''Lady Lady'' 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 ...

by Jamaican-American singer

Masego Masego is a Tswana/ Pedi name (a Bantu tribe found in Botswana and South Africa) meaning blessings that may refer to: *Masego (musician) (born 1993), modern hip hop artist who utilizes elements of jazz and house music * Masego Kgomo (c. 1999–2009) ...

. It was released on September 7, 2018 by EQT Recordings, LLC.

Background

In an interview with Billboard, Masego refers to the style of this album as TrapHouseJazz, and also said "my previous projects have different energy, and I feel like I’ve graduated to a more mature version of myself -- my beard’s almost connected, my man body’s comin’ in." The album guest features production from FKJ,

SiR ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...

, Tiffany Gouché, and De' Wayne Jackson. Production was handled by Masego, Kojoa Asamoah, Jasper, Jah, Justin Bryant, Oliver Jonas Bergqvist,

Sounwave Mark Anthony Spears, known professionally as Sounwave, is an American hip-hop producer and songwriter from Compton, California, and an original member of the Californian hip-hop label Top Dawg Entertainment. Sounwave has worked on every Kendrick ...

, and French Kiwi Juice.

Promotion and singles

After filming a jam session in March, Masego and FKJ released the official single for "Tadow" on October 17, 2017. The song was fully improvised by the musicians during a day-long recording session that took place just after they first met. In celebration of his birthday, the second single "Lady Lady" was released on June 8, 2018. Two weeks before the album, the third single, "Old Age" featuring

was released.

Critical reception

Pitchfork gave the album a 7.3 out of 10 saying, "His music is sophisticated, steeped in 1980s quiet-storm R&B with hints of smooth jazz along the fringes," and "Lady Lady is a grand coming-of-age record that displays the playful and reflective halves of Masego, illuminating his versatile nature with the promise of more to come." Exclaim! also gave a positive review of the album saying, "when applied to his music, his penchant for jumping from place to place means big payoffs for his audience. On Lady Lady, no two songs sound alike, although they complement each other perfectly."

Track listing

;Notes * "Lady Lady" contains a sample of "

Prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...

" performed by Outkast * "Sugar Walls" contains uncredited vocals from

Ari Lennox Courtney Shanade Salter (born March 26, 1991), known professionally as Ari Lennox, is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer from Washington, D.C. She is the first female artist to be signed to J. Cole's record label, Dreamville Records. She b ...

* "24 Hr. Relationship" contains uncredited vocals from

Kehlani Kehlani Ashley Parrish (born April 24, 1995) is an American singer, songwriter, and dancer. Kehlani is originally from Oakland, California, and achieved initial fame as a member of the teen group Poplyfe in 2011. In 2014, Kehlani released thei ...

References

{{Authority control 2018 debut albums Albums produced by Sounwave