Islah (album)

Islah
Studio album by Kevin Gates
Released January 29, 2016
Recorded 2015
Genre
Length 53:25
Label
Producer
Kevin Gates chronology
Murder For Hire
(2015)Murder For Hire2015		 Islah
(2016)		 Murder For Hire 2
(2016)Murder For Hire 22016
Singles from Islah
  1. "Kno One"
    Released: July 9, 2015
  2. "Really Really"
    Released: October 5, 2015
  3. "2 Phones"
    Released: November 5, 2015
  4. "Time for That"
    Released: September 9, 2016[1]

Islah is the debut studio album by American rapper Kevin Gates. It was released on January 29, 2016, by Bread Winners' Association and Atlantic Records.[2][3]

The album was supported by four official singles: "Kno One", "Really Really", "2 Phones" and "Time for That".

Background

In an interview with iHeartRadio, Kevin Gates said that:

"I named the album after my daughter because of the anticipation. It was so high. I remember before the birth of my daughter, the anticipation was so high. I was scared, I was excited. I was going through mixed emotions at the time. When people set a high bar because I put out so much good quality music, that bar was so high. I just didn't want to. I was afraid of being a letdown. I was afraid of not being good enough. I was scared to death upon making the album, upon releasing the album. The reason I named my album Islah was because it was my first album. My first real studio album, I guess, so to say. Everything else that I put out was mix tapes. The name Islah means to critique. To make better. A spiritual awakening. When my daughter came, she gave me all of those things.[4]"

Singles

"Kno One" was released via digital download as the album's first single on July 9, 2015. The song was produced by IKENNA FuNkEn, and The Featherstones.

"Really Really" was released as the album's lead single (second overall) on October 5, 2015. The song was produced by Alex Goose, Cook Classics and Jake Troth. The song peaked at number 46 on the US Billboard Hot 100. To date, the song has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[5]

"2 Phones" was released as the album's third single on November 5, 2015. The song was produced by Mad Max. The song became Gates' first top 40 hit single upon the charts, and peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100. To date, the song has also became certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[5]

"Time for That" was released as the album's fourth and final single on September 9, 2016.[6] The song was produced by Swiff D, alongside the additional production from Nick Seeley. The song peaked at number 19 on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles.

Other songs

"La Familia" and "The Truth" were released as instant grats for the album's pre-order simultaneously on September 3, 2015.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100[7]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[8]
Consequence of SoundB[9]
HipHopDX[10]
Pitchfork8.5/10[11]
Rolling Stone
Spin8/10
Tiny Mix Tapes
ViceA–[12]

Islah received widespread acclaim from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 81, based on 10 reviews.[7] In Vice, Robert Christgau said the songs have a variety of moods, catchy melodies, and a strong level of detail from Gates: "Do I like everything he says, much less puts on Instagram? Not close. But his saga is an encouraging, fascinating, educational up. This is a guy who always brings his daughter on tour and thinks affluence is a big day at Bloomingdale's. He's emotional, tender, violent, sensual, fickle, determined, fatalistic, unpredictable, unreliable, hedonistic, and from Louisiana. In a land of 10,000 wannabes, he's an original."[12]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200, collecting 112,000 album equivalent units, with the first-week sales of 93,000 copies in the United States.[13] In its second week, the album dropped to number 10, with a total of 40,000 album equivalent units, collecting its sales of 24,000 copies.[14] In its third week, it collect a total of 36,000 album equivalent units, with 20,000 copies sold, charting at number 11.[15] As of July 2016, the album had sold approximately 307,000 copies (pure sales).[16] On August 30, 2016, the album was certified platinum by Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for a shipment of 1,000,000 units in the United States.[17]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Not the Only One"
  • Go Grizzly
  • Dreamlife Beats
4:41
2."Really Really"
3:52
3."2 Phones"
  • Mad Max & Dj Swift
4:00
4."Pride"
  • Gilyard
  • Patrick Carmelo
  • Matthew Paisley-Mallia
  • Carmelo
4:05
5."La Familia"
  • Millz
3:50
6."Time for That"
3:28
7."Thought I Heard (Bread Winners' Anthem)"
  • Gilyard
  • Norman Payne
  • DJ Chose
3:24
8."Hard For"
4:06
9."Ask for More"
  • Gilyard
  • Norris Buchanan
  • Richard Norris
  • Buchanan
3:27
10."One Thing"
3:19
11."The Truth"
3:30
12."Kno One"
3:34
13."Told Me"
  • Gilyard
  • Alleyne
  • Millz
3:04
14."Ain't Too Hard"
  • Gilyard
  • Hood
  • Goudy III
  • Earl & E
3:25
15."I Love It"
  • Gilyard
  • Donny Flores
  • Adrian Santalla
  • Drop
  • Phe
3:31

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
United States (RIAA)[27] Platinum 1,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ http://www.xxlmag.com/video/2016/09/kevin-gates-time-for-that-video-reveals-islah-platinum/
  2. ↑ Baker, Soren (November 6, 2015). "Kevin Gates "Islah" Updated Release Date & Cover Art". HipHopDX. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  3. ↑ "'Islah' - Kevin Gates". iTunes. Archived from the original on November 23, 2015. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  4. ↑ http://www.iheart.com/news/interview-kevin-gates-on-islah-everything-14322865/
  5. 1 2 "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". RIAA. Retrieved 2016-05-10.
  6. ↑ http://www.xxlmag.com/video/2016/09/kevin-gates-time-for-that-video-reveals-islah-platinum
  7. 1 2 "islah Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved January 29, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Kevin Gates - Islah". AllMusic. February 5, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Kevin Gates - Islah". Consequence of Sound. January 26, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Kevin Gates - Islah". HipHopDX. February 3, 2016.
  11. ↑ Jayson Greene (February 4, 2016). "Kevin Gates: Islah". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
  12. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (May 20, 2016). "Baton Rouge, Big Beats, and Beyoncé Expert Witness with Robert Christgau". Vice. Retrieved May 20, 2016.
  13. ↑ Caulfield, Keith (February 7, 2016). "Rihanna's 'Anti' Rules at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Charts Don't Lie: February 17". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2016-05-10.
  15. ↑ "Charts Don't Lie: February 24". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2016-05-10.
  16. ↑ http://www.nielsen.com/content/dam/corporate/us/en/reports-downloads/2016-reports/us-mid-year-report-july-2016.pdf
  17. ↑ "American album certifications – Kevin Gates – Islah". Recording Industry Association of America". Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  18. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Jam - Single by Kevin Gates". Itunes.apple.com. 2015-01-29. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  19. ↑ "iTunes - Music - Excuse Me - Single by Kevin Gates". Itunes.apple.com. 2015-01-29. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
  20. ↑ "Kevin Gates Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Kevin Gates Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Kevin Gates Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Kevin Gates Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums - Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  25. ↑ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved December 12, 2017.
  27. ↑ "American album certifications – Kevin Gates – Islah". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
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