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''Thug Motivation 102: The Inspiration'' 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
Young Jeezy Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. Signing to Def Jam Recordings in 2004, his major label debut, '' Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'', was released the followin ...
. It was released on December 12, 2006, by Corporate Thugz Entertainment (CTE), and Def Jam South Recordings. Production was handled by
Shawty Redd Demetrius Lee Stewart (born June 21, 1981), better known by his stage name Shawty Redd, is an American record producer and rapper. He is cited as one of the pioneers of the production style which would become synonymous with the trap subgenre. ...
,
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 ...
,
J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League J.U.S.T.I.C.E. (Just Undeniably Some of The Illest Composers Ever) League is an American record production team composed of producers and instrumentalists from Tampa, Florida. The group is made up of members Erik "Rook" Ortiz, Kevin "Colion ...
, The Runners,
Cool & Dre Cool & Dre are a record production and songwriting duo from North Miami, Florida, consisting of Marcello "Cool" Antonio Valenzano and Andre "Dre" Christopher Lyon. The duo are best known for their work with Terror Squad founder Fat Joe, first ...
,
Mr. Collipark Michael Antoine Crooms (born October 5, 1972), better known by his stage name Mr. Collipark (and also known as DJ Smurf), is an American hip hop producer and the president of his own Atlanta-based record label, Collipark Music, which was starte ...
,
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 ...
,
Don Cannon Donald Cannon (born August 2, 1979) is an American DJ, record producer, songwriter, and record executive. Cannon is a co-founder of the Atlantic Records imprint, Generation Now. He was also a member of the prominent Atlanta mixtape collective, ...
and Midnight Black, among others. It features guest appearances from
R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwi ...
,
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 ...
,
Keyshia Cole Keyshia Myeshia Cole Johnson; born October 15, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Born and raised in Oakland, California, Cole began her career as a backing vocalist for MC Hammer. After signing with A&M Records ...
,
Blood Raw Bruce Falson (born April 17, 1975), better known by his stage name Blood Raw, is a black American rapper. He was part of the Atlanta-based rap-group U.S.D.A. until 2010. U.S.D.A bio Allmusic His debut album, '' My Life: The True Testimony'', p ...
, Slick Pulla, T.I.,
Project Pat Patrick Earl Houston (born February 8, 1973), better known by his stage name Project Pat, is an American rapper from Memphis, Tennessee. He is the older brother of Juicy J, the co-founder of Three 6 Mafia. Houston was formerly a member of hip h ...
and
Three 6 Mafia Three 6 Mafia is an American Hip hop music, hip hop group from Memphis, Tennessee, formed in 1991. Emerging as a horror-themed underground hip hop group, they would eventually go on to enjoy mainstream success. The group's 1995 debut album ''Mys ...
. ''The Inspiration'' was supported by three
single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...
s: " I Luv It," "
Go Getta "Go Getta" is the second single from Def Jam artist Young Jeezy off his second album ''The Inspiration'', it features singer R. Kelly. The song samples "Born On Halloween" by Blue Magic. It was released in late January. This song was #76 on '' ...
" featuring
R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwi ...
, and " Dreamin'" featuring
Keyshia Cole Keyshia Myeshia Cole Johnson; born October 15, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Born and raised in Oakland, California, Cole began her career as a backing vocalist for MC Hammer. After signing with A&M Records ...
.


Singles

The album's lead
single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...
, " I Luv It," was released on November 2, 2006. The song was produced by
DJ Toomp Aldrin Davis (born August 2, 1969), professionally known as DJ Toomp, is an American record producer, songwriter, and DJ. DJ Toomp received his start in 1985, with Atlanta MC Raheem the Dream, producing Raheem’s self-titled record when he was ...
. The album's second single, "
Go Getta "Go Getta" is the second single from Def Jam artist Young Jeezy off his second album ''The Inspiration'', it features singer R. Kelly. The song samples "Born On Halloween" by Blue Magic. It was released in late January. This song was #76 on '' ...
," was released on January 21, 2007. The song features a
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 ...
from American R&B singer
R. Kelly Robert Sylvester Kelly (born January 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and sex offender convicted of racketeering and multiple sex offenses. During his recording career, Kelly sold over 75 million records worldwi ...
, while the production was handled by the duo The Runners. The album's third single, " Dreamin'," was released on April 6, 2007. The song features a guest appearance from American R&B singer
Keyshia Cole Keyshia Myeshia Cole Johnson; born October 15, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Born and raised in Oakland, California, Cole began her career as a backing vocalist for MC Hammer. After signing with A&M Records ...
, while the production was also handled by The Runners.


