Too High to Riot

Too High to Riot
Studio album by Bas
Released	March 4, 2016
Recorded	2014–2015; New York City, Los Angeles, London
Genre	Hip hop
Length	36:56
Label	Dreamville Interscope
Producer	J. Cole (exec.) Ibrahim Hamad (exec.) Ron Gilmore (exec.) Ogee Handz + DikC Cedric Brown Cam O’bi Soundwave Subdaio The Hics K-Quick Jay Kurzweil
Bas chronology
Last Winter (2014) Too High to Riot (2016) Milky Way (2018)
Singles from Too High to Riot
"Night Job" Released: December 4, 2015 "Housewives" Released: December 11, 2015 "Methylone" Released: February 5, 2016

Too High to Riot is the second studio album by Sudanese rapper Bas. It was released on March 4, 2016, by Dreamville Records and Interscope Records. The album sold 8,065 copies in its first week, debuting at number 49 on the Billboard 200 chart. ^{[1] [2]}

Background

The album includes the guest appearances from his labelmates J. Cole and Cozz, along with The Hics. The sonic foundation of the album is produced by Ron Gilmore, Ogee Handz + DikC, Cedric Brown, Cam O’bi, Sounwave, Subdaio, The Hics, and K-Quick. ^[3]

Promotion

On April 15, 2016, Bas announced Too High To Riot Tour with Cozz, EarthGang, The Hics and Ron Gilmore. The tour started June 3, 2016 in Miami, Florida and ended July 17, 2016 in New York City. The tour was 26 dates. ^[4] On January 30, 2017 Bas released Too High to Riot documentary on Tidal. ^[5] The documentary was available exclusively to Tidal subscribers for the first few days, it was uploaded to YouTube on February 4, 2017. ^[6] The documentary follows Bas on his Too High to Riot tour.

Singles

On December 4, 2015, Bas released the first single from this album, titled "Night Job" featuring J. Cole. ^[7] The music video for "Night Job was released on March 3, 2016. ^[8] On December 11, 2015, which is a week later, he released the second single, titled "Housewives". This track, also was included on the Dreamville's compilation album, titled Revenge of the Dreamers II . ^[9] On July 15, 2016, Bas released "Housewives (Remix)" featuring rapper Ab-Soul. ^[10] On February 5, 2016, the album's third single was released for the song, titled "Methylone". On the same day, Bas announced the release date, track list, and cover art of the album. ^[11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
HipHopDX	[12]
Exclaim!	7/10 [13]
XXL	(XL) [14]

Upon its release, Too High to Riot received acclaim from critics. Scott Glaysher of HipHopDX rated the album a 3.9 out 5 saying, "Too High to Riot is hands-down Bas’ best work to date. It’s a smooth yet potent project with few stumbles minus the rhyme variation. It mixes all of his strengths into one cohesive package and demands to be played again and again. With only four real concrete years in the game, this latest installment to his catalog is the foundation he needs to potentially become Michael Jordan himself; or at least Steph Curry." ^[12] Writing for Exclaim! , Themistoklis Alexis praised the rapper for "a maturity that never preaches — something that many of his peers generally don't reach until a handful of albums in." ^[13] In a positive review for The Arkansas Traveler , Brittany Williams said, "Whether Bas is too high to riot because of indulging in cannabis or because of his new found status in hip-hop is hard to determine, but the rapper’s writing skills, melodic rhyme scheme and overall relatability are hard to ignore." ^[15]

Track listing

Credits adapted from ASCAP. ^[16]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Too High to Riot"	Abbas Hamad Cameron Osteen Ron Gilmore	Cam O'Bi Gilmore [a]	2:42
2.	"Methylone"	Hamad Gilmore Kaleb Rollins	Gilmore	2:42
3.	"Dopamine" (featuring Cozz)	Hamad Cody Osagie Brown Cole Gilmore Piero Piccioni	Gilmore Cedric Brown [a]	3:36
4.	"Housewives"	A.Hamad Gilmore David Medina Ibrahim Hamad Alex Tapia	Sounwave Gilmore [a]	3:30
5.	"Miles and Miles"	Hamad Gilmore	Gilmore	1:39
6.	"Live For"	Hamad Sedik Boudif Gilmore Ali Gabir Oussama Alex Isley	Ogee Handz DikC	2:42
7.	"Clouds Never Get Old"	Hamad Boudif Gilmore Jay Kurzweil Rollins Oussama Melissa Elliott Timothy Mosley	Ogee Handz DikC Jay Kurzweil [a]	3:08
8.	"Matches" (featuring The Hics)	Hamad Gilmore Rollins Roxane Dayette Sam Evans	Gilmore	3:44
9.	"Night Job" (featuring J. Cole)	Hamad Jermaine Cole Brown Samuel Dutertre Henry Laufer Gilmore Rollins	Cedric Brown KQuick Gilmore [a]	3:14
10.	"Ricochet" (featuring The Hics)	Hamad Gilmore Geordan Reid-Campbell Dayette Evans Jacob Welsh	The Hics Gilmore Kurzweil [a]	3:16
11.	"Penthouse"	Hamad Gilmore Derick Okolie Rollins Tiffany Calver Michael Parvizi Paul Sledge Preston Walker	Gilmore	4:01
12.	"Black Owned Business"	Hamad Gilmore Rollins Otis Jackson, Jr. Bhanu Rangra Daniel Thompson	Subdaio	2:42
Total length:				36:56

