SremmLife

SremmLife is the debut studio album by American hip hop duo Rae Sremmurd. It was released on January 6, 2015, by Ear Drummer Records and Interscope Records.[1] The album was supported five singles: "No Flex Zone", "No Type", "Throw Sum Mo" featuring Nicki Minaj and Young Thug, "This Could Be Us" and "Come Get Her".

SremmLife
Studio album by Rae Sremmurd
Released	January 6, 2015 (2015-01-06)
Recorded	2013–14
Studio	Various Ear Druma Studios Tree Sound Studios Mean Street Studios (Atlanta, Georgia) No Excuses Windmark Studios (Santa Monica, California) Larrabee Sound Studios (North Hollywood, California) Glenwood Place Studios (Burbank, California)
Genre	Hip hop trap
Length	45:32
Label	Ear Drummer Interscope
Producer	Mike Will Made It(exec.) P-Nazty (exec.) Rae Sremmurd (exec.) Credits and personnel
Rae Sremmurd chronology
SremmLife (2015) SremmLife 2 (2016)
Singles from SremmLife
"No Flex Zone" Released: May 18, 2014 "No Type" Released: September 15, 2014 "Throw Sum Mo" Released: December 9, 2014 "This Could Be Us" Released: April 21, 2015 "Come Get Her" Released: September 29, 2015

Background

Rae Sremmurd is a Mississippi-born hip hop duo composed of Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi.[2] In 2014, the duo signed a recording contract with American music producer Mike Will Made It's newly found label, the Interscope Records imprint, EarDrummers Entertainment.[2][3]

Singles

The duo's debut single from the album, called "No Flex Zone" was released via digital download on May 18, 2014. The song was produced by Mike Will Made It, and co-produced by A+. The song gained media attention after the release of the remix, which features guest vocals from rappers Nicki Minaj and Pusha T. The song peaked at number 36 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[4]

The album's second single, called "No Type" was released on September 15, 2014. Producer Mike WiLL Made-It also serves the production on this track, alongside with Swae Lee. The song peaked at number 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100. It was the number 70 song of the 2015 year-end chart.[4]

The album's third single, called "Throw Sum Mo" was released on December 9, 2014. The song features guest vocals from these fellow American hip hop recording artists Nicki Minaj and Young Thug, with the production that was handled by Soundz and Mike WiLL Made-It. The song peaked at number 30 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[5]

The album's fourth single, "This Could Be Us" was sent to US urban adult contemporary radio on April 21, 2015.[6] The song's production was handled by Mike WiLL Made-It. The song peaked at number 49 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

The album's fifth single, "Come Get Her" was sent to US rhythmic radio on September 29, 2015.[7] The song was produced by Mike WiLL Made-It, and co-produced by A+. The song peaked at number 56 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.2/10[8]
Metacritic	78/100[9]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[10]
Complex	[11]
Cuepoint (Expert Witness)	A−[12]
Exclaim!	7/10[13]
HipHopDX	3.5/5[14]
Now	4/5[15]
Paste	8.1/10[16]
Pitchfork	7.8/10[17]
Rolling Stone	[18]
Spin	6/10[19]

SremmLife received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 78, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 15 reviews.[9] Writing for Exclaim!, Eric Zaworski concluded that "SremmLife sounds like how cheap vodka works — it burns a little, yeah, but it gets you there," explaining that the record "only further reinforces the vice grip hip-hop from south of the Mason-Dixon has on the mainstream."[13] Justin Charity of Complex said "the chants and ecstatic poetry of SremmLife are fully charged from start to finish."[11]

Year-end lists

Publication	Accolade	Year	Rank
Complex	The 50 Best Albums of 2015	2015	3[20]
Entertainment Weekly	The 40 Best Albums of 2015	2015	23[21]
LA Times	10 Great Pop Albums in 2015	2015	n/a[22]
Pitchfork	The 50 Best Albums of 2015	2015	29[23]
Rolling Stone	The 50 Best Albums of 2015	2015	44[24]
Stereogum	The 50 Best Albums of 2015	2015	36[25]

