''Thoughts of a Predicate Felon'' is the debut studio album by American rapper

Tony Yayo Marvin Bernard (born March 31, 1978), better known by his stage name Tony Yayo, is an American rapper. He is best known as a member of G-Unit, a hip hop group he formed with his childhood friends, 50 Cent and Lloyd Banks. Yayo released his debu ...

. It was released on August 30, 2005, through

G-Unit Records G-Unit Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group. Founded in 2003 by rapper 50 Cent, the label was operated by Interscope Records until February 2014. Thereafter, distribution of G-Unit operated under Caroline Records a ...

and

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...

. Recording sessions took place at Sound One, at Integrated Studios, Sony Music Studios, G Unit Studios, Sound On Sound and Right Track Recording in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, at 54 Sound in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, at Encore Studios in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and at Joi Studios in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

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 Focus...,

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

, Black Jeruz,

DJ Khalil Khalil Abdul-Rahman Hazzard (born October 16, 1974), professionally known as DJ Khalil, is an American music producer and disc jockey, DJ from Los Angeles. The son of National Basketball Association, NBA player Walt Hazzard, he signed with rapp ...

, Domingo,

Havoc havoc, Havoc, Havocs, Havok, or Havock may also refer to: People with the name * Havoc (musician) (born 1974), American rapper and record producer * Johnny Devine (born 1974), Canadian professional wrestler who uses the ring name Havok * Jimmy H ...

J. R. Rotem Jonathan Reuven Rotem (born July 23, 1975) is a South African-born American record producer, songwriter and music publisher. Biography Early life Rotem was born in July 23, 1975 in Johannesburg, South Africa to Jewish Israeli people, Israe ...

, LT Moe,

Megahertz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base ...

, Punch,

Ron Browz Rondell Edwin Turner (born December 6, 1982), better known by his stage name Ron Browz (), is an American rapper, singer, and record producer from Harlem, New York. He gained major recognition for his production work on fellow New York rapp ...

Sam Sneed Samuel D. Anderson (born February 29, 1968), known professionally as Sam Sneed, is an American record producer and rapper. He originally got his start working as a producer for K-Solo and the Hit Squad. Biography Early years In 1993, he was s ...

, Sebb, Studio 44, and

Sha Money XL Michael Jean Clervoix (born February 11, 1976), professionally known as Sha Money XL, is an American DJ, songwriter, record producer, and music manager from New York City. Career Clervoix was a producer for 50 Cent and the founder of Teamwork Mu ...

, who also served as co-executive producer. It features guest appearances from fellow

G-Unit G-Unit (short for Guerilla-Unit). was an American hip hop group formed by longtime friends and East Coast rappers 50 Cent, Tony Yayo, and Lloyd Banks. After amassing a string of self-released mixtapes in the early 2000s, the group released ...

members

50 Cent Curtis James Jackson III (born July 6, 1975), known professionally as 50 Cent, is an American rapper, actor, and television producer. Born in Queens, a borough of New York City, Jackson began pursuing a musical career in 1996. In 1999–2000, ...

, who also served as executive producer,

Lloyd Banks Christopher Charles Lloyd (born April 30, 1982), better known by his stage name Lloyd Banks, is an American rapper. He began his career as a member of East Coast hip-hop, East Coast hip hop group G-Unit, which he formed with childhood friends ...

Young Buck David Darnell Brown (born March 15, 1981), better known by his stage name Young Buck, is an American rapper. He signed with Birdman's Cash Money Records in 1997, formed the hip hop collective UTP with Juvenile and Soulja Slim in 2000, and j ...

Olivia Olivia may refer to: People and fictional characters * Olivia (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Olivia (singer), American singer Olivia Longott (born 1981) * Olívia (basketball), Brazilian basketball playe ...

and

Spider Loc Curtis Williams (born January 19, 1976), more commonly known as Spider Loc, is an American rapper and actor. He was formerly signed to Interscope Records and 50 Cent's G-Unit Records. Biography Spider Loc was discovered by Suge Knight and ta ...

, as well as Eminem,

Obie Trice Obie Trice III (born November 14, 1977) is an American rapper. He signed with fellow Detroit rapper Eminem's Shady Records, an imprint of Interscope Records in 2000 to release his first two albums, ''Cheers'' (2003) and '' Second Round's on Me' ...

, Jagged Edge, Joe and

Kokane Jerry Buddy Long Jr. (born March 10, 1969), better known by his stage name Kokane, is an American rapper and singer best known for his distinctive vocal style and numerous guest appearances, such as on Snoop Dogg's ''Tha Last Meal''. Early life ...

. In the United States, the album debuted at number two on both the ''Billboard'' 200 and 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, ...

charts with 215,000 copies sold in its first week. The album would sell over one million copies being Tony Yayo only solo album with G-Unit records. The album produced three singles, " So Seductive", "

Curious Curiosity (from Latin , from "careful, diligent, curious", akin to "care") is a quality related to inquisitive thinking, such as exploration, investigation, and learning, evident in humans and other animals. Curiosity helps human development, ...

