Blade of the Ronin
Appearance
Blade of the Ronin | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 3, 2015 | |||
Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length | 62:12 | |||
Label | IGC Records, iHipHop Distribution | |||
Producer | Bill Cosmiq, Black Milk | |||
Cannibal Ox chronology | ||||
|
Blade of the Ronin is the second studio album by American hip hop duo Cannibal Ox.[1] It was released via IGC Records and iHipHop Distribution on March 3, 2015.[2] It is a follow-up to the duo's 2001 album, The Cold Vein.[3]
Critical reception
[edit]Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 71/100[4] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [5] |
Consequence of Sound | B−[6] |
Exclaim! | 8/10[7] |
The Guardian | [8] |
Pitchfork | 6.7/10[9] |
Spin | 8/10[10] |
At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Blade of the Ronin received an average score of 71% based on 16 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[4]
Spin placed it at number 31 on the "50 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2015" list.[11]
Track listing
[edit]No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Cipher Unknown (Intro)" | Bill Cosmiq | 1:59 |
2. | "Opposite of Desolate" (featuring Double A.B.) | Bill Cosmiq | 3:32 |
3. | "Psalm 82" | Bill Cosmiq | 3:24 |
4. | "The Power Cosmiq" (featuring Kenyattah Black) | Bill Cosmiq | 4:54 |
5. | "Blade: The Art of Ox" (featuring Artifacts and U-God) | Black Milk | 4:35 |
6. | "Pressure of Survival (Skit)" | Bill Cosmiq | 0:23 |
7. | "Carnivorous" (featuring Bill Cosmiq and Elzhi) | Bill Cosmiq | 4:30 |
8. | "Thunder in July" (featuring Elohem Star, Space, and Swave Sevah) | Bill Cosmiq | 4:34 |
9. | "Water" | Bill Cosmiq | 3:59 |
10. | "The Horizon (Interlude)" | Bill Cosmiq | 1:43 |
11. | "Harlem Knights" | Bill Cosmiq | 3:37 |
12. | "Sabertooth" (featuring Bill Cosmiq and Irealz) | Bill Cosmiq | 4:49 |
13. | "Iron Rose" (featuring MF Doom) | Bill Cosmiq | 4:02 |
14. | "Solar System (Cosmos) (Skit)" | Bill Cosmiq | 0:47 |
15. | "The Fire Rises" | Bill Cosmiq | 3:17 |
16. | "Gotham (Ox City)" | Bill Cosmiq | 4:34 |
17. | "Unison (Skit)" | Bill Cosmiq | 0:24 |
18. | "Vision" (featuring The Quantum) | Bill Cosmiq | 3:43 |
19. | "Salvation" | Bill Cosmiq | 3:18 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
20. | "Silver Hawks" (featuring Kenyattah Black) | 5:01 |
21. | "Moksha" | 2:16 |
22. | "The Eternal Path" | 3:10 |
23. | "Iron Rose (Skylab 3 Remix)" (featuring MF Doom) | 4:16 |
Personnel
[edit]Credits adapted from liner notes.
- Vast Aire – vocals, art direction
- Vordul Mega – vocals, art direction
- Bill Cosmiq – production (except 5), vocals (7, 12)
- Double A.B. – vocals (2)
- Kenyattah Black – vocals (4)
- Artifacts – vocals (5)
- U-God – vocals (5)
- Black Milk – production (5)
- Elzhi – vocals (7)
- Elohem Star – vocals (8)
- Space – vocals (8)
- Swave Sevah – vocals (8)
- Irealz – vocals (12)
- MF Doom – vocals (13)
- The Quantum – vocals (18)
- DJ Cip One – turntables
- Brad "Syntax" Theophila – mixing
- Matty Trump – mastering
- Djob Jonathan – artwork
- Salvador – additional art layout
Charts
[edit]Chart | Peak position |
---|---|
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[12] | 12 |
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[13] | 45 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[14] | 45 |
References
[edit]- ^ Walsh, Peter (February 2, 2015). "Cannibal Ox Featuring MF Doom "Iron Rose"". XXL. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ Adams, Gregory (January 20, 2015). "Cannibal Ox Unveil Long-Awaited 'Blade of the Ronin' LP". Exclaim!. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ Coplan, Chris (February 2, 2015). "Cannibal Ox teams with MF Doom for "Iron Rose" — listen". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved February 4, 2015.
- ^ a b "Blade of the Ronin by Cannibal Ox". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
- ^ Jeffries, David (March 3, 2015). "Blade of the Ronin - Cannibal Ox". AllMusic. Retrieved April 19, 2015.
- ^ Lenzon, Kristofer (March 2, 2015). "Cannibal Ox – Blade of the Ronin". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 2, 2015.
- ^ Mullin, Kyle (March 2, 2015). "Cannibal Ox - Blade of the Ronin". Exclaim!. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
- ^ MacInnes, Paul (March 19, 2015). "Cannibal Ox: Blade of the Ronin review – slighter return". The Guardian. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
- ^ Cook-Wilson, Winston (March 10, 2015). "Album Reviews – Cannibal Ox: Blade of the Ronin". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 10, 2015.
- ^ Weiss, Dan (March 2, 2015). "SPIN Album of the Week: Cannibal Ox and the Return of Samurai Rap on 'Blade of the Ronin'". Spin. Retrieved March 7, 2015.
- ^ "The 50 Best Hip-Hop Albums of 2015 (1/2)". Spin. December 16, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- ^ "Cannibal Ox: Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
- ^ "Cannibal Ox: Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
- ^ "Cannibal Ox: Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
External links
[edit]- Blade of the Ronin at Discogs (list of releases)
- Blade of the Ronin at MusicBrainz (list of releases)