Commercial performance

SremmLife debuted at number 5 on the US Billboard 200, with 49,000 equivalent album units; it sold 34,000 copies in its first week, with the remainder of its unit count reflecting streaming activity and track sales.[26] In its second week, the album declined to number 17 with 23,000 units, including an additional 11,000 copies sold.[27] It has remained on the album chart for 19 weeks thus far.[28] As of June 2016, SremmLife has sold 198,000 copies domestically.[29] With streaming and physical sales, the album has since gone Platinum[30] and all of its singles have gone 2× Platinum or higher, with the promotional single "Up Like Trump" being certified Gold.[31]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Lit Like Bic"	Aaquil Brown Khalif Brown Stephen Hybicki Jeremy Miller	BackPack	4:34
2.	"Unlock the Swag" (featuring Jace)	A. Brown K. Brown Jason Harris Michael Williams Asheton Hogan	Mike Will Made It A+ ^[a]	5:22
3.	"No Flex Zone"	A. Brown K. Brown M. Williams Hogan	Mike Will Made It A+ ^[a]	3:51
4.	"My X"	A. Brown K. Brown Tyree Pittman	Young Chop	3:34
5.	"This Could Be Us"	A. Brown K. Brown M. Williams Marquel Middlebrooks	Mike Will Made It Marz ^[a]	3:26
6.	"Come Get Her"	A. Brown K. Brown M. Williams Hogan	Mike Will Made It A+ ^[a]	3:32
7.	"Up Like Trump"	A. Brown K. Brown Sonny Uwaeauoke	Sonny Digital	3:13
8.	"Throw Sum Mo" (featuring Nicki Minaj and Young Thug)	A. Brown K. Brown Onika Maraj Jeffery Williams M. Williams Kenneth Coby Jeremy Felton	Soundz Mike Will Made It	4:20
9.	"YNO" (featuring Big Sean)	A. Brown K. Brown Sean Anderson M. Williams Hogan	Mike Will Made It A+ ^[a]	5:24
10.	"No Type"	A. Brown K. Brown M. Williams	Mike Will Made It Swae Lee^[a]	3:20
11.	"Safe Sex Pay Checks"	A. Brown K. Brown Carlton Mays Jr. Pierre Slaughter	Honorable C.N.O.T.E.	4:56
Total length:				45:32

Notes

• ^{^a} signifies a co-producer.
• "This Could Be Us" features additional vocals by Jace of Two-9.

Sample credits

• "This Could Be Us" contains a sample from "Burnin' Love" performed by Black Grass.[32]

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album booklet and Allmusic.[33]

Performance

• Rae Sremmurd – primary artists
• Sean "Big Sean" Anderson – featured artist ("YNO")
• Jason "Jace" Harris – featured artist ("Unlock the Swag"), additional vocals ("This Could Be Us")
• Onika "Nicki Minaj" Maraj – featured artist ("Throw Sum Mo")
• Jeffery "Young Thug" Williams – featured artist ("Throw Sum Mo")

Producers

• Michael "Mike Will Made-It" Williams – executive producer, producer (tracks 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9 ,10)
• Pierre "P-Nazty" Slaughter – executive producer
• Rae Sremmurd – executive producers
• Jeremy "BackPack" Miller – producer ("Lit Like Bic")
• Carlton "Honorable C.N.O.T.E." Mays – producer ("Safe Sex Pay Checks")
• Sonny "Sonny Digital" Uwaeauoke – producer ("Up Like Trump")
• Kenneth "Soundz" Coby – producer ("Throw Sum Mo")
• Tyree "Young Chop" Pitman – producer ("My X")
• Asheton "A+" Hogan – co-producer (tracks 2, 3, 6, 9)
• Marquel "Marz" Middlebrooks – co-producer ("This Could Be Us")
• Khalif "Swae Lee" Brown – co-producer ("No Type")

Technical

• Todd Bergman – recording assistant ("Throw Sum Mo")
• Maddox Chhim – mixing assistant (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11)
• Aubry "Big Juice" Delaine – engineer ("Throw Sum Mo")
• Stephen Hybicki – engineer (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11), mixing (tracks 3, 9, 10)
• Maximilian Jaeger – engineer ("YNO")
• Jaycen Joshua – mixing (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11)
• Dave Kutch – mastering (whole album)
• Ryan Kaul – mixing assistant (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11)
• Randy Lanphear – engineer ("Unlock the Swag", "This Could Be Us")
• Marquel "Marz" Middlebrooks – engineer ("Up Like Trump", "No Type")
• Cody Seal – engineer ("Come Get Her")
• Pierre "P-Nazty" Slaughter – engineer (tracks 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
• Gregg Rominiecki – engineer ("YNO")
• Hakeem Wallace – engineer ("Lit Like Bic")
• Michael "Mike Will Made-It" Williams – mixing (whole album)

Miscellaneous

• Ray Alba – publicity
• Chelsea Blythe – A&R coordinator
• Archie Davis – marketing
• Khalfani "Fani" Dennis – stylist
• DJ Mormile – management
• Todd Douglas – business affairs
• Jeremey "Migo The Plug" Ellis – management
• Dan Friedman – management
• Auro Harewood – digital
• Max "Directed By Max" Hliva – videography
• Stephanie Hsu – creative
• Tracy Kies – business affairs
• Justine Massa – creative
• Chris Mortimer – digital
• Aubrey "Aubz" Potter – style, merchandise
• Gunner Safron – marketing
• Pierre "P-Nazty" Slaughter – A&R
• Manny Smith – A&R
• Justin "JusDesignz" Thomas – graphic designer, cover art
• Diwang Valdez – photography
• Brian "Bwrightous" Wright – marketing, creative director