", and " I Know You Don't Love Me", and one promotional single "Drama Setter", as well as three music videos for "So Seductive", "Curious"/" Pimpin'" and "I Know You Don't Love Me" starring G-Unit.

Background

"With 50, he has the notoriety of hit records. I actually wrote 'Seductive' before he wrote '

Candy Shop "Candy Shop" is the second single by rapper 50 Cent from his second commercial album, ''The Massacre'' (2005). It features Olivia and was written by 50 Cent and the song's producer, Scott Storch. The single was released through Interscope Re ...

'. hat's whyyou hear him say 'so seductive' n the 'Candy Shop' intro 50, he plays a big part in all our albums. I feel like we can stand on our own cause we're writing all our material," Tony told SOHH.com. "50, he just adds on. I love to hear 50 get on a record. I love the way 50 rides the beat. I did 'Seductive', 50 came on it and I was like, 'I gotta keep him on it' cause it sounds ten times better with him on it." The album was delayed and highly anticipated, due to Tony Yayo's time in prison. The songs "So Seductive" and "Live by the Gun" were featured in the 2005

Xbox Xbox is a video gaming brand that consists of four main home video game console lines, as well as application software, applications (games), the streaming media, streaming service Xbox Cloud Gaming, and online services such as the Xbox networ ...

video game '' 50 Cent: Bulletproof''. Tony Yayo appears in the video game providing his own voice and likeness and is a playable character in arcade mode.

Critical reception

The album received generally positive reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

. Some critics noted that the album had stellar production but thought that Tony's vocals and lyrics were not up to par. Writing for ''

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 ...

'',

Christian Hoard Christian David Hoard is an American music journalist and music editor for ''Rolling Stone''. A 2000 graduate of the University of Michigan, he began his career as a music journalist writing for the ''Michigan Daily''. He later moved to New York Ci ...

said: "With the exception of a few complete duds, Felon is a solid stopgap, although it may also mark the moment when designer bullet holes start to go out of fashion".

Track listing

;Notes * signifies an additional producer. ;Sample credits *Track 1 contains recreated dialogue from '' American Me'' *Track 2 contains elements from "Los Hombres De Rabia Tambien Lloran" written by Eliseo Zorrilla and performed by

Danny Rivera Danny Rivera (born 27 February 1945) is a Puerto Rican singer and songwriter born in San Juan whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is well known in Puerto Rico for his political activism. In 2008, Rivera acquired Dominican Republic citizenship. ...

*Track 4 contains elements from "

Sara Smile "Sara Smile" is a song written and recorded by the American musical duo Hall & Oates. It was released as the third single from their album '' Daryl Hall & John Oates''. The song was the group's first top 40 and first top ten hit in the US, reachi ...

" written by

Hall & Oates Daryl Hall & John Oates, commonly known as Hall & Oates, were an American Rock music, rock duo formed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1970. Daryl Hall was generally the lead vocalist, while John Oates primarily supplied electric guitar and ba ...

and performed by

Impact Impact may refer to: * Impact (mechanics), a large force or mechanical shock over a short period of time * Impact, Texas, a town in Taylor County, Texas, US Science and technology * Impact crater, a meteor crater caused by an impact event * Imp ...

*Track 6 contains resung elements from " Mr. Telephone Man" by

Ray Parker Jr. Ray Erskine Parker Jr. (born May 1, 1954) is an American guitarist, songwriter, and record producer. As a solo performer, he wrote and performed the theme song for the 1984 film '' Ghostbusters'' and also sounds from the animated series '' The ...

*Track 11 contains elements from "

Feelings According to the '' APA Dictionary of Psychology'', a feeling is "a self-contained phenomenal experience"; feelings are "subjective, evaluative, and independent of the sensations, thoughts, or images evoking them". The term ''feeling'' is closel ...

" by

Morris Albert Maurício Alberto Kaisermann (born 7 September 1951), better known by his stage name Morris Albert, is a Brazilian singer and songwriter best known for his 1974 single "Feelings". Biography Albert was born into an Austrian immigrant family. At ...

*Track 12 contains elements from "

Toxic Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subst ...

" by

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...

and " Tere Mere Beech Mein" written by Laxmikant Kudalkarand, Pyarelal Sharma and

Anand Bakshi Anand Bakshi (21 July 1930 – 30 March 2002) was an Indian poet and lyricist. He won Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist 4 times during his career. He wrote over 6000 film songs in more than 300 films. Early life Anand Bakshi (Bakshi Anand Pr ...

and performed by

Lata Mangeshkar Lata Mangeshkar (; born Hema Mangeshkar; 28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was an Indian playback singer and occasional music composer. She is considered to be one of the greatest and most influential singers of the Indian subcontinent. He ...

