| Deathfame | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 13, 2022 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 41:59 | |||
| Label | Mello Music Group | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Quelle Chris chronology | ||||
| ||||
Deathfame (stylized in all caps) is a solo studio album by American rapper and producer Quelle Chris. It was released via Mello Music Group on May 13, 2022. Production was handled by Chris Keys, Knxwledge, and Quelle Chris himself. It features guest appearances from Cavalier, Denmark Vessey, J Jig Cicero, MoRuf, Navy Blue, and Pink Siifu.
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 81/100 [1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| Beats Per Minute | 77/100 [3] |
| Crack | 7/10 [4] |
| HipHopDX | 4.2/5 [5] |
| Pitchfork | 7.8/10 [6] |
| The Needle Drop | 7/10 [7] |
| Tom Hull | B+ (  ) [8] |
Deathfame was met with acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 81, based on five reviews. [1]
In his review for HipHopDX Matthew Ritchie wrote: "it's a continuation of his intense focus on a singular topic, which results in a clear elevation in quality that few could hope to achieve, setting the standard for any plan to follow his formula". [5] Pitchfork reviewer Nadine Smith wrote: "balancing broad comedy with pointed political satire, the Detroit rapper continues his evolution from skilled MC to producer polymath on his latest album". [6] Tim Sentz of Beats Per Minute wrote: "not since Everything's Fine has Quelle Chris sounded so surefire and determined. He wears beats with flair now, and lyrically he's in top form, moving like a chameleon behind the mic and in front. Deathfame is easily the best solo outing for Chris so far". [3] In his YouTube channel The Needle Drop, Anthony Fantano stated: "Quelle Chris delivers what might be his most challenging album yet". [7] AllMusic's Paul Simpson wrote: "even as Quelle Chris' music grows more challenging, it's still highly compelling, and his lyrics are filled with sharp, powerful observations about life, death, success, and failure". [2] Writing for Crack Magazine , Dean Van Nguyen said: "the beats veer between jazz club grooves (the tinkling piano of So Tired You Can't Stop Dreaming featuring Navy Blue), smooth sophisti-pop (the saxophone riff of Die Happy Knowing They'll Care) and grubby loops that creep like a villain though rain-streaked streets at night". [4]
| Publication | # | Ref. |
|---|---|---|
| Crack | 36 | [9] |
| No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "TEYC" |
| 0:36 |
| 2. | "Alive Ain't Always Living" |
| 4:01 |
| 3. | "King in Black" | Quelle Chris | 3:12 |
| 4. | "PS1 (Pontiac Sunfire 1)" |
| 0:48 |
| 5. | "Feed the Heads" | Quelle Chris | 3:10 |
| 6. | "So Tired You Can't Stop Dreaming" (featuring Navy Blue) | Quelle Chris | 3:41 |
| 7. | "Die Happy Knowing They'll Care" | Quelle Chris | 1:50 |
| 8. | "Deathfame" | Quelle Chris | 3:25 |
| 9. | "The Agency of the Future" | Quelle Chris | 3:08 |
| 10. | "Help I'm Dead" | Quelle Chris | 1:07 |
| 11. | "How Could You Love Something like Me?" |
| 3:20 |
| 12. | "CUI Prodest" (featuring Denmark Vessey and J Jig Cicero) | Quelle Chris | 4:33 |
| 13. | "The Sky Is Blue Because the Sunset Is Red" (featuring MoRuf and Pink Siifu) |
| 5:56 |
| 14. | "Excuse My Back" (featuring Cavalier) | Quelle Chris | 3:05 |
| Total length: | 41:59 | ||
Credits adapted from liner notes.
Stones Throw Records is an American independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. Under the direction of founder Peanut Butter Wolf, Stones Throw has released music ranging from hip hop to experimental psychedelic rock. LA Weekly deemed the label an "eternally evolving experiment" in celebration of its 20th anniversary.
Denmark Martin Vessey is an American rapper and record producer from Detroit, Michigan. He is also a member of hip hop duo Crown Nation with Quelle Chris. He was named after Denmark Vesey, leader of a slave revolt planned in 1822 in Charleston, South Carolina; it was interrupted before any actions took place. He is also a member of the west coast collective Dirty Science.
Rahkeim Calief Meyer, better known by his stage name Roc Marciano, is an American rapper and record producer from Long Island, New York. He is known for his intricate internal rhymes and wordplay detailing mafioso and pimp themes over sample based production. He has been called the "Godfather of the Underground" for pioneering the resurgence of gritty, lyrical rap and use of drumless sample loops in the early 2010s with his highly influential debut album Marcberg (2010).
Anthony Nicholas Fantano is an American music critic and internet personality who runs TheNeedleDrop, a YouTube channel with a tie-in website and Twitch streaming channel. Self-appointed as "The Internet's Busiest Music Nerd", as an influencer Fantano discusses and reviews music from a variety of genres online.
Maya Shipman, known professionally as Suzi Analogue, is an American recording artist, musician, and songwriter based in New York City. She is a former member of Klipmode alongside Mndsgn, Devonwho, & Knxwledge; with many collaborations between them during the rise of the international beatmaking culture.