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2015) Peak position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[34] 193 Canadian Albums (Billboard)[35] 13 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[36] 22 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[37] 40 UK R&B Albums (OCC)[38] 24 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[39] 60 US Billboard 200[40] 5 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[41] 1 US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[42] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2015) Position US Billboard 200[43] 39 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[44] 22 Chart (2016) Position US Billboard 200[45] 106

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[46]	Platinum	20,000
United States (RIAA)[47]	Platinum	1,000,000
^*sales figures based on certification alone ^^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

1. "iTunes - Music - SremmLife by Rae Sremmurd". iTunes. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
2. Life+Times. "Rae Sremmurd Speak On "No Flex Zone," Mike Will Made It, & Brotherly Love - Life+Times". Retrieved 6 January 2015.
3. "Nicki Minaj Debuts Her Remix Of Rae Sremmurd's "No Flex Zone!!": Listen - Music News, Reviews, and Gossip on Idolator.com". Music News, Reviews, and Gossip on Idolator.com. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
4. "Rae Sremmurd - Chart history (singles)". Retrieved February 16, 2015.
5. "Rae Sremmurd: Throw Sum Mo - Music on Google Play". google.com.
6. "Urban/UAC Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on April 17, 2015. Retrieved April 17, 2015.
7. "Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases - R&B Song and Hip-Hop Music Release Dates - ..." 21 September 2015.
8. "Sremmlife by Rae Sremmurd reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved December 8, 2019.
9. "Reviews for SremmLife by Rae Sremmurd". Metacritic. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
10. Jeffries, David. "SremmLife – Rae Sremmurd". AllMusic. Retrieved January 25, 2015.
11. Charity, Justin (January 5, 2015). "On Their 'SremmLife' Debut, Rae Sremmurd Are Swag Rap Tag Team Champions". Complex. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
12. Christgau, Robert (April 3, 2015). "Robert Christgau: Expert Witness". Cuepoint. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
13. Zaworski, Eric (January 13, 2015). "Rae Sremmurd: SremmLife". Exclaim!. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
14. Diep, Eric (January 6, 2015). "Rae Sremmurd – SremmLife". HipHopDX. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
15. Sowunmi, Jordan (January 14, 2015). "Rae Sremmurd: SremmLife". Now. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
16. Blackburn, H. Drew (January 6, 2015). "Rae Sremmurd: SremmLife Review". Paste. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
17. Goble, Cordan (January 16, 2015). "Rae Sremmurd: SremmLife". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
18. Dolan, Jon (January 20, 2015). "SremmLife". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
19. Carley, Brennan (January 7, 2015). "Review: Rae Sremmurd Flex With Promise and Big-Name Guests on 'SremmLife'". Spin. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
20. "The 50 Best Albums Of 2015". complex.com. 2015-12-01. Retrieved 2015-12-11.
21. "The 40 Best Albums Of 2015". ew.com. 2015-12-09. Retrieved 2015-12-11.
22. "Rae Sremmurd, 'SremmLife' - 10 Great Pop Albums in 2015". LA Times. www.latimes.com. Retrieved 2015-12-11.
23. "The 50 Best Albums of 2015". Pitchfork. December 16, 2015. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
24. "Rae Sremmurd, 'SremmLife' - 50 Best Albums of 2015". Rolling Stone. rollingstone.com. Retrieved 2015-12-11.
25. "The 50 Best Albums Of 2015". stereogum.com. 2015-12-01. Retrieved 2015-12-10.
26. Caulfield, Keith (January 14, 2015). "Taylor Swift's '1989' Spends a Ninth Week at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
27. Balfour, Jay. "Hip Hop Album Sales: Nicki Minaj, J. Cole & Rae Sremmurd". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on May 3, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
28. "Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved May 16, 2015.
29. "Upcoming Releases: Hits Daily Double". Hits Daily Double. Archived from the original on June 29, 2016.
30. "Gold & Platinum - RIAA".
31. "You searched for Rae Sremmurd - RIAA". RIAA.
32. "Rae Sremmurd's 'This Could Be Us' sample of Black Grass (Soul Group)'s 'Burnin' Love'". WhoSampled.com. WhoSampled.
33. "SremmLife - Rae Sremmurd: Credits". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
34. "Ultratop.be – Rae Sremmurd – Sremmlife" (in French). Hung Medien.
35. "Rae Sremmurd Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 24, 2015.
36. "Danishcharts.dk – Rae Sremmurd – Sremmlife". Hung Medien.
37. "Norwegiancharts.com – Rae Sremmurd – Sremmlife". Hung Medien.
38. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
39. "Swedishcharts.com – Rae Sremmurd – SremmLife". Hung Medien.
40. "Rae Sremmurd Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
41. "Rae Sremmurd Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.
42. "Rae Sremmurd Chart History (Top Rap Albums)". Billboard.
43. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
44. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2015". Billboard. Retrieved June 11, 2020.
45. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
46. "Danish album certifications – Rae Sremmurd – SremmLife". IFPI Denmark.
47. "American album certifications – Rae Sremmurd – SremmLife". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH.