''When It's Dark Out'' 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
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 ...
. It was released on December 4, 2015, by
RCA Records
RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...
. The album features guest appearances from Big Sean, Chris Brown, Tory Lanez, Too $hort, Yo Gotti, Lil Wayne, Kehlani, E 40, Keyshia Cole, Rick Ross and Kevin Gates. The production was provided by
OZ,
DJ Spinz
Gary Rafael Hill (born April 21, 1989), professionally known as DJ Spinz, is an American record producer, songwriter and disc jockey. Spinz became a DJ in the late 2000s before turning into a record producer as well. He has produced hits for other ...
,
Boi-1da
Matthew Jehu Samuels (born October 12, 1986), known professionally as Boi-1da ( , a play on "boy wonder"), is a Jamaican-Canadian Record production, record producer and songwriter based in Toronto, Ontario.
The Toronto raised producer has work ...
and Michael Keenan, among others.
The album was supported by four
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: "
Me, Myself & I", "
Order More
"Order More" is a hip hop song by American rapper G-Eazy. It features vocals from Starrah. It was released on November 13, 2015 from his second studio album '' When It's Dark Out''. The song was produced by DJ Spinz. The official remix features ad ...
", "
Drifting" and "Some Kind of Drug".
''When It's Dark Out'' debuted at number five on the US
''Billboard'' 200. It also debuted at number one on the US
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...
. The album sold 135,000 copies in the first week in the United States.
Recording and production
Recording sessions took place during 2014 to 2015, including executive production work by G-Eazy himself, along with his frequent collaborator Christoph Andersson and record producer
Southside Southside or South Side may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Southside, Queensland, a semi-rural locality in the Gympie Region
Canada
* South Side, Newfoundland and Labrador, a community in the St. George's Bay area on the southwest coast of New ...
. The additional production from the album was provided by
OZ and Michael Keenan, among others. G-Eazy spoke about expressing his feelings towards his fans about the sounds and how excited he was with the album. ''When It’s Dark Out'' was constructed to sound like it could accompany a horror movie as its soundtrack. During recording and production, G-Eazy stated he was influenced by both
Wes Craven
Wesley Earl Craven (August 2, 1939 – August 30, 2015) was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and editor. Craven has commonly been recognized as one of the greatest masters of the horror genre due to the cultural imp ...
and
Tim Burton
Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and animator. He is known for his gothic fantasy and horror films such as ''Beetlejuice'' (1988), ''Edward Scissorhands'' (1990), ''The Nightmare Before Christmas'' (1993), ...
, which is why it features many piano loops and “foggy synths” throughout the entire album.
Promotion
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 ...
, "You Got Me", was released on August 17, 2015. The song was
produced by
Southside Southside or South Side may refer to:
Places
Australia
* Southside, Queensland, a semi-rural locality in the Gympie Region
Canada
* South Side, Newfoundland and Labrador, a community in the St. George's Bay area on the southwest coast of New ...
and Christoph Andersson.
The album's second promotional single, "
Random
In common usage, randomness is the apparent or actual lack of pattern or predictability in events. A random sequence of events, symbols or steps often has no :wikt:order, order and does not follow an intelligible pattern or combination. Ind ...
", was released on October 29, 2015.
The song was produced by
OZ. The song peaked at number 94 on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100 and was certified Platinum in 2021.
The album's third promotional single, "Sad Boy", was released on November 26, 2015. The song was written and produced by Henry Daher.
Singles
The album's
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 ...
, "
Me, Myself & I", was released on October 14, 2015. The song features as a
duet
A duet is a musical composition for two performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a harmony, as the performers take turns performing a solo ...
track between G-Eazy and American singer-songwriter
Bebe Rexha
Bleta Rexha (; born August 30, 1989), known professionally as Bebe Rexha ( ), is an American pop singer and songwriter. After signing with Warner Records in 2013, Rexha received songwriting credits on Eminem's single " The Monster" (which later ...
, with production by Michael Keenan. The song peaked at number seven on the US
''Billboard'' Hot 100, making it as G-Eazy's first top 10 hit and his second highest charting single to date behind "
No Limit
No Limit may refer to:
Music Record labels
*No Limit Records, a record label founded by Master P
* No Limit Forever Records, a record label founded by Romeo Miller, son of Master P
Albums
* ''No Limit'' (Art Pepper album), 1977
* ''No Limit'' ...
" featuring
A$AP Rocky
Rakim Athelaston Mayers (born October 3, 1988), known professionally as ASAP Rocky ( ; stylized as A$AP Rocky), is an American rapper, music producer and record executive. Born and raised in Harlem, he embarked on his musical career as a membe ...
and
Cardi B
Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar Cephus (, ; born October 11, 1992), known professionally as Cardi B, is an American rapper and songwriter. She first gained popularity as an influencer on Vine and Instagram. From 2015 to early 2017, she appeared as ...
which peaked at number 4 on the US
Billboard Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...
. The song also became Rexha's third ''Billboard'' Hot 100 single in her career as a featured artist.
"
Order More
"Order More" is a hip hop song by American rapper G-Eazy. It features vocals from Starrah. It was released on November 13, 2015 from his second studio album '' When It's Dark Out''. The song was produced by DJ Spinz. The official remix features ad ...
" was first released as the album's promotional single on November 13, 2015. 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 singer
Starrah, with production by
DJ Spinz
Gary Rafael Hill (born April 21, 1989), professionally known as DJ Spinz, is an American record producer, songwriter and disc jockey. Spinz became a DJ in the late 2000s before turning into a record producer as well. He has produced hits for other ...
. The official
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 ...
was released after, which features guest appearances from American rappers
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), ...
and
Yo Gotti
Mario Sentell Giden Mims (born May 19, 1981), known professionally as Yo Gotti, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record executive. In 1996, Gotti released his debut album ''Youngsta's On a Come Up'' under the alias Lil Yo. He went on to re ...
.
"
Drifting" was released on April 17, 2016, to rhythmic radio as the album's third single. The song features guest appearances from American recording artists
Chris Brown
Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to '' Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempo ...
and
Tory Lanez
Daystar Shemuel Shua Peterson (born July 27, 1992), known professionally as Tory Lanez, is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, and convicted felon. He received initial recognition from the mixtape ''Conflicts of My Soul: The 416 Story'', rel ...
, with production by
Cashmere Cat
Magnus August Høiberg (born 29 November 1987), known professionally as Cashmere Cat, is a Norwegian DJ, record producer, songwriter and musician. He is best known for producing songs for artists including Kanye West, The Kid Laroi, Selena Gomez ...
, Mssingno and Happy Perez. The song peaked at number 98 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
"Some Kind of Drug" was released on November 16, 2016, as the album's fourth single. The song features a guest appearance from
Marc E. Bassy, while the production was handled by Rice 'N Peas, with additional production by Christoph Andersson and G-Eazy. It has since peaked at number 97 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100.
Critical reception
''When It's Dark Out'' was met with generally positive reviews by critics upon its release. ''
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 3.5 stars out of 5, and noted that "a few blatant crossover-R&B attempts feel faceless, but they're largely outliers on an album that gives this former greaser novelty three dimensions".
Neil Yeung 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 ...
believed that the 17 tracks were "addictive without it ever growing stale" and commended G-Eazy for how he "executes flawlessly with the shrewdness befitting of his Loyola University music industry studies degree."
Sheldon Pearce of
Pitchfork Media
''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog.
Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...
thought ''When It's Dark Out'' is an improvement from ''
These Things Happen'' (2014), and that the production and guest appearances seem "like a conscious effort on G-Eazy's part to flesh out his sound into something more dynamic and less one-note."
Ben Thompson from ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' stated that the album "could’ve hit a home run if it hadn’t worked so hard to cover all the bases", criticising the second half of the record.
Commercial performance
''When It's Dark Out'' debuted at number five on the US
''Billboard'' 200. It also debuted at number one on the US
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...
. The album sold 135,000 copies in the first week in the United States.
As of January 2016, the album debuted at number six on the
UK's Top 40 R&B, making it his most successful release in the United Kingdom and the United States. On July 7, 2016, 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).
Track listing
Notes
* G-Eazy and Bebe Rexha are billed together as ''G-Eazy x Bebe Rexha'' on "Me, Myself & I".
Sample credits
* "Of All Things" contains a sample of
Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)
"Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)" (also released as "Gypsy Woman (La da dee la da da)") is a song by American singer-songwriter Crystal Waters from her debut studio album, '' Surprise'' (1991). Written by Neal Conway and Waters, the song was releas ...
, written and performed by
Crystal Waters
Crystal Waters (born November 19, 1961) is an American house and dance music singer and songwriter, best known for her 1990s dance hits " Gypsy Woman", " 100% Pure Love", and 2007's " Destination Calabria" with Alex Gaudino. All three of her s ...
.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Decade-end charts
Certifications
References
{{Authority control
2015 albums
G-Eazy albums
RCA Records albums
Albums produced by Boi-1da
Albums produced by Kane Beatz
Albums produced by Cashmere Cat