''Season One'' is the second

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 Canadian

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 ...

Saukrates Karl Amani Wailoo (born March 6, 1978), better known by his stage name Saukrates (; "Socrates"), is a Canadian rapper, singer, and record producer. He is the co-founder of Capitol Hill Music, and lead singer of the hip-hop/ R&B group Big Black L ...

, released April 24, 2012. It was released independently on FrostByte Media and

eOne Music MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch", formerly known as Koch Records and eOne Music) is a New York City-based independent record label and music management company. It was formed in 2009 from the music assets of Koch Entertainment, which had b ...

, 13 years after the release of his debut album ''

The Underground Tapes ''The Underground Tapes'' is the debut studio album by Canadian rapper Saukrates, which was released June 22, 1999 in the United States through independent labels Serious Entertainment and Capitol Hill Music. In late summer 1999, the album was r ...

''. Singles from the album include "Drop It Down" and "Say I".

Background

After signing a

record deal A recording contract (commonly called a record contract or record deal) is a legal agreement between a record label and a recording artist (or group), where the artist makes a record (or series of records) for the label to sell and promote. Artists ...

with

Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The ...

in 2000,Saukrates Signs to Def Jam
''Eye Weekly''. Accessed on September 20, 2012. Saukrates began working on his second album, ''Bad Addiction'', which was slated to be released in 2004.
CBC. Accessed on September 20, 2012. He was eventually dropped by Def Jam, and failed to secure another major-label deal for the album, which was shelved despite being completed. In 2006, Saukrates' group

Big Black Lincoln Big Black Lincoln was a Canadian rhythm and blues musical group from Toronto, Ontario, active in the mid-2000s.Amanda Parris"From the Weeknd to Big Black Lincoln: R&B for Canada 150" CBC Music, July 4, 2017. Led by rapper Saukrates, the group incl ...

released their debut album, ''Heaven's Caught on Fire'', in Canada. The album showcased his R&B-style singing abilities, which later became common in his collaborations with other artists. The album title, ''Season One'', is a reference to what Saukrates calls "a wonderful new beginning" in his career.Saukrates
''Exclaim!''. Accessed on September 20, 2012. On the album, he delivers a unique rapping-singing combination, paired with diverse styles of production, including

boom bap Boom bap is a subgenre and music production style that was prominent in the East Coast during the golden age of hip hop from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. The term "boom bap" is an onomatopoeia that represents the sounds used for the ba ...

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

, and

live instrumentation In music, live instrumentation is the use of acoustic instrument, acoustic and electronic instrument, electronic musical instruments in live music and Sound recording and reproduction, recording rather than DJing, sampling (music), sampling, and oth ...

. The song "On the Run" (featuring

k-os Kevin Brereton (born February 20, 1972), better known by his stage name k-os (; "chaos"), is a Canadian alternative rapper, singer, songwriter and producer. His given name may also be cited as Kheaven, a spelling he later adopted. The alias "k ...

and

Nelly Furtado Nelly Kim Furtado (; ; born December 2, 1978) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Furtado has sold over 40 million records worldwide making her one of the most successful Canadian artists. She first gained fame with her trip hop-inspired deb ...

) was previously released as "I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman", a single from k-os' 2009 album '' Yes!''.

Reception

RapReviews.com gave the album an 8/10 rating, stating "The self reflection and maturity of ''Season One'' clearly make it an overall effective album," also adding "In various songs Saukrates explores the triumphs and tragedies of life while remaining optimistic that better days are ahead."

Track listing

Samples

*"On the Run" contains a sample of "

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

" by

Phantom Planet Phantom Planet is an American rock band from Los Angeles, formed in 1994. The band consists of Alex Greenwald (vocals, rhythm guitar), Darren Robinson (lead guitar), Sam Farrar (bass guitar) and Jeff Conrad (drums). The band is best known for it ...

References

{{Authority control 2012 albums Albums produced by Saukrates E1 Music albums Saukrates albums