In Common’s opinion, the variety of features and diverse artistshelp the LP stand out.
“It’s fun. You get inspired. It’s competition you’re around artists that have such diverse qualities,” Common said of working on the 12-track LP. “Because when you have Pusha T, 2 Chainz, and Kid Cudi, you have John Legend, you got Common, you have Big Sean, you got Kanye West, all these different people rapping about different things.” (MTV)
Pusha took it a step further by proclaiming it the best compilation ever.
In the days immediately following the album’s release, more than a few reviews continue to nitpick at Kanye’s work on Cruel Summer, accusing him of giving it a half effort, but Pusha is clear about his thoughts on the project. “I definitely feel like Cruel Summer lives up to the hype,” he says. “I definitely feel like Cruel Summer is the best compilation album of all crews to drop compilation albums. The music level is totally the upper echelon of hip-hop music.” (MTV)
The feature-packed LP contains over 20 guest appearances from start to finish.
There are 22 artists featured on the disc — a veritable “something for everyone.” Hip-hop heads were amped when Wu-Tang giantsRaekwon and Ghostface first appeared on the Cruel Summertracklists floating around the internet, and Top-40 fans are sure to be pleased by the inclusion of buzzy young stars like Big Sean and genre mainstays like Jay-Z. It’s inspiring to see West continue to highlight those who supported him: Grammy-winning songwriterMalik Yusef (one of the folks behind “All of the Lights”) and young vocalist Teyana Taylor (you’ve unknowingly heard her on “Dark Fantasy” and “Hell of a Life”) are also featured on Cruel Summer. It’s a narrative not often seen in the media — where lazy tales of Kanye’s sometimes erratic behavior dominate headlines for weeks — but it’s clear to anyone paying attention to music that West not only cares deeply about production quality, but about those around him. (Huffington Post)
If things heat up, Cruel Summer could make a run at debuting atop the music sales chart next week.
She’s the daring young diva on the flying trapeze. RCA diva P!nk‘s latest, The Truth About Love, her sixth studio recording, is on target to be her first-ever #1 album, with a projected total of 200-225k. Her previous high was the #2 slot reached by the last album, 2008’s Funhouse. That would be enough to top Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music compilation on Def Jam/IDJ, Cruel Summer, which may have suffered from a brief, one-day absence of the album from iTunes, but is gaining ground quickly, according to one-day sales reports from retailers both physical and digital lucky enough not to find themselves part of Mitt Romney‘s 47% cut-off. At this point it looks like it will sell in the 170-190k range. We’ll keep an eye on the battle as we head into Friday’s Weakend Chart Preview. (HITS Daily Double)
Check out the Cruel Summer teaser below:
