A Ruthless Criticism of Everything Existing
A Ruthless Criticism of Everything Existing is a solo studio album by American hip hop artist Sole. It was released on November 13, 2012.[3][4] The title derives from a letter written by Karl Marx.[5] A music video was created for "Assad Is Dead".[6]
| A Ruthless Criticism of Everything Existing | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 13, 2012 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 45:13 | |||
| Label | Black Canyon | |||
| Producer | Man Mantis, Factor, Leif Kolt, Skyrider, Ecid, Real Magic, Ryan Hemsworth, Spencer, Busdriver, Alias, Ausker | |||
| Sole chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Alarm | favorable[1] |
| AllMusic |    |
Critical reception
David Jeffries of AllMusic gave the album 3.5 stars out of 5, saying, "Sole's 2012 effort is more connectable than his early work and worth a listen if alternative observations hold more attraction than easy answers."[2] Chris Martins of Spin called it "his most accessible work since 2003's Selling Live Water."[7] Scott Morrow of Alarm said: "Songs for the revolution have seldom been so danceable, fun, and — dare we say it — pretty."[1]
Alarm included it on the "50 Favorite Albums of 2012" list,[8] while Westword listed it as one of the best local albums of 2012.[9]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Non Workers of the World" (featuring William Ryan Fritch) | Man Mantis | 2:40 |
| 2. | "Young Sole" | Factor | 3:31 |
| 3. | "Denver Nights" | Leif Kolt | 4:08 |
| 4. | "Assad Is Dead" (written by Pedestrian) | Skyrider | 3:15 |
| 5. | "Never Work" | Ecid | 3:22 |
| 6. | "Last Earth" (featuring William Ryan Fritch) | Man Mantis | 2:44 |
| 7. | "The Untouchables" (featuring Green Carpeted Stairs) | Man Mantis | 5:20 |
| 8. | "The Void Which Binds" (featuring Real Magic) | Real Magic | 4:28 |
| 9. | "Letter to a Young Rapper" | Ryan Hemsworth | 3:03 |
| 10. | "Animal" | Spencer | 3:30 |
| 11. | "The Inferno" | Busdriver | 3:19 |
| 12. | "Definition of Slave" (featuring Open Mike Eagle) | Alias | 3:36 |
| 13. | "Ruthless" | Ausker | 2:12 |
References
- Morrow, Scott (November 13, 2012). "This Week's Best Albums: November 13, 2012". Alarm. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- Jeffries, David. "A Ruthless Criticism of Everything Existing - Sole". AllMusic. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- "Sole: A Ruthless Criticism Of Everything Existing". Midheaven. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- Martin, Andrew (October 2, 2012). "Sole – "Young Sole" (Odd Nosdam Remix) [Potholes Premiere]". Potholes in My Blog. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- Eddy, Lincoln (November 7, 2012). "Watch Sole's blistering "Assad is Dead" and download "Ruthless"". Alarm. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
- Reyneke, David (November 5, 2012). "Stream Sole's 'A Ruthless Criticism Of Everything Existing' In Its Entirety". Potholes in My Blog. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
- Martins, Chris (October 22, 2012). "Sole and Ryan Hemsworth Dis White Dudes, HoloPac on 'Letter to a Young Rapper'". Spin. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- "ALARM's 50 Favorite Albums of 2012 (49/52)". Alarm. December 13, 2012. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- "Moovers and Shakers 2012: Backbeat writers praise the year's best local albums". Westword. December 27, 2012. Retrieved June 1, 2017.