Blood in My Eye
| Blood in My Eye | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 4, 2003 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop[1] | |||
| Length | 44:56 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | Irv Gotti | |||
| Ja Rule chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Blood in My Eye | ||||
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Blood in My Eye is the fifth studio album by American rapper Ja Rule, released on November 4, 2003, by Murder Inc., Island Def Jam Music Group and Def Jam. The album was originally planned to be released as a mixtape. The release took place during the feud with Shady/Aftermath rappers 50 Cent, G-Unit, Eminem, D12, Dr. Dre, Obie Trice, along with artists including DMX and Busta Rhymes and was entirely dedicated to dissing them. The album was named after George Jackson's radical book of the same name. Hussein Fatal of Outlawz, Cadillac Tah, James Gotti, Sizzla, Black Child, Young Merc, D.O. Cannon, Shadow, and Sekou 720 are listed as guest appearances on this album. Reviews for the record were mixed, with critics skeptical of Ja's lyrical skills as a hardcore rapper. Blood in My Eye debuted at number 6 on the Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 140,000 copies in the United States.[2]
Critical reception
[edit]| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 45/100[3] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Entertainment Weekly | C[5] |
| The Guardian | [1] |
| Rolling Stone | [6] |
| RapReviews | 5.5/10[7] |
| The Source | [8] |
Blood in My Eye garnered generally mixed or average reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 45, based on 8 reviews.[3]
Beccy Lindon of The Guardian called the record "a rough, back-to-basics rap album", noting that it is filled with guest verses from hardcore rappers and devoid of R&B artists, concluding that it is "more concerned with answering critics and continuing the backbiting with the Death Row camp."[1] Jon Caramanica, writing for Rolling Stone, commended Ja for breaking away from his usual love duet formula to deliver shots at other rappers but said that "the boasts here feel utterly tired. And so does the attitude."[6] Michael Endelman of Entertainment Weekly found the album to be "a dull slog with a dearth of hooks and a surfeit of gangsta clichés."[5]
Steve 'Flash' Juon of RapReviews criticized the narrow-minded lyrical takedowns and suggested that Ja stick to mainstream R&B/hip-hop duets, despite crediting the production and collaborations with Hussein Fatal, saying that, "All things considered though, this short 45 minute album will not solve Ja's problems, nor will it restore him to chart dominance."[7] AllMusic editor Jason Birchmeier called it "a very focused and heartfelt album", much more than his debut Venni Vetti Vecci, but felt that Ja worked better as a mainstream rapper crafting "catchy pop-rap tracks with grimy posturing and singalong hooks." He added that listeners would not get much out of the record, saying "there are only two quality songs, a lot of redundant trash-talking, and an overall sense of ridiculousness that pervades."[4]
Track listing
[edit]Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[9]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Murder Intro" | 0:26 | ||
| 2. | "The Life" (featuring Hussein Fatal, Caddillac Tah and James Gotti) |
|
| 4:35 |
| 3. | "Clap Back" |
|
| 4:57 |
| 4. | "The Crown" (featuring Sizzla) |
|
| 3:45 |
| 5. | "Kay Slay" (Skit) |
| 0:18 | |
| 6. | "Things Gon' Change" (featuring Black Child, Young Merc and D.O. Cannons) / "2 Punk Ass Quarters" (Skit) |
|
| 4:01 |
| 7. | "Race Against Time II" |
|
| 3:53 |
| 8. | "Bobby Creep" (Skit) |
|
| 0:44 |
| 9. | "Niggas & Bitches" |
|
| 4:34 |
| 10. | "The INC Is Back" (featuring Shadow, Sekou 720 and Black Child) |
|
| 5:22 |
| 11. | "Remo" (Skit) |
|
| 1:13 |
| 12. | "Blood In My Eye" (featuring Hussein Fatal) |
|
| 2:25 |
| 13. | "It's Murda (Freestyle)" (featuring Hussein Fatal) |
| Irv Gotti | 3:36 |
| 14. | "The Wrap (Freestyle)" (featuring Hussein Fatal) |
| Irv Gotti | 5:09 |
• (co.) Co-producer
Sample credits[9]
- "Murder Intro" contains dialogue from the motion picture Paid in Full.
- "The Crown" contains a sample of "Solid as a Rock", written by Miguel Collins and Bobby Dixon, performed by Sizzla.
- "The INC is Back" and "Remo (Skit)" contain a sample of "The Streetz", written by Sean Jacobs, Jason Phillips, David Styles, and Kasseem Dean; performed by The Lox.
- "Blood In My Eye" contains a sample of "Slippin' Into Darkness", written by Thomas Allen, Harold Brown, Morris Dickerson, Leroy Jordan, Lee Levitin, Charles Miller, and Howard Scott; performed by War.
- "The Wrap (Freestyle)" contains a sample of "Learning Burn", written by Albert Johnson, Kejuan Muchita, and Tajuan Perry; performed by Mobb Deep.
Personnel
[edit]- Ja Rule – executive producer
- Ashanti – additional vocals (2)
- Milwaukee Buck – engineer (2-14), mixing (1, 5, 6b, 8, 11, 13, 14)
- Tom Coyne – mastering
- DURO – mixing (2, 3, 6a, 7, 9, 10, 12)
- Irv Gotti – executive producer, mixing (1-6, 8-14), engineer (11)
- Terry "T-Mac" Herbert – assistant engineer (2-10, 12-14)
Charts
[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
|
Year-end charts[edit]
|
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Lindon, Beccy (November 7, 2003). "CD: Ja Rule: Blood in My Eye". The Guardian. London. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
- ^ D'Angelo, Joe (November 17, 2004). "Eminem Shreds The Competition, Even With A Premature Encore". Country Music Television. Archived from the original on October 22, 2012. Retrieved January 16, 2012.
- ^ a b "Reviews for Blood In My Eye by Ja Rule". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
- ^ a b Birchmeier, Jason. "Blood in My Eye - Ja Rule". AllMusic. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
- ^ a b Endelman, Michael (November 21, 2003). "Blood in My Eye". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 2017-02-19. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
- ^ a b Caramanica, Jon (November 19, 2003). "Ja Rule: Blood In My Eye". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved September 30, 2007.
- ^ a b Juon, Steve 'Flash' (November 4, 2003). "Feature for November 4, 2003 - Ja Rule's "Blood in My Eye"". RapReviews. Retrieved July 10, 2011.
- ^ Miller, Eric (January 2004). "Record Report: Ja Rule – Blood In My Eye". The Source. No. 172. New York.
- ^ a b Blood in My Eye (booklet). Murder Inc., Def Jam. 2003.
- ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 139.
- ^ "Albums : Top 100". Jam!. November 27, 2003. Archived from the original on December 10, 2004. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ "R&B : Top 50". Jam!. November 30, 2003. Archived from the original on December 9, 2003. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Ja Rule – Blood in My Eye" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Ja Rule – Blood in My Eye". Hung Medien.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
- ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved February 11, 2023.
- ^ "Ja Rule Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
- ^ "Ja Rule Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
- ^ "Year-End Charts: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums - 2004". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 19, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
