''Life'' is the fourth

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 ...

by American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

Yo Gotti Mario Sentell Giden Mims (born May 19, 1981), known professionally as Yo Gotti, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record executive. In 1996, Gotti released his debut album ''Youngsta's On a Come Up'' under the alias Lil Yo. He went on to re ...

. It was released on May 13, 2003, by

TVT Records TVT Records (Tee-Vee Tunes) was an American record label founded by Steve Gottlieb. Over the course of its 24-year history, the label released 25 Gold, Platinum and Multi-Platinum releases. Its roster included Nine Inch Nails, Ja Rule, Lil Jon, ...

, serving as Yo Gotti's major-label debut and first studio release with TVT.

Critical reception

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 ...

writer Jason Birchmeier awarded the album three stars and described it as "typical of the genre". Matt Gonzales of

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

also gave the album a lukewarm review, viewing Yo Gotti as "lyrically indistinguishable from a sea of bitter, street-hustling rappers exactly like himself".Gonzales, Matt (2003)
Yo Gotti ''Life''
,

, 21 October 2003, retrieved 2010-01-31 Geoff Harkness, writing for ''

The Pitch The Pitch may refer to: * "The Pitch" (''Seinfeld'') * ''The Pitch'' (TV series), an AMC original series * ''The Pitch'' (podcast), an American podcast * ''The Pitch'' (newspaper), a newspaper in Kansas City * A segment in '' The Gruen Transfer ...

'' saw merit in Gotti's lyrics, but opined that "the played-out beats, the hoary "Dirty South" shout-outs and Gotti's perfunctory delivery ... hinder the album beyond repair."Harkness, Geoff (2003)
Yo Gotti ''Life''
, ''

'', July 31, 2003, retrieved 2010-01-31 The ''

Memphis Flyer The ''Memphis Flyer'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper serving the greater Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along ...

'' commented on the "vintage Def Jam-style production" and "facility with R&B hooks", and viewed the album as revealing "a wider range of musical and emotional options than is usually heard on

Memphis rap Memphis rap, also known as Memphis hip hop or Memphis horrorcore, is a regional subgenre of hip hop music that originated in Memphis, Tennessee in the mid-late 1980s. Aesthetic It has been characterized as being low budget, using repetitive v ...

records".Hear This: Al Green, Memphix, and Yo Gotti helped lead the way in Memphis music for 2003
, ''

'', January 1, 2004, retrieved 2010-01-31 The ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' Kelefa Sanneh, reviewing his next album, described ''Life'' as "an uncelebrated gem".Sanneh, Kelefa (2006)
Critics' Choice: New CDs
, ''

'', May 22, 2006, retrieved 2010-01-31 Several reviewers commented on the cover art, with Gonzales stating that from the cover the album could be mistaken "for a Wayans Brothers project skewering the worn-out conventions of hardcore rap". Harkness described the cover showing Yo Gotti "surrounded by snazzy cars, diamond-encrusted hubcaps and a flurry of $100 bills -- not exactly indicators that songs about the current political climate or uplifting one's spiritual self will be found inside."

Track listing

References

{{Authority control 2003 debut albums Yo Gotti albums