''W.A.R. (We Are Renegades)'' is the third

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 ...

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

hip hop artist Pharoahe Monch released on March 22, 2011 under

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 ...

. Producers include Lion's Share Music Group,

Exile Exile is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons and peoples suf ...

Marco Polo Marco Polo (, , ; 8 January 1324) was a Venetian merchant, explorer and writer who travelled through Asia along the Silk Road between 1271 and 1295. His travels are recorded in ''The Travels of Marco Polo'' (also known as ''Book of the Marv ...

, M-Phazes, Mike Loe, Fatin "10" Horton, Diamond D, Samiyam, and

Fyre Dept. Fyre Dept is the production team of Adam Deitch and Eric Krasno. Songs Their songs are featured on two of the 2007's biggest records: “My Gun Go Off”, found on 50 Cent’s album ''Curtis'', and “The Nature” by Talib Kweli w/ Justin Timbe ...

's Adam Deitch and Eric Krasno, while vocal features are contributed by Idris Elba, Immortal Technique, Vernon Reid of Living Colour, Showtyme, Styles P of The LOX,

Phonte Phonte Lyshod Coleman, known mononymously as Phonte (born December 28, 1978), is an American rapper, singer, and producer. He is currently of the North Carolina hip-hop trio/duo Little Brother (revived in 2019 without producer 9th Wonder) and ...

(formerly of Little Brother), Mela Machinko,

Mr. Porter Denaun Porter (born December 7, 1974), also known by the stage names Mr. Porter, Kon Artis, and more recently simply Denaun, is an American rapper and music producer. He was a member of Detroit hip hop group D12 until its disbandment in 2018. ...

, Jean Grae,

Royce da 5'9" Ryan Daniel Montgomery, known professionally as Royce da 5'9" (or simply Royce 5'9"), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Montgomery is currently one half of the rap duo Bad Meets Evil with fellow Detroit rapper Eminem, and ...

Citizen Cope Clarence Greenwood (born May 20, 1968), also known by his stage name, Citizen Cope, is an American songwriter, producer and singer. His music is commonly described as a mix of blues, soul, folk, and rock. Citizen Cope's compositions have been r ...

and Jill Scott. Scratches are provided by DJ Boogie Blind of The X-Ecutioners.

Background

The album's release date was announced during Pharoahe Monch's tour alongside supergroup

Slaughterhouse A slaughterhouse, also called abattoir (), is a facility where animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a packaging facility. Slaughterhouses that produce meat that is no ...

, during early 2010. Featured guests were confirmed in July 2010 along with the track listing of the album. The original release date was October 26, 2010. Since then, track listing and features have been slightly changed.

Singles

Thus far, the album has four singles: the first one, "Shine", a collaboration with Mela Machinko was released on July 27, 2010. The song was produced by Diamond D. The second promotional single, "Clap (One Day)", was released on January 18, 2011. Produced by M-Phazes, the song features Showtyme & DJ Boogie Blind, who have collaborated with Pharoahe Monch on various occasions. A ten-minute extended music video was released on March 8, 2011, depicting "a police raid gone dramatically wrong". It was directed by Terence Nance, with a score by Lion's Share Music Group, and appearances from

Gbenga Akinnagbe Olugbenga Enitan Temitope Akinnagbe ( ; born 12 December 1978) is an American actor and writer, best known for his roles as Chris Partlow on the HBO series ''The Wire'' and as Larry Brown on the HBO series '' The Deuce''. Early life Akinnagbe ...

(known for his portrayal of Chris Partlow in

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's award-winning drama series The Wire), Kim Howard and Josiah Small. A third promotional single, "Black Hand Side", has been released on March 3, 2011. It was produced by Mike Loe and features

(formerly of Little Brother) and Styles P of The LOX. Pharoahe Monch and Styles P have collaborated before, on Styles P's 2002 Ayatollah produced single "

My Life My Life may refer to: Autobiographies * ''Mein Leben'' (Wagner) (''My Life''), by Richard Wagner, 1870 * ''My Life'' (Clinton autobiography), by Bill Clinton, 2004 * ''My Life'' (Meir autobiography), by Golda Meir, 1973 * ''My Life'' (Mosley a ...

" On March 15, 2011, the fourth promotional single, "Assassins", was released. Australian producer M-Phazes crafted the beat, while featured guest verses were provided by Jean Grae and

Reception

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 54 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, with first-week sales of 9,600 copies in the United States. In its second week, it sold 4,600 copies and dropped to number 149 on the ''Billboard'' 200.

Critical response

''We Are Renegades'' received a perfect 5 star rating from HipHopGame.com and an average score of 77 out of 100, on the review site Metacritic, based on 18 reviews, indicating "Generally favorable reviews" Nathan S. of DJBooth.net awarded the album four out of five stars, hailing it as "...nothing but quality."

Track list

The track listing has been confirmed by iTunes US, featurings and producers were confirmed ''via'' HipHopDX, and writing credits per Allmusic.

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:War (We Are Renegades) Pharoahe Monch albums Albums produced by Marco Polo Albums produced by Diamond D Albums produced by Exile (producer) 2011 albums