Top 5 Dead or Alive

Top 5 Dead or Alive is the fourth studio album by American hip hop recording artist Jadakiss. The album was released on November 20, 2015, by D-Block Records and Def Jam Recordings.[1][2] The album features guest appearances from Akon, Future, Jeezy, Lil Wayne, Ne-Yo, Nas, Nipsey Hussle, Styles P, Puff Daddy, Sheek Louch, Swizz Beatz, Young Adz and Young Buck.

Top 5 Dead or Alive
Studio album by Jadakiss
Released	November 20, 2015
Recorded	2012–15
Genre	Hip hop
Length	60:01
Label	D-Block Def Jam
Producer	Jason "Jadakiss" Philips (exec.) Jay "Icepick" Jackson (exec.) Akon Arkatech Beatz Bangladesh Beat Butcha Buda & Grandz Dane Beats Just Blaze Lee on the Beats Mark Batson Pitchshifters POSTA Rico Beats Scram Jones Swizz Beatz Ty Fyffe
Jadakiss chronology
The Last Kiss (2009) Top 5 Dead or Alive (2015) Friday on Elm Street (2017)
Singles from Top 5 Dead or Alive
"Jason" Released: October 16, 2015 "Ain't Nothin New" Released: October 30, 2015

Background

In May 2010, he spoke about the progress of the album, saying: "I got about three good ones. Not even recorded. I got probably two verses off each song. Maybe four good ones. [DJ Drama] sent me something. I’m doing real careful selection on production on this project…Even my street joints, even if it’s a symphony. If every verse got 75 curses in it, I want the production to be big…I was gonna switch the name up. I put it on Twitter, I put it on every website you can imagine, and that came back unanimous. So Top Five, Dead or Alive it is, baby…It’s Def Jam, Roc-A-Fella, Ruff Ryders, D-Block, Aphilliates, Green Lantern, a couple of other white guys [releasing it.] You know how this game is. Everybody is in the pot. But it’s enough money for everybody."[3]

In December 2012, he explained that he was halfway done recording the album, saying: "It's coming baby, first quarter. Anywhere, February, March, April... You know, somewhere around there where it feels right,. It's halfway finished now. When I finish this tour, I'll go home and finish the rest of it and then we strategize the marketing plan and get that thing out to the people."[4]

Singles

On October 16, 2015, the album's first single "Jason" featuring Swizz Beatz was released.[5] On October 30, 2015, the album's second single "Ain't Nothin New" featuring Ne-Yo and Nipsey Hussle was released.[6]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	73/100[7]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[8]
HipHopDX	[9]
Pitchfork Media	5.5/10[10]
RapReviews	7/10[11]

Top 5 Dead or Alive received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 73, based on 5 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[7] David Jeffries of AllMusic said, "A top-notch Lil Wayne appearance plus an unofficial Lox reunion with Styles P and Sheek Louch guesting on the LP help put this one through the uprights, giving veteran Jada one of his best and most ambitious showcases to date."[8] Scott Glaysher of HipHopDX said, "After the first initial play through, this album definitely translates as Jadakiss’ most celebratory to date. The beats are more grandiose, less gutter horror story and more hustler’s celebration. The whole theme plays out like his very own victory lap."[9]

