''Kilt II'' is the fifth solo

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

Iamsu! Sudan Ameer Williams (born November 16, 1989), better known by his stage name Iamsu! (stylized as IamSu! or IAMSU!), is an American rapper and record producer from Richmond, California. He is the co-founder and lead member of the hip-hop group ...

. The mixtape was released on June 6, 2013, independently for free. Then on July 9, 2013, a deluxe edition of the mixtape was released to digital music retailers.

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 ...

on the mixtape was primarily handled by Iamsu! and other members of the group The Invasion, among others such as Trackademicks, and Tha Bizness. The album featured

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 members of The Invasion, HBK Gang, among others such as

Problem Problem solving is the process of achieving a goal by overcoming obstacles, a frequent part of most activities. Problems in need of solutions range from simple personal tasks (e.g. how to turn on an appliance) to complex issues in business an ...

, Juvenile,

Ty Dolla Sign Tyrone William Griffin Jr. (born April 13, 1982), known professionally as Ty Dolla Sign (stylized as Ty Dolla $ign or Ty$), is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Griffin gai ...

Terrace Martin Terrace Jamahl Martin (born December 28, 1978) is an American musician, rapper, singer, and record producer. He is perhaps best known for producing records for several prominent artists in the music industry, including Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dog ...

Tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; ...

, and

Mistah FAB Stanley Petey Cox (born January 23, 1982), better known by his stage name Mistah F.A.B. (backronym for Money Is Something To Always Have–Forever After Bread), is an American rapper, songwriter, entrepreneur, community organizer and activist. ...

. The mixtape 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 ...

Background

On February 13, 2013, both Iamsu! and

, who they had met for the first time at the "

Function Function or functionality may refer to: Computing * Function key, a type of key on computer keyboards * Function model, a structured representation of processes in a system * Function object or functor or functionoid, a concept of object-orie ...

" video shoot, released a collaboration mixtape, titled ''Million Dollar Afro''. The mixtape was praised by Tom Breihan of

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...

and ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'' named the mixtape one of the best rap releases of 2013. On March 5, 2013, ''Spin'' named Iamsu! as the tenth "Hottest MC in the Game". The mixtape serves as the sequel to Iamsu!'s third mixtape, 2012's ''Kilt''.

Production

Iamsu! incorporates live instrumentation on ''Kilt II'', which he says "is more musical than anything I've done before. I played instruments on here. I experimented with vocoder. I composed most of the music and worked with a lot of talented musicians. I tried a lot of new sounds." The mixtape's production was primarily handled by Iamsu!, P-Lo and other members of his

production team A production team is the group of technical staff who produce a play, television show, recording, or film. Generally the term refers to all individuals responsible for the technical aspects of creating of a particular product, regardless of wher ...

The Invasion. Other individuals that provided production included Trackademicks, Tha Bizness and Exclusive.

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 members of The Invasion, HBK Gang, among others such as

, Juvenile, Tydollasign,

, and Mistah F.A.B

Release and promotion

In May 2013 Iamsu! begun his first headlining tour, in promotion of his at the time upcoming mixtape ''Kilt II''. On July 9, 2013, a deluxe edition of the mixtape was released featuring five new tracks, including the

featuring "The Realest" and a full remastering and higher audio quality. Iamsu! premiered the music video for the mixtape's first track, "Father God" via ''

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 ...

'' on July 2, 2013. He explained the background of the song to them saying, "Everybody has their perspective on religion in hip-hop, and lately there's been a lot of talking down on it. So when it came time to write this song, I just felt like praying on the chorus. I believe there is a God and that I owe him a great deal. I've been blessed." On August 6, 2013, the

featuring "Let Go" produced by Tha Bizness, was released as the mixtape's

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

. On October 14, 2013, the music video for "Hipster Girls" was released. On December 3, 2013, "Hipster Girls" was released as the album's second single.

Critical reception

Upon its release, ''Kilt II'' was met with generally positive reviews from

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music magazine founded in 1996 by Ryan Schreiber in Minneapolis. It originally covered Alternative rock, alternative and independent music, and expanded to cover genres includin ...

gave the mixtape a 7.5 out of 10 rating saying, the mixtape "doubles down on all of his strongest and most likeable qualities: Largely self-produced, high-energy, and creative, it shows Iamsu! continuing to transform from a promising, agreeable Bay Area rap figure into a burgeoning star." ''

'' would also praise the mixtape saying, "As much a showcase of Iamsu!'s production prowess as it is evidence of his unique lyrical skills, the new tape is an enjoyably bumpy ride through treble-y bleeps, bassy bloops, tinny drums, and hard-hustling vocals." ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' is a magazine established in 1999 as an outlet for Cornerstone Agency, a marketing and public relations firm established by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. History and work It is owned by T ...

'' said, Iamsu!'s "laid-back delivery are definitely appealing, but it's the sticky, moody production touches—like distant, eerie synth sparkles, from Invasion member P-Lo, or swelling strings—that make ''Kilt II'' so fun and absorbing.

Track listing

Chart positions

References

{{Iamsu! 2013 mixtape albums Sequel albums The HBK Gang albums Albums produced by Tha Bizness