''A-1 Yola'' is the tenth

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

Esham Esham is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. Esham released his debut studio album, '' Boomin' Words from Hell'', in 1989. Since then, he has gone on to release 15 studio albums in total and is best known as a representative of the hip ...

. Released in 2005, it was the first hip hop album to be released with a

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

containing music video for each song. ''A-1 Yola'' is the final of three albums by the rapper on

Psychopathic Records Psychopathic Records is an American independent record label headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan. The label is most associated with the hip hop music subgenres horrorcore and rap rock. The label was founded in 1991 by Alex Abbiss and hip ...

, following ''

Repentance Repentance is reviewing one's actions and feeling contrition or regret for past wrongs, which is accompanied by commitment to and actual actions that show and prove a change for the better. In modern times, it is generally seen as involving a co ...

'' and the compilation ''

Acid Rain Acid rain is rain or any other form of precipitation that is unusually acidic, meaning that it has elevated levels of hydrogen ions (low pH). Most water, including drinking water, has a neutral pH that exists between 6.5 and 8.5, but acid ...

''.

Lyrics and music

Allrovi wrote, "During the course of ''A-1 YOLA'', Esham takes the form of street hustler, kingpin, vampire, and all sorts of underworld characters, injecting his undiluted personality into each three- to four-minute sketch. His sonic backdrop remains raw but fresh, drawing an impressive amount of energy out of sparse beats." According to Esham, he was sent receipts from fans who claimed that the album's bass-heavy sound blew out subwoofers, fried amplifiers and shattered rear windshields.

Music videos

The album came with a bonus

which contained

music videos A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

for almost all of the album's songs, excluding "Enemies", "Gangsta Dedication" and "?". The video for "Justa Hustler" was reissued on the 2007

Psychopathic Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits. Different conceptions of psychopathy have been ...

DVD '' Psychopathic: The Videos''.

Reception

Allrovi wrote, "Fifteen years after a teenaged Esham made his recorded debut, ..his sordid tales show no sign of losing potency". The album peaked at #176 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and #48 on

Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated Jan ...

Track listing

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:A-1 Yola (Esham Album) 2005 albums Albums produced by Esham Esham albums Psychopathic Records albums