| Album of the Year #30: Al.Divino - SUNRAW Posted: 25 Jan 2022 12:57 AM PST
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Background: After a slew of releases in 2020, Al.Divino followed up this impressive run with yet another barrage of projects this year. This included; the jazz boom bap of his collaboration with Grubby Pawz, 'CCXXXVII', the exclusively released 'ABNDNT', tripped out trap within 'KRYPTx' and eventually 'SUNRAW' in September. The project is almost entirely produced by No Face, whose out-there beats and experimental crate-digging compliment the rapper's usual lane.
Review As is the usual with Divino's work, the cover is a colourful and abstract painting done by the rapper himself. It depicts a cartoonish figure amid smudges of blue and red, with warped lettering spelling out variations of the album's title in its top right corner. It's abstract nature is a reflection of the style of Al.Divino's music, his raps are often like impulsive scribbles amid the chaos of colourful samples. Album intro, '32', opens on spacey synths, which are soon met by a pulsing drum beat and Al.Divino's growling verse and adlibs. He raps about the act of rhyming itself, how it's done, how it saves the lives of those who do it, and how to define the magnitude of the act contained within just 16 to 32 bars. The next track 'Blitz' is intensely lofi, its loop crackling and raw as if Divino's gravelled voice is scratching against the vinyl itself. Standout lines are "We tryna figure out what I'ma do with my life, if I'ma end up doing life", speaking on the correlation between lack of passion and crime, as well as the wordplay laced claim that it's "common knowledge I'm stupid nice". The proceeding track '!!!' is even more raw than the previous one, and features Koncept Jack$on whose vocals stand just as rough as the production. Amidst the crackles a bass line can be made out, striking against the rest of the mix, whilst drums hiss and Jack$on continues to be submerged within the beat. One of the standout tracks is 'Reality's A Myth Ain't That About A Bitch', an existential, reality-melting premise which sits comfortably in Al.Divino's LCD inspired repertoire. The beat is made up of a back and forth between psychedelic wah and a melodic flute, which sit atop a snare driven drum break, whilst Divino's rasp is added to the turmoil. He opens rapping the track's title "Reality's a myth, ain't that about a bitch", before drawing on examples of chaos in the world that break down his reality, such as the visceral violence in the line "brains blooming in traffic, look like paint splattered on the dashboard". This track also features co-production by Benji Socrates. 'Blicky Bobby' follows, greeting listeners with the warmth of a chopped up soul loop. Standout raps include the assertion "Divino got this whole shit glitching", a claim of pride to the glitchy boom bap he has crafted, as well as his adornment of the comically gun-toting persona in "call me Blicky Bobby, I know some of y'all motherfuckers itching to rob me". Continuing this production is 'Get Money', where another warped soul sample twists under a boom bap kick and snare, a momentary bass note vibrating to the surface every now and then. The rapper's voice is pitched down and yells "This that get money shit", alongside various proclamations, including getting his mother a villa. Halfway through the loop changes into pulsating chords, and the track's mantra is sung before the beat closes. This track is also one of several co-produced by Eli14k. 