| Royalty | ||||
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| Released | February 23, 2018 | |||
| Recorded | 2016–2017 | |||
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| Length | 24:26 | |||
| Label | ||||
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| EarthGang chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Royalty | ||||
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Royalty is the fifth EP by American hip-hop duo EarthGang, and the third of the trilogy with Rags and Robots . It was released on February 16, 2018 by Spillage Village and distributed by Empire Distribution. [1] [2] The EP includes production by Childish Major, and guest appearances from Dreamville's singer Ari Lennox and Spillage Village's Mereba. [3]
EarthGang initially met J. Cole in 2014 while touring with Ab-Soul and was told by their manager that "Cole was feelin' them". Shortly after the release of their 2015 album Strays with Rabies and while touring with Bas in 2016, Dot and Venus began recording a "deconstructed album" which would form the three EP's, leading up to their major-label debut album, Mirrorland . [4]
On February 20, 2018, "Nothing was the Best" featuring Ari Lennox was released as they announced the release date of the EP. [5]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Exclaim! | 9/10 [6] |
| HipHopDX |   [7] |
| HotNewHipHop |  [8] |
Upon its release, Royalty received acclaim from critics. Yoh Phillips of DJBooth said "EarthGang's bar for lyricism has always been high, but it’s refreshing to hear more of their personal stories. On Rags and Robots , the duo began to open up to listeners, but on Royalty, they appear as their most transparent selves." [9] Riley Wallace of Exclaim! said "the thick Dirty South production lends to a cohesive project that plays out even better as a solid listen top to bottom than it does as individual tracks. At times it feels as though Chance the Rapper, young Outkast, UGK, and Organized Noise melded together in a melting pot, resulting in the jazzy, laid-back concoctions." [6] Richard Bryan of HotNewHipHop praised the project saying: "Musical experimentation and the technical prowess aside, the complete sense of intentionality and effortlessness exuded throughout is probably the most exciting thing about the EP," and "EarthGang is here to stay, and only time will tell how their styles will continue to evolve. Bring on Mirrorland." [8]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Cocktail" | EarthGang | 3:05 | |
| 2. | "Skit 1" |
| EarthGang | 1:09 |
| 3. | "Build" |
|
| 3:24 |
| 4. | "Nothing but the Best" (featuring Ari Lennox) |
| Childish Major | 4:17 |
| 5. | "Skit 2" |
| EarthGang | 0:58 |
| 6. | "Off the Lot" (featuring Mereba) |
| Like | 4:21 |
| 7. | "Lolsmh" |
| EarthGang | 6:06 |
| 8. | "Skit 3" |
|
| 0:58 |
| Total length: | 24:26 | |||
Dreamville Records is an American record label founded by American rapper J. Cole and his manager Ibrahim Hamad. The label is currently distributed through Interscope Records, a unit of Universal Music Group. The roster includes Bas, Ari Lennox, Cozz, Omen, Lute, JID, EarthGang, and Cole himself. Dreamville also houses American record producers Elite, Ron Gilmore, and Cedric Brown.
Abbas Hamad, known professionally as Bas, is a French-born Sudanese-American rapper. He signed with J. Cole's Dreamville Records, an imprint of Interscope Records to release his debut studio album, Last Winter (2014). It was met with positive critical reception and entered the Billboard 200, along with his second and third albums, Too High to Riot (2016) and Milky Way (2018). His fourth album, We Only Talk About Real Shit When We're Fucked Up (2023) was met with continued praise despite failing to chart.
EarthGang is an American hip hop duo from Atlanta, Georgia, composed of Olu and WowGr8. They are co-founders of the musical collective Spillage Village, with JID, Hollywood JB, JordxnBryant, 6lack, Mereba, and Benji.
Courtney Shanade Salter, known professionally as Ari Lennox, is an American R&B singer-songwriter from Washington, D.C. She signed with J. Cole's Dreamville Records, an imprint of Interscope Records as the former label's first female artist in 2015. She started gaining recognition after the release of her second extended play (EP) and major label debut, Pho (2016). That same year, she made an uncredited guest appearance on Cole's song "Change". Her debut studio album, Shea Butter Baby (2019), was met with critical praise and lukewarm commercial response.
Revenge of the Dreamers II is the second compilation album by American record label Dreamville Records and was released on December 8, 2015. The album includes contributions by Dreamville artists, J. Cole, Bas, Cozz, Omen, Lute, and Ari Lennox. Producers on this album include, J. Cole, Cedric Brown, K-Quick, Soundwave, Meez, Elite, Ron Gilmore Jr., DJ Grumble, and J Dilla.
Destin Choice Route, better known by his stage name JID, is an American rapper, and singer-songwriter. Born and raised in Atlanta, he signed with J. Cole's Dreamville Records, an imprint of Interscope Records in 2017. He formed the musical collective Spillage Village with EarthGang in 2010, and later formed the hip hop group Zoink Gang with Smino, Buddy, and Guapdad 4000. His fluent rapping style and usage of wordplay has been highly acclaimed by several music critics.
