''Mind Control'', is the sixth studio album by American rapper

Canibus Germaine Williams (born December 9, 1974), better known by his stage name Canibus, is an American rapper and actor. He initially gained fame in the 1990s for his ability to freestyle, and eventually released his debut album Can-I-Bus in 1998. ...

, released on June 21, 2005, through Gladiator Music and

Tommy Boy Records Tommy Boy Entertainment is an American independent record label and multimedia brand founded in 1981 by Tom Silverman. The label is credited with helping and launching the music careers of Queen Latifah, Afrika Bambaataa, Stetsasonic, Digita ...

. The album was originally recorded in 2001 before '' C True Hollywood Stories'' and was released to complete a contractual agreement Canibus had with Gladiator Music. Mark Sparks produced the album, which features guest appearances from

Kurupt Ricardo Emmanuel Brown (born November 23, 1972), better known by his stage name Kurupt, is an American rapper and record producer who aided gangsta rap's rise via 1990s verses helping set lasting trends. He is one half of the rap duo Tha Dogg ...

and Pakman.

Background

Before the album's release, AllHipHop.com reported that the album would contain material on Canibus' experiences in the U.S. Army.Strong, Nolan (March 14, 2005)
Canibus Prepares Two New Albums
AllHipHop. Accessed May 20, 2008. However, the album contained tracks that most Canibus fans had already heard. "33 3's", "Canibus Man", and "Last Laugh" were leaked in 2001. "Atlanta", "Gybaotc", "Stupid Producers", and "Nobody" were released on his mixtape ''My Name Is Nobody'' (2003), and "Not 4 Play" was released as "Scrolls" on ''

The Horsemen Project ''The Horsemen Project'' is the first studio album released by the hip hop supergroup The HRSMN through Think Differently Music The following is a list of Wu-Tang Clan's associated acts and affiliates, known as the Killa Beez, the Midwest W ...

'' (2003). The rest of the album contains three unreleased songs: "Mind Control", "In the Rain", and "Talk the Talk". ''Mind Control'' was recorded in 2001 before ''

C! True Hollywood Stories ''C! True Hollywood Stories'' is the third studio album by American rapper Canibus, released through Archives Music on October 30, 2001. The album is Canibus' first release on an independent record label (his first two albums, ''Can-I-Bus'' and ' ...

'' (2001) and contractually came out by chance in 2005, pushing back the release of his 2005 album, ''

Hip-Hop for Sale ''Hip-Hop for Sale'' (stylized as Hip Hop For $ale) is the seventh studio album by American rapper Canibus, released on November 1, 2005, through his own label Mic Club Music in conjunction with Babygrande Records and Koch Entertainment. The al ...

''. The album was released on Gladiator Music, a label that Canibus formed in 2001 with

Ricky Lee Ricardo Lee (born as March 19, 1948) is a Filipino screenwriter, journalist, novelist, and playwright. He was conferred the Order of National Artists of the Philippines for Film and Broadcast Arts in 2022. Starting in 1973, he has written mo ...

, the executive producer of his second album, ''

2000 B.C. The 20th century BC was a century that lasted from the year 2000 BC to 1901 BC. The period of the 2nd Millennium BC Events * c. 2000 BC: ** Farmers and herders traveled south from Ethiopia and settled in Kenya. ** Dawn of the Capacha Cultu ...

''. On October 25, 2005, Canibus released ''

Def Con Zero ''Def Con Zero'' is an album by Cloak-n-Dagga, a group composed of rappers Canibus and Phoenix Orion, released on October 25, 2005 through Head Trauma Records and First Kut Records. The album features K-Solo, Kool G Rap, and Free among others. A ...

'' on Head Trauma Records as part of the group Cloak-n-Dagga. The same day, the webmaster of the label's website interviewed Canibus, Phoenix Orion, and Dewey Cooper. According to the webmaster, Canibus had an agreement with Ricky Lee and Gladiator Records that if Canibus died during his army period, Gladiator could make a big profit by releasing these rare recordings. Nothing had happened to Canibus in the army, but Gladiator still released the album.

Initial reaction

The initial reaction to ''Mind Control'' was negative. On the bonus DVD that came with ''

'', Canibus spoke on the album: :Interviewer: Can you explain why ''Mind Control'' is your least popular release? :Canibus: ''Mind Control'' was recorded in 2001 and released nationally in 2005. My fans and the Canibus brotherhood have become too advanced to accept exceptionally mediocre material. I understand and so do they. Thank you.

Track listing

*All tracks produced by Mark Sparks

References

2005 albums Canibus albums {{2005-hiphop-album-stub