''Priceless'' (stylized as ''Pricele$$'') is the fourth and final studio album by American rapper
Birdman. The album was released on November 23, 2009. Producers included I.N.F.O., Oddz N Endz,
Timbaland
Timothy Zachery Mosley (born March 10, 1972), known professionally as Timbaland, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. He has received widespread acclaim for his innovative production work and distinc ...
,
Drumma Boy
Christopher James Gholson (born August 11, 1983), better known by his stage name Drumma Boy, is an American record producer.
Early life
Born in Memphis, Tennessee, and raised in Cordova, Tennessee, he was exposed to music at a young age. His mo ...
,
T-Minus
A countdown is a sequence of backward counting to indicate the time remaining before an event is scheduled to occur. NASA commonly employs the terms "L-minus" and "T-minus" during the preparation for and anticipation of a rocket launch, and eve ...
, and
Infamous
Infamous may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Film and television
* ''Infamous'' (2006 film), an American drama film
* ''Infamous'' (2020 film), an American crime thriller film
* "Infamous", an episode of ''Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinj ...
.
Singles
The first, and second most successful single off the album was "
Always Strapped" featuring
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...
. The remix was used for the video, and album featuring
Mack Maine
Jermaine Anthony Preyan (born July 28, 1982), better known by his stage name Mack Maine, is an American record executive, songwriter, and rapper from New Orleans, Louisiana. Mack Maine has been the president of Young Money Entertainment since 2 ...
. The second single was "
Written on Her" featuring
Jay Sean
Kamaljit Singh Jhooti (born 26 March 1981), better known by the stage name Jay Sean, is a British singer and songwriter. He debuted in the UK's Asian Underground scene as a member of the Rishi Rich Project with "Dance with You", which reached ...
, which in December 2009 significantly also became Birdman's first release in the UK. The third, and most successful single of Birdman's career as a lead artist peaking at number twenty-six on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 was "
Money to Blow
"Money to Blow" is the third single from rapper Birdman’s fourth studio album, '' Priceless''. The song features Young Money/Cash Money artists Drake and Lil Wayne. The song - leaked in early 2008 - was originally by Drake, but he went on to giv ...
", featuring
Drake
Drake may refer to:
Animals
* A male duck
People and fictional characters
* Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name
* Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* ...
, and Lil Wayne. The fourth single from the album was "
4 My Town (Play Ball)", also featuring Drake, and Lil Wayne.
Chart performance
The album debuted on the
''Billboard'' 200 chart at number thirty-three, selling 34,000 copies in its first week. It's his lowest charting album to date. The album has currently sold over 380,000 copies as of March 4, 2010.
Critical reception
William E. Ketchum III of HipHopDX.com said that
Birdman constructs a disc full of capable singles, but not because of his own skills on the mic, but his producers and his guest stars. Calling the album "an album that's much more tolerable than Birdman detractors would expect or like to admit." He talked down to Birdman's rapping saying that "unlike other materialistic rhymers, Birdman doesn't have any redeeming qualities; he doesn't have the charisma of
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...
, he doesn’t have the dry wit and wordplay of
Fabolous
John David Jackson (born November 18, 1977), better known by his stage name Fabolous, is an American rapper. Raised in Brooklyn, he first gained recognition while still a senior in high school, when he performed live on American music executive ...
, and he lacks the larger-than-life persona of
Rick Ross
William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper.
Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Sean Combs, D ...
. He furthly states that the uninventive rhymes and the unvarying subject matter take their toll. In conclusion, he stated that Birdman may not know how to rap well, but "by leading a team of capable emcees and beatmakers around him, he knows how to make music. And in this industry, that sixth sense of knowing what goes where is, well, priceless."
Track listing
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
{{Authority control
2009 albums
Albums produced by Boi-1da
Albums produced by Drumma Boy
Albums produced by T-Minus (record producer)
Albums produced by T-Pain
Albums produced by Timbaland
Birdman (rapper) albums
Cash Money Records albums