| To the Sky | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 11, 2010 | |||
| Recorded | 2009–2010 | |||
| Genre | Pop rock, rap rock | |||
| Length | 36:59 | |||
| Label | Cash Money [1] | |||
| Producer | Kevin Rudolf and Joshua Berkman | |||
| Kevin Rudolf chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from To the Sky | ||||
| ||||
To the Sky is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter and Record Producer Kevin Rudolf. It was released on June 15, 2010, in the United States by Cash Money Records, Island Records and Universal Republic Records. [2] [3]
Rudolf has said that he embraced dance music saying, "it's like most of it up-tempo, most of it electropop rock hip-hop stuff". [2] The album features mostly guitar heavy beats. [4]
Kevin Rudolf confirmed collaborations from Birdman, Lil Wayne, Jay Sean, Rivers Cuomo from Weezer, and Three 6 Mafia in an interview with Rap-Up. [5] Kevin has stated that he wanted to do a duet with Jay-Z and Kanye West on the album. [5] Lil Wayne appears on the tracks "I Made It" and "Spit in Your Face," a reworked version of a Lil Wayne song which had leaked about a year prior to the album's release. That song was original slated to be on Lil Wayne's album Rebirth . Wayne raps on all of the verses. He wanted Natasha Bedingfield to be on the album, but was unable to find a suitable song. [5] He also wanted to work with Sade on the album. [5] In an interview, Vibe listed Flo Rida as a feature on the album. [6]
Kevin Rudolf and Joshua Berkman were the primary producer for all tracks. The songwriters for this album are Kevin Rudolf, Jacob Kasher, Jeff Halavacs, Eric Estrada, Jerome Skaller, Robert Larow, Jerome Skaller,Kamaljit Jhooti, and Dwayne Carter
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [7] |
| RapReviews |   [8] |
To the Sky was met with mixed reviews from music critics. David Jeffries of Allmusic gave the album two and a half stars out of five, saying "A mixed bag for fans to sort through, but without a worthy “Let It Rock" successor, this is hard to recommend over his debut." He described the songs as "generally good". [7] Steve Juon of RapReviews gave the album a seven out of ten, saying "The swagger's been good to him, because not every R&B or rock album would meet with a hardcore hip-hop head's approval, but even without the numerous rap cameos I think "To the Sky" would have been a win to a hip-hop audience – they don't hurt either though. This is "In the City" evolved, with no pun intended, to a higher level." [8]
To the Sky debuted on the Billboard 200 at No. 78. The album has sold 20,000 copies in the US. [9]
The first single released is "I Made It (Cash Money Heroes)". The song features Lil Wayne, Birdman and Jay Sean. The song received chart success in Australia, Canada and the United States. [10] [11] The second single is "You Make the Rain Fall". It also was the theme song for the third season of "NXT". It was released to Mainstream radio September 14, 2010, and features Flo Rida. [12]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Made It (Cash Money Heroes)" (featuring Birdman, Jay Sean & Lil Wayne) | Kevin Rudolf, Jacob Kasher, Kamaljit Jhooti, Robert Larow, Jerome Skaller | Kevin Rudolf | 4:10 |
| 2. | "You Make the Rain Fall" (featuring Flo Rida) | Kevin Rudolf | Kevin Rudolf Joshua Berkman | 2:54 |
| 3. | "Don't Cry" | Kevin Rudolf Jacob Kasher | Kevin Rudolf Joshua Berkman | 2:52 |
| 4. | "Whatchu Waitin' For" (featuring Three 6 Mafia) | Kevin Rudolf, Eric Estrada, Jacob Kasher, Jeff Halavacs | Kevin Rudolf Joshua Berkman | 3:16 |
| 5. | "Big Timer" | Kevin Rudolf, Jacob Kasher, Eric Estrada | Kevin Rudolf Joshua Berkman | 3:19 |
| 6. | "I Belong to You (LANY)" | Kevin Rudolf, Jacob Kasher, Jeff Halavacs | Kevin Rudolf Joshua Berkman | 3:14 |
| 7. | "Must Be Dreamin'" (featuring Rivers Cuomo of Weezer) | Kevin Rudolf Jacob Kasher | Kevin Rudolf Joshua Berkman | 3:03 |
| 8. | "Spit in Your Face" (featuring Lil Wayne) | Kevin Rudolf Dwayne Carter | Kevin Rudolf Joshua Berkman | 4:36 |
| 9. | "What Do U Got" | Kevin Rudolf, Jacob Kasher, Jeff Halavacs | Kevin Rudolf Joshua Berkman | 3:30 |
| 10. | "Late Night Automatic" (featuring Three 6 Mafia) | Kevin Rudolf, Jacob Kasher, Jeff Halavacs | Kevin Rudolf Joshua Berkman | 2:47 |
| 11. | "Crashing Down" | Kevin Rudolf, Jacob Kasher, Jeff Halavacs | Kevin Rudolf Joshua Berkman | 3:26 |
| Country | Date | Format(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Australia [1] | June 11, 2010 | CD, LP |
| United Kingdom [1] | June 14, 2010 | |
| United States [1] | June 15, 2010 | |
Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper and singer. Regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation by XXL, he has often been cited as one of the greatest rappers of all time. Wayne's career began in 1995, when he was signed by rapper Birdman, joining Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label. From then on, he was the flagship artist of Cash Money Records before ending his association with the company in June 2018.
