''Flockaveli'' is the debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records c ...

by American

rapper Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

Waka Flocka Flame Juaquin James Malphurs (born May 31, 1986), known professionally as Waka Flocka Flame, is an American rapper. Signing to 1017 Brick Squad and Warner Bros. Records in 2009, he became a mainstream artist with the release of his singles "O Let's ...

. The title of the album is a portmanteau of Waka Flocka Flame's name and that of the Italian political theorist Machiavelli, and was inspired by fellow American rapper

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

, whose final stage name and pseudonym before his death was Makaveli. The album was recorded at Next Level Studios in

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 ...

, NightBird Recording Studios in

West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most prominent gay villages ...

, and S-Line Ent. in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

. Released by

Asylum Records Asylum Records is an American record label, founded in 1971 by David Geffen and partner Elliot Roberts. It was taken over by Warner Communications (now the Warner Music Group) in 1972, and later merged with Elektra Records to become Elektra/Asylu ...

on October 5, 2010, ''Flockaveli'' received generally positive reviews from critics, who complimented its musical intensity, brazen lyrics, and

gangsta rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, emerged in the mid- to late 1980s as a controversial hip-hop subgenre whose lyrics assert the culture and values typical of American street gangs and street hustlers. Many gangsta rappe ...

ethos. The album debuted at number 6 on the ''Billboard'' 200, with first-week sales of 37,000 copies in the United States. As of August 15, 2011, the album sold 400,000 copies in the United States.

Music and lyrics

''Flockaveli'' is a

crunk Crunk is a subgenre of hip hop music that emerged in the early 1990s and gained mainstream success during the mid 2000s. Crunk is often up-tempo and one of Southern hip hop's more dance and club oriented subgenres. An archetypal crunk track fre ...

album. It was primarily produced by

Lex Luger Lawrence Wendell Pfohl (born June 2, 1958), better known by the ring name Lex Luger, is an American retired professional wrestler, bodybuilder, and football player. In 2011 he began working with WWE on its wellness policy. He is best known for h ...

, whose bombastic, grimly- programmed production incorporates

drill 'n' bass Drill 'n' bass is a subgenre of drum and bass which developed in the mid-1990s as IDM artists began experimenting with elements of breakbeat, jungle, and drum and bass music. Artists utilized powerful audio software programs and deployed frenzie ...

808 808 may refer to: Music * Roland-808, Roland TR-808, a drum machine * 808 (film), ''808'' (film), a documentary about the Roland TR-808 * 808 State, British electronic group * ''808s & Heartbreak'', the fourth studio album by American Hip hop artis ...

trills, bass kicks, hand claps, confrontational beats, dense

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

s, and shifting sub-bass layers. Waka Flocka Flame's unrefined street raps feature constant

ad lib In music and other performing arts, the phrase (; from Latin for 'at one's pleasure' or 'as you desire'), often shortened to "ad lib" (as an adjective or adverb) or "ad-lib" (as a verb or noun), refers to various forms of improvisation. The r ...

s. According to

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 ...

's David Drake, the songs reduce

to its archetypical themes: "

hypermasculine Hypermasculinity is a psychological term for the exaggeration of male stereotypical behavior, such as an emphasis on physical strength, aggression, and sexuality. This term has been used ever since the research conducted by Donald L. Mosher and Ma ...

children of the drug trade, reckless

fatalism Fatalism is a family of related philosophical doctrines that stress the subjugation of all events or actions to fate or destiny, and is commonly associated with the consequent attitude of resignation in the face of future events which are t ...

, intensity, and physicality ... Waka's aggression is the survivalist reaction of the powerless, directed toward the threats of the immediate environment."

Promotion

The album's lead single, called "

O Let's Do It "O Let's Do It" is the first single from American rapper Waka Flocka Flame's debut studio album, ''Flockaveli''. The song features Lil' Capp, who is not credited on the single version. Track listing ;Digital single ;CD single ;Remix single ...

" was released on April 14, 2009. The song features guest appearances from Cap, who was credited for his verse only on the single, but was credited to be featured on the album. The song peaked at number 62 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Flockaveli - Waka Flocka Flame ''

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 adverti ...

''. Retrieved August 1, 2011. The remix to "O Let's Do It" was released, featuring Diddy,

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Diddy's Bad ...

and

Gucci Mane Radric Delantic Davis (born February 12, 1980), known professionally as Gucci Mane, is an American rapper and record executive. He helped pioneer the hip hop subgenre of trap music alongside fellow Atlanta-based rappers T.I. and Young Jeez ...

. The second single "

Hard in da Paint "Hard in da Paint" is the second single from American rapper Waka Flocka Flame's debut studio album ''Flockaveli''. Background Waka Flocka's "Hard in da Paint", like his previous hit "O Let's Do It", was originally a mixtape track. It first ...

" was released on May 13, 2010. In July, a music video for the song was released. The remix to "Hard in da Paint" featuring American R&B singer

Ciara Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model and entrepreneur. She released her debut studio album, '' Goodies'' in 2004, which spawned four singles: " Goodies" (featuring Petey Pa ...

and rapper

was released. The album's third single "

No Hands "No Hands" is a song recorded by American rapper Waka Flocka Flame featuring fellow American rappers Roscoe Dash and Wale from the former's debut studio album, '' Flockaveli'' (2010). It was written by the artists alongside producer Drumma Boy. ...

