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| School of Roses | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 25, 2014 | |||
| Genre | R&B, Soul, | |||
| Length | 54:55 | |||
| Label | Collision | |||
| Christon Gray chronology | ||||
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School of Roses is the second studio album from singer/rapper Christon Gray. It was released on March 25, 2014 by Collision Records. It charted on the Billboard 200 at #44 and #5 on R&B Albums.
The 2nd studio album from singer/rapper Christon Gray is entitled School of Roses, which was released on March 25, 2014 by Collision Records and currently distributed by Tom Drawer.
Recorded in late 2013 between The Flutter in Columbus and I Qwit Studios in Claymont, DE, the album was intended to be more R&B influenced than his previous mixtape, BodyArt, which was a straight Hip-Hop album. The album was overseen by Collision Records A&R Wit who, along with Gray, Swoope, Wes Pendleton & B Reith, handled the album's production. [1]
At this time, Christon had established himself as the go-to guy for hooks in CHH. Artists like Lecrae, Andy Mineo, KB, Trip Lee, Da T.R.U.T.H., Tedashii and many more were featuring him on every release. It was that, combined with what was described as a ‘lack of quality R&B music’, that led to the style of School of Roses. [2]
The album was completed and turned into the label in January 2014.
In a Google Hangout interview following his release, Christon reveals many secrets about the album. "You'll never find a rose in the album art," he says. The red line on the cover art, Christon explains, signifies the hip-hop element (the line meaning a bar, a term used in hip-hop) that resonates in the album, despite it being heavily R&B and Ballad-based. He explains the meaning of the album title as well, stating that it is an album about growing up, specifically with love and relationships. He describes the album as not one that is transparent, but translucent.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Christian Music Zine |   [3] |
| Jesus Freak Hideout |  [4] |
| New Release Tuesday | [5] |
School of Roses met with generally positive reception from music critics. Billboard Magazine wrote a review entitled "Christon Gray ‘Schools’ Charts". [6] Amongst its many high chart placements listed below, Gray, with his hit single, 'Wanna' also reached #21 on the Billboard Twitter Emerging Artists Chart. [7] At New Release Tuesday, Dwayne Lacy rated the album four-and-a-half stars, stating that it is a "Great album musically and powerful album as far as substance. [8] " Anthony Peronto of Christian Music Zine rated the album four-and-a-half stars, writing that "School Of Roses is a game changer for Christian R&B." This also led to numerous publications wanting to find out about this Christian artist that was telling love stories to the mainstream including Jet , Soul Train , Essence , BET and more. [9]
For the Billboard charting week of April 12, 2014, School of Roses charted at #44 on the Billboard 200, #5 on the R&B Albums, and #9 on the Independent Albums & Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart.
It also charted Billboard’s ‘Top Album Sales #44’ and ‘Top Digital Albums #13’.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Last Time" | 1:39 |
| 2. | "Wanna" (featuring JGivens) | 4:27 |
| 3. | "Windchaser" | 3:19 |
| 4. | "Vanish" (featuring Swoope) | 3:40 |
| 5. | "Roses 101-After All" | 3:12 |
| 6. | "Hello or Goodbye" | 4:16 |
| 7. | "Moving On" | 2:59 |
| 8. | "Convenient" (featuring Wes Pendleton) | 4:03 |
| 9. | "Super Dave" | 3:04 |
| 10. | "Roses 102-Burning House" | 5:21 |
| 11. | "Nostalgious" (featuring Taelor Gray & B. Reith) | 6:11 |
| 12. | "Lady Gray (Easy to Love)" | 3:51 |
| 13. | "Roses 103-Ghost" | 3:43 |
| 14. | "Arena (The Final Hour)" | 5:10 |
| Total length: | 54:55 | |
| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US R&B Albums ( Billboard ) [10] | 5 |
| US R&B Album Sales (Billboard) [11] | 5 |
| US Top Christian Albums (Billboard) [12] | 6 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard) [13] | 9 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [14] | 9 |
| US Billboard 200 [15] | 44 |
Heroes for Sale is the debut studio album by American Christian hip hop artist Andy Mineo, released on April 16, 2013. It follows up Mineo's 2011 mixtape Formerly Known. Considered one of the most anticipated Christian hip hop albums of 2013, Heroes for Sale includes features from Lecrae, Trip Lee, KB, Christon Gray, Krizz Kaliko, and for KING & COUNTRY among others. Three singles were released for the album, "AYO!" on January 28, 2013, "Bitter" on March 5, 2013, and "You Will" on April 2, 2013. A music video for "AYO!" came out on January 31, a three-part webseries was launched on February 6, and a documentary entitled "Everything Must Go" was released on April 9. Lyrically, Mineo based the album concept around the brokenness of human heroes, and the album has a very transparent and personal tone. Stylistically, it mixes electronic-influenced hip hop music with a variety of other genres, including hymns, reggaeton, jazz, R&B, heavy metal, classical, dubstep, second line, acid jazz, psychedelic funk, and jack swing. The album debuted at No. 11 on the Billboard 200, No. 4 on Top Rap Albums chart, No. 1 on the US Top Christian Albums and No. 2 on the UK Top Christianhart.
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W.L.A.K. also known as We Live As Kings or WLAK is a Christian hip hop and Contemporary R&B music group from the United States that started in 2011. It released its eponymously titled debut album in 2013.
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