General Admission (Machine Gun Kelly album)
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General Admission is the second studio album by American hip hop recording artist Machine Gun Kelly. It was released on October 16, 2015 by Bad Boy Records and Interscope Records.[1][2][3][4] Following the release of his debut studio effort Lace Up (2012), the album was supported by four singles: "Till I Die", "A Little More" featuring Victoria Monet, "World Series", "Alpha Omega" and "Gone" featuring Leroy Sanchez.
Singles
The album's lead single, "Till I Die", was released on January 5, 2015 via YouTube, through MGK's VEVO account. The song was produced by MGK, alongside Casey McPerry and the production team J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League.[5] The song charted at number 104 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 32 on the Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. In June 2015, MGK released the single's sequel through WorldStarHipHop, which features guest vocals by the Cleveland-based hip hop group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, fellow Bad Boy artist French Montana, and rappers Yo Gotti and Ray Cash, along with the accompanying music video.[6]
The album's second single, "A Little More", was released on March 30, 2015 through the same channels, with the accompanying music video releasing on May 18, 2015. The song features guest vocals by American singer-songwriter Victoria Monet, with production provided by Tommy Brown.[7] "A Little More" charted on the two respective charts, performing marginally worse at 108 and 35 respectively; however, the song did chart at number 81 on the Canadian Hot 100.
The tracks "World Series" and "Gone", featuring Leroy Sanchez, were released via the same channels as their predecessors. However, these tracks did not chart due to the singles being album specifics, and were released with the intention to promote the album, as both were released a few weeks prior to the album.
Promotion
In preparation for the official release of General Admission, MGK released a 10-track mixtape, titled Fuck It, on July 23, 2015.[8] MGK had reportedly released the mixtape out of frustration, following Bad Boy delaying the release of General Admission several times. The mixtape is compiled of songs that were left off of General Admission, and was released to his fans as an apology for the delays.[8] MGK released the album artwork and revealed the release date on September 10, 2015, via Instagram. Many fans took it upon themselves to spray paint the album title around their hometowns to show their support and loyalty to MGK's EST movement.
Reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
HipHopDX | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
XXL | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Upon its release, General Admission received positive reviews from music critics. Chris Mench of XXL found the album a step up from his debut effort, finding those elements toned down and allowing for a more musically focused record that carries deep storytelling and new-found maturity, saying that, "General Admission has its low moments — the series of emotional, down-tempo songs is a bit repetitive by the end — but it feels much more cohesive than his last effort."[11] David Jeffries of AllMusic admired MGK for his clever take on mixing dark, introspective tales with his aggro rap rock tracks, concluding that "General Admission can be corrosive and coarse like Nirvana's In Utero, but while it lacks that album's artistic weight, it's proud to be unattractive which, oddly enough, becomes this druggy downer's allure."[9] Marcus Dowling of HipHopDX said that despite some mixed attempts of borrowed flows and samples in certain songs, MGK is able to craft material that contains his usual vocal dexterity with more emotional poignancy to his lyrics, calling it "a mixed-bag of an album that aims high and falls short, but an amazing story is told along the way."[10]
Commercial performance
General Admission debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200, powered by first week sales of 56,000 equivalent album units; it sold 49,000 copies in its first week, with the remainder of its unit total reflecting the album's streaming activity and track sales.[12] The album also debuted at number one on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums.
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Spotlight" (featuring Lzzy Hale) |
| Jim Jonsin | 5:05 |
2. | "Alpha Omega" |
| Narcotics | 3:32 |
3. | "Till I Die" |
|
| 3:33 |
4. | "Eddie Cane" |
| JP Did This 1 | 3:06 |
5. | "Bad Mother Fucker" (featuring Kid Rock) |
| JP Did This 1 | 3:33 |
6. | "World Series" |
|
| 3:35 |
7. | "Oz." |
| Jim Jonsin | 2:54 |
8. | "Everyday" |
|
| 4:01 |
9. | "Gone" (featuring Leroy Sanchez) |
| Jim Jonsin | 4:01 |
10. | "Story of the Stairs" |
|
| 3:10 |
11. | "Merry Go Round" |
|
| 4:05 |
12. | "A Little More" (featuring Victoria Monet) |
| Brown | 3:57 |
13. | "All Night Long" |
| Pops | 7:02 |
Total length: | 51:35 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
14. | "Make It Happen" |
| JP Did This 1 | 4:43 |
15. | "Round Here" | Baker | Slim Gudz | 4:20 |
16. | "Therapy" |
| Brown | 3:34 |
Total length: | 65:10 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
17. | "Life" |
| Cool & Dre | 3:59 |
18. | "Till I Die: Part II" (featuring Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, French Montana, Yo Gotti and Ray Cash) |
|
| 4:18 |
Total length: | 73:27 |
Charts
Chart (2015) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA)[13] | 38 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[14] | 74 |
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[15] | 5 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[16] | 94 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[17] | 33 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[18] | 30 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[19] | 72 |
UK Albums (OCC)[20] | 131 |
US Billboard 200[21] | 4 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[22] | 1 |
See also
References
- ^ mtv (2015-06-30). "MGK Breaks Down The Sound Of His Sophomore LP 'General Admission'". MTV. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
- ^ Hernandez, Victoria (September 11, 2015). "Machine Gun Kelly "General Admission" Release Date, Cover Art & Tracklist". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
- ^ Machine Gun Kelly Shop. "General Admission - Machine Gun Kelly Shop". Mgkofficialmerch.com. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
- ^ "Machine Gun Kelly Reveals 'General Admission' Cover, Tracklisting". Rap-Up. October 3, 2015. Retrieved September 26, 2015.
- ^ "Video: Machine Gun Kelly – 'Till I Die'". Rap-Up. 2015-01-05. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
- ^ "Video: Machine Gun Kelly feat. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, French Montana, & Yo Gotti – 'Till I Die (Part II)'". Rap-Up. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
- ^ "New Music: Machine Gun Kelly feat. Victoria Monét – 'A Little More'". Rap-Up. 2015-03-31. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
- ^ a b "Machine Gun Kelly - Fuck It Mixtape - Stream & Download". Datpiff.com. 2015-07-23. Retrieved 2015-10-08.
- ^ a b Jeffries, David. "General Admission - Machine Gun Kelly". AllMusic. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
- ^ a b Dowling, Marcus (October 22, 2015). "Machine Gun Kelly - General Admission". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
- ^ a b Mench, Chris (October 21, 2015). "Machine Gun Kelly Finds His Footing on 'General Admission'". XXL. Townsquare Media. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
- ^ Caulfield, Keith (October 26, 2015). "Pentatonix Scores First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – Machine Gun Kelly – General Admission". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Machine Gun Kelly – General Admission" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
- ^ "Machine Gun Kelly Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
- ^ "Longplay-Chartverfolgung at Musicline" (in German). Musicline.de. Phononet GmbH. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Machine Gun Kelly – General Admission". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Machine Gun Kelly – General Admission". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Machine Gun Kelly – General Admission". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 28, 2015.
- ^ Zywietz, Tobias. "CHART: CLUK Update 24.10.2015 (wk43)". Zobbel.de. Tobias Zywietz. Retrieved November 3, 2015.
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(help) - ^ http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2015/10/machine_gun_kellys_general_adm_1.html
- ^ "Machine Gun Kelly Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 27, 2015.