''Still Brazy'' is the second studio album by American rapper YG. It was made available for streaming on June 14, 2016, by

Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...

. Later, it was released physically for the digital download purchases on June 17, 2016, by 4Hunnid Records,

CTE World CTE World (or Corporate Thugz Entertainment also relaunched on October 14, 2022 as CTE New World) is an American record label founded by American rapper Jeezy & his former manager Demetrius “Kinky B” Ellerbee. In December 2012, Young Jeezy s ...

and

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 ...

. The album features

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

handled by Swish,

P-Lo The HBK Gang (abbreviation for the Heartbreak Gang) is an American hip hop collective based in Richmond, California and the San Francisco Bay Area. Founded by Iamsu!, Chief, Skipper and P-Lo in 2008, members also include singer Kehlani and rapper ...

Terrace Martin Terrace Jamahl Martin (born December 28, 1978) is an American musician, rapper, singer, and record producer. He is perhaps best known for producing records for several prominent artists in the music industry, including Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dog ...

, Larrance Dopson, CT Beats,

Ty Dolla Sign Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He first gained major recognition in 2010 for his feature on Ameri ...

and

Hit-Boy Chauncey Alexander Hollis Jr. (born May 21, 1987), better known by his stage name Hit-Boy, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. In May 2011, he had signed a two-year deal with Kanye West's GOOD Music production branch. ...

, while YG enlisted the collaborators such as

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), ...

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 * ...

Nipsey Hussle Airmiess Joseph Asghedom (August 15, 1985 – March 31, 2019), known professionally as Nipsey Hussle (often stylized as Nipsey Hu$$le), was an American rapper, entrepreneur, and activist. Emerging from the West Coast hip hop scene in the mid- ...

and Slim 400, among others. ''Still Brazy'' was supported by three singles: "Twist My Fingaz", " FDT" and " Why You Always Hatin?" The album received widespread acclaim from critics and debuted at number six on the US ''Billboard'' 200, earning 38,000

album-equivalent unit The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, is a measurement unit in music industry to define the consumption of music that equals the purchase of one album copy. This consumption includes streaming and song downloads in addition to traditi ...

s in its first week. It was certified

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA).

Promotion

To promote the album release, YG released the track, "I Wanna Benz", was released on December 12, 2015. The song features

guest appearance In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other p ...

s from American rappers

and

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and businessman. Born in the South Jamaica neighborhood of Queens, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 2000, when he produced ...

, with production was provided by

London on da Track London Tyler Holmes (born March 27, 1991), known professionally as London on da Track, is an American record producer, rapper, and songwriter. He is a frequent collaborator of fellow Atlanta rapper Young Thug and has also worked with Kodak Black, ...

. The track also premiered by Oliver El-Khatib on the twelfth episode of ''OVO Sound Radio''. The album was made available for streaming on June 14, 2016. Later, it was released physically for the digital download purchases on June 17.

Singles

The

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

from the album, "Twist My Fingaz", was released on July 16, 2015. The song was produced by

. The second single from the album, " FDT" (stylized for "Fuck Donald Trump"), was released on March 30, 2016. The song features a

from American rapper

, with production was provided by Swish. Much of the original lyrics in the single version was

censored Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

and replaced with newer verses on the album, after YG revealed the government contacted his label regarding the song. On July 20, 2016, YG released a

remix A remix (or reorchestration) is a piece of media which has been altered or contorted from its original state by adding, removing, or changing pieces of the item. A song, piece of artwork, book, video, poem, or photograph can all be remixes. The o ...

ed version of the track, "FDT Part 2". The song features guest appearances from American rappers

G-Eazy Gerald Earl Gillum (born May 24, 1989), better known by his stage name G-Eazy, is an American rapper. His first major-label album, '' These Things Happen'', was released on June 23, 2014, and peaked at number 3 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 ...

and

Macklemore Benjamin Hammond Haggerty (born June 19, 1983), better known by his stage name Macklemore ( ; (formerly Professor Macklemore), is an American rapper and songwriter. A native of Seattle, Washington, he has collaborated with producer Ryan Lewi ...

. The third single from the album, " Why You Always Hatin?", was released on May 21, 2016. The song premiered by Oliver El-Khatib on ''OVO Sound Radio''. The song features guest appearances from Canadian rapper

and American rapper

Kamaiyah Kamaiyah Jamesha Johnson (born March 13, 1992) is an American rapper and singer from Oakland, California. Her debut mixtape, ''A Good Night in the Ghetto'', was released in 2016 to critical acclaim. In 2017, Kamaiyah was named as one of the ten ...

, with production was handled by CT Beats.

Promotional singles

The album's first

promotional single A promotional recording, or promo, or plug copy, is an audio or video recording distributed free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available. Promos are normally sent directly to broadcasters, such as ...