'I Remember' is the title of the next track, it's beat consisting of a wistful loop of female vocals. Divino reminisces on being broke in the past, closing his verse stating "You think I forgot about it but I remember them days", which continues to the chorus where he states he was "without a dollar to my name". The ominous bass at the beginning of 'Dobermins' is soon met by a pounding drum beat and some of the most intense vocals of the project. Divino pulls out some of his most ferocious drug raps here, pairing grime with elegance in lines such as "rusty knife alive will get you touched, slime we lust luxury", describing pure numbers in "turn a stove by the bundle, need a shovel for sure", as well as the most ferocious description of holding a "tec" like a "Doberman". The booming beat, produced by Ekwnox, is then left to ride out for the rest of the song. Opening its futuristic soundscape, 'Digiscalerezzy' soon becomes a chaotic description of "breaking dos equis over your dome like Joe Pesci", it's threatening lyrics ending in the more conventional warning of "razor blade scars". Once again this track was co-produced by Eli14k. 'A Fool Never Listens' sees the rapper sharing wisdom in lines such as "hell is a cell, help is a heaven, learn from a failure, self is a lesson", advocating for learning from oneself. This philosophical process is similarly echoed in the line "death is the answer, life is the question", where the question/answer order is reversed and Divino suggests the meaning of "life" is in its obvious ending. Over its shimmering beat he continues describing "church is a trap spot" and "God is a plug" - before the revelation-rejecting "truth is a secret" that makes no effort to know the unknowable "truth". The project's final track is titled 'G.G.D.', standing for the luxurious material 'Gucci Goose Down'. It's beat, co-produced by Eli14k, is made up of fuzzed piano chords, as Divino laces it with more raps about crime, such as "coke price see-saw" or "you ain't liver than goons I grew around", paring them with the luxury and expense of the track's title. It closes on the appropriate gun adlibs as the beat and project as a whole fade out. Overall this short project is another example of the innovative, out there boom bap Al.Divino has been putting out over the past 4 years, and as time passes his music seems to become more and more warped - departing from the over 30 year old genre's conventions whilst also maintaining its much loved essence. Whilst there is a densely creative scene dedicated to revitalising the sounds of 90s hip hop, Divino is one of the most impressive, simply for how far he is willing to take his booming drums and dusty samples. I wouldn't give anyone this album as their introduction to the rapper, the extent of its grit could easily turn them away from his music for life, however this is easily a must listen to the fans of his sound and scene and another example of the hip hop's blooming renaissance.
Questions: submitted by /u/LiquidKonfusionPlaya [link] [comments] |
