''G.D.O.D. (Get Dough or Die)'' is a series of compilation

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 ...

s released by American hip hop and R&B record label Grand Hustle Records, under the namesake Hustle Gang. The first installment in the series was released on May 7, 2013.

''G.D.O.D. (Get Dough or Die)''

''G.D.O.D. (Get Dough or Die)'' is the debut

by American record label Grand Hustle Records under the group name Hustle Gang. The mixtape was released as a free digital download on May 7, 2013 on mixtape hosting websites. The mixtape features contributions from Grand Hustle artists T.I.,

Mitchelle'l Mitchelle'l Sium is an American singer and songwriter from Houston, Texas. He was discovered on Myspace.com and brought to Grand Hustle Records by general manager, Hannah Kang. In 2008, Sium signed a record deal with Atlanta-based record labe ...

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 later, ...

Young Dro D'Juan Montrel Hart (born January 15, 1979), better known by his stage name Young Dro, is an American rapper. After gaining recognition with his regional hit song "Yes Sir", from his 2002 independent album ''I Got That Dro'', Young Dro aligned ...

, Iggy Azalea, Doe B, Big Kuntry King, Trae tha Truth, D.O.P.E., Travi$ Scott, Chip,

Kris Stephens Kristina Marie Stephens (born January 21, 1987) is an American singer and songwriter. She has written songs for artists such as Shakira, Pitbull, Chris Brown, Jennifer Lopez, LeToya Luckett and Keyshia Cole. As an artist, her vocals have been ...

, Mac Boney, and Shad da God. It also features guest appearances from Lil Duval, Juicy J, Meek Mill, Mystikal,

French Montana Karim Kharbouch (Arabic: æɾiːm χɑɾbuːʃ born November 9, 1984), better known by his stage name French Montana, is a Moroccan-American rapper. Born and raised in Morocco, he emigrated to the United States with his family when he was 13. ...

, and Young Jeezy.

Background

In January 2013,

announced an upcoming Grand Hustle compilation album titled ''Hustle Gang''. On April 4, T.I. revealed the label would release a mixtape titled, ''G.D.O.D (Get Dough or Die)'', during the first week of May 2013, preceding the compilation album. On April 19, 2013, T.I. formally introduced GOOD Music producer Travis Scott and Grammy Award winning songwriter Kris Stephens, as Grand Hustle signees. On April 28, a release date for the mixtape would later be announced to be May 7, 2013. As promised the mixtape was released on May 7, featuring 20 tracks and contributions from Grand Hustle artists T.I.,

, B.o.B,

, Big Kuntry King, Trae tha Truth, D.O.P.E., Travi$ Scott, Chip,

, Mac Boney, Doe B and Shad da God. It also featured guest appearances from Lil Duval, Juicy J, Iggy Azalea, Meek Mill, Mystikal,

, and Young Jeezy.

Release and promotion

On May 4, 2013, T.I. appeared on BET's ''

106 & Park ''106 & Park'' is an American hip hop and R&B music video show, set up in a countdown format, that was broadcast on weekdays at 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm CT on BET; it aired on a one-day delay on BET International. It was the network's highest- rated ...

'', alongside B.o.B, Young Dro, Trae tha Truth, and Kris Stephens, to promote the mixtape and premiere the " Memories Back Then" music video. On July 11, 2013, two songs from ''G.D.O.D. (Get Dough Or Die)'' were released to iTunes; "Problems" featuring T.I., B.o.B, Problem, Trae tha Truth, Mac Boney and Young Dro, along with "Poppin' 4 Sum", featuring Young Dro, B.o.B and Yung Brooke. On August 11, "Kemosabe", another song from the mixtape, featuring Doe B, T.I., B.o.B, Birdman and Young Dro, was released to iTunes. On August 29, 2013, the mixtape was released for retail sale on iTunes. On September 10, 2013, "Here I Go" by Spodee featuring T.I., Mystikal, Young Dro and Shad Da God, was released as the mixtape's fourth single.

Critical reception

''G.D.O.D. (Get Dough Or Die)'' was met with generally positive reviews from

music critic ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of mus ...

s. Jesse Fairfax of HipHopDX deemed the mixtape a "free album", their highest praise for mixtapes. He also said, "Throwing his hat in the ring to compete with compilations from well received rosters such as

G.O.O.D. Music GOOD Music (also known simply as GOOD, stylized as G.O.O.D. Music; a backronym for Getting Out Our Dreams) is an American record label founded by rapper Kanye West in 2004. The label signed an exclusive long-term worldwide label agreement with t ...

and

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 Sean Combs, D ...

' MMG brand, T.I.'s Hustle Gang sets themselves apart from the run of the mill mixape mob with ''G.D.O.D.'' The squad proves to be generally captivating, making fully developed songs despite predictable mentions of the fashionable drug molly and the project's countless boasts of materialistic wealth. Responding to the urgency of their motto's acronym, most of the heavy lifting is handled by T.I., B.o.B. who cuts loose as a tough spitter outside of his pop lane, and the still razor sharp one hit wonder Young Dro." NMB of '' XXL'' also gave a very positive review saying, " The sheer volume of verses squeezed into this mixtape keeps ''G.D.O.D.'' from ever really getting boring and it's exciting to see everyone seize their spots. Altogether it's a project that not only bodes well for Tip as an artist, but as a cultivator of talent as well." Calvin Stovall of BET stated, "by his own admission, money has clearly clouded T.I.'s artistic vision, watering down the trap sound he helped pioneer. At times ''Get Dough or Die'' is reminiscent of the glory days of his Pimp Squad Clique, with Tip occasionally kicking up and hitting his stride with one of his trademark accelerated flows. But for the most part, the tape is merely a disappointing reminder that money stacks does not a throne make."

Track listing

''G.D.O.D. II''

''G.D.O.D. II'' is the second

by American record label Grand Hustle Records under the group name Hustle Gang. The mixtape was released as a free digital download on September 19, 2014, via mixtape hosting websites. The mixtape features contributions from Grand Hustle artists T.I.,

, Doe B, Big Kuntry King, Trae tha Truth, D.O.P.E., Travi$ Scott, Chip, Kris Stephens, Mac Boney, Shad da God & Troy Ave. It also features guest appearances from Iggy Azalea, Meek Mill, Rich Homie Quan, Young Thug, Trey Songz, Watch The Duck and Yo Gotti among others.

Background

In August 2014, in an interview with

MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...

, T.I. revealed plans to release the Grand Hustle compilation, which is tentatively due in December, following his ninth album ''

Paperwork Paperwork refers to written documents or the work needed to create them. Paperwork may also refer to: * Paperwork reduction, loosening or reducing documentation requirements ** Paperwork Reduction Act, a United States federal law enacted in 1980 * ...

'': "What's holding up the ''Hustle Gang'' project is that we have some new additions to the mix, and we didn't wanna put out the project out without including or allowing those new additions to be part of it. Maybe we'll do a stroke of midnight release on New Years. We did that with ''F**k Da City Up'' and it did well, so maybe we'll try that again." On September 19, 2014, the label released the second installment to the ''G.D.O.D. (Get Dough or Die)'' series.

Track listing

References