Only For Dolphins | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | September 25, 2020 | |||
Genre | Alternative hip hop | |||
Length | 38:17 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
| |||
Action Bronson chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Only for Dolphins | ||||
|
Only for Dolphins is the fifth studio album by American rapper Action Bronson. It was released on September 25, 2020, through Loma Vista Recordings and Concord Records. Production was handled by multiple producers, including Bronson himself, The Alchemist, DJ Muggs, Harry Fraud and Daringer. The cover and interior art were hand-painted by Bronson. The album's title is a reference to a lyric from the song "Mt. Etna" from his previous album, White Bronco , where Bronson raps, "my next album's only for dolphins". [1]
The lead single of the album, "Latin Grammys", was released on July 30, 2020, alongside a music video that features Action Bronson's face superimposed over bodybuilder Magnús Ver Magnússon's in various scenes of the 1995 World's Strongest Man competition. [2] Various media outlets also compared the video's imagery to Bronson's publicized weight loss at the time. [3] [2] "Golden Eye" was released on September 9, with a music video for the single releasing later alongside the album. [4] [5] The third and final single, "Mongolia" was released on September 16. [6]
The album's release coincided with an array of merchandise and collaborations. On the day of the album's release, Bronson's online store offered stuffed dolphins and beach towels alongside physical copies of the album. [5] [7] [8] Morgenstern's Finest Ice Cream (who Bronson had previously collaborated with for his series Fuck, That's Delicious ) released several Only For Dolphins themed frozen desserts in promotion of the album. [9] On October 13, olive oil marketplace Grove and Vine released an Only For Dolphins themed olive oil. [10] [11] Action Bronson has also announced that he was personally bottling and releasing a fragrance named "Splash", based on the album's track of the same name. [12]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Pitchfork | 6.7/10 [13] |
Dean Van Nguyen of Pitchfork rated the album 6.7 out of 10, saying: "If nothing else, the album is a triumph of Bronson's omnivorous musical taste, starting with the self-produced opener 'Capoeira'—one of the best instrumentals he has ever spit over". [13]
Credits adapted from liner notes and Tidal. [14] [15]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Capoeira" (featuring Yung Mehico) |
| Action Bronson | 3:20 |
2. | "C12H16N2" |
| Harry Fraud | 2:38 |
3. | "Latin Grammys" |
| Tommy Mas | 2:49 |
4. | "Golden Eye" |
| Budgie | 2:47 |
5. | "Mongolia" (featuring Hologram and Meyhem Lauren) |
| Action Bronson | 2:52 |
6. | "Vega" |
|
| 2:45 |
7. | "Splash" |
| Samiyam | 1:59 |
8. | "Sergio" |
| The Alchemist | 3:09 |
9. | "Shredder" |
| Daringer | 2:00 |
10. | "Cliff Hanger" |
| Budgie | 2:20 |
11. | "Marcus Aurelius" |
| Daringer | 4:04 |
12. | "Hard Target" |
|
| 5:03 |
Total length: | 35:52 |
Chart (2020) | Peak position |
---|---|
Top Album Sales ( Billboard ) [16] | 53 |
De La Soul is an American hip hop group formed in 1988 in the village of Amityville on Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, eccentric lyrics, and contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres. Kelvin "Posdnuos" Mercer, David "Trugoy the Dove" Jolicoeur, and Vincent "Maseo" Mason formed the group in high school and caught the attention of producer Prince Paul with a demo tape of the song "Plug Tunin'".
Kieran Hebden, known as Four Tet, is an English electronic musician. He came to prominence as a member of the post-rock band Fridge before establishing himself as a solo artist with charting and critically acclaimed albums such as Rounds (2003), Everything Ecstatic (2005) and There Is Love in You (2010). In addition to his twelve studio albums as Four Tet, Hebden's work includes a number of improvisational works with jazz drummer Steve Reid and collaborations with Burial and Thom Yorke.
Alan Daniel Maman, professionally known as the Alchemist, is an American hip hop producer, DJ, and rapper. He began his music career in 1991 in the hip hop duo the Whooliganz under the moniker Mudfoot, along with now-actor Scott Caan. He has produced music since the 1990s.
"You Are the Sunshine of My Life" is a 1973 single released by Stevie Wonder. The song became Wonder's third number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and his first number-one on the Easy Listening chart. It won Wonder a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, and was nominated for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. This song was the second single released from the 1972 album entitled Talking Book, which stayed at number one on the R&B albums chart for three weeks.
Ariyan Arslani, professionally known as Action Bronson, is an American rapper, songwriter, chef, wrestler, and television presenter. Born and raised in Queens, New York, he released his debut mixtape Bon Appetit ..... Bitch!!!!! in January 2011 and independently released his debut album, Dr. Lecter, in March 2011. In August 2012, Arslani signed his first major-label deal with Warner Bros. Records, but was later moved to the Atlantic Records-distributed label Vice Records.
Chauncey Alexander Hollis Jr., known professionally as Hit-Boy, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter from Fontana, California. He first signed with fellow producer Polow da Don in 2007 as in-house production staff for his label Zone 4, and later signed with Kanye West's GOOD Music in 2011 to serve a similar role. He first gained major recognition for his work on Lil Wayne's 2011 single "Drop the World", which entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 18. The following year, he produced West and Jay-Z's 2011 single "Niggas in Paris", which peaked at number five on the chart and received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Loma Vista Recordings is a record label founded by Tom Whalley, former chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Records and Executive of A&R at Interscope Records. The label was initially a joint venture with Republic Records and is based in Beverly Hills and Brooklyn.
Odesza is an American electronic music duo originating from Bellingham, Washington. It consists of Harrison Mills and Clayton Knight, known individually as Catacombkid and BeachesBeaches. They formed in 2012, shortly before Mills and Knight graduated from Western Washington University.
Sylvan Esso is an American electronic pop duo from Durham, North Carolina which was formed in 2013. The band consists of singer Amelia Meath and producer Nick Sanborn. They made their debut with the single "Hey Mami" and released their eponymous debut album on Partisan Records on May 12, 2014. It reached No. 39 on the Billboard 200. They released their second album, What Now, with Loma Vista Recordings on April 28, 2017, which was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album.
The discography of Action Bronson, an American rapper from Flushing, Queens, New York, consists of seven studio albums, one collaborative album, three extended plays (EPs), four mixtapes and thirty-three singles.
"Baby Blue" is a song by American rapper Action Bronson with a guest appearance from fellow rapper Chance the Rapper. It was released on March 3, 2015 by Atlantic and Vice as the fourth and final single from his second album Mr. Wonderful (2015). It was co-written by both artists, along with Zane Lowe, who did a punch-up to the chorus, and Mark Ronson, who also produced the song. A breakup song, "Baby Blue" ends a three-part suite started by "City Boy Blues" and "A Light in the Addict" that is preluded by the album's interlude, "Thug Love Story 2017 The Musical".
Durk Derrick Banks, known professionally as Lil Durk, is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois. He first garnered a regional following with the release of his Signed to the Streets mixtape series (2013–2014), which led to his signing of a recording contract from Def Jam Recordings. The label released his debut studio album, Remember My Name (2015) and its follow up, Lil Durk 2X (2016) to moderate commercial reception before parting ways with the artist in 2018.
Summer Marjani Walker is an American R&B singer. She signed with the Atlanta-based record label Love Renaissance, an imprint of Interscope Records in late 2017. The following year, she released her debut commercial mixtape Last Day of Summer (2018), supported by its lead single, "Girls Need Love." The song became her first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 and spawned a remix featuring Canadian rapper Drake. Her debut studio album, Over It (2019) was met with critical and commercial success, peaking at number two on the Billboard 200 chart—briefly breaking the record for the biggest debut streaming week for a female R&B artist—and receiving double platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Omar Apolonio Velasco, known professionally as Omar Apollo, is an American singer and songwriter. After signing a record deal with Warner Records, his debut album, Ivory, was released in 2022 to positive reviews and earned him a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards. Apollo sings in both English and Spanish.
This article summarizes the events, album releases, and album release dates in hip hop music for the year 2020.
Time Served is the third studio album by American rapper Moneybagg Yo. It was released on January 10, 2020, through Roc Nation, Collective Music Group, Bread Gang Entertainment, N-Less Entertainment, and Interscope Records. The album features collaborations with Lil Baby, Blac Youngsta, Future, DaBaby, Summer Walker, Fredo Bang, and Megan Thee Stallion. The production on the album was handled by Tay Keith, 30 Roc, and DMacTooBangin, among others. The deluxe edition was released on May 15, 2020, featuring some additional guest appearances from Big Homiie G, Big30, and Rylo Rodriguez.
Kick I is the fourth studio album by Venezuelan electronic record producer Arca. Recorded between Barcelona and London, the album was released on 26 June 2020 through XL Recordings. Kick I was presented with four singles: "Nonbinary", "Time", "Mequetrefe", and "KLK" featuring Rosalía. It also includes collaborations with Björk, Shygirl, and Sophie. The album was nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, as well as for Best Alternative Music Album at the 22nd Annual Latin Grammy Awards.
"Deep Reverence" is a song by American rapper Big Sean featuring American rapper Nipsey Hussle. It was released on August 25, 2020, as the lead single from Sean's fifth studio album Detroit 2 (2020). Produced by Hit-Boy and G. Ry, the song finds Sean and Nipsey rapping about their pressures and struggles in life, and working hard to earn respect. The song received a nomination for Best Rap Performance at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards.
Amelia Randall Meath is an American musician, songwriter, producer, and dancer who is a member of the musical groups Sylvan Esso and Mountain Man. She is based in Durham, North Carolina.
Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides Non-Stop Remix Album is the only remix album by Scottish recording artist and producer Sophie. It was the final full-length album released during the artist's lifetime. It features alternative versions and remixes of songs from Sophie's debut studio album Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides as well as new songs, presented as a non-stop DJ mix.