The Boatlift

Last updated
The Boatlift
The Boatlift.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 27, 2007
Recorded2006–2007
Genre
Length58:43
Label
Producer
Pitbull chronology
El Mariel
(2006)
The Boatlift
(2007)
Pitbull Starring in Rebelution
(2009)
Singles from The Boatlift
  1. "Go Girl"
    Released: 2007
  2. "The Anthem"
    Released: March 4, 2007
  3. "Sticky Icky"
    Released: May 15, 2007
  4. "Secret Admirer"
    Released: November 27, 2007

The Boatlift is the third studio album by Cuban-American rapper Pitbull. It was released on November 27, 2007 through TVT and Poe Boy. The album features production by Lil Jon, Mr. Collipark, Nitti, Diaz Brothers and Sean "P. Diddy" Combs who served as executive producer with Pitbull. It also features guest appearances by Trick Daddy, Lil Jon, Twista, Jim Jones, Jason Derulo and Don Omar among others.

Contents

The Boatlift spawned four singles: "Go Girl", "The Anthem", "Secret Admirer", and "Sticky Icky". The album received generally positive reviews from music critics but received small commercial success despite critical acclaim. It debuted at number 50 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 22,398 copies in its first week. [1]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic 69/100 [2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [3]
DJBoothStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [4]
Okayplayer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]
RapReviews7.5/10 [6]
Slant Magazine Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [7]

The Boatlift garnered a positive reception from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 69, based on five reviews. [2]

Patrick Taylor of RapReviews praised the album's versatile production for going beyond crunk music and showing depth in club anthems, concluding that "Pitbull continues to prove himself as an MC who is able to bridge Latin hip hop and Southern hip hop, creating a sound that should appeal to fans from both camps. He may not be the deepest lyricist on earth, and his attempts at bedroom music may fall flat, but he makes a mean soundtrack for a night out." [6] DJBooth's Nathan Slavik praised Pitbull for exploring vastly different genres to create party tracks with a worldview appeal and doing them with a talented cast of featured artists and producers, saying that "The Boatlift isn’t going to expand your intellectual or spiritual horizons, but it is without question a go-to album for all your booty-shakin needs." [4] Jose Davila of Vibe also praised the album's genre-hopping production mixing well with Pitbull's bilingual, charismatic flow, saying that it "solidifies Pitbull's position as one of the most diverse party MCs around. And little else." [8]

Wilson McBee of Slant Magazine said that, "For better or worse, the story of Boatlift concerns more the production and song structures than Pitbull’s own rapping. It’s clear he’d rather be a chorus-shouter than a verse-spitter, or at least he believes that will help him sell more records." [7] AllMusic's David Jeffries commended the production and lyrical hooks for being catchy but felt that it lacked a sense of personality and talent compared to El Mariel , saying to consider The Boatlift "a fun floor-filler, but just not up to Pitbull's usual standards." [3] A writer for Music for America felt that Pitbull was wasting his talent throughout the record rhyming typical club tracks and party jams and would like to see him collaborate with artists like Little Brother, 2Mex, Deep Thinkers and Roots Manuva. [9]

Commercial performance

The Boatlift debuted at number 50 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 22,398 copies in its first week. [10] In its second week, the album dropped to number 134 on the chart, selling an additional 9,686 copies. [11] As of April 2009, the album has sold 131,000 copies in the United States. [12]

Track listing

The Boatlift track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."A Little Story (Intro)" Armando C. Perez  1:08
2."Go Girl" (featuring Trina and Young Bo$$)
Soundz 3:49
3."Dukey Love" (featuring Trick Daddy and Fabo) Mr. Collipark 3:45
4."I Don't See 'Em" (featuring Cubo & AIM)
  • A. C. Pérez
  • Brian Rodriguez
  • Esteban Trujillo
  • Frank Roman
Tru3:59
5."Midnight" (featuring Casely)
  • A. C. Pérez
  • Gravriel Aminov
Vein3:32
6."Ying & the Yang"
  • A. C. Pérez
  • LaMarquis Jefferson
  • Craig Love
  • Larry "Detroit" Nix
  • Jonathan Smith
3:27
7."The Anthem" (featuring Lil Jon)
  • Lil Jon
  • Albert Castillo
  • Rich "DJ Riddler" Pangilinan
4:05
8."The Truth (Interlude)"A. C. Pérez 0:54
9."Candyman" (featuring Twista)
  • A. C. Pérez
  • Paul "Echo" Irizarry
  • Armando "Diesel" Rosario
  • Carl Mitchell
  • Brown Thugz
  • Diesel
  • Echo
3:11
10."Sticky Icky" (featuring Jim Jones)
Lil Jon3:42
11."My Life" (featuring Jason Derulo)
  • A. C. Pérez
  • Lionel "Deadbeat" Delao
  • Adrian Santalla
  • Lionel "Deadbeat" Delao
  • Adrian Santalla
3:44
12."Secret Admirer" (featuring Lloyd)
Play-N-Skillz 3:18
13."Get Up / Levantate"
Play-N-Skillz3:17
14."Fuego (DJ Buddha Remix)" (featuring Don Omar)
  • Mr. Collipark
  • Tom Slick
3:49
15."Stripper Pole (Remix)" (featuring Toby Love)
Eddie Perez3:56
16."Un Poquito" (featuring Yung Berg)
  • 110% Pure
  • Big Lo
3:42
17."Tell Me (Remix)" (featuring Frankie J & Ken-Y)Lil Jon4:34
18."Mr. 305 (Outro)"A. C. Pérez 0:45
Total length:58:43