Notes

• ^[a] indicates an additional producer.
• "Clouds Never Get Old" features background vocals from Ella Mai. ^[17]

Sample Credits

• "Dopamine" contains a sample of "Camille 2000 (Titles)" composed by Piero Piccioni, taken from the soundtrack to the film Camille 2000.
• "Live For" contains a sample of "Don't Do" written and performed by Alex Isley.
• "Clouds Never Get Old" contains a sample of "Never Comin' Back" written by Melissa Elliott and Timothy Mosley and performed by Aaliyah.
• "Night Job" contains a sample of "No More" written and performed by Jeremih and Schlomo ^[18]
• "Penthouse" contains a sample of "Can't See Lovely (Lately)" written by Michael Parvizi, Paul Sledge and Preston Walker and performed by Penthouse Penthouse and PromNite.
• "Black Owned Business" contains a sample of "Experience" written by Otis Jackson, Jr., Bhanu Rangra and Daniel Thompson and performed by Daedelus.

Charts

Chart (2015)	Peak position
US Billboard 200 [19]	49
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [20]	7
US Rap Albums (Billboard) [21]	6

References

1. "Too High to Riot by Bas on iTunes". Itun.es. January 16, 2016. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
2. "Bas New Song "Methylone" | Complex CA". Ca.complex.com. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
3. Glynn, Patrick. "Bas Announces 'Too High To Riot' LP, Drops New Single "Methylone"". 2dopeboyz.com. Retrieved February 5, 2016.
4. Walker, Angus (April 15, 2016). "Bas Announces "Too High To Riot" Tour With Cozz, EarthGang & More". hotnewhiphop. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
5. Schwartz, Danny (January 30, 2017). "Watch Bas' "Too High To Riot" Documentary On TIDAL". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved February 13, 2017.
6. Dreamville Records (February 4, 2017). "Too High To Riot (Documentary)". YouTube . Retrieved February 13, 2017.
7. Goddard, Kevin (December 4, 2016). "Bas - Night Job Feat. J. Cole [New Song]". hotnewhiphop. Retrieved March 9, 2016.
8. Blum, Sam (March 9, 2016). "Bas and J. Cole Get Gritty in New Video for 'Night Job': Watch". Fuse . Retrieved March 9, 2016.
9. Hernandez, Victoria (December 10, 2015). "J. Cole x Dreamville "Revenge Of The Dreamers II" Cover Art, Tracklist & Album Stream". HipHopDX . Retrieved July 21, 2016.
10. Lilah, Rose (July 15, 2016). "Bas - Housewives (Remix) Feat. Ab-Soul [New Song]". hotnewhiphop. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
11. Ivey, Justin (February 5, 2016). "Bas Drops "Methylone"". XXL . Retrieved July 25, 2016.
12. Glaysher, Scott (March 9, 2016). "Bas Too High To Riot Review". HipHopDX. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
13. Alexis, Themistoklis (March 4, 2016). "Bas - Too High To Riot". Exclaim! . Retrieved March 23, 2016.
14. Robertson, Darryl (March 14, 2016). "Bas Brings Emotion and Depth to 'Too High to Riot'". XXL . Retrieved March 14, 2016.
15. Williams, Brittany (March 7, 2016). "Review: Bas's "Too High to Riot"". The Arkansas Traveler. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
16. "ACE Repertory". www.ascap.com. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
17. "Bas - Too High to Riot: Credits". AllMusic.
18. https://www.whosampled.com/sample/394666/Bas-J.-Cole-Night-Job-Jeremih-Shlohmo-No-More/
19. "Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
20. "Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart". Billboard . Retrieved March 15, 2016.
21. "Billboard Rap Albums Chart". Billboard . Retrieved March 15, 2016.