2010 hip hop studio album by MellowHype
BlackenedWhite is the debut studio album by Odd Future sub-group MellowHype. Production for the album was handled by Left Brain. It was made available for free download October 31, 2010, and re-released on July 12, 2011, through Fat Possum Records.
Release.
Singles.
The first single "Right Here" was released on October 14, 2010.
The first single for the re-release, "64", was released on June 13, 2011. The music video of the single was released on the same day.
"BlackenedWhite (Re-release)".
The mixtape was re-released on July 12, 2011, by Fat Possum Records, without the song "Chordaroy" because the label did not have permission to use Earl Sweatshirt's vocals.
Track listing.
All tracks are produced by Left Brain.
Re-release track listing.
All tracks are produced by Left Brain, except "Game" produced by Tyler, the Creator.
Notes
Critical response.
"BlackenedWhite" was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 72, based on 21 reviews. Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 6.7 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.
Drew Beringer from "AbsolutePunk" called it "the most accessible Odd Future release to date" and went on to say that it's "another strong album from the Odd Future pack." David Jeffries of AllMusic said, "The original mixtape is worth checking for the Sweatshirt bits alone, but this version does a better job of putting the spotlight on Mellowhype, the Odd Future crew's secret weapon." Evan Rytlewski of "The A.V. Club" said, "In spite of its marvelous production from Left Brain, who shares Tyler's ear for beautifully deformed grooves and Lex Luger's gift for epileptic bangers, "BlackenedWhite" doesn't boil over as maniacally as "Goblin", and it never fully reaches that album's reckless highs."
Omar Burgess of "HipHopDX" said, "Ultimately, "BlackenedWhite" is conflicted, but quality music." Jordan Sargent of "Pitchfork" said, "The catch-22 for MellowHype is that while their centrism certainly has its merits, their music is unlikely to convert anyone that has, at this point, already written off Odd Future. Which leaves them with a solid, fun rap album to satiate a feverish cult and a growing number of casual fans." Steve "Flash" Juon of "RapReviews" said, "It's clearly a release intended for hardcore Odd Future fans." Huw Jones of "Slant Magazine" said, "The duo strikes a fine working relationship throughout "BlackenedWhite" too, with Left ensuring his colleague's standout bars are accentuated with a quirky sample or a sudden key change. In all, this is a far more accessible affair than "Goblin"; it never comes close to being as downright offensive, and Hodgy's breezy flow helps make this a far easier album to digest."
Chris Martins of "Spin" said, "Producer Left Brain breaks ground on bangers that stitch ambient electronica to cracked G-funk, while Hodgy sports the casual swag of Wiz Khalifa or Lil Wayne, with a less cringe-worthy sense of humor than his peers." Jason Richards of "Now" said, "There's the occasional clever turn of phrase, but MellowHype's brand of vulgarity is subtler and less arresting than Tyler's." Matthew Trammell from "Rolling Stone" calling it "L.A. gangsta rap for the swag generation that die-hard fans will eagerly lap up." Alex Young of "Consequence of Sound" said, "The reissue of "BlackenedWhite" comes as a missed opportunity. Odd Future followers will likely have grabbed the expanded (and notably better) version when it was available free online a few months back; newcomers to the collective's output have better entry points elsewhere in their continuously-growing catalog."
Commercial performance.
"BlackenedWhite" debuted at number 81 on the US "Billboard" 200 with first-week sales of 6,000 copies in the United States.
References.
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