New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 30, 2010 | |||
Studio | Electric Lady, New York | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 50:35 | |||
Label | Universal Motown | |||
Producer |
| |||
Erykah Badu chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) | ||||
|
New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) is the fifth studio album by American recording artist Erykah Badu, first released on March 30, 2010, through Universal Motown. Collaborating with several hip hop producers over the Internet, Badu conceived 75 songs set to be split over three albums with New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) (2008) being the first. The album was recorded primarily at Electric Lady Studios in New York City.
Contrasting its socially themed and complex predecessor, New Amerykah Part Two contains a prominently groove-based, analog sound. The album incorporates sampling and live instrumentation, while its more personal lyrics focus on themes of romance and relationships. The production for the album was handled by several of Badu's previous collaborators, including J Dilla, Questlove, James Poyser, Madlib, 9th Wonder, Sa-Ra, Georgia Anne Muldrow, and Karriem Riggins, along with appearances from Lil Wayne, Bilal, and harpist Kirsten Agresta.
New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) received widespread critical acclaim from critics, who commended its soulful sound and loose structure, and viewed it as more accessible than that of its predecessor. The album was ranked as one of the best albums of 2010 and the decade by several publications. It debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 110,000 copies in its first week. As of 2011, it has sold around 300,000 copies in United States. The album produced three singles, "Window Seat", "Turn Me Away (Get MuNNY)", and "Gone Baby, Don't Be Long".
In 2004, Badu received her first computer as a Christmas gift from drummer and producer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, and began communicating with and receiving music from him and other producers such as Q-Tip and J Dilla. [1] Beginning in 2005, [2] Badu worked from her home in Dallas and used the software application GarageBand as a digital audio workstation, [3] which she was introduced to by her son, [1] Seven. He taught her how to use her laptop as a mini recording studio, [4] and she used it to construct various backing tracks for songs. [5] Using GarageBand, she recorded demos of her vocals by singing into the computer's microphone. [3] [6]
She composed more than 75 songs within the year and intended on splitting them among her planned series of New Amerykah albums. [1] She said of her productivity with her laptop, "I could be here, in my own space, with headphones on, and the kids could be doing what they doing, and I’m cooking dinner still, I’m making juices still, and it’s so easy just to sing. You got an idea — boom! Idea, boom!" [1] Badu's iChat contacts, [2] including hip hop producers Questlove, [7] Madlib, 9th Wonder, and J Dilla, instant messaged her to get back into the studio and sent her tracks. [4] Such exchanges inspired a creative spark for Badu, which she explained in an interview for the Dallas Observer , "I started to accept that maybe it's OK for me to put out music, and it doesn't have to be something dynamic or world-changing. But just as I was accepting that, here comes this burst of light and energy and creativity. And that's the process, I guess, of life—the detachment and the release of something gives you even more room to grow or be creative." [7]
A portion of the album was recorded at New York City's Electric Lady Studios. [8] She told Rolling Stone that she recorded her vocals for the song "Window Seat" in her shower, stating "I wanted to sound like I was in a tunnel. I got my laptop and closed the door." [9] In an interview for Billboard , Badu explained that "we used a lot of analog instruments—harps, strings, drums, piano, and even a Theremin—to give the album that sonic feel. There's a strong undercurrent of bottom, a rumbling to these songs that feels good to me. It feels like a hug." [10]
In contrast to its predecessor New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) (2008), which was digitally produced and political in tone, New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) incorporates sampling and live instrumentation, while its more personal lyrics focus on themes of romance and relationships. [10] [11] "Return of the Ankh" was seen as a departure from the experimental work of New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) and a return to the musical style of Badu's earlier catalogue, particularly the jazz elements of Badu's debut, Baduizm (1997). [12] The album's style and production is characterized as being down-tempo, built around soul and jazz. [12] Badu has described its sound as "very analog". [13] According to Exclaim! critic Ryan B. Patrick, New Amerykah Part Two featured a "progressive fusion of 'Neo Soul' Badu with 'Seasoned and Savvy' Badu together at last". [14] " "Window Seat" was compared to the Badu's early work particularly "On & On" and "Otherside of the Game" from her debut album, "Window Seat" contains stomp-and-clap breakdowns built under halting lyrics. [11]
According to Badu, the album's closing track, "Out My Mind, Just in Time", is a three-movement song: "The first movement is called 'Recovering Undercover Over-lover.' It actually sums up the whole album, because I'm talking about love and emotion – 'I need you to do this,' 'I want you to do this,' 'You make me feel like this,' 'Why don't you feel like this?' It's typical of how you feel in relationships. The second movement is called ... 'Easier Said Than Done,' and it's about how hard it is to change after you've been in a relationship for so long. And then the third movement is called 'But Not This Time,' because even though I've done things a certain way for so long, I won't do that this time". [15] Andy Kellman of AllMusic described the song as being innocently as a piano ballad, before changing into a "psychedelic, slow-motion soul-jazz" song that sees Badu becoming "increasingly fragmentary and tripped-out" before being "renewed." [11]
The internet-only promotional single "Jump Up in the Air (Stay There)", featuring Lil Wayne and Bilal, was released on Badu's official website in January 2010. RC Williams, Badu's musical director, said that a music video for the track was shot in Dallas. [16] A censored "clean" version of the video was released on February 12, 2010 on Badu's official website. [17] It has been made available as a free, legal download by Giant Step, the marketing and promotion company for the album. [18]
The album's first official single, "Window Seat", was released by Badu through a downloadable link on her Twitter page. [19] The song peaked at number 16 on Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. [20] The video for "Window Seat" was directed by Coodie Rock and premiered on Erykah's official site on March 27, 2010 at 3:33 AM EDT. In the video, Badu is seen walking the streets of Dallas near Dealey Plaza, slowly stripping to the nude, before being shot by an unseen assassin. [21]
The album's second single, "Turn Me Away (Get MuNNY)", was released March 24, 2010 by Badu as a free download online. [22] [23] It spent three weeks on the R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, peaking at number 87. [20] On Wednesday, February 9, 2011, vimeo.com released a new video for "Gone Baby, Don't Be Long" directed by Flying Lotus. The video was tweeted by Badu herself and friend and associated music act Questlove. [24]
The album was released March 30, 2010 on Universal Motown in the United States, [25] and two weeks later in Japan on April 14, 2010. [26] New Amerykah Part Two's cover art, titled "Out My Mind Just in Time", [27] shares the name of the album's closing track and was designed by visual artist Emek, who had also designed the artwork for New Amerykah Part One . [28] He explained on his website that he used song lyrics from the album as inspiration. [28] In an interview with Billboard , she explained the album's title, stating:
I called it 'Part II: The Return of the Ankh' because this album is the sister of the left side of my brain – it is the right side.'Part I was the left side of my thoughts – it was more socially political and my thought process was more analytical. This time there wasn't anything to be concerned with – the album is more emotional and flowy and talks about feelings. It reminds of the days of 'Baduizm' – this is just about beats and rhymes in a cipher. [10]
— Erykah Badu
