Finally Famous: The Album
Encyclopedia
Finally Famous is the debut studio album
by American hip hop
recording artist Big Sean
, the album was released on June 28, 2011 by G.O.O.D. Music and Def Jam Records. The album marks the first official release of the "Finally Famous" series, following his mixtape trilogy.
Preceding the album's release, lead single
"My Last
", which featured R&B singer Chris Brown, and was released as a digital download
worldwide on March 25, 2011. "Marvin & Chardonnay
" was released as the album's second single on July 12, 2011.
, Kanye West
, Daddy Yankee
, Steven Betancourt, Andre Scale, John Castro Kid Cudi
, Wiz Khalifa
, Soulja Boy
, Chiddy Bang
, Pusha T
, Dwele
, Tyga
, Eminem
, and Mike Posner
with production from Kanye West, Malak, Jeff Bhasker, Mike Posner, No I.D.
, The Olympicks, Tricky Stewart, Chiddy Bang member Xaphoon Jones, and The Neptunes
. An unauthorized leak of his collaboration with Drake, called "Made" made its way onto the internet on April 30, 2010. In an interview with TheHipHopUpdate.com on May 1, Big Sean expressed his disappointment over the leak, calling it an unfinished version both musically and verse wise. Big Sean's official Facebook page confirmed that his debut album Finally Famous & Consequence
's Cons TV would be released on September 14, 2010. On August 31, Big Sean tweeted that the album was not coming out on that day, but it would be coming out sometime in 2011. In a recent interview on Conspiracy Worldwide Radio, he discussed the role Kanye West, and No I.D. have had in the development of the album's sonic direction as well as the challenges of being inside the studio with West. According to Amazon.com, Big Sean's Finally Famous has been delayed by a week, with a tentative release date set for June 28. Additionally, the G.O.O.D. Music rapper revealed that the album touts a song featuring Wiz Khalifa, and Chiddy Bang, as well as guest appearances from Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco
, Pharrell, and "I think Nas
is on there, too." Big Sean has revealed the cover art for his G.O.O.D. Music debut and explains that the one-week pushback can be blamed on sample, and feature clearance issues.
Big Sean has also stated at the beginning of the week he will drop a mixtape a few days before Finally Famous: The Album releases. It will mostly contain songs with samples that couldn't get clearance and some guest spots that didn't make the final cut.
", which featured Chris Brown, was released as the lead single
March 1, 2011. It peaked at on number thirty the US Billboard Hot 100
and at number four on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart. It also topped the US Rap Songs chart, becoming his first number-one hit. The first promotional single, "I Do It", was released via digital download
on May 10, 2011 . It was originally planned to be released as the second single, but its official release was cancelled for undisclosed reasons. The single peaked at number twenty on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
chart, which is equivalent to one hundred twenty in the US, and has reached a current peak at number ninety-two on US R&B charts "What Goes Around" was released as the second promotional single on May 23, 2011, but failed to chart. "So Much More" was released as the third promotional single on June 14, 2011. Like its predecessor, it failed to chart. "Marvin & Chardonnay
", which featured Kanye West
, and Roscoe Dash
, was released to urban radio as the second single on July 12, 2011. It was sent to rhythm/crossover radio on July 26, 2011. It has so far peaked at number thirty-two on the Hot 100, and number one on the Hot Hip-Hop/R&B charts. 2011. "Dance (A$$)" was sent to urban radio as the third single on September 20, 2011.. The official remix featuring Nicki Minaj was premiered on October 4, 2011. The remix will officially impact urban radio on October 18, 2011, and rhythmic radio on October 25, 2011.
, which assigns a normalized
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
score of sixty-nine, based on twenty reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".
chart, with first-week sales of 87,000 copies in the United States. As of November 9, 2011 the album has sold 248,000 copies in the United States.
Samples credits
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
recording artist Big Sean
Big Sean
Sean Michael Anderson , better known by his stage name Big Sean, is an American rapper. Big Sean signed with Kanye West's G.O.O.D...
