Hell and Back (album)
| Hell and Back | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 10, 2004 | |||
| Recorded | 2003 | |||
| Genre | East Coast hip hop | |||
| Length | 58:57 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
| |||
| Drag-On chronology | ||||
| ||||
Hell and Back is the second studio album by rapper Drag-On.[1] Originally scheduled for a September 16, 2003 release, the album was ultimately released February 10, 2004. It was released through Virgin Records and Ruff Ryders and featured production from the likes of Swizz Beatz and Rockwilder. Hell and Back was not as successful as his previous album, only peaking at number 47 on the Billboard 200, however it did fare better on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, peaking at number 5. The album featured one music video, for the song "Feel My Pain".
Due to the disappointing album sales Drag-On was quickly dropped from Virgin Records.
Commercial performance
[edit]Hell and Back debuted and peaked at number 47 on the Billboard 200, with first week sales nearing 37,000 units.[2]
Critical reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Rolling Stone | [4] |
| Vibe | [5] |
AllMusic editor Andy Kellman found the album to be lackluster compared to Opposite of H2O, criticizing the producers and Drag-On's label mates for crafting uninspired beats and lyrics.[3] Jon Caramanica, writing for Rolling Stone, commended Drag-On for emulating DMX's world-weary flow and fine-tuning his lyricism but felt that he squandered it when either compared to the album's guest artists or delivering generic party tracks.[4] Vibe writer Laura Checkoway praised the combination of Drag-On's vocal delivery over idiosyncratic production and his attempts at lyrical growth on "My First Child" and "Life Is Short", despite diverting away from that established blueprint, concluding that "Hell and Back is still a trip worthwhile."[5]
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | 0:22 | ||
| 2. | "Feel My Pain" |
| Tuneheadz | 2:58 |
| 3. | "Bang Bang Boom" (featuring Swizz Beatz) | Swizz Beatz | 4:22 | |
| 4. | "Bronx (skit)" (featuring Okre Boy, Bar, Haze and Neo) | Neo | 1:33 | |
| 5. | "Respect My Gangsta" (featuring Styles P) |
| Mr. Devine | 4:01 |
| 6. | "Tell Your Friends" (featuring Jadakiss) |
| Neo | 3:48 |
| 7. | "Put Your Drinks Down" |
| Needlz | 3:54 |
| 8. | "Hector the Killer MC (skit)" (featuring Capone) | Neo | 1:45 | |
| 9. | "Trouble" |
|
| 3:50 |
| 10. | "I'm a Ryder" (featuring Baby and TQ) |
| Black Key | 4:33 |
| 11. | "Let's Get Crazy" (featuring DMX) |
| Rockwilder | 3:27 |
| 12. | "Busta (skit)" (featuring Capone) | Neo | 1:11 | |
| 13. | "U Had Me" (featuring Eve) |
| Teflon | 4:17 |
| 14. | "Holla at Your Boy" |
| Dom Flava | 3:13 |
| 15. | "My First Child" |
| Jerry Stokes | 3:40 |
| 16. | "It's a Party" |
|
| 4:29 |
| 17. | "Life Is Short" |
| P.K. | 3:26 |
| 18. | "U Had Me (Part II)" (featuring Eve and Aja Smith) |
| Tuneheadz | 4:04 |
Sample credits
- "Bang Bang Boom" contains samples from "Nappy Head (Theme from Ghetto Man)", written by Thomas Allen, Harold Ray Brown, Morris Dickerson, Lonnie Jordan, Lee Oskar Levitin, Charles Miller, and Howard E. Scott; and performed by WAR.
- "Holla at Your Boy" contains excerpts from "It's Too Late", written by Carole King and Toni Stern, and performed by Billy Paul.
Charts
[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
|
Year-end charts[edit]
|
References
[edit]- ^ "Hell And Back: Drag-On: Music". Amazon. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
- ^ "NORAH JONES TOPS A MIL AT #1; KANYE WEST SETTLES FOR #2". MTV. February 18, 2004. Archived from the original on June 7, 2017. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
- ^ a b Kellman, Andy. "Hell and Back - Drag-On". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 15, 2012. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
- ^ a b Caramanica, Jon (February 19, 2004). "Drag-On - To Hell and Back". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on February 22, 2004. Retrieved July 5, 2015.
- ^ a b Checkoway, Laura (November 2003). "Drag-On 'Hell and Back'". Vibe. 11 (11). Vibe Media: 150. ISSN 1070-4701. Retrieved November 27, 2016. [permanent dead link]
- ^ "Drag-On Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
- ^ "Drag-On Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
- ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2004". Billboard. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
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