Islah (album)

Last updated
Islah
KevinGatesIslah.jpg
Studio album by
Kevin Gates
ReleasedJanuary 29, 2016
Recorded2015
Genre
Length53:25
Label
Producer
Kevin Gates chronology
Murder For Hire
(2015)		Islah
(2016)		 Murder For Hire 2
(2016)
Singles from Islah
  1. "Kno One"
    Released: July 9, 2015
  2. "Really Really"
    Released: October 5, 2015
  3. "2 Phones"
    Released: November 5, 2015
  4. "Time for That"
    Released: September 9, 2016 [1]

Islah is the debut studio album by American rapper Kevin Gates. It was released on January 29, 2016, by Bread Winners' Association and Atlantic Records. [2] [3]

Contents

The album was supported by four official singles: "Kno One", "Really Really", "2 Phones" and "Time for That". The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, earning 112,000 album equivalent units in its first week. [4] The album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). [5] The album was first revealed in a Instagram post sent by Gates in 2015. [6]

Background

In an interview with iHeartRadio, Kevin Gates said:

"I named the album after my daughter because of the anticipation. It was so high. I remember before the birth of my daughter, the anticipation was so high. I was scared, I was excited. I was going through mixed emotions at the time. When people set a high bar because I put out so much good quality music, that bar was so high. I just didn't want to. I was afraid of being a letdown. I was afraid of not being good enough. I was scared to death upon making the album, upon releasing the album. The reason I named my album Islah was because it was my first album. My first real studio album, I guess, so to say. Everything else that I put out was mix tapes. The name Islah means to critique. To make better. A spiritual awakening. When my daughter came, she gave me all of those things. [7] "

Singles

"Kno One" was released via digital download as the album's first single on July 9, 2015. The song was produced by IKENNA FuNkEn and The Featherstones.

"Really Really" was released as the album's lead single (second overall) on October 5, 2015. The song was produced by Alex Goose, Cook Classics and Jake Troth. It peaked at number 46 on the US Billboard Hot 100. To date, the song has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). [8]

"2 Phones" was released as the album's third single on November 5, 2015. The song was produced by Mad Max. It became Gates' first top 40 hit single upon the charts, and peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. To date, the song has also become certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). [8]

"Time for That" was released as the album's fourth and final single on September 9, 2016. [9] It was produced by Swiff D, alongside additional production from Nick Seeley. The song peaked at number 19 on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.

Other songs

"La Familia" and "The Truth" were released as instant grats for the album's pre-order simultaneously on September 3, 2015.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.4/10 [10]
Metacritic 81/100 [11]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
The Austin Chronicle Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [13]
Consequence of Sound B [14]
HipHopDX 3.5/5 [15]
Pitchfork 8.5/10 [16]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [17]
Spin 8/10 [18]
Tiny Mix Tapes 4/5 [19]
Vice A− [20]

Islah received widespread acclaim from 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 10 reviews. [11] In Vice , Robert Christgau said the songs have a variety of moods, catchy melodies, and a strong level of detail from Gates: "Do I like everything he says, much less puts on Instagram? Not close. But his saga is an encouraging, fascinating, educational up. This is a guy who always brings his daughter on tour and thinks affluence is a big day at Bloomingdale's. He's emotional, tender, violent, sensual, fickle, determined, fatalistic, unpredictable, unreliable, hedonistic, and from Louisiana. In a land of 10,000 wannabes, he's an original." [20]

Commercial performance

Islah debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200, earning 112,000 album equivalent units, (including pure album sales of 93,000 copies) in its first week. [4] In its second week, the album fell to number ten on the chart, earning an additional 40,000 units, (including pure album sales of 24,000 copies). [21] In its third week, the album dropped to number eleven, earning 36,000 more units. [22] As of July 2016, the album had sold 305,000 copies in pure album sales. [23] On January 30, 2019, the album was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over two million units in the United States. [5] Billboard listed Islah at number 171 in a list of the decade's best 200 albums. [24]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Not the Only One"
  • Go Grizzly
  • Dreamlife Beats
4:41
2."Really Really"
3:52
3."2 Phones"
Mad Max4:00
4."Pride"
  • Gilyard
  • Matthew Paisley-Mallia
Patrick Carmelo4:05
5."La Familia"
Millz3:50
6."Time for That"
3:28
7."Thought I Heard (Bread Winners' Anthem)"
  • Gilyard
  • Payne
DJ Chose3:24
8."Hard For"
4:06
9."Ask for More"
  • Gilyard
  • Norris Buchanan
  • Richard Norris
  • Buchanan
  • Norris [c]
3:27
10."One Thing"
 D.A. Doman 3:19
11."The Truth"
 Rvssian 3:30
12."Kno One"
3:34
13."Told Me"
  • Gilyard
  • Alleyne
Millz3:04
14."Ain't Too Hard"
  • Gilyard
  • Hood
  • Goudy
  • Payne
  • Derrick Pearson
Goudy3:25
15."I Love It"
  • Gilyard
  • Donny Flores
  • Adrian Santalla
  • Drop
  • Phe
3:31
Deluxe edition (bonus tracks) [25] [26]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
16."Jam" (featuring Trey Songz, Ty Dolla Sign and Jamie Foxx)
Powell3:34
17."Excuse Me"
Ray Real4:37
Total length:60:51

