''Elements'' is a

compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

by American rapper

B.o.B Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. (born November 15, 1988), known professionally as B.o.B, is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Simmons was signed to Jim Jonsin's Rebel Rock Entertainment imprint in 2006. Two years late ...

, released on November 4, 2016, by his independent label No Genre. It is composed of his 2015 and 2016

conscious Consciousness, at its simplest, is sentience and awareness of internal and external existence. However, the lack of definitions has led to millennia of analyses, explanations and debates by philosophers, theologians, linguisticians, and scien ...

mixtapes A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...

''WATER'', ''FIRE'', ''EARTH'' and ''AIR'', where he comments on society, politics and conspiracy theories. The compilation was released as a prelude to his fourth album and the fifth installment in the ''Elements'' series, ''

Ether In organic chemistry, ethers are a class of compounds that contain an ether group—an oxygen atom connected to two alkyl or aryl groups. They have the general formula , where R and R′ represent the alkyl or aryl groups. Ethers can again be c ...

''. On October 21, 2021 the compilation was re-released in a

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...

version.

Charts

''WATER''

''WATER (We Are The Enemy Really)'' is a

mixtape A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...

by American recording artist

. The project was produced entirely by B.o.B himself, and released on December 4, 2015, by No Genre. The tracks "Cold Bwoy (Freestyle)", "Purple Mountain" and "Blank Mafia" from the mixtape were released with their music videos.

Music and lyrics

In the mixtape the rapper raps mainly over

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

productions, and lyrics about

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

and dangers of the government.

Track listing

''FIRE''

''FIRE (False Idols Ruin Egos)'' is a

by American recording artist

. The project was produced entirely by B.o.B himself, and released on January 18, 2016, by No Genre. The tracks "Bend Over", "Excuse Me" and "Summers Day" from the mixtape were released with their music videos.

Music and lyrics

The mixtape has productions with various influences of

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

and

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

, and opens with news and other audio clips about drug deaths and other tragic occurrences, hinting that the emcee wants to get to the bottom of what’s happening to hip hop and

politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that studies ...

. Throughout the tape, B.o.B. seems disillusioned with the state of hip hop.

Track listing

''EARTH''

''EARTH (Educational Avatar Reality Training Habitat)'' is a

by American recording artist

. The project was produced entirely by B.o.B himself, and was released on April 22, 2016, on

Earth Day Earth Day is an annual event on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EarthDay.org (formerly Earth Day Network) including 1 b ...

, by No Genre. The tracks "Earthquake" and "$tacks of Dreams" from the mixtape were released with their music videos.

Music and lyrics

The main themes of the mixtape are B.o.B's belief that the earth is flat and conspiracy theories. The mixtape contains samples of speeches by scientists, pundits, and

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

, and spans also controversial topics like astral projection and cloning. The track "Flatline Pt.2" is an extended and revisited version of his song "

Flatline A flatline is an electrical time sequence measurement that shows no activity and therefore, when represented, shows a flat line instead of a moving one. It almost always refers to either a flatlined electrocardiogram, where the heart shows no el ...

", released on his

SoundCloud SoundCloud is an online audio distribution platform and music sharing website that enables its users to upload, promote, and share audio. Founded in 2007 by Alexander Ljung and Eric Wahlforss, SoundCloud is one of the largest music streaming se ...

account in January 2016.

Track listing

''AIR''

''AIR (Art Imitates Reality)'' is a

by American recording artist

. The project is entirely self-produced, and it was released on August 29, 2016, by No Genre. The tracks "Escape", "War Witch" and "Air Bender" from the mixtape were released with their music videos.

Music and lyrics

The mixtape is based on

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

-esque productions influenced by

, and lyrics where the rapper talks about the ruling class and their propaganda and illicit yet obvious institutions.

Track listing

References

{{B.o.B B.o.B albums 2016 compilation albums Hip hop compilation albums Albums produced by B.o.B Alternative hip hop compilation albums Political hip hop albums Concept album series