Sample credits

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for The Boatlift
Chart (2007)Peak
position
US Billboard 200 [13] 50
US Independent Albums ( Billboard ) [14] 7
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums ( Billboard ) [15] 13
US Top Rap Albums ( Billboard ) [16] 2

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pitbull (rapper)</span> American rapper (born 1981)

Armando Christian Pérez, known professionally as Pitbull, is an American rapper. He began his career in the early 2000s and recorded reggaeton, Latin hip hop, and crunk music under a multitude of labels. He signed with TVT Records to release his debut studio album, M.I.A.M.I. (2004), which was executive produced by Lil Jon. It moderately entered the Billboard 200, along with his second and third albums, El Mariel (2006) and The Boatlift (2007). His fourth album, Pitbull Starring in Rebelution (2009) was supported by the singles "I Know You Want Me " and "Hotel Room Service", both of which yielded his mainstream breakthrough and peaked at numbers two and eight on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, respectively.

<i>Crunk Juice</i> 2004 studio album by Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz

Crunk Juice is the fifth and final studio album by American Southern hip hop group Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz. It was released on November 16, 2004, under BME Recordings and TVT Records. The production was primarily handled by Lil Jon himself, who also collaborated in the executive production, alongside Bryan Leach, Rob McDowell, Emperor Searcy, Vince Phillips, the Neptunes and Rick Rubin. The album includes guest appearances from rappers and singers, like R. Kelly, Ludacris, Ice Cube, Usher, Bun B from UGK, Jadakiss, Nas, T.I., the Ying Yang Twins and Pharrell.

<i>Quality</i> (Talib Kweli album) 2002 studio album by Talib Kweli

Quality is the first studio album by American rapper Talib Kweli. The album was released on November 19, 2002, by Rawkus Records. It received wide critical acclaim and had some commercial appeal from the song "Get By", produced by Kanye West. Kludge magazine included it on their list of best albums of 2002.

<i>Dance with My Father</i> (album) 2003 studio album by Luther Vandross

Dance with My Father is the thirteenth and final studio album by American R&B/soul singer Luther Vandross. It was released by J Records on June 10, 2003 in the United States and served as the follow-up to his self-titled studio album (2001). The album, especially its title track, was dedicated to Vandross's late father and features production credits from Nat Adderley Jr., Shep Crawford, and Marcus Miller as well as guest appearances by singer Beyoncé, R&B trio Next, and rappers Foxy Brown, Queen Latifah, and Busta Rhymes.

<i>Idlewild</i> (Outkast album) 2006 studio album / soundtrack album by Outkast

Idlewild is the sixth and final studio album by the American hip hop duo Outkast. It was released on August 22, 2006, by LaFace Records and served as the soundtrack album to the duo's musical film of the same name, which was released that same month. Containing themes relating to the music industry, the album also featured songs not included in the film while incorporating jazz, blues, swing, and soul styles in its music.

<i>Money Is Still a Major Issue</i> 2005 remix album by Pitbull

Money Is Still a Major Issue is a remix album by rapper Pitbull. It was released on November 15, 2005, and features several of his guest appearances, remixes and some unreleased tracks.

<i>Special Occasion</i> (Bobby Valentino album) 2007 studio album by Bobby Valentino

Special Occasion is the second studio album by American R&B singer Bobby V. It was released by Disturbing tha Peace and Def Jam Recordings on May 8, 2007, in the United States. The singer co-wrote over three quarters of the album, which also features songwriting and production from Tim & Bob, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Timbaland, Sean Garrett, Don Vito, Bryan-Michael Cox and Dre & Vidal. It also features guest appearances by Ludacris, Timbaland and Fabolous.

