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A (Usher and Zaytoven album)

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A
Studio album by
Usher and Zaytoven
ReleasedOctober 12, 2018
Recorded2018
StudioWestlake Recording
(West Hollywood, California)
Genre
Length27:09
Label
  • Brand Usher
  • RCA
ProducerZaytoven
Usher chronology
Hard II Love
(2016) 		A
(2018) 		Coming Home
(2024)
Zaytoven chronology
Let the Trap Say Amen
(2018) 		A
(2018) 		Greatest Gift
(2018)
Singles from A
  1. "Peace Sign"
    Released: December 11, 2018

A is a collaborative studio album by American singer Usher and record producer Zaytoven, the latter of which entirely handling the album's production.[2] Released on October 12, 2018, the album is an homage to the city of Atlanta, where Usher and Zaytoven grew up, featuring guest appearances from fellow Atlanta-based musicians Future and Gunna.[3][4][5]

A peaked at number 31 on the US Billboard 200, and received mixed to negative reviews by critics.

Background and recording

[edit]

On July 25, 2018, Mark Pitts, President of Urban Music at RCA, posted a photo on Instagram of him and Usher working in the studio.[6] Pitts posted another image in September on his Instagram of him, Zaytoven, and Usher in the studio.[7] Zaytoven and Usher previously collaborated on the 2009 single "Papers" from Usher's 2010 album Raymond v. Raymond.

In an interview Usher conducted the Thursday before the album release with The Fader, he said "Zaytoven and I were working on my project, my future album, actually. And we started working on songs, had great combinations between the first two, three, and we kept going."[8]

The album was recorded at Westlake Recording Studios in West Hollywood, California.[9]

Promotion

[edit]

Usher announced the project on October 11, 2018, with a trailer showing himself and Zaytoven driving around Atlanta and visiting various locations.[4] The trailer also featured various portions of the tracks; alongside this, Usher also posted snippets of the tracks separately on Instagram.[4]

Artwork and packaging

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The cover art for the album is designed by American fashion designer Virgil Abloh. The artwork is Abloh's album-themed take of his own signature Off-White branding.[8]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]

A received mixed to negative reviews by critics. AllMusic wrote that “A is inspired if mechanical, with Usher's superior vocal dexterity almost neutralized by overly familiar scenarios and materialistic lyrical tropes.”[11] According to Pitchfork writer Briana Younger, "Zaytoven’s minimalist trap isn’t always the ideal match for Usher’s traditional R&B capabilities, but when they push both to their extreme, something magical happens."[12] Elias Leight of Rolling Stone wrote that "On ‘A,’ Usher moves with the times — and that’s a bad thing".[13] Medium stated that “the less said about his A EP the better.”[14] Highsnobiety commented that “both Usher and Zaytoven could do much better”.[15] 34th Street Magazine called it an “uneven 27 minutes”, criticizing its “repetitive content and lyrics”.[16]

Commercial performance

[edit]

A debuted at number 31 on the US Billboard 200 with 15,000 album-equivalent units, which included 4,000 pure album sales.[17]

Track listing

[edit]
A track listing[18]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Stay at Home" (featuring Future)
3:28
2."ATA"
  • Raymond IV
  • Dotson
  • Dimitri Anthony McDowell
  • Deion Gill
  • Elliott Trent
  • Major Myjah
3:07
3."Peace Sign"
2:58
4."You Decide"
  • Raymond IV
  • Dotson
  • McDowell
  • Trent
  • Tony Wilson
  • Haddon
3:32
5."Birthday"
3:24
6."She Ain't Tell Ya"
  • Raymond IV
  • Dotson
  • Wilburn
  • Mario Jefferson
  • Darius Ginn, Jr.
3:21
7."Say What U Want"
  • Raymond IV
  • Myjah
  • Coleman
  • Dotson
  • McDowell
  • Gill
  • Trent
  • Haddon
3:39
8."Gift Shop" (featuring Gunna)
3:41
Total length:27:09

Personnel

[edit]

Credits for A adapted from AllMusic.[19]

Charts

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Chart performance for A
Chart (2018) Peak
position
Australian Digital Albums (ARIA)[20] 35
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[21] 135
US Billboard 200[22] 31
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[23] 19

References

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  1. ^ "Usher / Zaytoven: "A" Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  2. ^ Strauss, Matthew (October 12, 2018). "Usher and Zaytoven Drop New Album 'A': Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  3. ^ Montgomery, Sarah Jasmine (October 12, 2018). "Usher Dropping New Zaytoven-Produced Project 'A' Tonight". Complex. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  4. ^ a b c Legaspi, Althea (October 12, 2018). "Hear Usher's Surprise New Album 'A'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  5. ^ Johnson, Cherise (October 11, 2018). "Usher & Zaytoven "A" Stream, Cover Art & Tracklist". HipHopDX. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  6. ^ "Mark Pitts on Instagram: "Great Music is NEVER gonna have an expiration date, so regardless how The Game CHANGES, NEVER change Your QUALITY!!.......LIL brah @usher..."". Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Instagram.
  7. ^ "Mark Pitts on Instagram: "I Love watching how the New Generation SEES what's going on out here in Music! I'm Still Learning everyday and tho I'm enjoying every bit..."". Archived from the original on December 24, 2021. Retrieved October 15, 2018 – via Instagram.
  8. ^ a b "Usher on creating his surprise project A with Zaytoven". The Fader. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  9. ^ "Zaytoven on Creating a Surprise Album 'A' with Usher [PHOTOS]". October 22, 2018.
  10. ^ AllMusic
  11. ^ AllMusic
  12. ^ "Usher / Zaytoven: "A" Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  13. ^ Leight, Elias (October 12, 2018). "On 'A,' Usher Moves With the Times — and That's a Bad Thing". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 30, 2018.
  14. ^ Bowser, Edward (February 9, 2024). "Album Review: Usher, Coming Home". Medium.
  15. ^ Cook, Cameron. "On "A," Both Usher & Zaytoven Could Do Much Better". Highsnobiety.com. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  16. ^ Swaminathan, Arjun (October 23, 2023). "'A' by Usher and Zaytoven: An Uneven 27 Minutes". 34th Street Magazine.
  17. ^ Eustice, Kyle (October 22, 2018). "Hip Hop Album Sales: Quavo's "Quavo Huncho" Catapults To No. 2 On Billboard 200". HipHopDX. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  18. ^ ""A" by Usher & Zaytoven on iTunes". iTunes Store. October 12, 2018. Retrieved October 13, 2018.
  19. ^ ""A" - Usher, Zaytoven | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved November 27, 2018.
  20. ^ "ARIA Australian Top 50 Digital Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. October 22, 2018. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  21. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Usher – A" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  22. ^ "Usher Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
  23. ^ "Usher Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2018.
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