Glen Earl Boothe, professionally known as Knxwledge, is an American hip hop record producer and songwriter from New Jersey, currently based in Los Angeles, California. Since 2009, he has had over 100 releases via Bandcamp. His songs are often a mix of various genres, such as jazz, soul, old-school hip hop, and modern rap.
Being You Is Great, I Wish I Could Be You More Often is a solo studio album by American rapper and producer Quelle Chris. It was released via Mello Music Group on February 10, 2017. The seventeen-track record featured guest appearances by the likes of Roc Marciano, Homeboy Sandman, Denmark Vessey, Jean Grae, Elzhi, Cavalier, and Wasted Youth among others.
Innocent Country is the first collaborative studio album by American rapper Quelle Chris and producer Chris Keys. It was released through Mello Music Group on July 10, 2015.
Ghost at the Finish Line is a solo studio album by American rapper Quelle Chris. It was released via Mello Music Group on October 29, 2013. The thirteen-track record featured guest appearances by the likes of Alchemist, Black Milk, Denmark Vessey, Fuzz Scoota, Guilty Simpson, House Shoes, Jimetta Rose, Marv Won, and Mosel.
Too Dirt For TV2 – Niggas Is Men is a 2013 mixtape album by American rapper and producer Quelle Chris. It featured audio production handled by Messiah Musik, Sifu and Quelle himself, and guest appearances from Bwameeks, Cavalier, Chay, Denmark Vessey, DJ GroWeyez, Fresh Daily, Mosel, and Tanya Morgan.
Gavin Christopher Tennille, known as Quelle Chris, is an American record producer, rapper and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan. He has released over 15 albums as a solo act and with his collaborative projects.
Victor "Vic" Terrell Spencer, also known by his stage name, "Vic Spencer" is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois. He has worked with Sean Price, Ghostface Killah, Twista, Roc Marciano, Denmark Vessey, and many other artists/musicians. In 2017, he was featured on the Twista album Crook County, and Sean Price's album Imperius Rex. In April, 2018 he contributed a track on a Denmark Vessey album, produced by Earl Sweatshirt.
Everything's Fine is a collaborative studio album by American rappers Jean Grae and Quelle Chris. It was released via Mello Music Group on March 30, 2018. The fifteen-track record features guest appearances from the likes of Your Old Droog, Denmark Vessey, Ashok Kondabolu and comedians Hannibal Buress, Nick Offerman, Michael Che and John Hodgman, among others.
Guns is a solo studio album by American rapper and record producer Quelle Chris. It was released on March 29, 2019, through Mello Music Group with distribution via The Orchard. Production was handled by Chris Keys, Dane, and Quelle himself. It features guest appearances from Bilal Salaam, Cavalier, Denmark Vessey, Eldar Djangirov, James Acaster, Jean Grae, Jonathan Hoard, Mach-Hommy, and Ugly Boy Modeling.
Innocent Country 2 is the second collaborative studio album by American rapper Quelle Chris and record producer Chris Keys. It was released on April 24, 2020 via Mello Music Group, serving as a sequel to their 2015 album Innocent Country and the fourth in the Quelle's 2Dirt4TV series. It features guest appearances from Merrill Garbus, Cavalier, Denmark Vessey, Earl Sweatshirt, Homeboy Sandman, and comedians Josh Gondelman and James Acaster, among others.
Descendants of Cain is the fifth solo studio album by American rapper and record producer Kaseem "Ka" Ryan. It was released on May 1, 2020 via Iron Works Records. Recording session took place at Virtue & Vice Studios in Brooklyn. Production was handled by Ka himself and his frequent collaborators DJ Preservation, Animoss and Roc Marciano. It features a single guest appearance from Roc Marciano.
Anime, Trauma and Divorce is the seventh solo studio album by American rapper Open Mike Eagle. It was released on October 16, 2020 through Auto Reverse Records. Production was handled by Caleb Stone, Frank Leone, Loden, Black Milk, Gold Panda and Nedarb, with Jacknife Lee and Open Mike Eagle serving as executive producers. It features guest appearances from Lil A$e, Kari Faux and Video Dave.
Leather Blvd is the second album by American hip hop duo B. Cool-Aid, consisting of rapper Pink Siifu and producer Ahwlee. The album was released on March 31, 2023, by Lex Records. The album was announced January 16 along with lead single "Cnt Go Back " which features contributions from V.C.R., Jimetta Rose, Liv.e, Butcher Brown, and Maurice II.
Cold Visions is the seventh solo studio album by the Swedish rapper Bladee. A surprise album, it was self-released under the Trash Island label on 23 April 2024. As his 30th birthday was approaching, Bladee became anxious about ageing and the mixed reception toward his previous solo studio album Spiderr (2022). He recorded Cold Visions at his house in Stockholm across a two-week period. It is his first studio album not to be released by his longtime record label Year0001 because he wanted to make music that was true to himself. The album was executively produced by Bladee and Gabriel Schuman, and was mainly produced by F1lthy, with contributions from a variety of record producers including Skrillex, Whitearmor, and James Ferraro.
Silas Wilson, professionally known as Ovrkast. is an American rapper and record producer from East Oakland, California. He rose to prominence for his production on Earl Sweatshirt's 2019 EP Feet of Clay, and has since collaborated with notable artists such as Drake, Mavi, and Pink Siifu.