<i>El Mariel</i> 2006 studio album by Pitbull

El Mariel is the second studio album by Cuban-American rapper Pitbull. It was released on October 31, 2006 through TVT Records. The album was leaked onto the internet on October 27, 2006, four days before the album was released. The album features production from Lil Jon, Diaz Brothers, DJ Khaled, Mr. Collipark, The Neptunes and Jim Jonsin. It also includes guest appearances from Fat Joe, Wyclef Jean, Lil Jon, Rick Ross and Trick Daddy among others. A Spanish-language version of the album was also released on October 31, 2006 featuring the three singles from the album, along with twelve Spanish-only tracks.

<i>187 He Wrote</i> 1993 studio album by Spice 1

187 He Wrote is the second studio album by American rapper Spice 1. It was released on September 28, 1993, via Jive Records.

<i>AmeriKKKas Nightmare</i> 1994 studio album by Spice 1

AmeriKKKa's Nightmare is the third studio album by American rapper Spice 1. It was released November 22, 1994, via Jive Records. The recording sessions took place at Hyde Street Studios, Live Oak Studios, Dangerous Music Studios, Cherokee Studios, and Blue Palm Studios. The album was produced by Blackjack, Ant Banks, DJ Battlecat, DJ Slip, and Spice 1, who also served as executive producer with Chaz Hayes. It features guest appearances from 187 Fac, 2Pac, E-40, and Method Man.

<i>In My Songs</i> 2007 studio album by Gerald Levert

In My Songs is the ninth studio album and the first posthumous album by American singer Gerald Levert. It was released posthumously on February 13, 2007, on Atlantic Records. Levert reteamed with longtime collaborator Edwin "Tony" Nicholas to work on the entire album which was completed shortly before his death from an apparent accidental overdose in November 2006. In My Songs debuted and peaked at number two on the US Billboard 200, becoming his highest-charting effort, and won Levert his first Grammy Award in the Best Traditional R&B Performance for the title track at the 50th awards ceremony.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No Llores</span> 2007 single by Gloria Estefan featuring Carlos Santana, José Feliciano and Sheila E.

"No Llores" is a song recorded by Cuban-American singer Gloria Estefan for her fourth Spanish-language and eleventh studio album, 90 Millas. It features additional work with popular Latin music performers such as guitarists Carlos Santana and José Feliciano, Sheila E. playing the timbales, and Arturo Sandoval on trumpet (uncredited). The song was written by Gloria Estefan and her husband, Emilio Estefan Jr. and Gaitanes, while production was credited to Estefan Jr. and Gaitanes. The single was released by SonyBMG on June 18, 2007 digitally worldwide as the lead single from 90 Millas.

<i>Losos Way</i> 2009 studio album by Fabolous

Loso's Way is the fifth studio album by American rapper Fabolous. The album was released on July 28, 2009, by Desert Storm Records, Street Family Records and Def Jam Recordings. The album's first two singles were released simultaneously on May 26, 2009: "Throw It in the Bag" and "My Time". Two other singles were subsequently released: Everything, Everyday, Everywhere" and "Money Goes, Honey Stay".

<i>Murs for President</i> 2008 studio album by Murs

Murs for President is the sixth studio album by American emcee MURS. The album was released on September 30, 2008 under Warner Bros. Records, making this his only album to date to be released under a major label.

<i>Intuition</i> (Jamie Foxx album) 2008 studio album by Jamie Foxx

Intuition is the third studio album by American R&B singer Jamie Foxx. It was released on December 16, 2008, by J Records.

<i>Pitbull Starring in Rebelution</i> 2009 studio album by Pitbull

Pitbull Starring in Rebelution is the fourth studio album by the Cuban-American rapper Pitbull. It was released on August 28, 2009, through J, Polo Grounds and Mr. 305. The production on the album was handled by multiple producers including DJ Khalil, Dr. Luke, Lil Jon, Play-N-Skillz and Jim Jonsin who also served as executive producer. The album also features guest appearances by B.o.B, Ke$ha, Nayer, Akon, Lil Jon and Slim of 112. This became his first major-label release, his first album to be released on his own Mr. 305 Inc. label and also Polo Grounds' second release since Hurricane Chris's 51/50 Ratchet.

<i>Wild Ones</i> (Flo Rida album) 2012 studio album by Flo Rida

Wild Ones is the fourth studio album by American rapper Flo Rida. It was released on July 3, 2012. Wild Ones had four Top 10 singles on the US Billboard Hot 100, when the singles, "Good Feeling", "Wild Ones", "Whistle", and "I Cry" charted at three, five, one, and six respectively.

