Stay Trippy was met with generally positive reviews from critics. The album debuted at number four on the USBillboard 200, selling 64,000 copies in the United States during its first week. As of November 6, 2013, the album has sold 138,000 copies according toNielsen SoundScan. The album was supported by four official singles, thecertified platinum "Bandz a Make Her Dance", "Show Out", "Bounce It" and "Talkin' Bout". The first three charted on the USBillboard Hot 100. He also went on the Stay Trippy Tour withASAP Ferg beginning on April 20, 2013, till September 2013.
After frequently collaborating with rapperWiz Khalifa, Juicy J joinedTaylor Gang Records in December 2011 as a part-owner andA&R representative.[1][2] Soon after he started recording for his next studio album.[3] On March 7, 2012, Juicy J stated his third studio album would be titledStay Trippy. He went on to say that he has recorded many songs with rap groupOdd Future.[4][5] In late November 2012, Juicy J announced the album would be released in February 2013 and indicated an interest in working withNas,Dr. Dre andJay-Z.[6] He also went on to say the album was almost finished.[7] Juicy J had stated he recorded around 80 songs for the project, which were mostly recorded inhotel rooms while on tour.[3][8]Complex ranked the album at number 22 on their list of the 50 most anticipated albums of 2013.[9]
Wiz Khalifa toldPower 105 on April 18, 2013, that legendary rapperPimp C would be featured on the album,[18] and later on April 23 during an interview withDJ Whoo Kid he said that singerJustin Timberlake would make a guest appearance.[19] Then on July 6, 2013, Juicy J confirmed production on the album would come from himself, Mike Will Made It, Dr. Luke, Lex Luger,Young Chop, Crazy Mike, Baby E,Timbaland, I.D. Labs andDannyBoyStyles, among others.[20] In apress release on July 15, 2013, he confirmed the album would feature guest appearances from Wiz Khalifa, Justin Timberlake, Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, The Weeknd,ASAP Rocky,Wale,Trey Songz, Young Jeezy, Big Sean, Pimp C,Trina, Yelawolf and Project Pat.[21]
Juicy J released various mixtapes and toured in promotion of his third albumStay Trippy.
Prior to the album's release Juicy J released severalmixtapes such asRubba Band Business 1 &2 and 2011'sBlue Dream & Lean. Juicy J would go out with his street team to cities such asAtlanta, and passed out these mixtapes.[22] On June 10, 2013, Juicy J announced he would be releasing a four track mixtape prior to the album titled,Wax. All the songs on the mixtape were reported to also have music videos, however that mixtape would not come to fruition, and "Wax" would end up being a track onStay Trippy.[23][24]
He worked as a supporting act along with the rest ofTaylor Gang on Wiz Khalifa's 2050 Tour during late 2012 and early 2013.[25] On March 13, Juicy J released the first of many Trippy Tourvlog episodes.[26] Prior to the album's release Juicy J went on the Stay Trippy Tour from April 21 till June 8, 2013, with his opening actASAP Ferg.[27] He is also planning a possiblecollege tour to take place after the album release.[8]
In early February 2013 in an interview Juicy J reported the album would release near the end of March 2013.[3] He would however push it back and on March 11, 2013, say the album would be released in June or July 2013.[28][29] On April 29, he would announce a release date of July 2, 2013.[30] However he would push it back again, till August, and on July 15 in a press release Juicy J announced a final release date for the album of August 27, 2013 in the United States.[21] On July 21, 2013, the track listing and album cover was revealed.[31] Its first release was on August 23, 2013, in other countries such as Australia.[32]
In August 2013, Naima Cochrane (Juicy J's product manager atColumbia Records) toldBillboard that "The Woods" featuringJustin Timberlake, could very possibly be a future single.[8] She also said that there would be as many as three more singles after "Bounce It" from the album.[8] On October 3, 2013, the music video was released for "All I Blow Is Loud".[33] On October 31, 2013, the music video was released for "Stop It".[34] On December 11, 2013, the music video was released for "No Heart No Love" featuringProject Pat.[35] On July 18, 2014, the music video was released for "Scholarship" featuringASAP Rocky.[36] On August 26, 2014, the music video was released for "Smoke a Nigga" featuringWiz Khalifa.[37]
The second official single from the album was "Show Out" which featuresBig Sean andYoung Jeezy. After its premiere on November 30, 2012,[43] the song was released as a digital download on January 25, 2013.[44] As with his previous single the song is produced byMike Will Made It.[45][46] The music video for "Show Out" was filmed on January 25, 2013, and was directed by Juicy J himself.[29][47] On March 7, 2013, the music video for "Show Out" featuring Young Jeezy and Big Sean premiered on106 & Park.[48][49] The song has since peaked at number 75 on the USBillboard Hot 100.[50] On April 24, 2013, the remix was released featuring verses fromT.I. and the latePimp C.[51]
On February 16, 2013, it was announced that the third single was set to be "One Of Those Nights" featuringR&B singerThe Weeknd.[52] The song was produced by Canadian-producerIllangelo. It was premiered on February 20, 2013, viaSoundCloud, and made available to purchase on March 11, 2013, as a promotional single.[53][54] On June 20, 2013, the music video was released for "One Of Those Nights" featuring The Weeknd.[55] However, the single failed to chart and ended up as an in store deluxe exclusive track.
