Crenshaw (mixtape)
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''Crenshaw'' is the eighth official
mixtape In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists mo ...
by American rapper
Nipsey Hussle Ermias Joseph Asghedom (born Airmiess Joseph Asghedom; August 15, 1985 – March 31, 2019), known professionally as Nipsey Hussle, was an American rapper, entrepreneur, and activist. Emerging from the West Coast hip-hop scene in the mid-20 ...
. The mixtape was released as a free digital download on October 8, 2013, on mixtape hosting websites. It was also released in a limited first edition of 1,000 copies for $100 each including other incentives via his All Money In record label. The mixtape features production by The Futuristiks,
1500 or Nothin' 1500 or Nothin' is an American musical ensemble composed of record producers, songwriters, musicians and music videographers, formed in 2006, in Los Angeles, California. With headquarters located in Inglewood, California, 1500 or Nothin' is comp ...
,
9th Wonder Patrick Denard Douthit (born January 15, 1975),
better known as 9th Wonder, is an American record producer, record ...
,
DJ Dahi Dacoury Dahi Natche (born March 10, 1983), known professionally as DJ Dahi or simply Dahi, is an American record producer, songwriter, disc jockey and singer from Inglewood, California. Working primarily in hip hop and R&B music, he has been ...
, Mike Free, Ralo, Wizzo and Jiggy Hendrix, among others.
Guest appearance The term guest appearance generally denotes the appearance of a guest in an artistic or pop-culture setting. The guests themselves (referred to as guest artists, featured artists, guest stars, or guest fighters, depending on context), are disting ...
s on the mixtape came from
Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. An influential figure in modern Hip-hop, hip hop music, Rick Ross has become known for his "Wiktionary:booming, booming" vocal perfor ...
, Dom Kennedy,
Slim Thug Stayve Jerome Thomas (born September 8, 1979), better known by his stage name Slim Thug, is an American rapper. He gained mainstream attention for his guest performance alongside Paul Wall on Mike Jones' 2004 single "Still Tippin'". The followi ...
, James Fauntleroy II,
Z-Ro Joseph Wayne McVey (born January 19, 1977), better known by his stage names Z-Ro and the Mo City Don, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. He was named one of America's most underrated rappers by ''The New York Times'' in 2007. Early life ...
, Skeme and Sade among others. The mixtape was supported by the singles "Checc Me Out" featuring Dom Kennedy and Cobby Supreme, "U See Us", "The Weather" featuring Rick Ross, "If U Were Mine" featuring Fauntleroy, and "1 of 1".


Background

In November 2011, Nipsey Hussle released '' The Marathon Continues'', following that he did not release a major project almost two years, while promising a sequel named ''TM3: Victory Lap''. On August 6, 2013, Hussle announced that ''Victory Lap'' would now be his debut
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
rather than his next mixtape, and none of the previously leaked songs from the prior months will make the album. He confirmed that the track list and release date would be revealed very soon. On September 1 and 2, 2013, Nipsey Hussle released his previous mixtape ''X-Tra Laps'', and a group of songs as singles to iTunes. This included various old mixtape tracks, "Thas Wat Hoes Do" featuring YG, "Rose Clique", "Rich Roll", "Keys 2 the City", "I Need That" featuring
Dom Kennedy Dominic Ross Hunn (born August 22, 1984), better known by his stage name Dom Kennedy, is an American rapper. His fourth mixtape, ''From the Westside with Love'' (2010), was met with critical acclaim; its sequel, '' From the Westside with Love II' ...
and "Run A Lap". On September 16, 2013, Nipsey Hussle announced he would release a new mixtape titled, ''Crenshaw'' hosted by
DJ Drama Tyree Cinque Simmons (born April 22, 1978), known professionally as DJ Drama, is an American disc jockey (DJ), record executive and music promoter. He initially gained recognition as the DJ for Atlanta-based rapper T.I., and continued to gai ...
, on October 8, 2013. He explained the title saying, "This is my area. This is my home town. This is really like where I spent a lot of my time as a youth. Crenshaw is a foundation to my personality and my story. It’s where it took place at." He explained the mixtape consists of mostly leftover tracks,
"I recorded a lot of songs for the ''Victory Lap'' project, and I got a certain vision I'm going for with the project, and I just did a lot of work and I think I got what I was looking for with the ''Victory Lap'' album, and I still got a lot of great records. So I'm like, I don't wanna sit on the songs, and I listened to the playlist and it kinda sounded like Crenshaw, it sounded like the environment, like my upbringing. So I went in and did a couple more records, put a couple skits and just really themed it, and I'm like I'ma give them the mixtape first just to excite the streets again and remind people what the sound is, give 'em an idea of what the album might sound like. And really kinda like, create the question in their mind, 'if this is the mixtape, what is gunna be on the album?'"
On September 24, 2013, he revealed the track list for ''Crenshaw'', which contained guest appearances from
Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. An influential figure in modern Hip-hop, hip hop music, Rick Ross has become known for his "Wiktionary:booming, booming" vocal perfor ...
, Dom Kennedy,
Slim Thug Stayve Jerome Thomas (born September 8, 1979), better known by his stage name Slim Thug, is an American rapper. He gained mainstream attention for his guest performance alongside Paul Wall on Mike Jones' 2004 single "Still Tippin'". The followi ...
, James Fauntleroy II,
Z-Ro Joseph Wayne McVey (born January 19, 1977), better known by his stage names Z-Ro and the Mo City Don, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. He was named one of America's most underrated rappers by ''The New York Times'' in 2007. Early life ...
, Skeme, Cobby Supreme, J. Stone, Dubb, Tai Phillips,
TeeFlii Christian Joel Jones (born July 17, 1987), better known by his stage name TeeFlii (stylized as TeeFLii), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer from South Los Angeles, California. He is best known for his 2014 single "24 ...
, Zeke, and Sade among others.
Production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stat ...
was handled by, The Futuristiks,
1500 or Nothin' 1500 or Nothin' is an American musical ensemble composed of record producers, songwriters, musicians and music videographers, formed in 2006, in Los Angeles, California. With headquarters located in Inglewood, California, 1500 or Nothin' is comp ...
,
9th Wonder Patrick Denard Douthit (born January 15, 1975),
better known as 9th Wonder, is an American record producer, record ...
, Mike Free, Ralo, Wizzo and Jiggy Hendrix among others.


