Key to the Kuffs | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | August 20, 2012 | |||
Recorded | 2010–2012 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 42:00 | |||
Label | Lex Records | |||
Producer | Jneiro Jarel | |||
Jneiro Jarel chronology | ||||
| ||||
MF Doom chronology | ||||
|
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 74/100 [1] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
The A.V. Club | B+ [3] |
Consequence of Sound | C− [4] |
Drowned in Sound | 6/10 [5] |
Fact | 3.5/5 [6] |
NME | [7] |
Pitchfork | 7.3/10 [8] |
Resident Advisor | 4.0/5 [9] |
Slant Magazine | [10] |
XLR8R | 7/10 [11] |
Key to the Kuffs is a collaborative album by alternative hip hop artists Jneiro Jarel and MF Doom under the moniker JJ Doom. It was released on Lex Records on August 20,2012. [12]
Jneiro Jarel produced the music in his studio in New Orleans. Although he and Doom met several times during the recording the bulk of the work was carried out in their respective studios. [13] [ page needed ] MF Doom recorded the vocals for the album in London between December 2010 and April 2012. [14] [ page needed ]
The album includes guest vocals by Damon Albarn of Blur and Gorillaz,Beth Gibbons of Portishead,Khujo of Goodie Mob and Dungeon Family,and Boston Fielder. [15]
Two alternative versions of tracks from the album were released prior to the album. The tracks were the Doom/Thom Yorke/Jonny Greenwood version of "Retarded Fren" [16] and the Dave Sitek remix of "Rhymin' Slang." [17]
At Metacritic,which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics,Key to the Kuffs received an average score of 74% based on 26 reviews,indicating "generally favorable reviews". [1]
The Guardian described Key to the Kuffs as a "killer new album with a spectral guest vocal by Beth Gibbons from Portishead." [18] Spin listed a lyric in "Banished" as one of the best rap lines of 2012. [19] Thom Yorke of Radiohead listed "Guv'nor" as his "single of 2012." [20]
In 2017 Pitchfork wrote that "Key to the Kuffs has aged into excellence in the nearly five years since it first came out." [21]
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. [22]
All tracks are written by D.Dumile and O.Gilyard except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Waterlogged" | 1:51 | |
2. | "Guv'nor" | 3:04 | |
3. | "Banished" | 3:09 | |
4. | "Bite the Thong" (featuring Damon Albarn) |
| 3:54 |
5. | "Rhymin' Slang" | 2:20 | |
6. | "Dawg Friendly" | 2:38 | |
7. | "Borin Convo" | 2:20 | |
8. | "Snatch That Dough" | 0:46 | |
9. | "GMO" (featuring Beth Gibbons) |
| 4:22 |
10. | "Bout the Shoes" (featuring Boston Fielder) |
| 2:34 |
11. | "Winter Blues" | 4:11 | |
12. | "Still Kaps" (featuring Khujo) |
| 1:28 |
13. | "Retarded Fren" | 3:38 | |
14. | "Viberian Sun Pt. II" |
| 3:12 |
15. | "Wash Your Hands" | 2:41 | |
Total length: | 41:59 |
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. [22]
Production
Additional performers
Additional personnel
Artwork
Chart | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard 200 [23] | 148 |
US Heatseekers Albums [24] | 3 |
US Independent Albums [25] | 24 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums [26] | 25 |
US Tastemaker Albums [27] | 17 |
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Daniel Dumile, also known by his stage name MF Doom or simply Doom, was a British-American rapper and record producer. Noted for his intricate wordplay, signature metal mask, and "supervillain" stage persona, Dumile became a major figure of underground hip hop and alternative hip hop in the 2000s. After his death, Variety described him as one of the scene's "most celebrated, unpredictable and enigmatic figures".
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Omar Jarel Gilyard, known by his stage name Jneiro Jarel, is an American recording artist, music producer, composer and DJ. Recognized for his versatile, abstract, and often experimental style, he is also known for his beat-making alias Dr. Who Dat? and his groups Willie Isz, JJ Doom and Shape of Broad Minds. He has collaborated with artists such as Damon Albarn, Count Bass D, Massive Attack, TV on the Radio and Kimbra among others.
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