In promotion of the album, Erykah Badu hosted a series of listening sessions for press and VIPs at Chung King Studios in New York City on December 9 and December 10, 2009. [29] During March 2010, Badu promoted the album through television performances on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon , The Wendy Williams Show , Chelsea Lately , Jimmy Kimmel Live! , and Good Day New York . [30] She also appeared on the April issue cover of EQ magazine and was featured in the April issues of Nylon and Playboy , while she is also scheduled to appear in upcoming issues of several publications, including Rolling Stone , Entertainment Weekly , Time Out New York , Spin , Vibe , Paste , and People , among many other publications. [30] Badu performed at a surprise midnight show on March 31, 2010 at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles. [21]
The album's international supporting tour, "Out My Mind, Just in Time Tour", began its North American-leg on May 28, 2010, starting at the DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C. and ended June 24, 2010 at the Pearl Concert Theater in Las Vegas, Nevada. [31] Its European-leg began July 9, 2010 at Sweden's Hultsfred Festival and ended July 24 at Brixton Academy in London, England. [32] Badu was supported on the tour by N.E.R.D., Bilal, Janelle Monáe and The Roots-drummer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson. [33] She also performed at the Lollapalooza festival and Lilith Fair during the 2010 summer, along with special guest appearances at Maxwell's concerts at Philips Arena in Atlanta, Georgia on June 11 and at Madison Square Garden in New York City on June 26, 2010. [33]
The album debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 110,000 copies in its first week. [34] It also entered at number two on Billboard 's R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. [34] In its second week, the album fell to number nine on the Billboard 200, selling an additional 30,000 copies. [35] The album fell to number 20 and sold 19,000 copies in its third week. [36] As of 2011 it has sold around 300,000 copies in United States according to Nielsen SoundScan. [37] In the United Kingdom, New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) debuted at number 56 on the UK Albums Chart and at number nine on the R&B Albums Chart. [38] [39] [40] New Amerykah Part Two achieved moderate chart success in international markets, peaking within the top-50 in several countries, including Norway, Poland, Switzerland, Sweden, and Denmark. [38]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 7.4/10 [41] |
Metacritic | 83/100 [42] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [11] |
The A.V. Club | A− [43] |
Entertainment Weekly | A− [44] |
The Guardian | [45] |
The Independent | [46] |
NME | 8/10 [47] |
Pitchfork | 8.0/10 [48] |
Rolling Stone | [49] |
Spin | 8/10 [50] |
USA Today | [51] |
New Amerykah Part Two 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 83, based on 25 reviews. [42] Most critics found its loose, soulful music inventive and more accessible than its predecessor. [52] AllMusic editor Andy Kellman said "the album is so rich with sample-reliant songs that it sometimes resembles a glorified mixtape". [11] The A.V. Club 's Michaelangelo Matos found the record "smoother than anything since her 1997 debut, Baduizm ". [43] Eric Henderson from Slant Magazine praised the record's "freeform" style and compared Badu's songwriting approach to that of Marvin Gaye, who "would usually feel out his melodies first and then come up with lyrics to fit into those lines. The result for both Gaye and Badu is R&B impressionism". [53] Pitchfork 's Mike Powell called the album "a coherent expression of a big, scattered personality" and praised Badu's expressive performance, writing that "her ability to toe the line between sounding effortless and sounding tossed-off is remarkable". [48] In The Guardian , Alexis Petridis argued that repeated listens revealed a number of gratifying eccentric musical and lyrical details. [45]
Some critics, however, found Badu's songwriting overly vague and deemed New Amerykah Part Two less adventurous than its predecessor. [52] Kellman said it was "more personal than planetary, less challenging sonically and lyrically". [11] In The New York Times , Jon Pareles felt the music's "atmosphere easily upstages the words", [54] while Rolling Stone magazine's Jody Rosen found its "hazy texture" and songwriting sketchy. [49] Kitty Empire from The Observer wrote that it "turns its skewed sights on love in both soppy and calculating fashion". [55] Robert Christgau gave it an "honorable mention" in his consumer guide for MSN Music , citing "Turn Me Away (Get Munny)" and "Gone Baby, Don't Be Long" as highlights and writing "love may be a groove, but that doesn't make a groove a love song". [56]
