| Release Therapy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 26, 2006 | |||
| Studio | The Ludaplex in Atlanta, Georgia | |||
| Genre | Hip-hop | |||
| Length | 62:38 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Ludacris (exec.), Chaka Zulu (exec.), Jeff Dixon (exec.),The Neptunes,The Trak Starz,Dre & Vidal,DJ Toomp, Rich Skillz,The Runners,Polow da Don | |||
| Ludacris chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Release Therapy | ||||
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Release Therapy is the sixthstudio album by AmericanrapperLudacris. It was released on September 26, 2006, underDisturbing tha Peace andDef Jam South. Production for the album was done byThe Neptunes,The Trak Starz,Dre & Vidal,DJ Toomp,The Runners and Polow da Don, and features guest contributions from rappersYoung Jeezy,Field Mob,Beanie Sigel,Pimp C andC-Murder and R&B singersPharrell,Mary J. Blige,R. Kelly andBobby Valentino.
Release Therapy garnered a generally mixed reception from critics unsure of Ludacris' exploration into more serious content after previous works being more lighthearted and party-filled.[1] The album debuted at number one on theBillboard 200 chart, with sales of 309,000 copies in its first week, and spawned threesingles: "Money Maker", "Grew Up a Screw Up" and "Runaway Love". The record received aGrammy Award forBest Rap Album and its lead single "Money Maker" wonBest Rap Song at the49th Annual Grammy Awards in 2007.
Release Therapy won theBest Rap Album award for the2007 Grammy Awards.
Ludacris also shaved hiscornrows off for a new "caesar" haircut. He said with a new album that was different than his other four albums, there would be a new haircut and a new personality to go with it, similar to whatBusta Rhymes did withThe Big Bang.
Ludacris released a mixtape calledPre-Release Therapy withDJ Green Lantern and Michael '5000' Watts to precede the album.
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Unlike the previous albums released by Ludacris,Release Therapy has a more mature and serious approach to the music (e.g. the 3rd single "Runaway Love" is Ludacris' first stab at socially concerned music). It is also Ludacris' darkest album to date, both in mood and subject matter. The different approach Ludacris took with Release Therapy has caused many listeners and fans to debate on whether the album is Ludacris's best or worst.
Ludacris also stated that his new album will be somewhat like a tape on CD. "The way we're going to try to format the record is you have your Release side and your Therapy side," he said. "Everybody knows the Release side would be 'War With God,' 'Tell It Like It Is.' I have a record called 'Slap.' Just getting everything off my chest. The Therapy side would be feel-good — a song like 'Woozy' withR. Kelly on it is therapeutic. Even 'Money Maker.' Some women's therapy is getting out, going to the club and shaking they ass. It's therapeutic to them."
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 60/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| The A.V. Club | B[3] |
| Robert Christgau |  [4] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B−[5] |
| The Guardian | [6] |
| Pitchfork | 5.8/10[7] |
| RapReviews | 8.5/10[8] |
| Rolling Stone | [9] |
| Stylus Magazine | B−[10] |
| XXL | [11] |
Release Therapy received generally mixed reviews frommusic critics divided over Ludacris' foray into more conscious rap territory while still being able to deliver mainstream hip-hop content. AtMetacritic, which assigns anormalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received anaverage score of 60, based on 21 reviews.[1]
In a review forThe A.V. Club, writerNathan Rabin called it "Ludacris' most mature album to date", praising the wordy and energetic party tracks and the surprising foray into introspection later on, concluding that "Always good but seldom great,Release Therapy is the rare major-label rap album that suffers from too much substance. Lyrically and thematically, Ludacris is growing up, so perhaps it's inevitable that he's incurring some growing pains along the way."[3]Robert Christgau gave the album a two-star honorable mention, indicating a "likable effort that consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well enjoy."[12] He cited "Tell It Like It Is", "Mouths to Feed" and "Slap" as highlights of Ludacris' transition into more mature content while maintaining his humorous side: "Rap porn clown as rap businessman, a richer choice thematically than rap entertainment mogul or rap crime boss."[4] Brett Johnson ofXXL gave praise to Ludacris for having a balanced track list containing his trademark humorous party jams and newfound sociopolitical commentary cuts, calling it "a solid album short on obvious club bangers but long on the more worldly perspective of a rap veteran."[11]
Marisa Brown ofAllMusic commended the 'Therapy' half of the album but felt that the 'Release' portion of the tracks was missing some humor, saying that "the witty rhymes that madeChicken-n-Beer so great are in short supply."[2]Entertainment Weekly's Michael Endelman was the opposite in his critique of the record, praising Ludacris for maintaining his lyrical humor and dexterity on tracks like "Ultimate Satisfaction" and "Grew Up a Screw Up", but was less positive towards his attempts at depth on "Runaway Love" and "Do Your Time", saying that "[T]hough well-intentioned, they come across as trite."[5]Pitchfork writer Tom Breihan felt the album was overhyped due to various interviews of Ludacris calling it a classic, resulting in a project with a weak track list structure, diluted punchlines and poor attempts at conscious rap. He gave faint praise toRelease Therapy as being "Luda's best album sinceBack for the First Time, but it's not like that's saying much."[7]
Release Therapy debuted at number one on the USBillboard 200 chart, selling over 309,000 copies in the first week,[13] making it Ludacris' third number one album in a row.[14] By February 2013, the album has sold about 1.3 million copies domestically.[15]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Warning" (Intro) |
| Vudu | 2:30 |
| 2. | "Grew Up a Screw Up" (featuringYoung Jeezy) | DJ Nasty & LVM | 3:59 | |
| 3. | "Money Maker" (featuringPharrell) |
| The Neptunes | 3:50 |
| 4. | "Girls Gone Wild" |
| The Neptunes | 3:36 |
| 5. | "Ultimate Satisfaction" (featuringField Mob) |
| Rich Skillz | 4:20 |
| 6. | "Mouths to Feed" |
| DJ Toomp | 4:18 |
| 7. | "End of the Night" (featuringBobby Valentino) |
| Happy Perez | 4:37 |
| 8. | "Woozy" (featuringR. Kelly) |
| Ken Jo | 5:18 |
| 9. | "Tell It Like It Is" |
| Omen | 3:56 |
| 10. | "War with God" |
|
| 4:30 |
| 11. | "Do Your Time" (featuringBeanie Sigel,Pimp C &C-Murder) | The Trak Starz | 5:15 | |
| 12. | "Slap" |
| The Runners | 4:40 |
| 13. | "Runaway Love" (featuringMary J. Blige) | Polow da Don | 4:40 | |
| 14. | "Freedom of Preach" (featuringBishop Eddie Lee Long) |
| Mr. Jonz | 7:07 |
| Total length: | 62:38 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "We Ain't Worried 'Bout U" |
| Storch | 4:25 |
| 15. | "Sweet Revenge" |
| The Trak Starz | 4:07 |
Notes
Sample credits
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[26] | Platinum | 1,300,000[15] |
