PRhyme 2is the secondstudio albumby Americanhip hopduoPRhyme,consisting ofRoyce da 5'9 "andDJ Premier.Produced entirely by DJ Premier, the album featuressamplescomposed by producer AntMan Wonder.[1]It was released on March 16, 2018 via their own record label PRhyme Records andINgrooves Music Group,and is a sequel to the eponymous albumPRhyme.The album featuresguest appearancesfrom rappers2 Chainz,Big K.R.I.T.,Dave East,Rapsody,Roc Marciano,Yelawolf,Chavis Chandler, bassistBrady Wattand singersNovel(as a part of duo Summer of '96 with Wonder),CeeLo GreenandDenaun Porter.[2]
| PRhyme 2 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio albumby | ||||
| Released | March 16, 2018 | |||
| Recorded | April 2016 – November 3, 2017 | |||
| Studio | Heaven Studios(Birmingham,Michigan) Isolation Studios(Detroit,Michigan) Kaufman Astoria Studios(New York) Mix Factory Studios(Southfield,Michigan) Plymouth Rock Studios(Plymouth,Michigan) | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 52:57 | |||
| Label |
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| Producer |
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| Royce da 5'9 "chronology | ||||
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| DJ Premierchronology | ||||
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| SinglesfromPRhyme 2 | ||||
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Background
editAs early as September 2015, Royce mentioned rappersEminem,Kendrick Lamar,andThe GameonTwitteras possible featured artists onPRhyme 2.[3]On February 18, 2016 in an interview withVibe,Royce stated that in April of the same year that he and DJ Premier were going to begin recording songs for the album: "I can tell you that me and Preem are going in April to doPRhyme 2."[4]A year later on March 16, 2017 in an interview withBillboard,Premier stated thatPRhyme 2was nearing completion but still needed to have features and mi xing on the songs: "PRhyme 2 is almost done. I'm one song away from finishing but we still have to mix and we have features. We still got to get all the features locked down."[5]Two months later on May 18, it was revealed that Royce and Premier were in the studio working on the album.[6]Six months later on November 3, both Royce and Premier officially announced thatPRhyme 2was completed and that they were planning a release date.[7]On February 25, 2018, the tracklist and cover art were released.[8]
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 74/100[9] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Consequence of Sound | B−[10] |
| Exclaim! | 8/10[11] |
| Pitchfork | 6.1/10[12] |
| XXL | 4/5 (XL)[13] |
PRhyme 2received mostly favorable reviews. AtMetacritic,which assigns anormalizedrating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received anaveragescore of 74, based on 6 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[9]Neil Z. Young atAllMusiccommented that "combined with hard-hitting beats, old-school scratching, and a dizzying maze of dense rhymes,PRhyme 2satisfies more than its predecessor and should please fans ofSmoke DZAandPete Rock's collaborativeDon't Smoke Rock,Run the Jewels' more laid-back material, and theDilated Peoplescatalog. "[1]Scott Glaysher ofXXLcompared it to theirprevious albumand noted the varying content that Royce frequently switched from: "DespitePRhyme 2being twice as long as its nine-track predecessor, Premier never defaults to redundant sounds. "1 of the Hardest" loops a head-banging guitar riff, "Era" uses twinkly synths that rapidly alternate between left and right speaker channels, "Flirt" sports a classic New York bassline and chorus that nods to Camp Lo's "Luchini" —and that's just to name a few of the album's different flavors. Musically and lyrically,PRhyme 2holds its own next to its precursor. "[13]
Kyle Mullin ofExclaim!praisedPRhyme 2for DJ Premier's production and Royce's subject matter on the album but criticized it for not being as sufficient of an effort as there was on the previous effort, callingCeeLo Green's hook on the track "Gotta Love It" "cloying" and "Flirt" being "laughably clunky" and "brutally sexist".[11]Karas Lamb atConsequence of Soundappreciated the "building bridges between hip-hop's veterans and rising icons, who will predict the size and shape of the next wave", but felt that Royce's "appetite for glory also makes room for ego and showmanship to muddy the final mix". Lamb questioned the choice behind Premier's "decision to lean on other producers for the sound" for the previous album andPRhyme 2,calling it "curious and unnecessary".[10]Jonah Bromwich ofPitchforkwas also interested in the choice, stating that it was an "unusual constraint" and said that "sometimes, the veteran Detroit rapper [Royce] transcends his naturalBuddenism,avoiding corny punchlines, esoteric lyrical easter eggs, and bars that lead him nowhere. At other times, he doesn't. "[12]
Track listing
edit- All tracks are produced byDJ Premier.
