''High Times'' is the second studio album by American rapper

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 ...

. The album was released on October 15, 2013, by

Grand Hustle Records Grand Hustle Records (formerly Grand Hustle Entertainment), also known as Hustle Gang Music, is an Atlanta, Georgia-based hip hop record label, founded in 2003, by American rapper T.I. and his manager Jason Geter. Up until December 2012, the lab ...

and

eOne Music MNRK Music Group (pronounced "monarch", formerly known as Koch Records and eOne Music) is a New York City-based independent record label and music management company. It was formed in 2009 from the music assets of Koch Entertainment, which had ...

. The album features

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 ...

s from Forgeeauto, Mac Boney, T.I., Spodee, Problem, Natasha Mosley, Blu June,

Doe B Glenn Thomas (June 13, 1991 – December 28, 2013), better known by his stage name Doe B, was an American rapper from Montgomery, Alabama. He was perhaps best known for being signed to fellow rapper T.I.'s Atlanta-based record label, Hustle G ...

and Miloh Smith. The album was met with generally positive reviews from music critics, and debuted at number 57 on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart.

Release and promotion

On June 17, 2013, Young Dro released the mixtape ''Day Two'' in promotion for the album. On July 10, 2013,

announced he would be releasing his second studio album titled ''High Times'' in October 2013. On September 18, 2013, the album cover was released and it was announced that the album would be released on October 15, 2013. On September 30, 2013, the track listing was released revealing

s on the album from Forgeeauto, Mac Boney, T.I., Spodee, Problem, Natasha Mosley, Blu June,

and Miloh Smith. On March 28, 2013, the album's first single " FDB" was released. On May 30, 2013, the music video was released for "FDB". On August 26, 2013, the "FDB" (Remix) featuring

DJ Drama Tyree Cinque Simmons (born April 22, 1978), professionally known as DJ Drama, is an American DJ, record executive and music promoter. He is the co-founder (with Don Cannon) of Generation Now, an Atlantic Records imprint with artists including ...

, French Montana, T.I. and

Trinidad James Nicholaus Joseph Williams (born September 24, 1987), better known by his stage name Trinidad James (often stylized as Trinidad Jame$), is a Trinidadian-American rapper. In 2012, he signed a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings. The label d ...

was released. On August 28, 2013, a second "FDB" (Remix) was released featuring

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 ...

, Wale and Chief Keef. On September 30, 2013, the album's second single "Strong" was released. On November 14, 2013, the remix to "Strong" featuring

2 Chainz Tauheed K. Epps (born September 12, 1977), known professionally as 2 Chainz (or Tity Boi), is an American rapper. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he initially gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip hop duo Playaz Circle, a ...

was released.

Critical reception

''High Times'' was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. David Jeffries 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 databa ...

gave the album three and a half stars out of five, saying "Dro is mainstream street and not as odd as his backbeats with lines like 'I'm in the hotel with two lesbians, where the fuck you all at?', being the kind of brazen baller talk that the rapper considers his comfort zone, but he slings slang, slurs words, and uses his Atlanta drawl to stretch insults into lazy putdowns that are devastating, so take all that into account. Take high-caliber kiss-offs like the guitar-crunching 'Hammer Time' ('If a n*gga think he better, I forgive him') and 'I'm Cold' ('I got money like the Clampetts, Jethro') into account as well, and think of ''High Times'' as a narrow, approachable, and no-crossover type of album, plus a good reason to go searching the Young Dro mixtape section at your neighborhood bootlegger or local Internet." Dave William of '' XXL'' gave the album an L, saying "The tape leaves you with a number of enjoyable moments, like ..'Odds', and 'FDB' as well as the buddy-buddy Doe-B featuring record 'Homeboyz' and a stone cold, guitar-driven track by the name of 'Hammer Time'. Hip-hop fans are lucky to have a wide swath of artists experimenting with new sounds, evolving into grown ups, and collaborating with producers and artists of other genres, but we're equally blessed to have folks like Young Dro. That is, the same Dro you grew to enjoy when you first met him when he first introduced us to shoulder leanin' and 'pimpin' in linen and salamander sandals'."

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 57 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, with first-week sales of 6,000 copies in the United States.

Track listing

Chart positions

References

{{Authority control 2013 albums Young Dro albums E1 Music albums Grand Hustle Records albums Albums produced by DJ Mustard Atlantic Records albums Albums produced by FKi (production team) Albums produced by Lil' C (record producer) Albums produced by Mars (record producer)