" featuring

Roscoe Dash Jeffery Lee Johnson Jr. (born April 2, 1990), better known by his stage name Roscoe Dash, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is best known for his debut single " All the Way Turnt Up" (featuring Soulja Boy), which peaked at number ...

and Wale, was released on August 17, 2010. It has peaked at number 13 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, making it his highest charting single in the United States. The album's fourth and final single " Grove St. Party" featuring Kebo Gotti, was released on February 15, 2011. It has charted at number 74 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United States. There are also music videos for the songs, such as "Snake in the Grass" featuring Cartier Kitten, "Bustin' at Em", "For My Dawgs", and "Live By the Gun" featuring Ra Diggs and

Uncle Murda Leonard Grant (born July 25, 1980), better known by his stage name Uncle Murda, is an American rapper from East New York, Brooklyn. He is Afro Panamanian of his mother's side. He is currently signed to G-Unit Records. He is known for his annual ...

. On October 18, 2010, Waka Flocka Flame performed "Smoke, Drank" live on high-definition TV at the Roxy Theatre in

Release and reception

''Flockaveli'' was released by

on October 5, 2010. It debuted at number 6 on the US ''Billboard'' 200, with first-week sales of 37,000 copies in the United States. As of August 15, 2011, the album has sold 285,000 copies, according to

Nielsen SoundScan Luminate (formerly Nielsen SoundScan, Nielsen Music Products, and MRC Data) is a provider of music sales data. Established by Mike Fine and Mike Shalett in 1991, data is collected weekly and made available every Sunday (for albums sales) and eve ...

. ''Flockaveli'' received generally positive reviews from critics. At

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that 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 average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an

average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7 ...

score of 75, based on 9 reviews. Jaimie Hodgson from '' NME'' commented that the album's songs "showcase a masterclass in reductionism; juggernauts of hulking, bruising, brick-to-skull intensity".

BBC Music BBC Music is responsible for the music played across the BBC. The current director of music is Bob Shennan, who is also the controller of BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 6 Music, and the BBC Asian Network. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio ...

's Louis Pattison praised Waka Flocka Flame's "cold charisma", writing that "it’s channelled successfully here, a presence that permeates ''Flockaveli'' utterly". Ben Detrick of ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally ...

'' complimented its "unforgiving crush of unveiled threats over ricocheting drums and choleric synths", and called Waka "more agitator than rapper—imagine

DJ Kool John W. Bowman Jr. (born March 20, 1958), better known by his stage name DJ Kool, is an American DJ and rapper who produced several popular rap singles in the late 1980s. Career Raised in Washington, D.C., his influence from years of working t ...

as an unhinged goon with a fetish for brawling and gunfire". Sean Fennessey of ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the cr ...

'' called producer Lex Luger "a force whose tinnitus-inducing tracks demand replay" and wrote in conclusion, "Ultimately, the inflammatory Waka is an avatar for a new rap economy: few words delivered with force, with an eye to the stage and the check that arrives with it". ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...

'' critic David Drake described it as "a furious torrent of

id" and praised Waka for giving the album its "frenetic intensity". ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' writer

Jody Rosen Jody Rosen (born June 21, 1969 in New York City) is an American journalist and author. He is a contributing writer for ''The New York Times Magazine''. Career Journalism Rosen served as critic-at-large for '' T: The New York Times Style Magaz ...

was less impressed and found Waka Flocka Flame's skills "negligible". Patrick Taylor of ''RapReviews'' called Waka "a blunt instrument that beats you into submission", and stated, "On an intellectual level, I don't like ''Flockaveli''. The lyrics are simplistic and goonish. The music is effective but all sounds the same. If I was looking for an example of what hip-hop should be, it's not Waka Flocka Flame. On a gut level, though, ''Flockaveli'' works. It's morally questionable, but it hits hard". David Amidon from ''

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 ...

'' described it as "a producer classic littered with verses so whack they become endearing in their special way", adding that Luger "pulls that special kind of synergy unique to hip-hop out of

aka Aka, AKA or a.k.a. may refer to: * "Also known as", used to introduce an alternative name Languages * Aka language (Sudan) * Aka language, in the Central African Republic * Hruso language, in India, also referred to as Aka * a prefix in the n ...

again and again". Amidon wrote of its cultural significance, "This is a very specific album intended for a specific audience: downtrodden, powerless, forever seeking payment, pussy and freedom from the powers that be but in the process of accepting they may never find that experience. This is strictly hood music ..it’s been a very long time since a hip-hop release felt like it truly didn’t give a fuck about anything but its local community while pushing its genre forward as much as possible". In 2012, ''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

'' named the album one of the classic albums of the last decade. In 2014, ''Billboard'' called the single "

" the ninth most successful song in the 25-year history of their

Hot Rap Songs Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stati ...

chart.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits for ''Flockaveli'' adapted from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

.Flockaveli - Waka Flocka Flame: Credits

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

Rovi Corporation TiVo Corporation, formerly known as the Rovi Corporation and Macrovision Solutions Corporation, was an American technology company. Headquartered in San Jose, California, the company is primarily involved in licensing its intellectual property ...

. Retrieved August 1, 2011. * Debra Antney – A&R, executive producer * Russell Dreyer – inside photo * Drumma Boy – producer * Cedric "Yayo" Herbert – producer * Darryl "Big Dee" Johnson – A&R * Liza Joseph – A&R * L Don – producer * Colin Leonard – mastering * Lexus "Lex Luger" Lewis – producer * Lil Jon – producer * Joshua "Southside" Luellen – producer * Juaquin Malphurs AKA Waka Flocka Flame – executive producer, A&R * Amir Motamedi AKA Prince – producer * Nathaniel Caserta AKA Purps – producer * Mike Rev – cover design * TaVon Sampson – art direction, design * Sharod Simpson – cover photo * Nigel Talley – A&R * Carolyn Tracey – package production * Finis "KY" White – engineer, mixing

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 2010 debut albums Asylum Records albums Albums produced by Drumma Boy Albums produced by Lex Luger Albums produced by Lil Jon Waka Flocka Flame albums Warner Records albums Albums produced by Southside (record producer)