At the end of 2010, New Amerykah Part Two was named one of the year's best albums in a number of critics' lists, including Pitchfork, who ranked it 18th, [57] and later named it one of "The 100 Best Albums of the Decade So Far" in August 2014. [58] In the annual Pazz & Jop critics poll, it was voted 23rd best. [59]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "20 Feet Tall" | Erykah Badu, Patrick Douthit, Douglas Wimbish | Badu, 9th Wonder, James Poyser | 3:25 |
2. | "Window Seat" | Badu, Poyser | Badu, Poyser | 4:50 |
3. | "Agitation" | Badu, Shafiq Husayn, David Sancious | Badu, Husayn | 1:33 |
4. | "Turn Me Away (Get MuNNY)" | Badu, Roy Ayers, Sylvia Striplin, James Bedford, Jr. | Badu | 5:26 |
5. | "Gone Baby, Don't Be Long" | Badu, Husayn, Terrell "Ta'Raach" McMathis, Paul McCartney | Ta'Raach, Badu | 4:39 |
6. | "Umm Hmm" | Badu, Otis Jackson, Jr., Leon "Ndugu" Chancler | Madlib, Badu | 3:45 |
7. | "Love" | Badu, James Yancey, Ira Raibon | J Dilla, Badu, Mike Chav | 6:02 |
8. | "You Loving Me (Session)" | Badu, Waldo Benzworth, Jonathan Cantero, R.C. Williams | Badu | 1:04 |
9. | "Fall in Love (Your Funeral)" | Badu, Karriem Riggins, Garry Glenn, Eddie Kendricks | Riggins | 6:06 |
10. | "Incense" (featuring Kirsten Agresta) | Badu, Jackson, Jr. | Madlib | 3:27 |
11. | "Out My Mind, Just in Time" | Badu, Georgia Anne Muldrow, Poyser | Badu, Muldrow | 10:21 |
Total length: | 50:35 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
12. | "Jump Up in the Air (Stay There)" (featuring Lil Wayne and Bilal) | Badu, Dwayne Carter, Jr., Bilal Oliver | Badu, R.C. Williams, Jahborn | 4:25 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
12. | "Telephone" (Remix) | Badu, Poyser, Ahmir Thompson | Badu, Poyser, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson | 10:22 |
Total length: | 60:58 |
Credits for New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) adapted from liner notes. [61]
# | Title | Notes |
---|---|---|
New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) | Recording engineers: Mike "Chav" Chavaria (tracks 3–6, 9–11), Chris Bell (2, 5, 8), Tom Soares (2), Shafiq Husayn (3), Brian Vibberts/Buck Snow (band on 4), Erykah Badu (7) | |
1 | "20 Feet Tall" | Produced by Erykah Badu, 9th Wonder (original track), James Poyser ("acoustic interpolation") |
2 | "Window Seat" | Produced by Erykah Badu and James Poyser |
3 | "Agitation" | Produced by Erykah Badu and Shafiq Husayn of Sa-Ra Creative Partners |
4 | "Turn Me Away (Get MuNNY)" | Produced by Erykah Badu |
5 | "Gone Baby, Don't Be Long" | Produced by Ta'Raach and Erykah Badu |
6 | "Umm Hmm" | Produced by Madlib and Erykah Badu |
7 | "Love" | Produced by J Dilla, Erykah Badu and Mike Chavaria |
8 | "You Loving Me (Session)" | Produced by Erykah Badu |
9 | "Fall in Love (Your Funeral)" | Produced by Karriem Riggins |
10 | "Incense" | Produced by Madlib |
11 | "Out My Mind, Just in Time" | Part 1: Produced by Erykah Badu |
* | "Jump Up in the Air (Stay There)" | Produced by Erykah Badu, RC Williams and Jahborn |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Erica Abi Wright, known professionally as Erykah Badu, is an American singer and songwriter. Influenced by R&B, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut album Baduizm (1997), placed her at the forefront of the neo soul movement, earning her the nickname "Queen of Neo Soul" by music critics.
Baduizm is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Erykah Badu. It was released on February 11, 1997, by Kedar Records and Universal Records. After leaving university in order to concentrate on music full-time, Badu then began touring with her cousin, Robert "Free" Bradford, and recorded a 19-song demo, Country Cousins, which attracted the attention of Kedar Massenburg. He set Badu up to record a duet with D'Angelo, "Your Precious Love," and eventually signed her to a record deal with Universal. Recording sessions for the album took place from January to October 1996 in New York City, Philadelphia, and Dallas.
Neo soul is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from soul and contemporary R&B. Heavily based in soul music, neo soul is distinguished by a less conventional sound than its contemporary R&B counterpart, with incorporated elements ranging from funk, jazz fusion, hip hop, and African music to pop, rock, and electronic music. It has been noted by music writers for its traditional R&B influences, conscious-driven lyrics, and strong female presence.