, the album was released on June 28, 2011 by G.O.O.D. Music and Def Jam Records. The album marks the first official release of the "Finally Famous" series, following his mixtape trilogy.
Preceding the album's release, lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
"My Last
My Last
"My Last" is the first single by American rapper Big Sean from his debut album Finally Famous. The song features singer Chris Brown. The song is produced by No I.D..- Background :...
", which featured R&B singer Chris Brown, and was released as a digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
worldwide on March 25, 2011. "Marvin & Chardonnay
Marvin & Chardonnay
"Marvin & Chardonnay" is a song by American rapper Big Sean, released as the second single from his debut studio album, Finally Famous. It features American rappers Kanye West and Roscoe Dash. The song was written by Sean, West, Dash, and Wansel with production by Andrew "Pop" Wansel...
" was released as the album's second single on July 12, 2011.
Background
It was Sean's debut album and was rumored to include features from PharrellPharrell Williams
Pharrell Williams , commonly known simply as Pharrell, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, composer, and fashion designer. Williams and Chad Hugo make up the record production duo The Neptunes, producing hip hop and R&B music...
, Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
, Daddy Yankee
Daddy Yankee
Ramón Luis Ayala Rodríguez , known artistically as Daddy Yankee, is a Latin Grammy Award winning Puerto Rican Reggaeton recording artist. Ayala was born in Río Piedras, the largest district of San Juan, where he became interested in music at a young age. In his youth he was interested in baseball,...
, Steven Betancourt, Andre Scale, John Castro Kid Cudi
Kid Cudi
Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi , better known by his stage name Kid Cudi , sometimes stylized KiD CuDi, is an American rapper, singer and actor. He first gained major attention after the release of his debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi. In 2009, his single "Day 'n' Nite" reached the top five of the...
, Wiz Khalifa
Wiz Khalifa
Cameron Jibril Thomaz , better known by the stage name Wiz Khalifa , is an American rapper. He released his debut album, Show and Prove, in 2006, and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 2007...
, Soulja Boy
Soulja Boy
DeAndre Cortez Way , better known by his stage name Soulja Boy Tell 'Em, or simply Soulja Boy, is an American rapper, record producer, actor, entrepreneur, and internet personality....
, Chiddy Bang
Chiddy Bang
Chiddy Bang is an American alternative hip hop band from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The group consists of Chidera "Chiddy" Anamege and Noah "Xaphoon Jones" Beresin. The duo was introduced through former band member Zachary Sewall in late 2008 during their freshman year at Drexel University, in...
, Pusha T
Pusha T
Terrence Thornton better known by his stage name Pusha T is an American recording artist, occasional actor and one half of the critically acclaimed hip hop duo Clipse. He is also the co-founder and co-chief executive officer of Re-Up Records along with his brother Gene 'Malice' Thornton...
, Dwele
Dwele
Andwele Gardner , better known by his stage name Dwele is a soul singer, songwriter and record producer from Detroit, Michigan.-Biography:...
, Tyga
Tyga
Michael Stevenson , better known by his stage name Tyga , is an American rapper signed to Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Universal Republic Records. He is of Vietnamese and Jamaican descent...
, Eminem
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III , better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. Eminem's popularity brought his group project, D12, to mainstream recognition...
, and Mike Posner
Mike Posner (musician)
Michael Robert "Mike" Posner is an American singer, songwriter, and producer. Posner released his debut album, 31 Minutes to Takeoff, on August 10, 2010...
with production from Kanye West, Malak, Jeff Bhasker, Mike Posner, No I.D.
No I.D.
No I.D., officially known as Immenslope and also known as Ernest Wilson , is a hip hop and R&B record producer, also the vice-president of Def Jam Recordings, best known for his early work with Chicago rapper Common and is known as "The Godfather of Chicago hip hop".. The nickname No I.D...
, The Olympicks, Tricky Stewart, Chiddy Bang member Xaphoon Jones, and The Neptunes
The Neptunes
The Neptunes are a record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who are credited with contributing the sound for many successful hip hop, R&B and pop artists in the late-1990s and 2000s...