The Never Story is the debut studio album by American rapper JID. It was released on March 10, 2017, by Dreamville Records, Spillage Village and Interscope Records. The Never Story was supported by four official singles; "Never", "D/vision", "Hereditary" and "EdEddnEddy". The album received generally positive reviews from critics and debuted at number 197 on the US Billboard 200. J.I.D's lyrics details a narrative on his upbringing in East Atlanta.
Mirrorland is the major label debut studio album by American hip hop duo EarthGang, released on September 6, 2019 by Dreamville, Interscope, and Spillage Village. The album includes features from Young Thug, T-Pain, Kehlani, Arin Ray, and Malik. The production of the album was handled by a variety of producers including Olu, J. Cole, Elite, Ron Gilmore, Christo, Bink, DJ Dahi, Childish Major and Groove, among others.
Rags is the third EP by American hip-hop duo EarthGang, released August 31, 2017 by Spillage Village and distributed by Empire Distribution. Released after the announcement of their signing to Dreamville, it is the first installment in a trilogy of EPs, leading up to their debut album, Mirrorland.
Robots is the fourth EP by American hip-hop duo EarthGang, released October 20, 2017 by Spillage Village and distributed by Empire Distribution. Released as a sequel to their third EP Rags, it is the second instalment in a trilogy of EPs, leading up to their debut album, Mirrorland. The EP features production from Swish, Groove, Anonxmous, Insightful, and Johnny Venus. It features a guest appearance from SiR.
Milky Way is the third studio album by American rapper Bas. It was released on August 24, 2018, by Dreamville Records and Interscope Records. The album features guest appearances from J. Cole, Ari Lennox, ASAP Ferg and Correy C, with production handled by a variety of producers, including J. Cole, Ron Gilmore, Cedric Brown, Jay Kurzweil, Childish Major, Sango and Meez, among others.
Revenge of the Dreamers III is the third compilation album by American record label Dreamville, released on July 5, 2019, by Dreamville and Interscope Records.
Spillage Village is an American musical collective from Atlanta, Georgia. The group is composed of rappers, singers and producers, and was founded by the members of EarthGang. Spillage Village was primarily made up of five initial members with a split-base in both Atlanta and Baltimore.
Shea Butter Baby is the debut studio album by American singer Ari Lennox. It was released on May 7, 2019, by Dreamville and Interscope Records. The album was executive produced by Dreamville producer Elite. In addition, the majority of the album was produced by Dreamville's in-house producers: J. Cole, Elite, Omen, Ron Gilmore, and Christo, among others.
American singer Ari Lennox has released two studio albums, four extended plays (EPs), one mixtape, and 11 singles. She released her debut studio album titled Shea Butter Baby in May 2019. Then she released her sophomore album Age/Sex/Location in September 2022. Both studio albums were produced through Dreamville Records and Interscope Records.
"Sacrifices" is a song released by record label Dreamville, performed by American rappers EarthGang and J. Cole featuring fellow American rappers Smino and Saba. The song was released as the final track on the label's compilation album, Revenge of the Dreamers III.
Markus Alandrus Randle known professionally as Childish Major, is an American rapper and record producer based in Atlanta, Georgia. He was first credited with production work on American rapper Rocko's 2013 single, "U.O.E.N.O.", which peaked at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100. He shifted into a recording career in 2015, and released his debut mixtape, Woo$ah (2017), two years later. Its lead single, "Supply Luh", was produced by J. Cole and appeared in an episode of the HBO series, Insecure. In September 2019, he released his debut studio album, Dirt Road Diamond.
Spilligion is the major label debut album by American hip hop collective Spillage Village, headed by JID and EarthGang, released on September 25, 2020 by Dreamville, Interscope, and SinceThe80s. The collective consists of EarthGang, JID, Hollywood JB, Jurdan Bryant, Mereba, 6lack, and Benji. The album features guest appearances from Ant Clemons, Ari Lennox, Buddy, Chance the Rapper, Masego, Lucky Daye, and Big Rube. The production was primarily handled by in-house producers Olu, Benji, Christo, and Hollywood JB, with outside producers Nice Rec, Jay Card, Monte Booker, and Elite, among others.
Shea Butter Baby is a remix extended play by American singer Ari Lennox. It was released on March 27, 2020, by Dreamville and Interscope Records. The album was executive produced by Dreamville producer Elite. In addition, the majority of the album was produced by Dreamville's in-house producers: J. Cole, Elite, Omen, Ron Gilmore.
D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape is the fourth compilation album by American record label Dreamville. It was released on March 31, 2022, by Dreamville and Interscope as a Gangsta Grillz mixtape hosted by DJ Drama.