Radioactive (Yelawolf album)
Encyclopedia
Radioactive is the debut studio album by rapper Yelawolf
, released on November 21, 2011 through Shady Records
, and Interscope Records
. It debuted at number 27 on the US Billboard 200
chart, selling 41,000 copies in its first week.
gave the album 4.5 of 5 mics, thus making it one of the most anticipated albums of the year. During an interview, Yelawolf revealed that almost all the tracks of the album were recorded in Las Vegas, Nevada
. The final track of the album is described as very personal about Yelawolf's life, and it's supposed to be a very emotional final letter to his absent biological father and talks about other past struggles. The track is titled "The Last Song". The album was scheduled to be released in September 27, later was pushed back to October 25, in early October Interscope Records
announced that the album will be released on November 21.
, and directed by Motion Family. On September 20 the music video for the first single "Hard White (Up in the Club)" was released through VEVO. The remix was released on November 2nd, the song features T.I.
and label-mates Slaughterhouse. On October 28, Yelawolf released his second single "Lets Roll" featuring Kid Rock
. The song was produced by The Audibles, and Mr. Pyro.
A song titled "No Hands" was featured on the video game Driver: San Francisco
. Yelawolf partnered up to release the music video with Ubisoft
, and Complex. The music video was filmed at several major landmarks in San Francisco, California
, and directed by Erick Peyton, known for his direction on Snoop Dogg
's music video for the song "That Tree.". The song did not make it in the album however.
gave the album a 4/5 (XL) rating, stating "more than not, the album is a standout effort that introduces the full-range of his talents as an MC with crafty songwriting abilities and deft ear for a sonic palette".
With a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars, The Source
s Maurice G. Garland said "Wolf's cadence, accent, and eye for detail keep Radioactive dull-moment-free, but it's when his songwriting shines that the rookie commands full attention." And he called "Made in the USA" "a sarcastically tinted look at popular American productions (drugs, poverty), [that] could win a Grammy
or Pulitzer
." Spin Magazine gave the album 7/10 saying 'It's a characterization writ large across Radioactive, delivered with sincerity and conviction.' DJBooth.net gave the album 4 "spins" (out of a possible 5), citing that Yelawolf "makes Radioactive simultaneously the most and least mainstream friendly album of the year. It’s a seeming contradiction that only someone who was supremely confident in their identity as an artist could pull off."
Notes
Yelawolf
Michael Wayne Atha , better known by his stage name YelaWolf, is an American rapper. He is currently signed to Shady Records, Ghet-O-Vision Entertainment and Interscope Records...
, released on November 21, 2011 through Shady Records
Shady Records
Shady Records is an American record label specializing in hip hop music. Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg founded the label in 1999 after the release of The Slim Shady LP.Since the formation, the label has signed nine acts...
, and Interscope Records
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
. It debuted at number 27 on the 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...
chart, selling 41,000 copies in its first week.
Background
Magazine and online website The SourceThe Source (magazine)
The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988...
gave the album 4.5 of 5 mics, thus making it one of the most anticipated albums of the year. During an interview, Yelawolf revealed that almost all the tracks of the album were recorded in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
. The final track of the album is described as very personal about Yelawolf's life, and it's supposed to be a very emotional final letter to his absent biological father and talks about other past struggles. The track is titled "The Last Song". The album was scheduled to be released in September 27, later was pushed back to October 25, in early October Interscope Records
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
announced that the album will be released on November 21.
Singles
On August 3, was announced that Yelawolf would release the album's first official single "Hard White (Up in the Club)" on August 8. The song features rapper Lil Jon, and it was produced by Hydrox. The music video for the song was filmed in Atlanta, GeorgiaAtlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, and directed by Motion Family. On September 20 the music video for the first single "Hard White (Up in the Club)" was released through VEVO. The remix was released on November 2nd, the song features T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....
and label-mates Slaughterhouse. On October 28, Yelawolf released his second single "Lets Roll" featuring Kid Rock
Kid Rock
Robert James "Bob" Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and rapper with five Grammy Awards nominations...
. The song was produced by The Audibles, and Mr. Pyro.
A song titled "No Hands" was featured on the video game Driver: San Francisco
Driver: San Francisco
Driver: San Francisco is a sandbox-style action driving video game developed by Ubisoft Reflections and published by Ubisoft. The game formally was unveiled at E3 2010 and was released in Australia on September 1, 2011, Europe on September 2, 2011 and North America on September 6, 2011 on...