. An unauthorized leak of his collaboration with Drake, called "Made" made its way onto the internet on April 30, 2010. In an interview with TheHipHopUpdate.com on May 1, Big Sean expressed his disappointment over the leak, calling it an unfinished version both musically and verse wise. Big Sean's official Facebook page confirmed that his debut album Finally Famous & Consequence
Consequence (rapper)
Dexter Mills , better known as Consequence, is an American rapper. He is the cousin of rapper Q-Tip of the hip hop group A Tribe Called Quest, and was formerly an affiliate of Kanye West's GOOD Music family. Consequence debuted in 1996 on A Tribe Called Quest's album Beats, Rhymes, and Life...
's Cons TV would be released on September 14, 2010. On August 31, Big Sean tweeted that the album was not coming out on that day, but it would be coming out sometime in 2011. In a recent interview on Conspiracy Worldwide Radio, he discussed the role Kanye West, and No I.D. have had in the development of the album's sonic direction as well as the challenges of being inside the studio with West. According to Amazon.com, Big Sean's Finally Famous has been delayed by a week, with a tentative release date set for June 28. Additionally, the G.O.O.D. Music rapper revealed that the album touts a song featuring Wiz Khalifa, and Chiddy Bang, as well as guest appearances from Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco , better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco , is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, Lupe is the CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food...
, Pharrell, and "I think Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
is on there, too." Big Sean has revealed the cover art for his G.O.O.D. Music debut and explains that the one-week pushback can be blamed on sample, and feature clearance issues.
Big Sean has also stated at the beginning of the week he will drop a mixtape a few days before Finally Famous: The Album releases. It will mostly contain songs with samples that couldn't get clearance and some guest spots that didn't make the final cut.
Singles
"My LastMy Last
"My Last" is the first single by American rapper Big Sean from his debut album Finally Famous. The song features singer Chris Brown. The song is produced by No I.D..- Background :...
", which featured Chris Brown, was released as the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
March 1, 2011. It peaked at on number thirty the US Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and at number four on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart. It also topped the US Rap Songs chart, becoming his first number-one hit. The first promotional single, "I Do It", was released via digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
on May 10, 2011 . It was originally planned to be released as the second single, but its official release was cancelled for undisclosed reasons. The single peaked at number twenty on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles
The Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States. It lists the top 25 singles below number 100 that have not yet charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Sometimes, however, singles halt their progress on this chart, and never appear on the Hot 100...
chart, which is equivalent to one hundred twenty in the US, and has reached a current peak at number ninety-two on US R&B charts "What Goes Around" was released as the second promotional single on May 23, 2011, but failed to chart. "So Much More" was released as the third promotional single on June 14, 2011. Like its predecessor, it failed to chart. "Marvin & Chardonnay
Marvin & Chardonnay
"Marvin & Chardonnay" is a song by American rapper Big Sean, released as the second single from his debut studio album, Finally Famous. It features American rappers Kanye West and Roscoe Dash. The song was written by Sean, West, Dash, and Wansel with production by Andrew "Pop" Wansel...
", which featured Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
, and Roscoe Dash
Roscoe Dash
Jeffery Johnson Jr. , better known by his stage name Roscoe Dash, is an American rapper from Atlanta, Georgia.- Major label success :...
, was released to urban radio as the second single on July 12, 2011. It was sent to rhythm/crossover radio on July 26, 2011. It has so far peaked at number thirty-two on the Hot 100, and number one on the Hot Hip-Hop/R&B charts. 2011. "Dance (A$$)" was sent to urban radio as the third single on September 20, 2011.. The official remix featuring Nicki Minaj was premiered on October 4, 2011. The remix will officially impact urban radio on October 18, 2011, and rhythmic radio on October 25, 2011.
Critical
At MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score of sixty-nine, based on twenty reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".
Commercial
The album debuted at number three on the US Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart, with first-week sales of 87,000 copies in the United States. As of November 9, 2011 the album has sold 248,000 copies in the United States.