Mail on Sunday is the debut studio album by American rapper Flo Rida, and was released on March 18, 2008 under Atlantic, and Poe Boy Entertainment. It spawned three singles; the first, "Low" was number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for 10 weeks. The second, and third singles, "Elevator", and "In the Ayer", were successful as well, being top 20 hits. "Roll" featuring Sean Kingston was not an official single, but it managed to peak at number 59 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and number 43 on the Canadian Hot 100 due to digital sales in both countries.
Cash Money Records is an American record label founded in 1991 by brothers Ronald "Slim" Williams and Bryan "Birdman" Williams. In the early years, Cash Money Records released albums of Juvenile, B.G., and Hot Boys. Distributed by Republic Records, the label has been home to a roster of mostly hip hop artists, including Lil Wayne, Drake, and Nicki Minaj. The company is regarded as one of the most successful record labels of the 2000s–2010s.
Bryan Christopher Williams, better known by his stage name Birdman, is an American rapper and record executive. He is the co-founder and public face of Cash Money Records which he founded with his older brother Ronald "Slim" Williams in 1992. Birdman released his debut album in 2002, and has gone on to release four solo studio albums in total. Aside from his solo career, he is also a member of the hip-hop duo Big Tymers, along with producer Mannie Fresh.
Like Father, Like Son is a collaborative studio album by American rappers Birdman and Lil Wayne. The album was released on October 31, 2006, through Cash Money Records and Universal Motown Records. Guest appearances include Fat Joe, T-Pain, Rick Ross, Tha Dogg Pound and All Star Cashville Prince. Producers included Swizz Beatz and Scott Storch.
"We Takin' Over" is the first single from DJ Khaled's second album, We the Best. Akon, T.I., Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Birdman and Lil Wayne are all featured on this hip hop track. Nate "Danja" Hills assisted the artists in writing the song and is also the producer.
Young Money Entertainment is an American record label founded by rapper Lil Wayne. Young Money's president is Lil Wayne's lifelong friend and fellow rapper Mack Maine. The label was an imprint of Cash Money Records and is distributed by Republic Records.
The discography of Rick Ross, an American rapper, consists of 11 studio albums, one compilation album, 145 singles, one soundtrack, and 40 music videos. Ross's debut studio album, Port of Miami (2006), features two singles with "Hustlin'" and "Push It". Ross's second studio album, Trilla (2008), produced hit singles such as "The Boss" and "Here I Am". Ross's third studio album, Deeper Than Rap (2009), includes the singles such as "Magnificent" and "Maybach Music 2". Ross's fourth studio album, Teflon Don (2010), includes the hit single, "Aston Martin Music".
The discography of American rapper Birdman consists of 5 studio albums, 2 mixtapes, 23 music videos, 48 singles, including 23 as a featured artist, and 7 promotional singles. In 2002, Birdman released his debut studio album Birdman under the recording name Baby. It peaked at number 24 on the US Billboard 200, spending 23 weeks on the chart. Three singles were released from the album; the first, "Do That...", reached number 33 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and the second, "What Happened to That Boy", reached number 45 on the same chart. The third single, "Baby You Can Do It", only charted on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Sales chart. In 2003, Birdman collaborated with singer Ginuwine on the single "Hell Yeah" and rapper Bow Wow on the single "Let's Get Down", which reached numbers 17 and 14 respectively on the Hot 100.
