''Transition'' is the second studio album by British rapper

Chipmunk Chipmunks are small, striped rodents of subtribe Tamiina. Chipmunks are found in North America, with the exception of the Siberian chipmunk which is found primarily in Asia. Taxonomy and systematics Chipmunks are classified as four genera: '' ...

. It was released on 15 April 2011 by

Jive Records Jive Records (later stylized as JIVE Records) was a British-American independent record label founded by Clive Calder in 1981 as a subsidiary of the Zomba Group of Companies, Zomba Group. In the US, the label had offices in New York City and Chic ...

in the United Kingdom. It is the last album to feature the stage name under Chipmunk. The album debuted at number 10 in the United Kingdom, with first-week sales of 9,445 copies.

Background

While discussing ''Transition'', Chipmunk said, "It kinda represents the growth in me as a person since my last album, so the sound has matured as well as I have and that’s the main thing for me with the record - I just wanted the sound, the sound and the feel of the album to feel… I feel like a granddad but you know, just more mature than my first album, you know life’s changed." The album features American artists

Keri Hilson Keri Lynn Hilson (born December 5, 1982) is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Decatur, Georgia, she began her musical career as a songwriter and backing vocalist for other artists under the wing of record producer Anthony De ...

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...

Trey Songz Tremaine Aldon Neverson (born November 28, 1984), known professionally as Trey Songz, is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer and songwriter. After being discovered by record producer Troy Taylor (record producer), Troy Taylor in 2003, Songz ...

Kalenna Harper Kalenna LaShante Harper-Vick (; born August 13, 1982) is an American singer-songwriter. She is best known as a member of the musical trio Diddy – Dirty Money, which was formed by herself, Dawn Richard, and Sean Combs in 2009. The group signed ...

from

Diddy – Dirty Money Diddy – Dirty Money was an American musical trio, composed of R&B singers Dawn Richard and Kalenna Harper, and rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs. The group, formed and introduced by the latter in July 2009, refers to their billing with Combs, whi ...

, Jamaican dancehall musician Mavado and British rapper

Wretch 32 Jermaine Sinclaire Scott (born 9 March 1985), better known by his stage name Wretch 32, is a British rapper, singer and songwriter from Tottenham, North London. He was a member of the grime collective Combination Chain Gang, before forming The ...

. In late 2010, the second single off ''Transition'', "

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, Competition, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional/provincial/state, national, continental and world champi ...

" had leaked onto the Internet. In an interview with

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

Newsbeat ''Newsbeat'' is the BBC's radio news programme broadcast on Radio 1, 1Xtra and Asian Network. ''Newsbeat'' is produced by BBC News but differs from the BBC's other news programmes in its remit to provide news tailored for young people.

, Chipmunk said: "When it he trackleaked, I was looking at the sky asking, 'God, why?’ I just didn't understand. The amount of thought process that went into that track, the amount of battles we had for that track."

Singles

" Flying High" was a promotional single released from the album. It was released on 12 November 2010 for digital download. Its highest charting position on the UK Singles Chart is number 72. "

" was the second single released from the album, and features vocals from American singer

and was released on 6 February 2011. It peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. The third single released from the album - on 11 April 2011 - was "In The Air" featuring vocals from US R&B singer/songwriter

, which peaked at Number 37 on the UK Singles Chart. "Every Gyal" topped the Jamaican chart and went to number 1.

Critical reception

''Transition'' received mixed to positive reviews from most

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. Robert Copsey of

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was positive, he commented that After dazzling us with his 'Diamond Rings' two years ago and platinum selling debut I Am Chipmunk, the one-time underground MC withdrew from the music scene after criticism came from his original fans for abandoning his roots and a non-stop promo schedule led to a bout of exhaustion. The result of his sabbatical is his aptly titled Transition LP, but does it live up to its promising name? Transition is an impressive effort that focuses as much on the lyrics as it does production - both of which are slick, on point and considered throughout. The album suffers from being two tracks too long, particularly as there is little deviance in subject matter, but it's nonetheless a significant step up from his debut that ultimately leaves us excited for his next metamorphosis. Jesal Padania of RapReviews gave a glowing review, praising the "underrated gem" for being coherent, whilst reserving special praise for the dominant producer, H-Money.

Track listing

Charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2011 albums Chipmunk (rapper) albums Albums produced by Harmony Samuels