- All tracks written byRyan Montgomery,Christopher Martin,and Anthony Reid,[a]except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Interlude 1 (Salute)" |
| 0:39 |
| 2. | "Black History" |
| 3:42 |
| 3. | "1 of the Hardest" |
| 2:43 |
| 4. | "Era" (featuringDave East) |
| 3:32 |
| 5. | "Respect My Gun" (featuringRoc Marciano) |
| 3:10 |
| 6. | "W.O.W. (With Out Warning)" (featuringYelawolf) |
| 3:29 |
| 7. | "Sunflower Seeds" (featuringNovelfor Summer of '96) |
| 3:34 |
| 8. | "Streets at Night" |
| 3:31 |
| 9. | "Rock It" |
| 3:49 |
| 10. | "Loved Ones" (featuringRapsody) |
| 3:15 |
| 11. | "My Calling" |
| 2:14 |
| 12. | "Made Man" (featuringBig K.R.I.T.andDenaun Porter) |
| 3:42 |
| 13. | "Relationships (Skit)" |
| 0:43 |
| 14. | "Flirt" (featuring2 Chainz) |
| 3:20 |
| 15. | "Everyday Struggle" (featuring Chavis Chandler) |
| 2:41 |
| 16. | "Do Ya Thang" |
| 4:22 |
| 17. | "Gotta Love It" (featuringCeeLo GreenandBrady Watt) |
| 4:37 |
| Total length: | 52:57 | ||
Personnel
editCredits adapted from AllMusic.[1]
PRhyme
- Ryan Montgomery- composition, A&R, executive producer
- Christopher Martin- producer(all tracks),composition, executive producer, mi xing, scratching, vocal engineer
Additional personnel
- Anthony Reid - composition, sample source
- Brady Watt- composition, bass guitar
- Parks Valley - mi xing, vocal engineer
- Jason "Asar" Qualls - vocal engineer
- I.V. Duncan - vocal engineer
- Ryan Hyland - vocal engineer
- Brian "B-Jones" Jones - vocal engineer
- Tony Dawsey - mastering
- Amanda Demme- creative director, photography
- Christopher Ardell - layout
Charts
edit| Chart (2018) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums(Billboard)[14] | 92 |
| USBillboard200[15] | 40 |
| USTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums(Billboard)[16] | 23 |
| USIndependent Albums(Billboard)[17] | 3 |
References
edit- ^abcdYeung, Neil Z."PRhyme 2 – PRhyme".AllMusic.All Media Network.RetrievedMarch 16,2018.
- ^"PRhyme 2 by PRhyme on Apple Music".iTunes Store(US).
- ^Hernandez, Victoria (September 27, 2015)."Royce Da 5'9" Talks PRhyme 2 ".HipHopDX.HipHopDX.RetrievedApril 21,2018.
- ^Centeno, Tony (February 18, 2016)."Interview: Royce Da 5'9 Drops A Hint About 'PRhyme 2′".Vibe.Vibe.RetrievedApril 21,2018.
- ^Centeno, Tony (March 16, 2017)."Interview: DJ Premier Reflects On His Battles With Pete Rock, Talks Completing 'PRhyme 2′ with Royce Da 5'9".Billboard.Billboard.RetrievedApril 21,2018.
- ^Wallace, Riley (May 18, 2017)."Royce Da 5'9 & DJ Premier Are In the Studio Finishing" PRhyme 2 "".HipHopDX.HipHopDX.RetrievedApril 21,2018.
- ^Findlay, Mitch (November 3, 2017)."Royce Da 5'9" & DJ Premier's "PRhyme 2" Is Officially Done ".HotNewHipHop.HotNewHipHop.RetrievedApril 21,2018.
- ^Mojica, Nick (February 26, 2018)."2 Chainz, Big K.R.I.T. and More Featured on PRhyme's 'PRhyme 2' Album Tracklist".XXL.XXL.RetrievedApril 21,2018.
- ^ab"Reviews for PRhyme 2 by PRhyme".Metacritic.RetrievedMarch 30,2018.
- ^ab"Royce da 5'9" and DJ Premier Embrace the Next Generation on PRhyme 2 ".Consequence of Sound.30 March 2018.RetrievedApril 4,2018.
- ^ab"PRhyme – PRhyme 2".Exclaim!.RetrievedMarch 22,2018.
- ^abBromwich, Jonah."PRhyme – PRhyme 2".Pitchfork.RetrievedMarch 22,2018.
- ^ab"PRhyme Puts New Tricks On Display With 'PRhyme 2' Album".XXL.27 March 2018.RetrievedMarch 30,2018.
- ^"PRhyme Chart History (Canadian Albums)".Billboard.Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^"PRhyme Chart History (Billboard200) ".Billboard.Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^"PRhyme Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)".Billboard.Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^"PRhyme Chart History (Independent Albums)".Billboard.Retrieved March 27, 2018.
Notes
edit- ^Real name of AntMan Wonder.