''Sacrificial Lambz'' is the eleventh solo studio album by American rapper and record producer

Esham Esham Attica Smith (born September 20, 1973), known mononymously as Esham, is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. Emerging as one of the first ever hip hop artists from Detroit, Esham released his debut studio album, '' Boomin' Words fr ...

. It was released on August 26, 2008 through

Reel Life Productions Reel Life Productions, also known as Gothom Records, is an independent record label based in Detroit, Michigan most associated with the hip hop music, hip hop subgenre horrorcore. The label was founded in 1989 by James H. Smith and his younger br ...

and Aknu Media. Preceded by a lone single "World Hustle", the album marks the rapper's departure from

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 h ...

and the first studio album since reviving Reel Life Productions. In the United States, the album debuted at number 42 on the

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 Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...

, number 21 on the

Top Rap 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 Luminate. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated January 30, ...

and number 50 on the

Heatseekers Albums The Heatseekers charts were "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales b ...

charts. Before the album's release, Esham launched his month-long Sacrificial Lambs 2008 Tour, in conjunction with Aknu Media and Cocaine Energy Drink, which would include fellow Detroit rapper

Royce da 5'9" Ryan Daniel Montgomery (born July 5, 1977), known professionally as Royce da 5'9" (or simply Royce 5'9"), is an American rapper. Best known for his association with fellow Detroit rapper Eminem, they became acquainted in 1997 and formed the hi ...

. But due to his working schedules on his own ''Bar Exam 2'' and ''

Street Hop ''Street Hop'' is the fourth studio album by American Hip hop music, rapper Royce da 5'9", released in the United States on October 20, 2009, on One Records (Scotland), One Records. It is the follow-up to his previous album ''Independent's Day'' ...

'' projects, Royce cancels his participation on the tour.

Reception

In an interview with Sixshot.com, Esham spoke about the album: "''Sacrificial Lambz'' and my whole style and just the way that I rap has been a sacrifice to the industry. I feel like ''Sacrificial Lambz'' is like a gift to the industry and a gift to the consumer, whoever buys it. It's actually a gift". Matt Conley of ''

New Bedford Standard-Times ''The Standard-Times'' (and ''Sunday Standard-Times''), based in New Bedford, Massachusetts, is the largest of three daily newspapers covering the South Coast of Massachusetts, along with '' The Herald News'' of Fall River and ''Taunton Daily G ...

'' found Esham's style on the album as "rough and rugged, mixing straight up

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

flows with disturbing ballads that often come through the airwaves like lyrical nightmares". In his review for ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

'', Thomas Quinlan saw the album "tends instead towards socio-political and religious commentary, as well as

gangsta rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, is a subgenre of rap music that conveys the culture, values, and experiences of urban gangs and street hustlers, frequently discussing unpleasant realities of the world in general th ...

, rather than the style he has labelled as 'acid rap' and 'wicked shit'". He continued, "it's a noble endeavour but at 27 tracks in length and with absolutely no guests, the album becomes a little overbearing and boring long before the final song ends... His flow doesn't always suit the beats either... Lose some of that dead weight and ''Sacrificial Lambz'' would be a much better record".

Track listing

Charts

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2008 albums Esham albums Albums produced by Esham Reel Life Productions albums