Release and promotion

On October 2, 2013, Hussle released two
greatest hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...
compilation albums to iTunes, ''Nip Hussle the Great Vol. 1'' and ''Vol. 2''. On September 24, 2013, Nipsey Hussle and Karen Civil TV released the first trailer for the mixtape, featuring him driving around
Crenshaw, Los Angeles Crenshaw, or the Crenshaw District, is a neighborhood in South Los Angeles, California. In the post–World War II era, a Japanese American community was established in Crenshaw. African Americans started migrating to the district in the mid ...
, and talking about his upbringing in the city. On October 3, 2013, he released a second trailer for the mixtape, also revealing 1,000 hard copies of the mixtape would be sold for $100 each. He explained his decision to RapRadar saying,
"It’s 2013. Whether we accept it or not, buying music is a choice, not a requisite. When I think of the psychology behind what makes me purchase an artist's album, it’s always a form of reciprocation. Almost like a token of appreciation after I experience the product. The reason I chose to charge $100 dollars each copy and only start with 1000 units is because I tailor making my music for those who are listening. it's not about stepping outside of what I’m known for in hopes of new discovery. What that means less is fans that are better served. I'm more or less focused on fully serving the ones that have connected already. That being said it's a value over volume thing. if I'm goin to offer a product made with no compromise or concession to the platforms (radio, A&R opinion, label bias) ect...ect..then the way we sale it has to change."
As promised the mixtape was released for free on
mixtape In the modern music industry, a mixtape is a musical project, typically with looser constraints than that of an album or extended play. Unlike the traditional album or extended play, mixtapes are labeled as laid-back projects that allow artists mo ...
hosting websites October 8, 2013. At midnight, he began selling the limited edition hard copies at a
pop-up shop Pop-up retail, also known as pop-up store (pop-up shop in the UK, Australia and Ireland) or flash retailing, is a trend of opening short-term sales spaces that last for days to weeks before closing down, often to latch onto a fad or scheduled e ...
in Fairfax, Los Angeles. The copies were sold for $100 and included a ticket to an upcoming local show of his, among other random incentives. Every copy was also numbered and autographed by Hussle. Other incentives for random purchasers included a personal phone call from Hussle, signed photographs in the mail, and an invitation to visit Hussle in the studio and hear an early version of ''Victory Lap'' before its release. Dom Kennedy, Glasses Malone, and the LA Leakers of
Power 106 KPWR (105.9 FM) – branded as ''Power 106'' – is a commercial radio station in Los Angeles, California, broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles area. KPWR is owned and operated by Alex Meruelo's Meruelo Group, through licensee KPWR Radio Ho ...
made appearances during the day. Upon its release he reportedly sold out at the pop-up shop, selling over 1,000 copies in less than 24 hours, effectively making $100,000. Notably,
Roc Nation Roc Nation is an American entertainment company founded by Jay-Z in 2008. Headquartered in New York City, the company is a successor to his previous Roc-A-Fella Records label, with additional offices in Los Angeles and London. It serves as a re ...
the label founded and owned by
Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...
, bought 100 physical copies at $100 each. Shortly after Hussle announced additional copies would be sold for $100 at the Slauson Ave Store in Los Angeles. Given a cost of only 75 cents per unit to press the CDs, each sale of ''Crenshaw'' represents a gross profit margin of more than 1300% before recording costs. For this move he has received praise from rappers such as
E-40 Earl Tywone Stevens (born November 15, 1967), better known by his stage name E-40, is an American rapper. Stevens is a founding member of the rap group The Click (band), The Click and the founder of Sick Wid It Records. He has released 27 stud ...
, along with the already mentioned Jay-Z. On October 18, 2013, it was revealed that the album would be released to
iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
on October 22, 2013, with an exclusive bonus track. However, upon its release to iTunes it did not include a bonus track, but Hussle revealed that anybody that messaged him their receipt on Twitter would receive a bonus track. The day of the mixtape's release Nipsey Hussle announced the Crenshaw US Tour to take place during 2013, revealing that the tour dates would be announced soon. On November 26, 2013, Hussle announced the tour dates, beginning on January 9, 2014, in
Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, and running until February 13, 2014.


Singles

On May 18, 2013, Nipsey Hussle released "Smoking With My Stylist" as part of his new campaign to release a new song for every new 2,000 Twitter followers. Three days later, he released "Face The World" produced by
9th Wonder Patrick Denard Douthit (born January 15, 1975),
better known as 9th Wonder, is an American record producer, record ...
. On June 6, 2013, he released "All Get Right" featuring label-mate J. Stone. On July 17, 2013, Hussle released the song "Blessings". Six days later, he released "Summertime In That Cutlass" produced by Mike & Keys, The Futuristiks. Then on August 8, 2013, Hussle released the last promotional single from the mixtape "Change Nothing" produced by 1500 or Nothin'. On September 26, 2013, Nipsey Hussle released the mixtape's first official single "Checc Me Out" featuring Dom Kennedy and Cobby Supreme. On October 2, 2013, Nipsey Hussle appeared on
DJ Skee Scott Keeney (born 15 November 1983), better known by his stage name DJ Skee, is an American artist, television host, radio personality, and entrepreneur. Skee rose to fame as the first DJ to discover and play superstar artists on the radio incl ...
's Skee Live, with Dom Kennedy and performed "Checc Me Out". On December 2, 2013, "U See Us" was serviced to
urban contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contemporary r ...
radio in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. The day before the mixtape's release he released a leftover collaboration with Dom Kennedy titled, "Don't Forget Us". The music video for "Crenshaw and Slauson (True Story)" was released on October 11, 2013. The music video for "1 of 1" was released on November 7, 2013. On December 15, Hussle released the music video for "More or Less". On January 29, 2014, three more singles ("The Weather" featuring Rick Ross and Cuzzy Capone, "If U Were Mine" featuring James Fauntleroy, and "1 of 1") were released for digital download.