Notes

Personnel

Musicians

Technical

Charts

Related Research Articles

<i>Country Grammar</i> 2000 studio album by Nelly

Country Grammar is the debut studio album by American rapper and singer Nelly. It was released on June 27, 2000, by Universal Records. The production on the album was handled by Jason "Jay E" Epperson, with additional production by C-Love, Kevin Law, City Spud, Steve "Blast" Wills and Basement Beats. Nelly contributed to all lyrics on the album, with Epperson and City Spud also contributing. With the album's release, Nelly and his "St. Lunatics" crew cemented the St. Louis sound firmly amongst other southern hip hop artists in the year 2000, such as Juvenile, Trina, Ludacris, OutKast, Three 6 Mafia and UGK. Country Grammar also introduced the world to Nelly's unique musical style of pop-rap and radio "singalongs" with a Missouri twang. It was supported by four successful singles: "Country Grammar ", "E.I.", "Ride wit Me" and "Batter Up". Its lead single, "Country Grammar ", peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart. Its second single "E.I." peaked at number 16 on the Hot 100, number 12 on the UK Singles Chart and number 11 on the ARIA Singles Chart. "Ride wit Me" peaked within the top five on the Hot 100, ARIA Singles Chart, Irish Singles Chart and UK Singles Chart. The album's fourth and final single, "Batter Up" featuring St. Lunatics members Murphy Lee and Ali, achieved moderate chart success.

<i>Willennium</i> 1999 studio album by Will Smith

Willennium is the second studio album by American rapper Will Smith. Recorded with a range of producers, including Poke & Tone and frequent collaborator DJ Jazzy Jeff, it was released on November 16, 1999, by Columbia Records. The album reached number 5 on the US Billboard 200 and was certified multi-platinum by the RIAA, making this Smith's second top ten album and second multi-platinum album following Big Willie Style in 1997. The album also reached the top ten on the UK Albums Chart, and was certified multi-platinum in that region and in other regions. "Wild Wild West", "Will 2K" and "Freakin' It" were released as singles.

<i>Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip</i> 1992 studio album by TLC

Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip is the debut studio album by American girl group TLC, released on February 25, 1992, by LaFace Records. The title of the album comes from the last line of Left Eye's rap on "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg".

<i>Urban Legend</i> (album) 2004 studio album by T.I.

Urban Legend is the third studio album by American rapper T.I., released on November 30, 2004, through Grand Hustle Records and Atlantic Records. The album debuted at number seven on the US Billboard 200, selling 193,000 copies in its first week of release. It also debuted atop the magazine's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Rap Albums charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Usher discography</span>

American singer Usher has released nine studio albums, ten compilation albums, eight extended plays, and 81 singles. His music has been released on the LaFace, Arista, Jive, RCA, and gamma record labels. Usher has sold more than 33 million albums in the United States alone and over 65 million albums worldwide. With over 150 million total records sold worldwide, he is one of the best selling music artists of all time. He has nine number-one singles and 18 Hot 100 top-ten singles on the US Billboard Hot 100. In 1994, Usher released his self-titled debut album in North America, which went onto sell 500,000 copies, and produced the singles "Can U Get wit It", "Think of You", and "The Many Ways". The former two peaked in the lower half of the UK and US charts. His follow-up 1997 album My Way sold over 8 million copies worldwide, becoming his breakthrough album. It is certified seven-times platinum in the US, and spawned three successful singles, including his first UK number-one song, "You Make Me Wanna...", and first US Hot 100 number-one song, "Nice & Slow". Usher's success continued in 2001, with his third studio album, 8701. It debuted at number four on the Billboard 200. The album produced two number-one singles, such as "U Remind Me" and "U Got It Bad". In 2002, the album was certified five-times platinum in the US for sales of 5 million copies. As of 2010, its worldwide sales stand at over 8 million.