Critical reception

The album has a score of 70 out of 100 from
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 ...
based on "generally favorable reviews." ''
Vibe ''Vibe'' is an American music and entertainment magazine founded by producers David Salzman and Quincy Jones. The publication predominantly features R&B and hip hop music artists, actors and other entertainers. After shutting down producti ...
'' gave the album four stars out of five and stated that "Despite its frustratingly uniform theme--coke--and Jeezy's inflexible, one-speed rasp, his sophomore effort, ''The Inspiration'', suggests that last year's victories were no fluke." ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' gave it a B and stated that Young Jeezy "spits snowman raps with rough-hewn charisma and unseemly enthusiasm." ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...
'' gave it three stars out of four and said that Jeezy "continues to improve, crafting songs that are distinctive and memorable, even if he sticks to the well-worn topics of rims, clothes and clubbing." ''
Blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen appliance, kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsion, emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender ...
'' gave it three-and-a-half stars and said that "the smallest suggestions of personality make a charismatic impact." '' Spin'' gave the album seven out of ten and stated that "This time around, it's as if the script has been reshot by Michael Bay--glossy and viscerally stimulating--and we're watching a coming attraction for a film that never starts." ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' gave it a positive review and said that Jeezy's lyrics "have matured past coke-slinging to the drug's effect on his life." '' The Phoenix'' gave it two-and-a-half stars out of four and said that "Fortunately, getting the money isn’t all this follow-up to last year’s breakthrough ''Let’s Get It'' cares about, and the singles here are fire." Other reviews are average or mixed:
Okayplayer Okayplayer is an online hip-hop and alternative music website and community, described by ''Rolling Stone'' as a "tastemaker" and "an antidote to dull promotional Web sites used by most artists". The community was founded by The Roots' drummer ...
gave it an average review and stated, "''The Inspiration'', an even darker work than the debut, finds the Snowman weaving paranoid street tales with eerie trunk-rattling beats. The album’s main downside is the repetitive nature of many of the tracks." ''Prefix Magazine'' gave it a score of six out of ten and called it "Spottily effective gangster posturing." However, ''
Stylus Magazine ''Stylus Magazine'' was an American online music and film magazine, launched in 2002 and co-founded by Todd L. Burns. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog. Addi ...
'' gave it a C− and said, "The strange thing about ''The Inspiration'' is how it's posited as an alternative to the much-bullied "conscious rap," and yet, it's among the least fun albums released this year." ''
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 ...
'' gave it a mixed review and said, "Young Jeezy’s appeal was never his writing, but now words sometimes fail him." ''
Hartford Courant The ''Hartford Courant'' is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is considered to be the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States. A morning newspaper serving most of the state north of New Haven ...
'' also gave it a mixed review and said that "Almost every dramatic synth swell, exploding snare and multi-tracked "Yeaaahhhh" has been done better elsewhere."


Commercial performance

''Thug Motivation 102: The Inspiration'' debuted at number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200, selling 352,000 copies in the first week. This became Jeezy's first US number-one debut and his second US top-ten album. In its second week, the album dropped to number 18 on the chart. In its third week, the album returned to the top-ten at number five on the chart, selling an additional 92,000 copies. In its fourth week, the album dropped to number seven on the chart, selling 45,000 more copies. On January 23, 2007, the album was certified
platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...
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) for sales of over one million copies. As of October 2009, the album has sold 1,229,000 copies in the United States.


Track listing

;Sample credits * "I Luv It" contains a sample of " I Believe to My Soul" performed by Donny Hathaway. * "Go Getta" contains a sample of "Born on Halloween" performed by Blue Magic, and samples "Gone Away" performed by
Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (born February 10, 1937) is a retired American singer. She topped the Billboard Magazine, ''Billboard'' charts with the No. 1 singles "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "Killing Me Softly with His Song", "Feel Like M ...
. * "Streets on Lock" contains an interpolation of "
Out of Touch "Out of Touch" is a song by American duo Hall & Oates from their twelfth studio album ''Big Bam Boom'' (1984). The song was released as the lead single from ''Big Bam Boom'' on Thursday, October 4, 1984, by RCA Records. This song was their last ...
" performed by
Hall & Oates Daryl Hall and John Oates, commonly known as Hall & Oates, are an American pop rock duo formed in Philadelphia in 1970. Daryl Hall is generally the lead vocalist; John Oates primarily plays electric guitar and provides backing vocals. The two ...
. * "Bury Me a G" contains a sample of "Child of God" performed by
Millie Jackson Mildred Virginia Jackson (born July 15, 1944) is an American R&B and soul recording artist. Beginning her career in the early 1960s, three of Jackson's albums have been certified gold by the RIAA for over 500,000 copies sold. Jackson's songs o ...
. * "Dreamin" contains a sample of "Dreaming" performed by
Bill Summers Bill Summers may refer to: * Bill Summers (car builder) (1935–2011), American car builder and longtime speed record holder * Bill Summers (musician) (born 1948), American jazz percussionist *Bill Summers (umpire) William Reed Summers (November ...
. * "What You Talkin' Bout" contains a sample of " Close the Door" performed by
Teddy Pendergrass Theodore DeReese Pendergrass (March 26, 1950 – January 13, 2010) was an American soul and R&B singer-songwriter. He was born in Kingstree, South Carolina. Pendergrass spent most of his life in the Philadelphia area, and initially rose to musi ...
. * "Mr. 17.5" contains a sample of "
Give Me Just Another Day "Give Me Just Another Day" (T54240F) is a song written by Leon Ware and released as a single in 1973 by Motown R&B group The Miracles, issued on that label's Motown, Tamla Records subsidiary. It was the first single release from the group's album ...
" performed by
The Miracles The Miracles (also known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group that was the first successful recording act for Berry Gordy's Motown Records, and one of the most important and most influential groups ...
. * "I Got Money" contains a sample of "
Phantom of the Opera ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pierr ...
" performed by Andrew Lloyd Webber. * "The Inspiration (Follow Me)" contains a sample of "
Muscles Skeletal muscles (commonly referred to as muscles) are organs of the vertebrate muscular system and typically are attached by tendons to bones of a skeleton. The muscle cells of skeletal muscles are much longer than in the other types of muscle ...
" performed by
Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...
.


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


References


External links


Young Jeezy official website at defjam.com
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Inspiration, The 2006 albums Albums produced by Cool & Dre Albums produced by DJ Toomp Albums produced by Mr. Collipark Albums produced by the Runners Albums produced by Timbaland Albums produced by Drumma Boy Albums produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League Albums produced by Shawty Redd Albums produced by Don Cannon Def Jam Recordings albums Jeezy albums Sequel albums