Critical reception

''Crenshaw'' was met with generally positive reviews from
music critic '' The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of m ...
s. Louis Johnson of ''
The Badger Herald ''The Badger Herald'' is a newspaper serving the University of Wisconsin–Madison community, founded in 1969. The paper is published Monday through Friday during the academic year and occasionally during the summer. Available at newsstands acros ...
'' gave the mixtape a very positive review: "He's a diamond in the rough. For fans of
West Coast hip hop West Coast hip-hop is a regional genre of Hip-hop, hip-hop music that encompasses any artists or music that originated in the West Coast of the United States. West Coast hip-hop began to dominate from a radio play and sales standpoint during th ...
, his music is infectious. Nipsey is proof that an independent artist can become a major force in today's world of Clear Channel sameness and major label monopolies. This is just the beginning, though. In a Tuesday tweet Nipsey said, '...I made a hunnit k today off my album throw away's.' If this is true, it's scary to think of how good his album will be." Bruce Smith of ''
HipHopDX ''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of Hip hop music, hip hop music criticism and news. ''HipHopDX'' has over 3.5M monthly readers, the website encompassing hip hop news, interviews, music, and reviews. The website's founder and CEO is Sharath C ...
'' deemed the project a "free album" (their highest praise for mixtapes). He said, "The ''Bullets Ain't Got No Name'' series was music straight off Slauson Avenue; it was Hip Hop from a South Central state of mind. With his ''
Marathon The marathon is a long-distance foot race with a distance of kilometres ( 26 mi 385 yd), usually run as a road race, but the distance can be covered on trail routes. The marathon can be completed by running or with a run/walk strategy. There ...
'' series, Nipsey offered himself as a Slauson boy, matured, and free of label politics. ''Crenshaw'' is where the two sets of projects meet up. While he may have never strayed far from the streets of Los Angeles, Crenshaw is like a homecoming for the artist that dropped the last two ''Marathon'' mixtapes, bringing the growth and maturity shown on the ''Marathon'' series back to a project that bears a close resemblance to the ''Bullets Ain’t Got No Name'' tapes. While not without its flaws, at its high points (of which there are many) ''Crenshaw'' is on par, or above what a lot of artists have put on shelves as of late." Slav Kandyba of Music Is My Oxygen also gave a positive review: "Nipsey's superior delivery and energy is established early with "U See Us" and doesn't stop until well into the end of the tape's last track "Crenshaw and Slauson," a 12-minute composition with hidden track following a spoken-word outro. ''Crenshaws best attribute isn't beat selection or the actual lyrics; it's Nipsey Hussle's persona. He's larger than life and relatable at the same time, not just rhyming but relating to listeners in the same fashion that Tony Robbins speaks at his seminars. Even though drug and gang references are still frequent, the value of ''Crenshaw'' as motivational music can't be discounted." Max Weinstein '' XXL'' also gave the mixtape a positive review saying, "''Crenshaw'' has its moments, but it ultimately reflects the process of a rapper stretching styles and seeing what he’s most comfortable with. The exercise might not yield many immediate results, but it’s a necessary workout for an artist trying to please loyal fans and potential newcomers." On December 24, 2013, ''XXL'' named it the second-best mixtape of 2013. They commented saying, "Nipsey Hu$$le changed the course of hip-hop releases with the promotional run for ''Crenshaw''. The unsigned rapper was able to make $100,000 by selling 1,000 copies for $100 each. The price tag was part of his Proud2Pay campaign, which rewarded fans with concerts, new material and rare gifts. The music also held up to the expected high standards with a tape that took us right into the heart of his South Central worldview. Topics such as hustling and paper chasing were sharpened with his laid-back flow and paint-picture rhymes. With young stars like
TeeFlii Christian Joel Jones (born July 17, 1987), better known by his stage name TeeFlii (stylized as TeeFLii), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer from South Los Angeles, California. He is best known for his 2014 single "24 ...
and Skeme to help him out, ''Crenshaw'' was an event mixtape/album that put the West at its rightful place." In 2022, ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' placed it at number 189 on their list of the 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time. The magazine's writer Mosi Reeves said, "''Crenshaw'' is more than just a marketing gimmick. The music, airy and dramatic, presents a West Coast version of Rick Ross' luxury-rap formula, with Nipsey as the hustler balling out despite long odds."


Track listing


Charts


Weekly charts


References

{{Nipsey Hussle 2013 mixtape albums Nipsey Hussle albums Albums produced by 9th Wonder Albums produced by DJ Dahi Albums produced by 1500 or Nothin' Albums produced by Mike Free