S. P. Balasubrahmanyam Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam (4 June 1946 – 25 September 2020), commonly known as SPB or Balu, was an Indian playback singer, television presenter, actor, music composer, dubbing artist, and film producer. He is widely regarde ...

*Track 15 contains elements from "Early Ev'ry Morning" written by

Eugene McDaniels Eugene Booker McDaniels (February 12, 1935 – July 29, 2011) was an American singer, producer and songwriter. He had his greatest recording success in the early 1960s, reaching number three on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart wit ...

and

Leon Pendarvis Leroy Leon Pendarvis (born 1945) is an American session musician. He plays keyboards and is a background vocalist. He is also an occasional guitarist. Early life The son of a first-grade primary school teacher, Pendarvis grew up in South Carolin ...

and performed by

Roberta Flack Roberta Cleopatra Flack (February 10, 1937 – February 24, 2025) was an American singer and pianist known for her emotive, genre-blending ballads that spanned R&B, jazz, Folk music, folk, and pop and contributed to the birth of the quiet storm ...

Personnel

*Marvin "

" Bernard – main artist *Derick Prosper – vocals & score (track 1), A&R *Dré McKenzie – vocals (track 1) *Curtis "

" Williams – vocals (track 3) *Curtis "

" Jackson – vocals (tracks: 5, 8, 11, 15, 16), executive producer *Marshall "

" Mathers – vocals & producer (track 7), additional producer (track 3), mixing (tracks: 3, 7) *

– vocals (track 7) *Christopher "

" Lloyd – vocals (tracks: 8, 15) *

Olivia Longott Olivia Theresa Longott (born February 15, 1981) is an American R&B singer. She is best known for performing with the hip hop group G-Unit and also known as a cast member on the VH1 reality television series '' Love & Hip Hop: New York''. Ea ...

– vocals (track 8) *Joseph " Joe" Thomas – vocals (track 10) *Jerry "

" Long, Jr. – vocals (track 11) * Jagged Edge – vocals (track 13) *David "

" Brown – vocals (track 15) *Hailu – backing vocals (track 17) *Kenyatta Beasley – score (track 1) *Carlos "C12" Bess – score & mixing (track 1) *Eric "E Bass" Johnson – bass (track 2) * Luis Resto – additional keyboards (tracks: 3, 7), additional producer (track 7) *Stu " Bassie" Brooks – additional bass (track 5), bass (track 14) * Steven King – guitar & bass (track 7), mixing (tracks: 3, 7) * Jeff Bass – keyboards & additional producer (track 7) *Tony Burgess – guitar & additional producer (track 10) * Domingo Padilla – producer (track 2) *Sébastien "Sebb" Vuignier – producer (track 3) *Robert "Black Jeruz" Smith – producer (track 4) *Michael "

" Clervoix – producer (track 4), co-executive producer *Mike "Punch" Harper – producer (track 5) *Bernard " Focus..." Edwards, Jr. – producer (tracks: 6, 13, 17) *Jonathan " J.R." Rotem – producer (track 8) *Todd " LT Moe" Moore – producer & recording (track 9) *Samuel "

" Anderson – producer (track 10) *

Abdul-Rahman – producer (track 11) *Dorsey "

" Wesley – producer (track 12) *Rondell "

" Turner – producer (track 14) *Studio 44 – producer (track 15) *Kejuan "

" Muchita – producer (track 16) *Steve Simons – recording (track 1) *Ky Miller – recording (tracks: 2–6, 8, 11–17) *Mike Strange – recording (track 7), additional recording (track 3) *Tony Campana – recording (track 7), additional recording (track 3) *Taurus Scott – recording (track 7) *Nicholas "Aqua" McCarrell – recording (track 10) *Pat Viala – recording (tracks: 10, 11), mixing (tracks: 2, 6, 8, 10–13, 15–17) *Wesley Morris – recording (track 13) *Steve Baughman – mixing (tracks: 4, 5, 9, 14) *Mauricio "Veto" Iragorri – mixing (track 4) *Brian " Big Bass" Gardner – mastering *Marcus Heisser – A&R *

Jonathan Mannion Jonathan Mannion is a photographer and film director. He has shot album covers for hip hop and R&B performers including Dr. Dre, Jay Z, Aaliyah, Outkast, Nas, Nicki Minaj, Brandy Norwood and Kendrick Lamar. Early life and education With English ...

– photography

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

* {{Authority control Tony Yayo albums 2005 debut albums G-Unit Records albums Albums produced by Eminem Interscope Records albums Albums produced by Focus... Albums produced by DJ Khalil Albums produced by Ron Browz Albums produced by Sam Sneed Albums produced by J. R. Rotem Albums produced by Sha Money XL Albums produced by Havoc (musician) Albums produced by LT Moe Albums produced by Megahertz (record producer)