Live is a live concert album by American singer Erykah Badu, released in 1997. Released in the fall of 1997, with her debut album Baduizm released earlier that year, Live quickly went double platinum with the radio hit "Tyrone".
Mama's Gun is the second studio album by American singer Erykah Badu. It was recorded between 1999 and 2000 at Electric Lady Studios in New York and released on November 21, 2000, by Motown Records. A neo soul album, Mama's Gun incorporates elements of funk, soul, and jazz styles. It has confessional lyrics by Badu, which cover themes of insecurity, personal relationships, and social issues. The album has been viewed by critics as a female companion to neo soul artist D'Angelo's second album Voodoo (2000), which features a similar musical style and direction. Critics have also noted that while Badu's first album Baduizm contained its share of cryptic lyricism, Mama's Gun is much more direct in its approach, and places the artist in a subjective position more than its predecessor.
Worldwide Underground is the third studio album by American singer Erykah Badu, released September 16, 2003, by Motown Records. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2003, following Badu's period of writer's block, and her performances during the Frustrated Artist Tour. Production was handled primarily by the production group Freakquency , consisting of Badu, Rashad Smith, James Poyser, and RC Williams. Prominently influenced by old-school 1970s and 80s hip hop, soul, R&B and funk elements, the album features an unconventional musical structure; the songwriting took a path of somewhat less subliminal, metaphorical lyrics than Badu’s previous work, expressing more lighthearted feelings, instead. The album’s content mainly focused on the general state of hip hop culture, reminiscing on good times, friends, partying, young love, “hood life”, and some references to gang culture. The album features appearances from artists Dead Prez, Common, Queen Latifah, Bahamadia, and singer Angie Stone.
Things Fall Apart is the fourth studio album by American hip hop band the Roots, released on February 23, 1999, by MCA Records. Recording sessions for the album took place at Electric Lady during 1997 to 1998, coinciding with recording for other projects of the Soulquarians collective, including D'Angelo's Voodoo (2000), Erykah Badu's Mama's Gun (2000), and Common's Like Water for Chocolate (2000). According to Spin magazine, the album became a landmark moment for the Roots and the collective, as it "swelled the Roots clique into a movement-style posse".
Guru's Jazzmatazz: Streetsoul is the third solo studio album by American hip hop musician Guru. It was released on October 3, 2000, via Virgin Records as the third installment of Guru's Jazzmatazz album series. Production was handled by Gang Starr, The Neptunes, Agallah, DJ Scratch, Erykah Badu, J Dilla, The Roots and Victor Flowers.
A Rose Is Still a Rose is the thirty-fourth studio album by American recording artist Aretha Franklin. It was released on March 24, 1998, by Arista Records. Conceived after a longer hiatus and a complete departure from her previous studio album What You See Is What You Sweat (1991), the album includes influences of 1990s hip hop as well as modern-day contemporary R&B and soul music. Throughout the project, Franklin worked with many famed hip hop producers and rappers, such as Lauryn Hill, Sean "Puffy" Combs, Jermaine Dupri, and Daryl Simmons. With the latter acts producing most of the album, A Rose Is Still a Rose deviated from the adult contemporary sound of Franklin's older work.
"Window Seat" is a song by Erykah Badu. It is the lead single from her album New Amerykah Part Two (2010). It was produced by Badu and James Poyser. The song is low-tempo ballad with lyrics that concern escapism and longing for a lover. The music video for "Window Seat" features Badu walking the streets around Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas, slowly stripping to the nude, before being shot by an unseen assassin. Badu's public nudity, guerrilla filming, and the video's allusions to the assassination of John F. Kennedy were met with controversy among fans and critics.