On June 25, 2013, the third official single "Bounce It" featuringTrey Songz andWale was released toiTunes.[56][57] The music video was filmed on July 2, 2013.[58] On July 18, 2013, the music video for "Bounce It" featuring Wale and Trey Songz premiered on106 & Park.[59][60] Since release the song has reached number 75 on the USBillboard Hot 100.[50] Juicy J announced that "Talkin' Bout" featuringChris Brown andWiz Khalifa would be the album's fourth single on January 26, 2014.[61] Then the following day the song was serviced tomainstream urban radio in the United States. On March 13, 2014, the music video was released for "Talkin' Bout" featuring Chris Brown and Wiz Khalifa.[62]
The album debuted at number four on the USBillboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 64,000 copies in the United States.[63] In its second week of sale, the album dropped eleven spots on the USBillboard 200, and sold 22,000 more copies.[64] In its third week the album sold 13,000 more copies.[65] Then the following week it sold 8,000 more copies.[66] As of November 6, 2013, the album has sold 138,000 copies according toNielsen SoundScan.[67] Outside of the United States, the album also enjoyed some chart success. In Canada it debuted at number 11 on theBillboardCanadian Albums Chart and spent one week on the chart.[68] It also debuted at number 174 on theOfficial Charts Company'sUK Albums Chart,[69] and at number 17 on theUK R&B Chart.[70]
Stay Trippy received generally positive reviews from critics. AtMetacritic, which assigns anormalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received anaverage score of 66, based on 10 reviews.[71] Al Shipley of theBaltimore City Paper gave the album a positive review, saying "Stay Trippy winds up as something of a triumph, one of the year's most thoroughly enjoyable major label albums."[82] David Jeffries ofAllMusic said, "Fans will need four or five hands to count all the other laugh-out-loud punch lines, and even if this album is redundant and overstuffed with hedonism and recklessness, that's just Juicy being Juicy."[72] Rick Florino ofArtistdirect stated, "Stay Trippy is as wild as modern hip-hop gets. It's a slick, seductive, and stone romp through a hazy synth boom, strip club-ready beats, and some of Juicy J's tightest rapping to date."[73] Stacy-Ann Ellis ofVibe gave the album a positive review, saying "Despite the wild assortment of flows and flavors, Juicy J manages to avoid being eclipsed on his own project. Their presence only amplifies the quality of his offering, a hypothesis that is reinforced by three of the album's standout pieces."[83] B.J. Steiner ofXXL said, "Stay Trippy is a record that knows to stay within the lane that it's carved for itself. Big-budget stripper rap has rarely sounded so fresh."[81] Nick Henderson ofTiny Mix Tapes gave the album three out of five stars, saying "OnStay Trippy, Juicy J sounds as energized, self-assured, and dangerous as ever."[84] Patrick Taylor of RapReviews.com stated, "Even if Juicy J's brand of explicit hip-hop isn't your cup of syrup, you have to admire the man for staying relevant and good as he nears his third decade in the game."[78]
Chris Kelly ofFact said, "By embracing the codeine-weed-molly trifecta, hashtag-friendly hooks, and — perhaps most significantly — ascendant producers, the 38-year-old rapper has maintained rap relevance, even as that has become more difficult than ever."[75] Peter Marrack ofExclaim! stated, "For all its vulgarity, predictability, repetitiveness and reckless musings on drugs, Juicy J's trippy music succeeds because of its spirit."[74] Julia LeConte ofNow said, "The whole thing isn't about disrespecting women, though. Some songs merely weave the misogyny around simple-pleasure narratives: popping molly, making money. On his third solo record, the Three 6 Mafia rapper signed to Wiz Khalifa's Taylor Gang is 'getting high like he's 18.' At 38, though, it's not super-amusing, like J is the hip-hopPeter Pan refusing to grow up among a crew of younger emcees."[77] Elysa Gardner ofUSA Today stated, "Stay Trippy can be musically compelling. Granted, the words are hard to miss. "Stay motivated, stay high, stay hustling, (forget) everything else," he intones on "So Much Money", a title that sums up the highest virtue in J's world."[80] David "Rek" Lee ofHipHopDX said, "Some Rap is tailor made for headphone listening and careful analysis of every word. Then there are songs that are meant to be played loud in public settings, and the lyrics don't matter so much. If you haven't already figured it out,Stay Trippy is the latter. And for as much flack as it receives, there is entertainment value there and it serves its purpose as a soundtrack to the 'trippy' lifestyle."[76]
Stay Trippy was ranked number 20 onSpin's list of the 40 best hip hop albums of 2013. They commented saying, "this is basically what the Juiceman's been doing for 20 years — self-producing albums of bellowing bass, eerie synths, and shouted slogans. It helps that his sound helped spawn wildly popular things like Atlantatrap and Chicagodrill; it helps that Wiz Khalifa helped him acquire the budget to get an absolutely monstrous low end; and it helps that we're not sick of "Bandz a Make Her Dance."[85] It was also positioned at number 27 onComplex's list of the 50 best albums of 2013. They said, "armed with an endless barrage of rattling beats, and a host of just-so-over-the-top-ridiculous-you-have-to-laugh punchlines, and enough believable gangsta talk to separate himself from the good kids of today's rap scene,Stay Trippy is the perfect explanation for why Juicy has been rich since the '90s."[86]XXL ranked it at number 13 on their list of the best albums of 2014.[87]
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