<i>Danity Kane</i> (album) 2006 studio album by Danity Kane

Danity Kane is the debut album by American girl group Danity Kane. It was first released by Bad Boy and Atlantic Records on August 22, 2006 in the United States. After winning the third installment of the reality talent contest Making the Band in late 2005, Sean "Diddy" Combs and Bad Boy vice president Harve Pierre consulted a wide range of high-profile hip-hop and R&B musicians to work with the quintet, including Timbaland, Danja, Bryan Michael Cox, Rami, Ryan Leslie, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Scott Storch, and Jim Jonsin, as well as Bad Boy inhouse producers Mario Winans and D-Dot. Recorded mainly within five weeks, the making of the album was tracked by the second half of Making the Band 3's third season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay E</span> Musical artist

Jason Lee Epperson is an American record producer and DJ from St. Louis, Missouri. He first became known as the primary producer of hometown native Nelly's 2000 debut album Country Grammar, which received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Thereafter, he produced extensively for Nelly and his collaborators, and signed with his record label, Derrty Entertainment as in-house talent. He has since produced songs for other artists including Murphy Lee, St. Lunatics, Justin Timberlake, E-40, Cedric the Entertainer, Lil Wayne, Ron Isley, Three 6 Mafia, and Hilary Duff. Epperson's style is characterized by hip hop mixed with soul, R&B, and pop music. Billboard magazine, in its December 2000 issue, listed Epperson at number 16 on its "Top 100 Producers" list, as well as number 19 on its "Top 100 R&B/Hip Hop Producers of 2000" list. He has received a Grammy Award nomination.

<i>Album II</i> (Kem album) 2005 studio album by Kem

Album II is the second studio album American singer Kem. It was released by Motown Records on May 17, 2005, in the United States. The album debuted at number five on the US Billboard 200 with first-weeks sales of 140,000 copies, also topping the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. In 2014, it was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Album II spawned the single "I Can't Stop Loving You" which became a hit on adult contemporary R&B radio stations, reaching number 20 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

<i>So Far Gone</i> (EP) 2009 EP by Drake

So Far Gone is the debut extended play by Canadian rapper Drake. It was released on September 15, 2009 by Cash Money Records, Universal Motown Records and Young Money Entertainment. This is his reissued project from his third mixtape that was released earlier on February 13, 2009. This EP features five tracks from the mixtape, with the inclusions of two new songs. The EP features guest appearances from Trey Songz, Lil Wayne, Bun B and Young Jeezy. The EP was supported by three singles: "Best I Ever Had", "Successful" featuring Trey Songz and Lil Wayne, and "I'm Goin' In" featuring Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy. In April 2010, the EP won the Rap Recording of the Year at the 2010 Juno Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Gates</span> American rapper (born 1986)

Kevin Jerome Gilyard, better known by his stage name Kevin Gates, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and entrepreneur. He is currently signed to Bread Winners' Association with a partnership with Atlantic Records. His debut studio album, Islah, released in January 2016 and peaked at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart. Prior to Islah, Gates also released a number of mixtapes, including Stranger Than Fiction (2013), By Any Means (2014), and Luca Brasi 2 (2014), all of which peaked in the top 40 on the Billboard 200 chart.

<i>Free TC</i> 2015 studio album by Ty Dolla Sign

Free TC is the debut studio album by American singer Ty Dolla Sign. It was released on November 13, 2015, by Atlantic Records. As executive producers, Ty Dolla Sign and Wiz Khalifa enlisted a variety of collaborators; including DJ Mustard, DJ Spinz, Cardo, Johnny Juliano, Kendrick Lamar, Brandy, Rae Sremmurd, E-40, Future, and Kanye West, among others.

<i>Luca Brasi 2</i> 2014 mixtape by Kevin Gates

Luca Brasi 2 is the twelfth commercial mixtape by American rapper Kevin Gates. It was released on December 14, 2014, through his own independent record label Bread Winners' Association and Atlantic Records.

<i>Fetty Wap</i> (album) 2015 studio album by Fetty Wap

Fetty Wap is the debut studio album by American rapper Fetty Wap. It was released on September 25, 2015, by RGF Productions and 300 Entertainment. Both Monty and M80, who were members of the Remy Boyz, contributed as featured guest artists on the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Really Really (song)</span> 2015 single by Kevin Gates

"Really Really" is a song by American rapper Kevin Gates. It was released on October 9, 2015, as the second single from his debut studio album Islah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2 Phones</span> 2015 single by Kevin Gates

"2 Phones" is a song by American rapper Kevin Gates. It was released on November 5, 2015 as the third single from his debut studio album Islah. It peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Gates' first top 20 song and his highest-charting single to date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cut It</span> 2015 single by O.T. Genasis featuring Young Dolph

"Cut It" is a song by American rapper O.T. Genasis featuring fellow American rapper Young Dolph. Produced by ITrezBeats, the song was released on September 25, 2015 by Conglomerate and Atlantic Records, as a single from O.T.'s mixtape Rhythm & Bricks. The song was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) November 17, 2016, for selling over 2,000,000 digital copies in the United States.

