The album was released on December 4, 2007. This initially conflicted with the release date of Wu-Tang Clan's fifth group album 8 Diagrams, a fact Ghostface was reported to be unhappy with, according to an interview with MTV.com.[1] In response to this, RZA subsequently announced the delay of 8 Diagrams by a further week so as not to clash with the release of The Big Doe Rehab.[2]
While speaking to MTV News in December 2007, Ghostface Killah explained the album title, saying:
"I dreamt I was in rehab, but for [having] mad money. Me and a bunch of old white dudes. Dreams — you can't really remember the dreams — but I was someplace, I don't even know if it was rehab, but it was mad money in there. When I woke up, the first thing that came to my mind was The Big Doe Rehab. I take a list of titles and write them in my rhyme book, which I might use in the future."[3]
The Big Doe Rehab received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 77, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 29 reviews. Marisa Brown of AllMusic said, "Overall the record lacks the excitement, the originality, and the passion that can and has made Ghostface so compelling. A lot of this, for better or for worse, can be blamed on the production."[5] Dave Hughes of Slant Magazine said, "Ghostface has built one of hip-hop's more reliably satisfying brands out of the sound that predominates on Rehab, and his fans will find a lot to like here. But given that a relevant part of his appeal has always been his eccentricity and willingness to take risks, a record mostly defined by his adherence to the tried and true is bound to feel like a bit of a copout."[14] Matthew Fiander of PopMatters said, "The Big Doe Rehab succeeds because it is an album unafraid to show kinks in its armor. Ghostface is always proud on record, and he holds onto that here, but not without letting us past the pride every once in a while, to see an artist that was always brilliant and full of energy finding just the right amount of focus as he hits what could turn out to be his most furtive years."[11]
Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone said, "The Big Doe Rehab isn't as distinct as last year's Fishscale, but it's close."[13] Eric Lach of Paste said, "While Rehab doesn't represent the top of Ghostface's game, the MC's approach is as viable as ever. And if the album doesn't pack the kind of radio-ready hits provided by this year's other big-time rappers like Kanye West and Jay-Z, it's only because this is one artist with other priorities."[9] Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club said, "If the title weren't already taken More Fish would be a fitting name for Ghostface's new album, another tour de force from a guy who made history with his Wu-Tang brethren while still in his early twenties and just keeps getting better with age. The Big Doe Rehab feels like a worthy sequel to last year's Fishscale."[6]
Commercial performance
The Big Doe Rehab debuted and peaked at number 41 on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart and sold about 36,000 units in its debut week.[15] Unhappy with the album sales, Ghostface has since posted a video on his MySpace page expressing disappointment in most of his fans for downloading the album illegally.[16]
"Toney Sigel A.K.A. the Barrel Brothers" contains a sample of "Fallin' in Love With You", written by Ugene Dozier and Phil Hurtt, as performed by Al Wilson.
"Walk Around" contains a sample of "Packed Up and Took My Mind", written by Ora Craig and Mack Rice, as performed by Little Milton.
"White Linen Affair (Toney Awards)" contains a sample of "That's the Way It's Got to Be (Body and Soul)", written by Paul Kyser, as performed by Soul Generation.
"Supa GFK" contains a sample of "Superman Lover", written by Johnny "Guitar" Watson and Reynaldo Rey, as performed by Johnny "Guitar" Watson.
"Killa Lipstick" contains a sample of "Riding High", written by Ralph Aikens, Tyrone Crum, Keith Harrison, Robert Neal, Roger Parker, and Clarence Satchell, as performed by Faze-O.
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