''The Salvation'' is the debut solo studio album by American rapper
Skyzoo
Gregory Skyler Taylor (born December 24, 1982), known professionally as Skyzoo, is an American Songwriter and rapper. He has released a number of notable solo and collaborative albums, including '' Cloud 9: The 3 Day High'' with 9th Wonder in ...
. It was released on September 29, 2009, via Jamla Records and
Duck Down Music
Duck Down Music Inc is a New York City based record label, talent management, music-marketing, and consulting company founded by Drew "Dru-Ha" Friedman and Kenyatta "Buckshot" Blake in 1995. In Duck Down's 20-year existence, the Company has rel ...
.
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 ...
was handled by
9th Wonder
Patrick Denard Douthit (born January 15, 1975), better known as 9th Wonder, is a Nottz
Dominick J. Lamb, (born February 21, 1977) better known by his stage name Nottz (or Nottz Raw), is an American hip hop record producer and rapper from Norfolk, Virginia. Nottz has produced for some of the biggest names in hip hop, including Bu ...
Illmind
Ramon Ibanga, Jr. (born August 28, 1980), known professionally as Illmind (often stylized as !llmind), is an American record producer, songwriter, and educator. As of 2012, he lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Illmind has co-written and produced hip ...
,
Just Blaze
Justin Gregory Smith (born January 8, 1978), known professionally as Just Blaze, is an American hip hop record producer and DJ. Born in Paterson, New Jersey, Blaze attended Rutgers University for three years before dropping out to pursue his mu ...
and
Needlz
Khari Cain (born April 19, 1978), professionally known as Needlz, is an American record producer and songwriter.
Early life and career
Khari Cain was born on April 19, 1978 in Lansing, Michigan
Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of ...
. It features guest appearance from Carlitta Durand.
The album peaked at number 126 on the US ''Billboard'' 200, number 4 on the
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...
, number 16 on the
Independent Albums
The Independent Albums chart (previously titled Top Independent Albums) ranks the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays (EPs) in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by '' Billboard'' maga ...
and number 14 on the
Tastemakers
The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in '' Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, p ...
.
Production and themes
The
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
-raised emcee stated that he had been planning this album since he was 9 years old. ''The Salvation'' provides an intricate view into Skyzoo's life and experiences. The diverse range of production and the autobiographical nature is in contrast to his previous releases, with Skyzoo describing it at the time as his most personal work. A tactic taken by Skyzoo to emphasize the personal aspect of ''The Salvation'' was to not load the album up with features from other rappers, explaining that "the moment you pick up a pen or start rhyming as a kid, all you think about is getting an album out. This album isn't exactly the way I planned it out at 9-years-old, but it tells my story. With that being said, no one can help tell my story better than me. ''The Salvation'' is about me".
About the selection of guest rappers, according to Skyzoo, "it wasn't really a 'who's hot, who's not' type of thing. It was more so 'just get what sounds right'. I got a lot of big name producers, and I also got a lot of up and comers".
Release and reception
The album was originally set to be released on the fourth quarter of 2008, but was later pushed to August 11, 2009, then again to August 25, then finally set for the 29th of September via 9th Wonder's Jamla Records, which is a sub-label of
Duck Down Records
Duck Down Music Inc is a New York City based record label, talent management, music-marketing, and consulting company founded by Drew "Dru-Ha" Friedman and Kenyatta "Buckshot" Blake in 1995. In Duck Down's 20-year existence, the Company has rel ...
.
Patrick Taylor of RapReviews.com praised the album, saying that it "is consistently good, and frequently great. It has the raw honesty of a backpack rap album with the ruggedness of the streets. In the press materials accompanying this record, Skyzoo says he wanted to make an album worth the listener's fifteen bucks. He's definitely succeeded. ''Salvation'' is not only one of the strongest debuts in a while, it's one of the best albums of 2009".
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 ...
's Jason Thurston said, that the project "is no revelation by any means, nor is it apparently trying to be, but it is a satisfying debut, a solid fulfillment of the promise built up by a young lion wordsmith". Andrew Thomas 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.
...
'' wrote: "with its creative production, crafty lyrics, and most important, Skyzoo's penchant for delivering earnest rhymes wrapped in powerful humanity, ''The Salvation'' is enough to keep you on high, at least until his next release". Jaeki Cho of '' XXL'' resumed: "Skyzoo's first official effort is a good look for fans in need of a little salvation". Andrew Martin 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 ...
'' found out that "even with that varied list of producers, the album's sound is cohesive. They knew what this emcee was looking to do, and that quality paired with Skyzoo's ridiculous lyrical skills are what make The Salvation an engaging listen. Again, the aforementioned issue with his voice and flow will leave some listeners unsatisfied".
Videos
Three official videos have been released from the album so far, starting with "The Necessary Evils" which was released already in May 2008, this song was featured on ''Corner Store Classic: The Remixes'' mixtape. The video was directed by Tee Smif of the production company KCCC and shows Skyzoo rapping the song at a stoupe to a Brooklyn apartment in black-and-white shots.
On July 7, 2009, a trailer of Skyzoo's first single entitled "The Beautiful Decay", produced by 9th Wonder, was leaked Duck Down Records' and Skyzoo's
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
channel. The music video, released on the July 30, is directed by Artemus Jenkins, and sets out to reflect life in the various boroughs of New York.
