Judgement Day (album)

Judgement Day
Studio album by Esham
Released April 9, 1992
Genre Horrorcore
Length 92:30
Label Reel Life
Producer Esham
Esham chronology
Boomin' Words from Hell
(1989)Boomin' Words from Hell1989		 Judgement Day
(1992)		 KKKill the Fetus
(1993)KKKill the Fetus1993

Judgement Day is the second studio album by Esham. On June 6, 2006, a Judgement Day box set was released, containing both original volumes and previously unreleased material.

Production

Reel Life Productions founder and Esham's brother James Smith decided that Esham should record a double album following the release of Prince's Love Symbol Album. Smith thought that if an R&B artist could record a double album, a rapper should record a double album.[1] However, it is not the first double album in hip hop, as previously DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince released He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper, which was a double album in its original vinyl configuration.

Music

While the lyrical content of Judgement Day is similar to that of Esham's debut, Boomin' Words from Hell, the music features a heavier use of rock samples.[2] The album's rock-based sound influenced rap rock artists such as Kid Rock.[2]

Release history

Judgement Day was released separately in two volumes, Day and Night, on April 9, 1992.[3] On June 6, 2006, a Judgement Day box set was released, featuring both original volumes remastered, two volumes of previously unreleased material, the exclusive album Martyr City, an illustrated booklet with a short autobiography written by Esham detailing the days of the original Judgement Day release as well as a background story for Martyr City, a live concert DVD, deluxe packaging and a Certificate of Authenticity.[4][5]

Reception

Allmusic's Jason Birchmeier wrote that Judgement Day, Vol. 1 "may not be his most well-crafted work, but it certainly stands as his most inspired work of the '90s",[3] while Vol. 2 "isn't quite as strong as the first volume, suffering mostly from a number of weak tracks [...] the first volume doesn't rely quite so much on cheap shock, instead focusing on evocative horror motifs, making Judgement Day, Vol. 2 the less important of the two."[3]

Track listing

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllmusicVol. 1: [3]
Vol. 1: Day (1992)
No.TitleLength
1."Nine Dead Bodies"2:15
2."The Boogieman"1:58
3."How Do I Plead to Homicide"3:54
4."I'd Rather Be Dead"2:50
5."Momma Was a Junkie"4:05
6."Once You Go Black"4:30
7."Makin' More Music"3:15
8."Hit and Run"2:51
9."Thinking to Myself"2:27
10."Fallen Angel"3:19
11."I Met This Little Girlie"3:13
12."Acid"3:30
13."Devilish Mood"2:27
14."My Last Words"3:12
15."Losin My Religion"1:55
Total length:46:26
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllmusicVol. 2 [3]
Vol. 2: Night (1992)
No.TitleLength
1."Judgement Day"3:29
2."Living in Incest""3:37
3."Play Dead""2:43
4."13 Ways"3:26
5."Finger in the Cake Mix"4:12
6."The Devil Gets Funky"3:38
7."Crib Death"2:07
8."Dead By Day"2:00
9."Wake the Dead"3:57
10."Dumb Bitch"1:31
11."U Wanna Know Somethin"1:18
12."Hoe Role"3:41
13."Dyin to Be Down"3:23
14."Sell Me Yo Soul"3:53
15."We Got Some Nonbelievers"2:18
Total length:46:04

References

  1. ↑ Death of an Indie Label - Part 2 of 5 - Esham Shockumentary. Event occurs at 1:18.
  2. 1 2 Hess, Mickey (2009). "Esham". Hip Hop in America: A Regional Guide: Volume 1: East Coast and West Coast. ABC-CLIO. pp. 411–413. ISBN 0-313-34323-3.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 All Music Guide to Hip-Hop: The Definitive Guide to Rap & Hip-hop. Backbeat Books. 2003. pp. 160–163. ISBN 0-87930-759-5.
  4. ↑ "The Deluxe Judgment Day Box Set - information". Reel Life Productions. Archived from the original on 2006-08-13. Retrieved 2008-08-27.
  5. ↑ "The Deluxe Judgment Day Box Set - track listing". Reel Life Productions. Archived from the original on 2006-08-13. Retrieved 2008-08-27.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.