Track listing
The track listing for the standard, and deluxe edition was revealed on Sean's official website on June 7, 2011.Samples credits
- "My LastMy Last"My Last" is the first single by American rapper Big Sean from his debut album Finally Famous. The song features singer Chris Brown. The song is produced by No I.D..- Background :...
" contains a sample of "Can You Stand the RainCan You Stand the Rain"Can You Stand the Rain" is a ballad by R&B/Pop group New Edition. Released in 1988, it is the third single from their fifth studio album, Heart Break.-Overview:...
" by New EditionNew EditionNew Edition is an R&B group formed in Boston in 1978. The group reached its height of popularity during the 1980s. They were the progenitors of the boy band movement of the 1980s and 1990s and led the way for groups like New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men, Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync... - "Don't Tell Me You Love Me" contains a sample of "Breakeven" by The Script
- "Wait for Me" contains a sample of "It's Too Late" by Wilson PickettWilson PickettWilson Pickett was an American R&B/Soul singer and songwriter.A major figure in the development of American soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, and frequently crossed over to the US Billboard Hot 100...
- "Marvin & ChardonnayMarvin & Chardonnay"Marvin & Chardonnay" is a song by American rapper Big Sean, released as the second single from his debut studio album, Finally Famous. It features American rappers Kanye West and Roscoe Dash. The song was written by Sean, West, Dash, and Wansel with production by Andrew "Pop" Wansel...
" contains an interpolation of "AmazingAmazingAmazing may refer to:* A*mazing, an Australian children's television game show that aired in the mid to late 1990s* Amazing, a maze computer game bundled with the original Apple Macintosh-Albums:* Amazing , 1996...
" by Kanye WestKanye WestKanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and... - "Dance (A$$)" contains a sample of "U Can't Touch ThisU Can't Touch This"U Can't Touch This" is MC Hammer's 1990 super hit signature song, from his album Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em. The album sold more than 10 million copies, due primarily to this single, and gaining multi-platinum certifications from the RIAA, and other Recording Industries.Rick James sued Hammer...
" by MC HammerMC HammerStanley Kirk Burrell , better known by his stage name MC Hammer , is an American rapper, entertainer, business entrepreneur, dancer and actor. He had his greatest commercial success and popularity from the late 1980s until the mid-1990s... - "High" contains a sample of "Fighter Plane" by Ellie GouldingEllie GouldingElena Jane "Ellie" Goulding is an English singer-songwriter. In 2010 she became only the second artist to both top the BBC's annual Sound of... poll, and win the Critics' Choice Award at the BRIT Awards in the same year, following Adele's win of both in 2008...
- "So Much More" contains a sample of "Been This Way Before" by Roger TroutmanRoger TroutmanRoger Troutman was the lead singer of the band Zapp who helped spearhead the Funk movement and heavily influenced West Coast hip hop due to the scene's heavy sampling of his music over the years...
- "Celebrity" contains a sample of "The Only Thing I Would Wish For" by Angela BofillAngela BofillAngela Bofill is an American R&B vocalist and songwriter.Bofill was born to a Cuban father and a Puerto Rican mother; one of the first Latina singers to find success in the R&B market.She performed with Ricardo Marrero & the Group and Dance Theater of Harlem chorus prior to her 1978 debut album,...
- "My House" contains a sample of "Ain't There Something Money Can't Buy" by Young-Holt UnlimitedYoung-Holt UnlimitedYoung-Holt Unlimited were an American soul and jazz instrumental musical ensemble from Chicago, Illinois.Drummer Isaac "Red" Holt and bassist Eldee Young, formerly members of Ramsey Lewis' jazz trio, formed a new outfit called the Young-Holt Trio with pianist Don Walker in 1966...
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
20 |
| US Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
3 |
| US R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
2 |
| US Rap Albums Top Rap Albums Top Rap Albums is a record chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks Rap and hip-hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart began publication for the week of November 13, 2004.... (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
1 |