So the numbers have been release and it looks like Cruel Summer is going to come is 2nd place this week to Pink's Truth About Love on Billboard. Not to say that G.O.O.D. Music didn't have one hell of a first week, selling a little over 216,000 copies but Pink manage to reach just over 280,000. With Lupe dropping this week I wonder which Chicago MC is going to sell more records.
For the release of Cruel Summer today, G.O.O.D. Music hit the 106 & Park stage earlier this evening to talk about the very much anticipated album. Everyone except Kanye was there in attendance to touch on topics such as their upcoming projects, the recording process that took place, and what they've all learned from Kanye during his throne era. All this and much, much more can be seen below. Check it!
It was a Cruel Summer for everyone in the music industry; everyone who's not G.O.O.D., that is. With single upon single, from "I Don't Like" to the song formerly known as "Theraflu" (TM) formerly known as "Way Too Cold" to "Mercy" to "New God Flow," G.O.O.D. Music dominated the radiowaves. Then Yeezy unveiled "Clique," but by the time we came to grips with what had hit us, Cruel Summer dropped. It's simply astounding how Kanye West has become such a force in the music industry in only a matter of a few years. He's changing the game. It's virtually impossible, these days, to see a song with Kanye West on it that's not a meme: Chief Keef (no comment) rose to fame, DJ Khaled cosigned a track with only one artist on it (huh?,) a Bible verse was paraphrased that no one understood (that is, until Rap Genius transcribed the lyrics,) and then Kanye sampled the Nasfather, proclaiming himself the new god of hip-hop. Damn. Jay-Z has done well putting 'Ye on, for Watch the Throne still gets major play over a year later. But y'all don't need me to tell you how awesome Kanye West is: he already tells you enough.
Two weeks ago, "Clique" took the world by storm. As if Big Sean's Detroit didn't get fanboys hyped enough for the collaboration, Sean's "in-your-face" flow on yet another consistently Tweet-able verse and rude hook coupled with a big appearance from Hov was electric.
R. Kelly's "To The World" hook is eerily infectious. I promise, if you listen, it will be stuck in your head. For me, it's great to see him back, for this is the first time in a while I heard an R. Kelly song without it actually being Trey Songz singing. In hearing the beginning of "The Morning," one would have trouble imagining 2 Chainz' ad-libs over the beautiful violin-accompanied hook; however, the song is great. Raekwon kills it. Common kills it. Pusha kills it. Everyone goes in. Cocaine 80's and The-Dream make for some nice vocals on "Higher," and Yeezy plays Puff Daddy bringing Ma$e in on the track. My favorite part about this song is 2 Chainz saying "YEAAA" before each verse. I believe "Higher" is catered to a selective taste, but it is a good listen, nevertheless.
Listen to this album cover to cover and you'll barely be able to tell where "Higher" ends and "Sin City" begins. The vocals on this next track are wondrous, and alongside the airy synths bear a stark contrast to the hard-hitting instrumental and choppy verses, most notably from Cyhi. "The One" sports a charming hook and a reflective verse from Yeezy. "Creepers," a solo track from Cudder, is definitely more of the WZRD Cud than anything. Not sure how I feel about his musical transformation but parts of this song are redeeming. Then there's "Bliss," which is a refreshing R&B track from John Legend and Teyana Taylor. Though it feels like it's missing a verse from one of the G.O.O.D. MC's, it's definitely still enjoyable, to say the least.
I honestly think "I Don't Like" doesn't have a place on the album, so it makes sense that Yeezy put it at the end; however, if anything, I'd put it as a bonus track. That's not to say it's worth any extra money, though. Chances are you've heard it 2,398,473,294 times.
UPDATE: The tracklist below is confirmed by Amazon. Be sure to also check out "Clique", released earlier today.
01. To The World by Kanye West & R. Kelly
02. Clique by Kanye West, Jay-Z & Big Sean
03. Mercy by Kanye West, Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz
04. New God Flow by Kanye West & Pusha T
05. The Morning by Raekwon, Pusha T, Common, 2 Chainz, CyHi Da Prynce, Kid Cudi & D’Banj
06. Cold by Kanye West & DJ Khaled
07. Higher by Pusha T, The Dream, & Mase
08. Sin City by John Legend, Travi$ Scott, Teyana Taylor, CyHi Da Prynce & Malik Yusef
09. The One by Kanye West, Big Sean, 2 Chainz & Marsha Ambrosius
10. Creepers by Kid Cudi
11. Bliss by John Legend & Teyana Taylor
12. Don’t Like by Kanye West, Chief Keef, Pusha T, Big Sean & Jadakiss
08.31.12: What do you think of the rumored tracklist for G.O.O.D. Music's long-awaited compilation album, Cruel Summer (currently set for a September 18th release)?
Me? I'm glad to see CyHi not get left out in the cold. Great to see R. Kelly, Malik Yusef, and lots of Cudi, Sean, and Legend. No doubt, I'll be anticipating this one. September's shaping up to be quite the month for hip hop, no?