Following the release of the album, a video for the song "Popularity" was made and released on November 18, 2009. The video, directed by Todd Angkasuwan, is a parody on the popular high-school drama ''
Saved by the Bell
''Saved by the Bell'' is an American television sitcom created by Sam Bobrick for NBC. The series premiered, in primetime, on August 20, 1989, a Sunday night. Targeted at kids and teens, ''Saved by the Bell'' was broadcast in the United States ...
''.
Restless Films director Court Dunn directed the video for the third single "Easy To Fly" which features underground R&B singer Carlitta Durand. Released on March 15, 2010, the video is an ode to the legendary film " Love Jones". Skyzoo plays as Darius Lovehall, and model Ashlee Ray as Nina Mosley.
On April 21, 2010, Skyzoo released a video for the song "My Interpretation", the final single of the album. The video is directed by Artemus Jenkins who also directed "The Beautiful Decay".
Track listing
;Sample credits:
* "The Opener" contains a sample of "December Will Be Magic Again" by
Kate Bush
Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single "Wuthering Heights (song), Wuthering Heights", ...
* "Return of the Real" contains a sample of "Dreams" by
Stark Reality
The Stark Reality was an American jazz-rock band which recorded the two-disc 1970 album ''The Stark Reality Discovers Hoagy Carmichael's Music Shop'', a heavily improvised reinvention of a 1958 children's album by songwriter Hoagy Carmichael to be ...
* "The Beautiful Decay" contains a sample of "How Love Hurts" by
The Sylvers
The Sylvers were an American R&B family vocal group from Watts, Los Angeles, California. The Sylvers were a popular act during the 1970s, recording the hit singles "Fool's Paradise", "Boogie Fever", and "Hot Line (song), Hot Line". Prior to bec ...
* "My Interpretation" contains a sample of "Back to the Projects" by
Johnny "Hammond" Smith
John Robert "Johnny Hammond" Smith (December 16, 1933 – June 4, 1997) was an American soul jazz and hard bop organist. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, he was a renowned player of the Hammond B-3 organ so earning "Hammond" as a nickname, wh ...
* "Like A Marathon" contains a sample of "When Will My Love Be Right" by Robert Winters & Fall
* "Under Pressure" contains a sample of "Walk On By" by
The Undisputed Truth
The Undisputed Truth was an American Motown recording act, assembled by record producer Norman Whitfield as a means for being able to experiment with his psychedelic soul production techniques. Joe "Pep" Harris served as main lead singer, with ...
* "Dear Whoever" contains a sample of "No One Can Love You More" by
Phyllis Hyman
Phyllis Linda Hyman (July 6, 1949 – June 30, 1995) was an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Hyman is best known for her music during the late 1970s through the early 1990s, some of her most notable songs were "You Know How to Love Me" ...
* "Easy to Fly" contains a sample of "Seven Long Years" by Bedlam
* "Bottom Line" contains a sample of "It's Got to Change" by Lou Ragland
* "Metal Hearts" contains a sample of " I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More, Babe" by
Barry White
Barry Eugene Carter (September 12, 1944 – July 4, 2003), better known by his stage name Barry White, was an American singer and songwriter. A two-time Grammy Award winner known for his bass voice and romantic image, his greatest success came ...
* "For What It's Worth" contains a sample of "My Lonely Room" by
Dee Dee Bridgewater
Dee Dee Bridgewater (née Denise Garrett, May 27, 1950) is an American jazz singer and actress. She is a three-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, as well as a Tony Award-winning stage actress. For 23 years, she was the host of National ...
* "Maintain" contains a sample of "Pretty Flower" by
Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes were an American soul and R&B vocal group. One of the most popular Philadelphia soul groups of the 1970s, the group's repertoire included soul, R&B, doo-wop, and disco. Founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in ...
Personnel
*Gregory "
Skyzoo
Gregory Skyler Taylor (born December 24, 1982), known professionally as Skyzoo, is an American Songwriter and rapper. He has released a number of notable solo and collaborative albums, including '' Cloud 9: The 3 Day High'' with 9th Wonder in ...
Just Blaze
Justin Gregory Smith (born January 8, 1978), known professionally as Just Blaze, is an American hip hop record producer and DJ. Born in Paterson, New Jersey, Blaze attended Rutgers University for three years before dropping out to pursue his mu ...
Nottz
Dominick J. Lamb, (born February 21, 1977) better known by his stage name Nottz (or Nottz Raw), is an American hip hop record producer and rapper from Norfolk, Virginia. Nottz has produced for some of the biggest names in hip hop, including Bu ...
Illmind
Ramon Ibanga, Jr. (born August 28, 1980), known professionally as Illmind (often stylized as !llmind), is an American record producer, songwriter, and educator. As of 2012, he lives in Brooklyn, New York.
Illmind has co-written and produced hip ...
Needlz
Khari Cain (born April 19, 1978), professionally known as Needlz, is an American record producer and songwriter.
Early life and career
Khari Cain was born on April 19, 1978 in Lansing, Michigan
Lansing () is the capital of the U.S. state of ...