5 * Stunna is the third studio album by American rapper Birdman. It was released on December 11, 2007, by Cash Money Records and Universal Motown Records. The album includes the productions from Kane Beatz, T-Mix, Cool & Dre, Young Yonny, DJ Tone, the Fliptones, Tommy Gunnz, Drumma Boy, Steve Morales and Raymond "Sarom" Diaz, among others. Rapper Lil Wayne has featured 7 out of 22 tracks throughout the whole album. The album debuted at number 18 on the US Billboard 200, selling 80,000 copies in the first week. To date, the album has sold 372,000 copies in the United States.
Kevin Winston Rudolf is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, rapper, and multi-instrumentalist from New York City, New York. He is best known for his 2008 single "Let It Rock".
We Are Young Money is the first compilation album by American hip hop record label Young Money Entertainment, and released on December 21, 2009 by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Universal Motown Records. The album garnered a positive reception but critics were divided on the quality of the label's choice of artists. We Are Young Money debuted at number 9 on the Billboard 200 and spawned three singles: "Every Girl", "BedRock" and "Roger That". The album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales of over 1,000,000 copies in the United States.
Only One Flo is the third studio album by American rapper Flo Rida, which was released on November 30, 2010, through Atlantic Records, and his own label Poe Boy Entertainment. The album was preceded by the singles "Club Can't Handle Me", and "Turn Around " which were released in June and November 2010, respectively.
"Fire Flame" is a song by American rapper Birdman. The song features a guest appearance from fellow rapper Lil Wayne, who was not originally intended to appear on the song: however, his vocals were added following his release from prison. The rappers wrote the song, along with record producers Mr. Beatz and Kill Will, who also handled the song's production.
"Welcome to My Hood" is a song by American record producer DJ Khaled featuring American rappers Rick Ross, Plies, Lil Wayne, and T-Pain from the former's fifth studio album We the Best Forever. The album also contains the remix of the song featuring Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, Mavado, Twista, Birdman, Ace Hood, Fat Joe, The Game, Jadakiss, Bun B, and Waka Flocka Flame. The song is Khaled's first single to be produced with The Renegades & DJ Nasty and LVM. It was released for digital download in the United States on January 18, 2011.
We the Best Forever is the fifth studio album by American disc jockey and record producer DJ Khaled. It was released under We the Best Music Group, Terror Squad Entertainment, Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, and Universal Motown Records on July 19, 2011 instead of June 28, 2011. It is his first album to be released on a major label, his first four albums being released on the independent label Koch Records, which later changed its name to E1 Music.
Rich Gang is the debut studio album by Young Money and Cash Money as the supergroup Rich Gang. The album was released July 23, 2013, by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records and Universal Motown Records. The album contains contributions from several YMCMB members, including Birdman, Lil Wayne, Nicki Minaj, Tyga, Mack Maine, Limp Bizkit, Bow Wow, Ace Hood, Jae Millz, Cory Gunz, Gudda Gudda, Caskey, Detail, Busta Rhymes and Mystikal. The compilation also features guest appearances from artists outside the labels, including Future, Meek Mill, French Montana, T.I., Yo Gotti, Flo Rida, Chris Brown, Rick Ross, The Game, Kendrick Lamar, and R. Kelly. The album was supported by the three singles "Tapout" which peaked at No. 45 on the Billboard Hot 100, along with the R. Kelly featured "We Been On" and "50 Plates" by Rick Ross. The album received generally mixed reviews from music critics and sold 40,000 copies in the US after three weeks of sale.
American rapper Lil Wayne has released 285 singles including 19 promotional singles. Lil Wayne attained his first singles chart entry in 1999 as a featured artist on Hot Boys member Juvenile's single "Back That Azz Up", which peaked at number 19 on the United States Billboard Hot 100 and became a top ten hit on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts. Wayne later released his debut solo studio album Tha Block Is Hot in November 1999. Its title track and lead single, which features B.G. and Juvenile, reached number 65 on the Billboard Hot 100. Lights Out followed in December 2000 and produced the singles "Get Off the Corner", "Everything" and "Shine". "Way of Life", the lead single from Wayne's third studio album 500 Degreez, peaked at number 71 on the Hot 100 and became a top 20 hit on the Hot Rap Songs chart. In 2004, Wayne was featured on the single "Soldier" by American girl group Destiny's Child, which became his first top ten hit on the Hot 100 and enjoyed commercial success internationally.
Carl Eugene Lilly Jr., better known by his stage name Gudda Gudda, is an American rapper from New Orleans. He was originally a member of Sqad Up with Kidd Kidd and Lil Wayne. After forging a long-time friendship with Wayne, he signed to Young Money Entertainment, and later Republic Records.
British Alexander Mitchell, who performs under the stage name Brisco, is an American rapper.