Fear of God II: Let Us Pray | ||||
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EP by | ||||
Released | November 8, 2011 | |||
Recorded | 2010–11 | |||
Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length | 45:04 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
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Pusha T chronology | ||||
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Singles from Fear of God II: Let Us Pray | ||||
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Fear of God II: Let Us Pray is the major label debut extended play by American rapper Pusha T, released on November 8, 2011, under Decon and G.O.O.D. Music.[ citation needed ] The EP was his first project with Kanye West's GOOD Music label, since the announcement of his signing in September 2010. Pusha T claims his inspiration for Fear of God is that a vast majority of the people who he came in the music business with are in prison: "I came in the game with super producers. We made hit records. I never thought that it gets deeper. But not for nothing, 2009 I lost eight of my friends to incarceration. Everybody that I came in to the rap game with, and when I realized that those components weren't there anymore, the 'Fear of God' really came over me. It's full of the dichotomy of 'right and wrong' and 'good and evil'. A lot of it deals with greed. A lot of it deals with instant gratification. Personally... life without instant gratification... I don't know what it is." [3]
Pusha T established his solo career in mid-2010, while still in the Clipse with Malice, appearing on songs "Runaway" [4] and "So Appalled" by Kanye West, propagating his features. [5] On March 21, 2011, Pusha T released his first solo work, a mixtape titled Fear of God. Released independently, it included features from Kanye West, 50 Cent, Rick Ross, Pharrell Williams and Kevin Cossom. [6] The EP is a re-release of the mixtape, [7] [8] which has different structure, production and additional tracks. The EP was originally set to be released on June 21, 2011, [9] it was than pushed back to August 23, and for a while September 27, 2011, was believed to be the date, however on October 6, 2011, Thornton announced the EP is set to drop November 8, 2011. In addition it was revealed he added four more songs to the EP making it 12 tracks rather than just the nine tracks that were previously announced. [10] To begin promoting the album, he released a track produced by The Neptunes, titled "Trouble on My Mind", which features the frontman of rap collective Odd Future, Tyler, the Creator. The track "Everything That Glitters" featuring French Montana is also included on DJ Drama's third album Third Power (2011). The song "Amen" was originally meant for Young Jeezy and "Raid" was originally meant for 50 Cent for his third album Curtis (2007). "What Dreams Are Made of" samples a Ric Flair promo.
The album plays lead and Pusha T's debut single is "Trouble on My Mind", featuring Tyler, the Creator. Released on July 12, 2011, [11] the song was structured in two verses by both rappers. [12] The second single "Amen" featuring Kanye West and Young Jeezy was released August 11, 2011.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [13] |
Robert Christgau | (A−) [14] |
HipHopDX | [15] |
Pitchfork Media | (7.1/10) [16] |
Rolling Stone | [17] |
XXL | (XL) [18] |
Fear of God II: Let Us Pray received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 69, based on 17 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". [19] In his consumer guide for MSN Music, critic Robert Christgau gave it an A− rating, [14] indicating "the kind of garden-variety good record that is the great luxury of musical micromarketing and overproduction." [20] Christgau quipped in his review, "The grand beats are safer than the clenched, confining, arrogantly hookless minimalism of Hell Hath No Fury . But every mean word delivers, and with cameos from Tyler the Creator to 50 Cent it's as if he never went solo." [14]
The album debuted at number 66 on the Billboard 200 with 8,900 copies sold in its first week released. [21] It also entered at number ten on Billboard 's R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, at number eight on Billboard 's Top Rap Albums, and at number 25 on its Digital Albums chart. [22] [23] On the second week of its release the album sold 4,300 copies, bringing the total to 13,000 copies. [24]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Changing of the Guards" (featuring Diddy) | Rico Beats | 2:29 | |
2. | "Amen" (featuring Kanye West and Young Jeezy) |
| Shawty Redd | 4:36 |
3. | "Trouble on My Mind" (featuring Tyler, the Creator) | 3:32 | ||
4. | "What Dreams Are Made Of" | Thornton | The VIPs | 3:35 |
5. | "Body Work" (featuring Juicy J, Meek Mill, and French Montana) |
| Rico Beats | 4:29 |
6. | "Everything That Glitters" (featuring French Montana) |
| A-Traxx | 3:29 |
7. | "So Obvious" |
| Bangladesh | 3:15 |
8. | "Feeling Myself" (featuring Kevin Cossom) |
| Tha Bizness | 3:34 |
9. | "Raid" (featuring 50 Cent and Pharrell) |
| The Neptunes | 3:45 |
10. | "My God" |
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| 3:33 |
11. | "I Still Wanna" (featuring Rick Ross and Ab-Liva) | Lee Major | 4:16 | |
12. | "Alone in Vegas" |
| Nottz | 4:31 |
Total length: | 45:04 |
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Chart (2011) | Peak position |
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US Billboard 200 [21] | 66 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums [22] | 10 |
US Top Rap Albums [23] | 8 |
Clipse, also known as the Clipse, is an American hip hop duo, mainly active from 1994 to 2010. It consists of brothers Gene "No Malice" and Terrence "Pusha T" Thornton. Pusha T was known as Terrar during the group's early years, while No Malice was originally known as Malicious, but changed his stage name to Malice soon after the group's formation, before changing it to No Malice once more in 2012 following his conversion to Christianity. Based in Virginia Beach, Virginia, the duo was discovered by producer and fellow Virginia Beach native, Pharrell Williams, who convinced the artists to work in tandem. Williams served as executive and lead producer for each of their albums, as part of the Neptunes and as a frequent guest performer. As key figures in establishing Virginia as one of the East Coast's strongholds in hip hop, the duo's frequent subject matter is based around illegal drug trade.
GOOD Music is an American independent record label founded by rapper Kanye West in 2004. The label entered an exclusive long-term worldwide distribution contract with the Island Def Jam Music Group in 2011. In 2012, the label released its only compilation album, Cruel Summer. In 2015, Pusha T was appointed president of the label by West, while record executive Steven Victor was appointed chief operating officer (COO). In late 2022, Pusha T stepped down from the position as he was no longer on speaking terms with West.
Terrence LeVarr Thornton, better known by his stage name Pusha T, is an American rapper. He rose to prominence as one half of the Virginia-based hip hop duo Clipse, which he formed with his older brother No Malice. Mainly active from 1994 to 2010, the duo were discovered by Pharrell Williams and signed with his record label Star Trak Entertainment, an imprint of Arista Records in 2001. They released three studio albums—Lord Willin' (2002), Hell Hath No Fury (2006) and Til the Casket Drops (2009)—to mild commercial success; the former spawned the Billboard Hot 100-top 40 singles "Grindin'" and "When the Last Time", for which they became best known.
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