<i>Coolaid</i> 2016 studio album by Snoop Dogg

Coolaid is the fourteenth studio album by American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released on July 1, 2016, by Doggystyle Records and eOne Music. Recording sessions for the album took place during 2015 to 2016 at the Doggystyle Studios Records, in Diamond Bar, California. The production on the album was handled by Snoop Dogg and other record producers, including Just Blaze, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland. Snoop Dogg also enlisted a variety of guest vocalists such as Too $hort, Swizz Beatz, Jeremih, Wiz Khalifa, Trick Trick, E-40, Jazze Pha, Suga Free and October London, among others.

<i>Grateful</i> (DJ Khaled album) 2017 studio album by DJ Khaled

Grateful is the tenth studio album by American disc jockey and record producer DJ Khaled. It was released as a double album on June 23, 2017, by We the Best Music Group and Epic Records. The album features guest appearances from a wide array of artists including Future, Travis Scott, Rick Ross, Migos, Quavo, Chance the Rapper, Nicki Minaj, Kodak Black, Alicia Keys, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Justin Bieber, Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, Drake, Rihanna, Sizzla, Mavado, Nas, Calvin Harris, PartyNextDoor, Jeremih, Pusha T, and Betty Wright, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Energy</span> 2021 single by Latto

"Big Energy" is a song by American rapper Latto. It was released through Streamcut and RCA Records on September 24, 2021, as the lead single from Latto's second studio album, 777 (2022). It was written by Latto, A1 LaFlare, Jaucquez Lowe, Randall Hammers, Theron Thomas, Dr. Luke, and Vaughn Oliver, with the latter two handling the production. Adrian Belew, Chris Frantz, Steven Stanley, and Tina Weymouth received songwriting credits since the song samples Tom Tom Club's 1981 song "Genius of Love". "Big Energy" has been described as pop and funk-rap.

References

  1. "Pitbull Debuts At #50, Freeway Slips To #80, Jay-Z Holds Down Top 20". XXL . December 5, 2007. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  2. 1 2 "Reviews for The Boatlift by Pitbull". Metacritic . Archived from the original on October 19, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  3. 1 2 Jeffries, David. The Boatlift at AllMusic. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
  4. 1 2 Slavik, Nathan (November 27, 2007). "Pitbull - The Boatlift". DJBooth. Archived from the original on August 20, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
  5. O'Neal, Eavvon (January 11, 2008). "Pitbull". Okayplayer . Archived from the original on February 25, 2009. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
  6. 1 2 Taylor, Patrick (November 20, 2007). "Feature for November 20, 2007 - Pitbull's "The Boatlift"". RapReviews. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
  7. 1 2 McBee, Wilson (November 30, 2007). "Pitbull: The Boatlift". Slant Magazine . Archived from the original on October 26, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
  8. Davila, Jose (February 2008). "Pitbull 'The Boatlift'". Vibe . 16 (2): 86. ISSN   1070-4701. Archived from the original on November 23, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  9. "The Run-Off Groove #182: Underabundance Of The Bon Dance". Music for America. December 4, 2007. Archived from the original on December 8, 2007. Retrieved November 20, 2011.
  10. "Pitbull Debuts At #50, Freeway Slips To #80, Jay-Z Holds Down Top 20". XXL . December 5, 2007. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  11. "Hip Hop Album Sales: Week Ending 12/9/07". HipHopDX . Cheri Media Group. December 12, 2007. Retrieved December 13, 2007.
  12. "Pitbull brings imprint to Polo/RCA". Billboard. 11 April 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  13. "BB200 - 2007-12-15". Billboard . Retrieved April 6, 2014.
  14. "Indie Albums - 2007-12-15". Billboard . Retrieved April 6, 2014.
  15. "TRBHH - 2007-12-15". Billboard . Retrieved April 6, 2014.
  16. "TRA - 2007-12-15". Billboard . Retrieved April 6, 2014.

Bibliography

Baker, Geoff (2005), ""La Habana que no conoces": Cuban rap and the social construction of urban space", Ethnomusicology Forum, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 215–246.

"Pitbull: El Capitan", Giant Magazine, New York City, New York, 6 December 2007, retrieved 2008-02-06.

Kalikwest Publication Group (24 March 2005), "Pitbull On", MySpace Music, retrieved 2008-02-06.

"Who Is Pitbull: Biography", The Pitbull Official Site, 24 March 2005, retrieved 2008-02-06.