. Yelawolf partnered up to release the music video with Ubisoft
Ubisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
, and Complex. The music video was filmed at several major landmarks in San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, and directed by Erick Peyton, known for his direction on Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus, Jr. , better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Snoop is best known as a rapper in the West Coast hip hop scene, and for being one of Dr. Dre's most notable protégés. Snoop Dogg was a Crip gang member while in high school...
's music video for the song "That Tree.". The song did not make it in the album however.
Critical reception
The album has received mixed to positive reviews from music critics.At Metacritic the album received an average score of 67, based on 11 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable review". Acclaimed hip-hop magazine XXLXXL
XXL may refer to:* XXL , in London, UK* XXL , an American hip-hop magazine* Penny Market XXL, a Romanian hypermarket chain-Film and television:* XXL , a French comedy* XXL , an adult TV station-Music:...
gave the album a 4/5 (XL) rating, stating "more than not, the album is a standout effort that introduces the full-range of his talents as an MC with crafty songwriting abilities and deft ear for a sonic palette".
With a rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars, The Source
The Source (magazine)
The Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988...
s Maurice G. Garland said "Wolf's cadence, accent, and eye for detail keep Radioactive dull-moment-free, but it's when his songwriting shines that the rookie commands full attention." And he called "Made in the USA" "a sarcastically tinted look at popular American productions (drugs, poverty), [that] could win a Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
or Pulitzer
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
." Spin Magazine gave the album 7/10 saying 'It's a characterization writ large across Radioactive, delivered with sincerity and conviction.' DJBooth.net gave the album 4 "spins" (out of a possible 5), citing that Yelawolf "makes Radioactive simultaneously the most and least mainstream friendly album of the year. It’s a seeming contradiction that only someone who was supremely confident in their identity as an artist could pull off."
Track listing
All songs written by Michael Wayne Atha. Additional writers noted.Notes
- "The Hardest Love Song in the World" features uncredited vocals by Jason Boyd.
- "Radio" features uncredited vocals by Danny Morris.
- "Slumerican Shitizen" features uncredited drums and percussion played by Sasha Sirota.
- "In this World" features uncredited vocals by EminemEminemMarshall 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...
.
Charts
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| 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... |
27 |
| US Billboard Top 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.... |
4 |
Personnel
Credits for Radioactive adapted from Allmusic.- Ray Alba - publicity
- The Audibles - producer
- Matt Barrett - guitar
- Blaqsmurph - drums, keyboard programming, piano, producer
- Herschel Boone - background vocals
- Borgore - producer, programming
- Leslie Brathwaite - mixing
- Tyler Clinton - cover art
- Regina Davenport - A&R, production coordination
- Archie Davis - A&R
- Cristian DeLano - engineer
- Lionel Deluy - photography
- Ben Didelot - bass
- Diplo - producer, programming
- Fefe Dobson - composer
- Seneca Doss - marketing
- Eminem - additional production, executive producer, mixing, producer
- Finatik - percussion
- Finatik N Zac - programming
- John Fisher - management
- Brian "Big Bass" Gardner - mastering
- Jimmy Giannos - drum rogramming, programming
- Matthew Hayes - engineer, mixing
- Matt Huber - assistant
- Joe Strange - mixing assistant
- Irvin Johnson - assistant
- Jeremy "J Dot" Jones - management
- Jim Jonsin - percussion, producer, programming
- Dominic Jordan - drum programming, keyboards, programming
- J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League - producer, programming
- David Karmiol - guitar
- Emanuel Kiriakou - bass, drums, editing, engineer, keyboard programming, producer
- Dave Kutch - mastering
- Marc Labelle - project coordinator
- Robert Marks - mixing
- Nikolas Marzouca - engineer
- Marshall Mathers - composer
- Tristan McClain - engineer
- Riggs Morales - A&R
- Danny Morris - composer, keyboards
- Mona Moua - vocals
- Mr. Pyro - producer
- Brian Nelson - watercolor artwork
- Nikkiya Brooks - background vocals
- T.W. Pentz - composer
- Phonix Beats - engineer, producer, programming
- Poo Bear - producer
- Kawan "KP" Prather - A&R, composer, executive producer
- Michael Pratt - assistant
- Priscilla Renea - vocals
- Luis Resto - keyboards
- Courtney Sills - composer, management
- Sasha Sirota - bass, editing, drums, engineer, producer, guitar
- Muzzy Solis - assistant
- Mike Strange - engineer, mixing, mixing engineer
- Al Sutton - engineer
- Tha Hydrox - instrumentation, producer, programming
- Andrew Van Meter - producer
- Eric Weaver - assistant
- Jason Wilkie - engineer
- WillPower - assistant, drum programming, instrumentation, producer, programming
- Jason Wilson - assistant
- Mike Wilson - engineer
- Yelawolf - vocals