<i>Stoney</i> (album) 2016 album by Post Malone

Stoney is the debut studio album by the American singer Post Malone. It was released by Republic Records on December 9, 2016. After rising to prominence with his debut single "White Iverson" in 2015, Malone signed to Republic and began working on his debut album. Following the success of "White Iverson", he was accused of appropriating African-American culture and had been called a "culture vulture" by people online. His debut mixtape, August 26th, was released in May 2016. It was titled after the original planned release date for Stoney, though it was subsequently delayed. He had a goal to create a unique sound in hip-hop, as he found much of the music in the genre was "hackneyed" and "trite". He incorporated his guitar-playing and influences from rock music to make a "really fresh" sound.

<i>Harder Than Ever</i> 2018 album by Lil Baby

Harder Than Ever is the debut studio album by American rapper Lil Baby. It was released on May 18, 2018 by 4 Pockets Full, Wolfpack Music Group, Quality Control Music, Motown and Capitol Records. The album features guest appearances from Starlito, Drake, Moneybagg Yo, Gunna, Young Thug, Offset, Lil Uzi Vert, and Hoodrich Pablo Juan. It also features production from Southside, Wheezy, Tay Keith, Quay Global and Turbo, among others.

<i>Luca Brasi 3</i> 2018 mixtape by Kevin Gates

Luca Brasi 3 is the sixteenth mixtape by American hip hop recording artist Kevin Gates. It was released on September 28, 2018, via Bread Winners Association and Atlantic Records.

<i>Im Him</i> 2019 studio album by Kevin Gates

I'm Him is the second studio album by American rapper Kevin Gates. It was released on September 27, 2019, via Atlantic Records and Bread Winners' Association.

References

  1. ↑ "Kevin Gates Drops 'Time for That' Video, Reveals 'Islah' Album Is Certified Platinum - XXL". Xxlmag.com. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
  2. ↑ Baker, Soren (November 6, 2015). "Kevin Gates "Islah" Updated Release Date & Cover Art". HipHopDX. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  3. ↑ "'Islah' - Kevin Gates". iTunes. Archived from the original on November 23, 2015. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  4. 1 2 Caulfield, Keith (February 7, 2016). "Rihanna's 'Anti' Rules at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart". Billboard . Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  5. 1 2 "American album certifications – Kevin Gates – Islah". Recording Industry Association of America". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  6. ↑ Staff, BrooklynVegan. "Kevin Gates details new album 'Islah,' announces tour (dates)". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  7. ↑ "INTERVIEW: Kevin Gates on 'Islah' | Everything You Need to Know | iHeartRadio". Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2016-12-11.
  8. 1 2 "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". RIAA. Retrieved 2016-05-10.
  9. ↑ "Kevin Gates Drops 'Time for That' Video, Reveals 'Islah' Album Is Certified Platinum - XXL". Xxlmag.com. Retrieved 2019-10-16.
  10. ↑ "Islah by Kevin Gates reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved October 20, 2019.
  11. 1 2 "Reviews for Islah by Kevin Gates". Metacritic . Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  12. ↑ Jeffries, David. "Islah – Kevin Gates". AllMusic . Retrieved February 5, 2016.
  13. ↑ Spearman, Kahron (March 18, 2016). "Kevin Gates: Islah (Atlantic)". The Austin Chronicle . Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  14. ↑ Madden, Michael (January 26, 2016). "Kevin Gates – Islah". Consequence of Sound . Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  15. ↑ Ketchum, William III (February 3, 2016). "Kevin Gates – Islah". HipHopDX . Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  16. ↑ Greene, Jayson (February 4, 2016). "Kevin Gates: Islah". Pitchfork . Retrieved February 4, 2016.
  17. ↑ Weingarten, Christopher R. (February 5, 2016). "Islah". Rolling Stone . Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  18. ↑ Pagnani, Renato (January 25, 2016). "Review: Kevin Gates Needs No Assists to Fuse His Yin and Yang on 'Islah'". Spin . Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  19. ↑ Russell, Brooklyn. "Kevin Gates – Islah". Tiny Mix Tapes . Retrieved May 28, 2019.
  20. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (May 20, 2016). "Baton Rouge, Big Beats, and Beyoncé Expert Witness with Robert Christgau". Vice . Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Charts Don't Lie: February 17". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2016-05-10.
  22. ↑ "Charts Don't Lie: February 24". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2016-05-10.
  23. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-09-30. Retrieved 2016-07-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  24. ↑ "Decade-End Charts: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  25. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Jam - Single by Kevin Gates". Itunes.apple.com. 2015-01-29. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  26. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Excuse Me - Single by Kevin Gates". Itunes.apple.com. 2015-01-29. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  27. ↑ "Kevin Gates Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  28. ↑ "Kevin Gates Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  29. ↑ "Kevin Gates Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  30. ↑ "Kevin Gates Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  31. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums - Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  32. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  33. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  34. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved June 28, 2020.
  35. ↑ "Decade-End Charts: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  36. ↑ "Decade-End Charts: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.