''Fear Itself'' is the debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

from

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

hip hop artist Casual, released February 1, 1994 on

Jive Records Jive Records was an American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary to the Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chicago. Jive was best known for its successes with hip hop, R&B, an ...

. The album peaked at number 108 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart.

Reception

Chris Witt of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

commended Casual for his lyrical abilities, noting how the MC "produces an unending and seemingly unstoppable flow of boasts and taunts," and also remarking that "the simplicity of his message belies the complexity of his vicious wordplay." Cbeo H. Coker of ''

Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down productio ...

'' said, "Casual's braggadocious, rip-roaring flow is fortified by upright bass lines, serpentine jazz/funk horns, and thunderous drum kicks." In 2008, it was listed by ''Vibe'' as one of the 24 Lost Rap Classics.

Track listing

Chart history

Album

Singles

Personnel

Information taken from

. *engineering – Matt Kelley *mastering –

Tom Coyne Tom Coyne may refer to: * Tom Coyne (writer), American writer and professor * Tom Coyne (broadcaster) (1930–2015), British television presenter * Tom Coyne (music engineer) (1954–2017), American mastering engineer * Thomas Coyne (cricketer) ( ...

*mixing – Casual, Chris Trevett *photography –

Michael Lucero Michael John Lucero (September 26, 1963 – May 8, 1998) was an American music video director. He died in a car accident in Nevada on May 8, 1998. Xzibit dedicated his 1998 video for “What U See Is What U Get” to Lucero. Videograph ...

*production – Casual,

Del tha Funkee Homosapien Teren Delvon Jones (born August 12, 1972), better known by his stage name Del the Funky Homosapien (sometimes stylized as Del tha Funkee Homosapien) or Sir DZL, is an American rapper. Music career 1988–1997: Early life and beginnings Born in O ...

Domino Dominoes is a family of tile-based games played with gaming pieces, commonly known as dominoes. Each domino is a rectangular tile, usually with a line dividing its face into two square ''ends''. Each end is marked with a number of spots (also ca ...

, Jay Biz *scratching – Touré *vocals – A+, Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Extra Prolific,

Pep Love Pep Love is a hip hop artist and a member of the Oakland, California-based hip hop collective Hieroglyphics. Personal life Born and raised in Jackson, Mississippi, Pep Love relocated with his family to Oakland, California as a teenager. Dis ...

Phesto Damani Thompson, known by the stage names, Phesto and Phesto Dee (born April 29, 1974), is an American rapper and producer. He is one of the founding four members of the Oakland, California-based underground hip hop group Souls of Mischief, a ...

Souls of Mischief Souls of Mischief is a hip hop group from Oakland, California, that is also part of the hip hop collective Hieroglyphics. The Souls of Mischief formed in 1991 and is composed of rappers A-Plus, Opio, Phesto, and Tajai. History East Oakland nat ...

Tajai Tajai Massey, known by the stage name Tajai (born April 21, 1975), is an American rapper and producer. He is one of the four founding members of the Oakland, California-based underground hip hop group Souls of Mischief and, with Souls of Misch ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1994 debut albums Casual (rapper) albums Jive Records albums