Kanye West Presents: Good Music – Cruel Summer, commonly referred to simply as Cruel Summer, is a compilation album by members of the music label GOOD Music, released on September 14, 2012, by the label and Def Jam Recordings.[1]
The album produced four singles that all charted on the Billboard Hot 100 — "Mercy," "Cold," "New God Flow," and "Clique." The album features Kanye West himself, as well as various GOOD Music signees including Pusha T, Big Sean, Teyana Taylor, CyHi the Prynce, Kid Cudi, John Legend, Common, D'banj, and Malik Yusef, as well as affiliates 2 Chainz, Jay-Z, and Travis Scott, among others.[1]
The album has been met with mixed reviews, both at the time of its release and in the years since. It's been noted for its "hubristic style," but also noted for its inconsistency.[1]
Background and release[]
GOOD Music was founded back in 2004, and since then, many artists signed onto it, including much of the stacked roster on this album.[1] Kanye announced a GOOD Music album in an October 2011 tweet, which stated that it would come out the following spring.[2]
A song by Big Sean and Common by the name of "Trash Bags" was cut from the album, as was a collaboration with Azealia Banks.[1]
"Mercy" and "Cold" were released as singles two weeks apart in April 2012, with the former peaking at 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. "New God Flow" and "Clique" were also released in July and September, respectively.[1] A music video for "Mercy" dropped on June 6, 2012.[3]
Track list[]
- To the World (with Kanye West, R. Kelly & Teyana Taylor)
- Clique (with Kanye West, Jay-Z & Big Sean)
- Mercy.1 (with Kanye West, Big Sean, Pusha T & 2 Chainz)
- New God Flow.1 (with Kanye West, Pusha T & Ghostface Killah)
- The Morning (with Raekwon, Pusha T, Common, 2 Chainz, CyHi the Prynce, Kid Cudi & D'banj)
- Cold.1 (with Kanye West & DJ Khaled)
- Higher (with The-Dream, Pusha T, Mase & Cocaine 80s)
- Sin City (with John Legend, Travis Scott, Teyana Taylor, CyHi the Prynce & Malik Yusef)
- The One (with Kanye West, Big Sean, 2 Chainz & Marsha Ambrosius)
- Creepers (with Kid Cudi)
- Bliss (with John Legend & Teyana Taylor)
- Don't Like.1 (with Kanye West, Chief Keef, Pusha T, Big Sean & Jadakiss)
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Cruel Summer (GOOD Music album). Wikipedia. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
- ↑ Devin (October 19, 2011). "Kanye West Announces G.O.O.D. Music Album". Rap-Up. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
- ↑ Kanye West (June 6, 2012). "Kanye West - Mercy (Explicit) ft. Big Sean, Pusha T, 2 Chainz". YouTube. Retrieved December 15, 2022.