| FINAL FIRST WEEK SALES NUMBERS FOR 2021! Posted: 24 Jan 2022 07:21 PM PST | Rank | Artist | Album | Label | Pure Sales | Streaming Sales | Track Equivalent Sales | TOTAL SALES | | 1 | Drake | Certified Lover Boy | OVO/Republic | 46,000 | 562,329 | 5,000 | 613,000 | | 2 | Kanye West | Donda | G.O.O.D./Def Jam | 37,000 | 272,000 | 684 | 309,000 | | 3 | J. Cole | The Off-Season | Dreamville/Roc Nation/Interscope | 37,000 | 243,000 | 2,000 | 282,000 | | 4 | Tyler, The Creator | CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST | Columbia | 55,000 | 114,000 | 604 | 169,604 | | 5 | Summer Walker | Still Over It | LVRN/Interscope | 12,000 | 153,000 | 1,000 | 166,000 | | 6 | Lil Baby & Lil Durk | The Voice of the Heroes | Alamo/Geffen/Interscope/WolfPack/Quality Control/Motown | 4,000 | 144,000 | 1,000 | 150,000 | | 7 | Polo G | Hall of Fame | Columbia | 18,000 | 124,000 | 1,197 | 143,000 | | 8 | YoungBoy Never Broke Again | Sincerely, Kentrell | Never Broke Again/Atlantic | 10,199 | 126,874 | 701 | 137,775 | | 9 | Rod Wave | SoulFly | Alamo/Geffen/Interscope | 4,000 | 126,000 | 700 | 130,700 | | 10 | Migos | Culture III | Quality Control/Motown | 22,500 | 106,000 | 2,028 | 130,500 | | 11 | Lil Nas X | MONTERO | Columbia | 22,000 | 102,000 | 2,000 | 126,000 | | 12 | Juice WRLD | Fighting Demons | Grade A/Interscope | 110,000 | 4,000 | 5,000 | 119,000 | | 13 | Young Stoner Life, Young Thug & Gunna | Slime Language 2 | Young Stoner Life/Atlantic | 6,000 | 106,000 | 1,000 | 113,000 | | 14 | Moneybagg Yo | A Gangsta's Pain | CMG/N-Less/Interscope | 4,000 | 106,020 | 713 | 110,713 | | 15 | Doja Cat | Planet Her | Kemosabe/RCA | 11,024 | 95,722 | 2,715 | 109,461 | | 16 | Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak | An Evening With Silk Sonic | Aftermath/Atlantic | 40,756 | 61,364 | 1,972 | 104,093 | | 17 | Meek Mill | Expensive Pain | MMG/Atlantic | 10,000 | 82,000 | 3,000 | 95,000 | | 18 | DJ Khaled | KHALED KHALED | We The Best/Epic | 15,006 | 76,000 | 3,000 | 94,000 | | 19 | Young Thug | Punk | Atlantic | 9,007 | 80,718 | 621 | 90,346 | | 20 | NF | CLOUDS (THE MIXTAPE) | NF Real Music/Virgin | 61,541 | 27,377 | 916 | 89,834 | | 21 | The Weeknd | The Highlights | XO/Republic | 9,995 | 69,827 | 9,018 | 88,840 | | 22 | Pop Smoke | Faith | Victor Victor/Republic | 3,984 | 83,000 | 1,323 | 88,000 | | 23 | Trippie Redd | Trip At Knight | TenThousand | 6,143 | 69,171 | 426 | 81,000 | | 24 | Don Toliver | Life of a DON | Cactus Jack/WeRunIt/Atlantic | 18,000 | 49,000 | 1,000 | 68,000 | | 25 | Roddy Ricch | LIVE LIFE FAST | Bird Vision/Atlantic | 59,406 | 3,233 | 865 | 63,504 | | 26 | Lil Tjay | Destined 2 Win | Columbia | 2,549 | 59,013 | 705 | 62,267 | | 27 | Pooh Shiesty | Shiesty Season | Atlantic | 1,324 | 61,618 | 463 | 62,000 | | 28 | NCT 127 | Sticker - The 3rd Album | SM/Virgin | 58,161 | 2,964 | 188 | 61,648 | | 29 | Nas | King's Disease II | Mass Appeal | 20,385 | 34,962 | 1,594 | 56,941 | | 30 | Prince | Welcome 2 America | Legacy | 51,970 | 4,476 | 480 | 56,926 | | 31 | Baby Keem | The Melodic Blue | Columbia | 1,187 | 52,517 | 365 | 54,068 | | 32 | G Herbo | 25 | Machine Label Group/Imperial/Republic | 1,609 | 44,693 | 289 | 46,591 | | 33 | Isaiah Rashad | The House Is Burning | TDE/Warner | 4,338 | 38,175 | 211 | 42,724 | | 34 | Jazmine Sullivan | Heaux Tales | RCA | 6,907 | 32,177 | 694 | 39,778 | | 35 | H.E.R. | Back of My Mind | RCA | 6,099 | 29,045 | 1,026 | 36,170 | | 36 | Key Glock | Yellow Tape 2 | Paper Route/Empire | 8,026 | 27,250 | 256 | 35,533 | | 37 | Young Dolph & Key Glock | Dum and Dummer 2 | Paper Route/Empire | 3,775 | 31,187 | 258 | 35,220 | | 38 | NCT | Universe - The 3rd Album | SM/Virgin | 2,254 | 32,366 | 68 | 34,688 | | 39 | Megan Thee Stallion | Something for Thee Hotties | Atlantic | 3,918 | 28,390 | 346 | 32,654 | | 40 | DMX | Exodus | Def Jam | 14,332 | 16,872 | 965 | 32,168 | | 41 | 42 Dugg | Free Dem Boyz | CMG/Interscope | 819 | 30,899 | 206 | 31,924 | | 42 | $uicideboy$ | Long Term Effects of SUFFERING | G59 | 3,464 | 27,703 | 93 | 31,260 | | 43 | Rick Ross | Richer Than I Ever Been | Epic | 21,306 | 7,687 | 700 | 29,883 | | 44 | Giveon | When It's All Said And Done... Take Time | Not So Fast/Epic | 1,307 | 28,624 | 365 | 30,296 | | 45 | Lil Tecca | We Love You Tecca 2 | Galactic/Republic | 1,203 | 28,689 | 134 | 30,027 | | 46 | YoungBoy Never Broke Again & Birdman | From The Bayou | Never Broke Again | 26,965 | 700 | 135 | 29,883 | | 47 | Money Man | Blockchain | Black Circle/Empire | 14,050 | 15,233 | 480 | 29,763 | | 48 | BROCKHAMPTON | ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE | RCA | 14,932 | 14,362 | 53 | 29,347 | | 49 | A Boogie Wit da Hoodie | B4 AVA | Highbridge/Atlantic | 25,482 | 1,205 | 144 | 27,309 | | 50 | Only The Family | Lil Durk Presents: Loyal Bros | Only The Family/Empire | 2,020 | 26,806 | 200 | 29,025 | | 51 | Nardo Wick | Who is Nardo Wick? | Flawless/RCA | 5,686 | 23,020 | 170 | 28,876 | | 52 | EST Gee | Bigger Than Life Or Death | Warlike/CMG/Interscope | 2,053 | 26,186 | 217 | 28,456 | | 53 | J Balvin | JOSE | UMLE | 24,832 | 1,402 | 700 | 26,935 | | 54 | Anuel AA & Ozuna | Los Dioses | Real Hasta La Muerte | 3,359 | 22,588 | 416 | 26,363 | | 55 | YNW Melly | Just A Matter of Slime | P2021 | 6,377 | 19,232 | 752 | 26,361 | | 56 | ITZY | Crazy in Love | JP | 21,663 | 4,374 | 170 | 26,206 | | 57 | Various Artists | Judas and the Black Messiah: The Inspired Album | RCA | 1,924 | 22,963 | 1,244 | 26,132 | | 58 | Tee Grizzley | Built For Whatever | Atlantic | 828 | 23,363 | 235 | 24,427 | | 59 | Big30 | King Of Killbranch | Bread Gang/N-Less/Interscope | 1,526 | 20,578 | 464 | 24,067 | | 60 | Toosii | Thank You For Believing | South Coast/Capitol | 5,538 | 17,853 | 97 | 23,488 | | 61 | Yung Bleu | Moon Boy | Vandross/Empire | 2,208 | 20,728 | 533 | 23,469 | | 62 | 24kGoldn | El Dorado | Records/Columbia | 2,501 | 19,675 | 458 | 22,634 | | 63 | Nas | Magic | Mass Appeal | 13,362 | 8,526 | 557 | 22,445 | | 64 | Kevin Gates | Only The Generals Part II | Breadwinner's Association | 2,346 | 19,706 | 303 | 22,365 | | 65 | Big Scarr | Big Grim Reaper | Atlantic | 1,649 | 20,125 | 84 | 21,858 | | 66 | Kodak Black | Haitian Boy Kodak | Atlantic | 691 | 19,845 | 123 | 20,659 | | 67 | Logic | Bobby Tarantino III | Def Jam | 2,910 | 17,319 | 330 | 20,559 | | 68 | Anuel AA | Las Leyendas Nunca Mueren | Real Hasta La Muerte | 1,294 | 18,859 | 166 | 20,310 | | 69 | KAROL G | KG0516 | UMLE | 1,439 | 18,166 | 576 | 20,181 | | 70 | Mozzy | Untreated Trauma | Mozzy/Empire | 10,656 | 8,446 | 499 | 19,964 | | 71 | Young Dolph | PAPER ROUTE iLLUMINATi | Paper Route/Empire | 2,428 | 17,260 | 189 | 19,876 | | 72 | Vince Staples | Vince Staples | Blacksmith/Motown | 3,374 | 16,264 | 114 | 19,752 | | 73 | Wale | Folarin II | MMG/Warner | 2,960 | 16,190 | 554 | 19,704 | | 74 | Rauw Alejandro | VICE VERSA | Sony Music Latin | 456 | 18,674 | 258 | 19,388 | | 75 | G-Eazy | These Things Happen Too | BPG/RVG/RCA | 2,518 | 16,068 | 634 | 19,219 | | 76 | Leon Bridges | Gold-Diggers Sound | Columbia | 12,160 | 6,473 | 335 | 18,968 | | 77 | Benny The Butcher | The Plugs I Met 2 | Black Soprano Family/SRFSCHL | 8,419 | 9,571 | 205 | 18,194 | | 78 | Snoh Aalegra | TEMPORARY HIGHS IN THE VIOLET SKIES | Artium | 3,341 | 14,473 | 250 | 18,064 | | 79 | Myke Towers | LYKE MYKE | Warner | 671 | 17,208 | 88 | 17,967 | | 80 | MO3 | Shottaz 4Eva | H$M/Empire | 2,104 | 15,654 | 175 | 17,933 | | 81 | Pi'erre Bourne | The Life Of Pi'erre 5 | Interscope | 397 | 17,170 | 87 | 17,653 | | 82 | Farruko | La 167 | Sony Music Latin | 816 | 15,427 | 565 | 16,807 | | 83 | Sleepy Hallow | Still Sleep? | Winners Circle/RCA | 231 | 16,433 | 89 | 16,754 | | 84 | ATEEZ | ZERO : FEVER Part.3 | KQ | 1,121 | 15,415 | 199 | 16,735 | | 85 | Ski Mask The Slump God | Sin City The Mixtape | Victor Victor/Republic | 775 | 15,433 | 53 | 16,260 | | 86 | DaBaby | Back On My Baby Jesus Sh!t AGAIN | SCMG/Interscope | 979 | 14,933 | 160 | 16,072 | | 87 | Lil Yachty | Michigan Boy Boat | Quality Control/Motown/Capitol | 218 | 15,708 | 71 | 15,997 | | 88 | Gucci Mane | Ice Daddy | Guwop/Atlantic | 1,125 | 14,508 | 295 | 15,928 | | 89 | Lil Skies | Unbothered | All We Got/Atlantic | 756 | 14,145 | 175 | 15,076 | | 90 | ZAYN | Nobody Is Listening | RCA | 4,181 | 10,338 | 378 | 14,898 | | 91 | Lil Wayne & Rich The Kid | Trust Fund Babies | Republic | 1,535 | 12,987 | 287 | 14,810 | | 92 | Fredo Bang | In The Name Of Gee (Still Most Hated) | Se Lavi/Def Jam | 4,023 | 10,572 | 93 | 14,687 | | 93 | Logic | YS Collection Vol. 1 | Def Jam | 1,955 | 11,807 | 377 | 14,140 | | 94 | Nelly | Heartland | Records/Columbia | 2,976 | 9,877 | 1,108 | 13,961 | | 95 | Gucci Mane | So Icy Boyz | Atlantic | 1,562 | 12,004 | 357 | 13,923 | | 96 | mike. | the highs. | 4TheHomies | 6,532 | 7,025 | 77 | 13,634 | | 97 | CJ | Loyalty Over Royalty | CJ Music/Warner | 370 | 11,930 | 270 | 12,570 |
Top 10 First Weeks of 2021 Across All Genres | Rank | Artist | Album | Label | Pure Sales | Streaming Sales | Track Equivalent Sales | TOTAL SALES | | 1 | Adele | 30 | Columbia | 692,000 | 141,000 | 6,000 | 839,000 | | 2 | Drake | Certified Lover Boy | OVO/Republic | 46,000 | 562,329 | 5,000 | 613,000 | | 3 | Taylor Swift | Red (Taylor's Version) | Republic | 369,000 | 227,000 | 9,000 | 605,000 | | 4 | Kanye West | Donda | G.O.O.D./Def Jam | 37,000 | 272,000 | 684 | 309,000 | | 5 | Taylor Swift | Fearless (Taylor's Version) | Republic | 185,215 | 112,072 | 2,785 | 300,072 | | 6 | Olivia Rodrigo | SOUR | Geffen | 68,333 | 214,446 | 3,771 | 286,550 | | 7 | J. Cole | The Off-Season | Dreamville/Roc Nation/Interscope | 37,000 | 243,000 | 2,000 | 282,000 | | 8 | Morgan Wallen | Dangerous: The Double Album | Big Loud/Republic | 75,181 | 178,576 | 7,608 | 261,365 | | 9 | Billie Eilish | Happier Than Ever | Darkroom/Interscope | 148,529 | 84,055 | 1,464 | 234,049 | | 10 | Tyler, The Creator | CALL ME IF YOU GET LOST | Columbia | 55,000 | 114,000 | 604 | 169,604 |
FAQ: Q: Source? A: http://hitsdailydouble.com/sales_plus_streaming Q: How is this list sorted? A: It's sorted by the total first-week sales Q: What are pure sales? A: Pure sales are purchases of the album (iTunes, Amazon, physicals, etc) Q: What are track equivalent sales? A: Track equivalent sales (or TEA/Track Equivalent Albums) is a term used to describe the sale of music downloads or singles. A track equivalent album is equal to 10 tracks, or 10 songs Q: Where is X album? A: Only albums that make the top 50 in sales+streaming for their debut week are counted Q: Why do some albums show exact sales numbers while others do not? A: The albums that do not show exact numbers are the ones that have had sales corrections from Billboard Q: Where can I find last year's list? A: 2020 list, 2019 list, 2018 list, 2017 list, 2016 list
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