''Crown of Thorns'' is the debut solo studio album by American rapper

Rakaa Rakaa Taylor, better known by his stage names Rakaa, Rakaa Iriscience, and Iriscience, is a rapper from Los Angeles, California. He is a member of Dilated Peoples alongside Evidence and DJ Babu. Career Rakaa released the solo debut album, ''Crow ...

, a member of the

Dilated Peoples Dilated Peoples is an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California. They have had little mainstream success in the US, with the exception of the song " This Way", a 2004 collaboration with Kanye West. Better known in the UK, they reached t ...

crew. It was released on

Decon Decon'' is a New York-based creative studio that houses production, creative, strategy, and music divisions. The company creates campaigns on behalf of brands and advertising agencies. History Originally named Deconstruction Company, the comp ...

in 2010. The cover art was painted by Doze Green. The album peaked at number 72 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...

chart.

Critical reception

Chris Faraone of '' The Phoenix'' gave the album 3.5 stars out of 4, writing, "A couple of dud throwbacks briefly interrupt, but otherwise Rakaa has painted the sort of edgeless canvas that even the most eclectic acts are scared to make these days." Scott Morrow of ''Alarm'' described the album as "a straightforward, original disc of hip-hop jams with a diversity of samples and sounds, whether they're hard-hitting, funky, or jazzy." Brett Uddenberg of '' URB'' gave the album 3 stars out of 5, stating, "While the solo record is an extension of what he has accomplished with his group, it is unlikely to spawn any memorable hits." He added, "The beats are excellent and the flow is solid, but there's something missing here." ''

HipHopDX ''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head Of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. ''HipHopDX'' is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group. ...

'' included it on the "Top 25 Albums of 2010" list.

Track listing

Charts

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2010 debut albums Rakaa albums Decon albums Albums produced by the Alchemist (musician) Albums produced by El-P Albums produced by Evidence (musician) Albums produced by Exile (producer) Albums produced by Illmind Albums produced by DJ Honda Albums produced by Oh No (musician)