State of the Arts
2005 studio album by Afu-Ra
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State of the Arts is the third solo studio album by American rapper Afu-Ra. It was released on June 14, 2005 via Lifeforce Records and Decon. Recording sessions took place at the Wax Museum in Brooklyn and at Crib Studios. Production was handled by P.F. Cuttin', Eric Weis, Big Syphe, Bronze Nazareth, Compressor Beats, DJ Kemo, DJ Premier, DJ Roach, Natty Dread, Preservation, and Afu-Ra himself. It features guest appearances from Gentleman, Jahdan Blakkamoore, Kardinal Offishall, Lady Blue, Masta Killa, Q and Royce da 5'9". The album was supported by three singles: "Poisonous Taoist/Sucka Free", "Why Cry" and "God of Rap". The latter was featured in 2005 video game NBA Live 06.
| State of the Arts | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 14, 2005 | |||
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| Genre | Hip-hop | |||
| Length | 1:01:26 | |||
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| Producers |
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| Afu-Ra chronology | ||||
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| Singles from State of the Arts | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| PopMatters | 4/10[1] |
| RapReviews | 7/10[2] |
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro" | Afu-Ra | 1:29 | |
| 2. | "God of Rap" |
| Eric Weis | 3:59 |
| 3. | "Power Skit #1" |
| 0:44 | |
| 4. | "Pusha" (featuring Royce da 5'9") |
| DJ Roach | 4:52 |
| 5. | "Prankster" |
| P.F. Cuttin' | 4:12 |
| 6. | "Livin Like Dat" (featuring Masta Killa) |
| Bronze Nazareth | 3:26 |
| 7. | "Rumble" |
| Eric Weis | 3:51 |
| 8. | "Power Skit #2" |
| 0:12 | |
| 9. | "Why Cry" (featuring Gentleman) | DJ Kemo | 4:34 | |
| 10. | "Ghetto Hell" |
| Natty Dread | 3:44 |
| 11. | "Cry Baby" (featuring Lady Blue and Q) | Phillip | Compressor Beats | 4:31 |
| 12. | "Dynamite" | Phillip | Preservation | 3:57 |
| 13. | "Sucka Free" |
| DJ Premier | 3:58 |
| 14. | "Deal Wit It" (featuring Kardinal Offishall and Jahdan Blakkamoore) |
| P.F. Cuttin' | 4:47 |
| 15. | "BK Dance" |
| Big Syphe | 4:18 |
| 16. | "Only U" |
| Eric Weis | 4:18 |
| 17. | "Poisonous Taoist" |
| P.F. Cuttin' | 4:03 |
| 18. | "Power Skit #3" |
| 0:31 | |
| Total length: | 1:01:26 | |||
Personnel
- Aaron "Afu-Ra" Phillip – producer (tracks: 1, 3, 8, 18), executive producer, A&R
- Eric Steinen – producer, recording & mixing (tracks: 2, 7, 16)
- Felix "P.F. Cuttin'" Rovira – producer (tracks: 3, 5, 8, 14, 17, 18), recording (tracks: 2, 4-7, 9-17), mixing (tracks: 4-6, 9-12, 14, 17), associate producer, production coordinator
- Joe Roach – producer (track 4)
- Justin "Bronze Nazareth" Cross – producer (track 6)
- Cristian "DJ Kemo" Bahamonde – producer (track 9), mixing (track 15)
- Gavan "Natty Dread" Daly – producer (track 10)
- Compressor Beats – producer (track 11)
- Jean "DJ Preservation" Daval – producer (track 12)
- Christopher "DJ Premier" Martin – producer & mixing (track 13)
- Adrian "Big Syphe" Trejo – producer (track 15)
- Larry Lachmann – mastering
- Azad Mardukhi – co-executive producer, A&R, management
- Peter Bittenbender – co-executive producer
- Mattias Lundin – art direction, design
- Stella Magliore – photography