| The Boatlift | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 27, 2007 | |||
| Recorded | 2006–2007 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 58:43 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
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| Pitbull chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Boatlift | ||||
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The Boatlift is the thirdstudio album byCuban-American rapperPitbull. It was released on November 27, 2007 throughTVT andPoe Boy. The album features production byLil Jon,Mr. Collipark,Nitti, Diaz Brothers andSean "P. Diddy" Combs who served as executive producer with Pitbull. It also featuresguest appearances byTrick Daddy, Lil Jon,Twista,Jim Jones,Jason Derulo andDon Omar among others.
The Boatlift spawned foursingles: "Go Girl", "The Anthem", "Secret Admirer", and "Sticky Icky". The album received generally positive reviews frommusic critics but received small commercial success despite critical acclaim. It debuted at number 50 on the USBillboard 200 chart, selling 22,398 copies in its first week.[1]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 82/100[2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| DJBooth |  [4] |
| Okayplayer | [5] |
| RapReviews | 7.5/10[6] |
| Slant Magazine | [7] |
The Boatlift garnered a positive reception frommusic critics. AtMetacritic, which assigns anormalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received anaverage score of 69, based on five reviews.[2]
Patrick Taylor ofRapReviews praised the album's versatile production for going beyond crunk music and showing depth in club anthems, concluding that "Pitbull continues to prove himself as an MC who is able to bridge Latin hip hop and Southern hip hop, creating a sound that should appeal to fans from both camps. He may not be the deepest lyricist on earth, and his attempts at bedroom music may fall flat, but he makes a mean soundtrack for a night out."[6] DJBooth's Nathan Slavik praised Pitbull for exploring vastly different genres to create party tracks with a worldview appeal and doing them with a talented cast of featured artists and producers, saying that "The Boatlift isn’t going to expand your intellectual or spiritual horizons, but it is without question a go-to album for all your booty-shakin needs."[4] Jose Davila ofVibe also praised the album's genre-hopping production mixing well with Pitbull's bilingual, charismatic flow, saying that it "solidifies Pitbull's position as one of the most diverse party MCs around. And little else."[8]
Wilson McBee ofSlant Magazine said that, "For better or worse, the story ofBoatlift concerns more the production and song structures than Pitbull’s own rapping. It’s clear he’d rather be a chorus-shouter than a verse-spitter, or at least he believes that will help him sell more records."[7]AllMusic's David Jeffries commended the production and lyrical hooks for being catchy but felt that it lacked a sense of personality and talent compared toEl Mariel, saying to considerThe Boatlift "a fun floor-filler, but just not up to Pitbull's usual standards."[3] A writer for Music for America felt that Pitbull was wasting his talent throughout the record rhyming typical club tracks and party jams and would like to see him collaborate with artists likeLittle Brother,2Mex,Deep Thinkers andRoots Manuva.[9]
The Boatlift debuted at number 50 on the USBillboard 200 chart, selling 22,398 copies in its first week.[10] In its second week, the album dropped to number 134 on the chart, selling an additional 9,686 copies.[11] As of April 2009, the album has sold 131,000 copies in the United States.[12]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "A Little Story (Intro)" | Armando C. Perez | 1:08 | |
| 2. | "Go Girl" (featuringTrina andYoung Bo$$) |
| Soundz | 3:49 |
| 3. | "Dukey Love" (featuringTrick Daddy andFabo) |
| Mr. Collipark | 3:45 |
| 4. | "I Don't See 'Em" (featuring Cubo & AIM) |
| Tru | 3:59 |
| 5. | "Midnight" (featuringCasely) |
| Vein | 3:32 |
| 6. | "Ying & the Yang" |
|
| 3:27 |
| 7. | "The Anthem" (featuringLil Jon) |
|
| 4:05 |
| 8. | "The Truth (Interlude)" | A. C. Pérez | 0:54 | |
| 9. | "Candyman" (featuringTwista) |
|
| 3:11 |
| 10. | "Sticky Icky" (featuringJim Jones) |
| Lil Jon | 3:42 |
| 11. | "My Life" (featuringJason Derulo) |
|
| 3:44 |
| 12. | "Secret Admirer" (featuringLloyd) |
| Play-N-Skillz | 3:18 |
| 13. | "Get Up / Levantate" |
| Play-N-Skillz | 3:17 |
| 14. | "Fuego (DJ Buddha Remix)" (featuringDon Omar) |
|
| 3:49 |
| 15. | "Stripper Pole (Remix)" (featuringToby Love) |
| Eddie Perez | 3:56 |
| 16. | "Un Poquito" (featuringYung Berg) |
|
| 3:42 |
| 17. | "Tell Me (Remix)" (featuringFrankie J &Ken-Y) |
| Lil Jon | 4:34 |
| 18. | "Mr. 305 (Outro)" | A. C. Pérez | 0:45 | |
| Total length: | 58:43 | |||
Sample credits
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USBillboard 200[13] | 50 |
| USIndependent Albums (Billboard)[14] | 7 |
| USTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[15] | 13 |
| USTop Rap Albums (Billboard)[16] | 2 |
Baker, Geoff (2005), ""La Habana que no conoces": Cuban rap and the social construction of urban space",Ethnomusicology Forum, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 215–246.
"Pitbull: El Capitan",Giant Magazine, New York City, New York, 6 December 2007, retrieved2008-02-06.
Kalikwest Publication Group (24 March 2005),"Pitbull On",MySpace Music, retrieved2008-02-06.
"Who Is Pitbull: Biography",The Pitbull Official Site, 24 March 2005, retrieved2008-02-06.