, "Still Brazy", was released on June 3, 2016, alone with an accompanied music video. The track was produced by

and Swish. The album's second promotional single, "Word Is Bond", was released on July 29, 2016, alone with an accompanied music video. The song features a guest appearance from American rapper Slim 400, with production was handled by

Critical reception

''Still Brazy'' was met with widespread critical acclaim. At

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...

score of 83, based on 14 reviews. Aggregator

AnyDecentMusic? AnyDecentMusic? is a website that collates album reviews from magazines, websites, and newspapers. Primarily focused on popular music – covering rock, pop, electronic, dance, folk, country, roots, hip-hop, R&B, and rap – albums are adjudg ...

gave it 7.7 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus. David Jeffries 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 ...

said, "A heavy album that doesn't pander to what's PC, what's on the radio, or what safe, suburban America believes." Martín Caballero of ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' said, "Here, it's less about what Y.G. does than how he does it; digging deeper into vintage G-funk flavors with a blend of personal, party, and political tracks, the young Compton rapper takes a sizzling step forward." Michael Madden of ''

Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. In addition, the website also features the Festival Outlook ...

'' said, "It's full of the kind of warm G-funk that never fails to transport you to the part of the country it belongs to." ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

''s Themistoklis Alexis gave the album a positive review, writing that it succeeds in "evoking the crown jewels of West Coast hip-hop royalty." Trent Clark of ''

HipHopDX ''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of hip hop music criticism and news. The website's current president and publisher is Sharath Cherian and the Head Of Content is Jerry L. Barrow. ''HipHopDX'' is the flagship publication of Cheri Media Group. ...

'' said, "''Still Brazy'' is a testament that real-life experience breeds the best music but we can do without the shootouts from this point on." Grant Rindner 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 ...

'' said, "No one out there is crafting visceral street tales like he is, and if he could just trim his track lists a bit, he has the talent to make a gangster rap classic in the future." Patrick Taylor of ''RapReviews'' said, "While most of the album is concerned with asserting that YG is still a G despite his fame, it closes with a trio of protest songs." Jon Caramanica of ''

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 ...

'' said, "''Still Brazy'' is an artisanal, proletarian Los Angeles gangster rap record, less tribute to the sound's golden age than a full-throated and wholly absorbed recitation." Sheldon Pearce of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' said, "''Still Brazy'' solidifies YG as a torch-bearer for west coast gangster rap." Sam C. Mac of ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York ...

'' said, "Make no mistake—musically and lyrically, this is an expansion." Drew Millard of ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' said, "YG has gone and done himself one better, creating a record that stands tall alongside the full-lengths he once mined."

Accolades

Commercial performance

''Still Brazy'' debuted at number six on the ''Billboard'' 200, earning 38,000

s, (including 28,000 copies in pure albums sales) in its first week. It marked YG's second top ten debut on the chart. On July 22, 2020, the album was certified

by the

(RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over 500,000 units in the United States.

Track listing

Credits were adapted from the album's liner notes. Notes * signifies a co-producer * signifies an additional producer * "Who Shot Me?" contains additional vocals by Chelsea Davis, Knock Squared, and

Paloma Ford Paloma Ford is an American R&B vocalist. She gained traction singing backgrounds for singer Macy Gray on her 2007 album ''Big'' and has since gone on to carve out a lane for herself as a R&B singer, songwriter & collaborate with the likes of Mee ...

* "Gimmie Got Shot" contains additional vocals by Nano and Tanea

Personnel

Credits for ''Still Brazy'' adapted from

. * Jay 305 – featured artist * Zachary Acosta – mixing assistant * AD – featured artist * Derek "MixedByAli" Ali – mixing * Matt Anthony – engineer * Bricc Baby – featured artist * Marley Blu – featured artist * Dee Brown – engineer * Matt Burnette-Lemon – package design * Burnt Out – featured artist * Miriah Renee Carey – vocals * Steve Carless – executive producer * Vincent Cohran – vocals * Dashone Wright – vocals * Chelsea Davis – vocals * Neil Denning – engineer * Larrance Dopson – keyboards * Drake – featured artist * Duce – featured artist * Paloma Ford – vocals * Kenneth Gayton – vocals * Chris Gehringer – mastering * Tyquan Givens – vocals * Hit-Boy – producer * The Homegirl – featured artist * Nipsey Hussle – featured artist * Keenon Jackson – executive producer * Ulysses Jackson – vocals * Brandon Jones – vocals * Kamaiyah – additional production, featured artist * Nye Lee Jr. – assistant executive producer, vocals * Ro Lexx – photography * Lil' Wayne – featured artist * Travis Margis – engineer * Terrace Martin – keyboards, producer * Marquis Medina – vocals * Mike Miller – cover photo * Brandon Moore – keyboards * Joe Moses – featured artist * Caroline Bentley Noble – vocals * P-Lo – producer * Adam Pena – engineer * Sad Boy – featured artist * Sickamore – executive producer * Slim 400 – featured artist * Knock Squared – vocals * Swish – keyboards, producer * Syke 800 – featured artist * Ty Dolla Sign – producer * Marlon Williams – guitar * Traysha Williams – vocals * YG – primary artist, vocals

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control YG (rapper) albums Def Jam Recordings albums Albums produced by Terrace Martin 2016 albums G-funk albums