingaz'. The Boombox. July 20, 2016. July 16, 2015. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160608231616/http://theboombox.com/yg-twist-my-fingaz/. June 8, 2016.
  6. Web site: Nipsey Hussle and YG Take Aim at Donald Trump on "FDT" . Frydenlund . Zach . March 30, 2016 . . June 20, 2019 . June 20, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190620054733/https://www.complex.com/music/2016/03/nipsey-hussle-and-yg-new-song-fuck-donald-trump . live .
  7. Reed. Ryan. YG, Nipsey Hussle Proclaim 'F--- Donald Trump' on New Song. Rolling Stone. July 20, 2016. March 30, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160718032351/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/yg-nipsey-hussle-proclaim-f---donald-trump-on-new-song-20160330. July 18, 2016.
  8. Web site: Hernandez. Victoria. Secret Service Threatening Censorship On YG After 'Fuck Donald Trump'. HipHopDX. July 20, 2016. April 26, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160801001050/http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.38517/title.secret-service-threatening-censorship-on-yg-after-fuck-donald-trump. August 1, 2016.
  9. Web site: McCormick. Luke. YG Recruits Macklemore And G-Eazy For "FDT (Fuck Donald Trump) Part 2". The Fader. July 21, 2016. July 20, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160723074705/http://www.thefader.com/2016/07/20/yg-macklemore-g-eazy-fdt-remix. July 23, 2016.
  10. Web site: Hill. John. LISTEN TO YG'S BRAND NEW SONG "WHY YOU ALWAYS HATIN?" FEATURING DRAKE AND KAMAIYAH. Vice. July 20, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160727133320/http://noisey.vice.com/blog/yg-drake-kamaiyah-why-you-always-hating. July 27, 2016.
  11. Web site: Goddard. Kevin. YG – Still Brazy. HotNewHipHop. June 3, 2016. August 16, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160606130751/http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/yg-still-brazy-new-song.1970041.html. June 6, 2016.
  12. Web site: Video: YG feat. Slim 400 – 'Word Is Bond'. Rap-Up. June 29, 2016. August 16, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160822075905/http://www.rap-up.com/2016/07/29/video-yg-slim-400-word-is-bond/. August 22, 2016.
  13. Web site: Caballero. Martín. LA rapper Y.G. sells swagger and menace on 'Still Brazy'. The Boston Globe. June 15, 2016. June 16, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160622195331/http://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/music/2016/06/15/rapper-sells-swagger-and-menace-still-brazy-sizzling-step-forward/mr0pul7TkB9YKsDwj8ra2H/story.html. June 22, 2016.
  14. Web site: Taylor. Patrick. YG :: Still Brazy :: Def Jam. RapReviews. August 30, 2016. September 7, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160904235903/http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2016_08_stillbrazy.html. September 4, 2016.
  15. Web site: Caramanica. Jon. Review: YG's 'Still Brazy' Has the First Great Protest Song of the Election Season. The New York Times. June 15, 2016. August 16, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160620053646/http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/16/arts/music/yg-still-brazy-review.html?_r=0. June 20, 2016.
  16. Drake's 'Views' Spends Eighth Week in a Row at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart. Billboard. June 26, 2016. June 26, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160627140332/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/7416582/drake-views-spends-eighth-week-in-a-row-at-no-1-on-billboard-200-albums-chart. June 27, 2016.
  17. Still Brazy. CD liner notes. YG. Def Jam Recordings. 2016. 92570-1.
  18. Web site: YG – Still Brazy – Credits. AllMusic. July 21, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160809223625/http://www.allmusic.com/album/still-brazy-mw0002947116/credits. August 9, 2016.
  19. Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2016. Billboard. July 2, 2020. December 8, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161208120131/http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2016/top-billboard-200-albums. live.
  20. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2016. Billboard. July 2, 2020. October 13, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191013160405/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2016/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums. live.

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