"The Light" is the Grammy-nominated second single from Common's 2000 album Like Water for Chocolate. It was produced by Jay Dee and features keyboards performed by James Poyser. It samples "Open Your Eyes" as performed by Bobby Caldwell and the drums from "You're Gettin' a Little Too Smart" by The Detroit Emeralds. Framed as a love letter, it is a confession of Common's love for a woman – specifically, his girlfriend at the time, Erykah Badu. Cynthia Fuchs of PopMatters describes it as a "charming, tender, and undeniably soulful declaration of affection and respect." The music video features Common, Erykah Badu and "recognizable sensual delights" including "a homemade Minnie Riperton cassette, a mango, a pink lava lamp [and] a deeply green water-beaded leaf."
American singer Erykah Badu has released five studio albums, one live album, one compilation album, one mixtape, 31 singles, three promotional singles and 20 music videos. Badu's career began after opening a show for D'Angelo in 1994 in her hometown; record label executive Kedar Massenburg was highly impressed with her performance and signed her to Kedar Records. Her debut album, Baduizm, was released on February 11, 1997. It spawned three singles: "On & On", "Next Lifetime", and "Otherside of the Game". The album was certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Badu's first live album, Live, was released on November 18, 1997, and was certified double Platinum by the RIAA.
New Amerykah Part One is the fourth studio album by American R&B singer Erykah Badu. It was released on February 26, 2008, by Universal Motown following Badu's hiatus from recording music due to writer's block. In returning from the hiatus, she received music from several hip hop producers over the Internet and recorded demos of her vocals using the GarageBand software on her laptop. Most of the album was then recorded at Electric Lady Studios in New York City.
"Honey" is a song recorded by American singer Erykah Badu for her fourth studio album New Amerykah Part One (2008). It was produced by 9th Wonder, and contains a sample from Nancy Wilson's 1978 song "I'm in Love". The song was released as the lead single from New Amerykah Part One on November 20, 2007, by Universal Motown Records.
The Out My Mind, Just in Time Tour was a concert tour by American R&B/soul singer, Erykah Badu, in support of her album, New Amerykah Part Two . Before the initial kick off of the tour in May, Badu performed concerts in the following cities, on February 19, in Oakland, March 30, Los Angeles and April 8, 2010, in Miami at the Waterfront Theatre.
The Jam Tour was a summer and fall concert tour in 2009 by American R&B singer Erykah Badu. The tour started on May 24 in Los Angeles, Badu played dates across North America twice and Europe, which ended in Dallas, Texas on October 16. During the North America second leg, Badu was featured as a special guest co-headliner on hip-hop artist Mos Def's Ecstatic Tour on select September dates.
"Turn Me Away (Get MuNNY)" is a song by R&B singer Erykah Badu, also the second single from her album New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh). It was produced by Badu and Karriem Riggins, and is a semi-remake of the song "You Can't Turn Me Away", by Sylvia Striplin. The song also contains lyrics from "Get Money", as performed by Junior Mafia and The Notorious B.I.G.
This discography of D'Angelo documents the release of studio albums, live recordings, compilation albums, and other songs.
"Otherside of the Game" is a song recorded by American singer Erykah Badu for her debut studio album Baduizm (1997). It was written by Badu, Questlove, James Poyser and Richard Nichols. The song effectively showcases Badu's debt to jazz aside from neo soul. It is a ballad with lyrics describing the story of a conflicted woman in a troubled relationship. She is expecting a baby with her husband, so she feels she must stand by him despite his apparently illegal activities. MCA Records released the song as the third single from Baduizm in Japan on September 22, 1997.
But You Caint Use My Phone is a mixtape by American singer Erykah Badu. It was released on November 27, 2015, by Motown and Control Freaq. Following the release of New Amerykah Part Two (2010), Badu embarked on a five-year hiatus, during which she traveled to Africa in an attempt to record new music, though this never surfaced. After receiving a remix of "Bag Lady" from producer Zach Witness, Badu contacted him in order to record with him. Shortly thereafter, the pair met again and went to Witness's home in Dallas, Texas, and worked in his bedroom studio, where they recorded the mixtape in 11 days. The mixtape features appearances from rapper ItsRoutine and André 3000.