Commercial performance

In the United States, the album debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200, selling 60,000 copies in its first week.[12]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"First 48 (Intro)"	Jason Phillips Tyrone Fyffe Lauren Seymour Angela Winbush	Ty Fyffe	3:23
2.	"Shop Talk (skit)"	Phillips Sedgewick Robinson Kristian Smith Keith Wheeler		0:56
3.	"You Don't Eat" (featuring Puff Daddy)	Phillips Marc Anthony Kaseem Dean Sam Debbie Bjoern Djupstroem Bilal Hajji Achraf Jannusi Nadir Khayat Alex Papaconstantinou Seymour	Swizz Beatz Avenue Beatz	3:00
4.	"You Can See" (featuring Future)	Phillips Jamie Jason Daley Khaled Khaled Anthony Lee Norris Seymour Nayvadius Wilburn	Lee on the Beats Dane Beats DJ Khaled	3:15
5.	"Y. O. (Youthful Offenders)" (featuring Akon)	Phillips Seymour Aliaune Thiam	Akon	3:52
6.	"Jason" (featuring Swizz Beatz)	Phillips Dean Mark Batson Seymour	Swizz Beatz Batson	4:06
7.	"Kill" (featuring Lil Wayne)	Phillips Dwayne Carter, Jr. Shondrea Crawford Seymour	Bangladesh	2:48
8.	"Man in the Mirror"	Phillips Joseph Acosta Seymour Paris Wells	Pav Bundy Swerv	3:58
9.	"Synergy" (featuring Styles P)	Phillips Donald Blackman Justin Smith David Styles	Just Blaze	3:51
10.	"Ain't Nothin New" (featuring Ne-Yo and Nipsey Hussle)	Phillips Ermias Asghedom Eliot Dubock Dan Garcia Seymour Shaffer Smith Francis Ubiera	Buda & Grandz Beat Butcha	3:46
11.	"So High" (featuring Wiz Khalifa)	Phillips Ricardo Lamarre Seymour Cameron Thomaz	Rico Beats	3:20
12.	"Ahaa Interview (skit)"	Phillips Anthony Donahue James D. Fowler Seymour		1:32
13.	"Critical" (featuring Jeezy)	Phillips Jay Jenkins Lamarre	Rico Beats	3:14
14.	"Confetti (skit)" (featuring Young Adz)	Phillips Daniel Morris Bradley Myers Seymour Adam Williams	Bespoke	2:27
15.	"Cutlass" (featuring EX.OD.US)	Phillips Jesus Hernandez Anthony Graham Stephen Nicholson Seymour D'angelo Taylor-Ricard	POSTA Stevie Nick XX^[a]	3:44
16.	"Realest in the Game" (featuring Young Buck and Sheek Louch)	Phillips Thomas J. Bergersen David Darnell Brown Collin Dewar Michael Dewar Sean Jacobs Seymour	Arkatech Beatz	5:42
17.	"Rain" (featuring Nas and Styles P)	Phillips Nasir Jones Styles Seymour Linda Perhacs Marc Shemer	Scram Jones	4:54
18.	"One More Mile to Go"	Phillips Mads Møller Thor Nørgaard Seymour	Pitchshifters	3:42
Total length:				60:01

Best Buy bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
19.	"Baby" (featuring Dyce Payne)	Phillips Shemer Dave Hall Kenny Greene	Scram Jones	2:57

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies a co-producer

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2015) Peak position US Billboard 200[13] 4 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[14] 1

Year-end charts Chart (2016) Position US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[15] 27

References

1. "Top 5 Dead or Alive by Jadakiss on iTunes". Itunes.apple.com. 1975-05-27. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
2. "Jadakiss Taps Nas, Lil Wayne, & Future for 'Top 5 Dead or Alive'". Rap-Up. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
3. mtv. "Jadakiss Wants Top Five, Dead Or Alive To Be 'Just Fire'". MTV. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
4. "Jadakiss Is Halfway Done Recording "Top 5 Dead Or Alive," Reveals The LOX Album Title". HipHopDX. 2012-12-04. Retrieved 2015-11-09.
5. "Jason (feat. Swizz Beatz) - Single by Jadakiss on iTunes". Web.archive.org. 2015-10-16. Archived from the original on November 9, 2015. Retrieved 2015-11-09.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
6. "Ain't Nothin New (feat. Ne-Yo & Nipsey Hussle) - Single by Jadakiss on iTunes". Web.archive.org. 2015-10-30. Archived from the original on November 9, 2015. Retrieved 2015-11-09.CS1 maint: unfit url (link)
7. "Reviews for Top 5 Dead or Alive by Jadakiss". Metacritic. 2015-12-09. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
8. David Jeffries (2015-11-20). "Top Five Dead or Alive - Jadakiss | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
9. Glaysher, Scott (2015-11-20). "Jadakiss - Top 5 Dead or Alive". HipHopDX. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
10. "Jadakiss: Top 5 Dead or Alive". Pitchfork. 2015-12-02. Retrieved 2015-12-14.
11. "Feature for December 15, 2015 - Jadakiss' "Top 5 Dead or Alive"". Rapreviews.com. 2015-12-15. Retrieved 2015-12-29.
12. Keith Caulfield (2015-11-29). "Adele's '25' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart, '21' Returns to Top 10". Billboard. Retrieved 2015-12-15.
13. "Jadakiss Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
14. "Jadakiss Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 1, 2015.
15. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved July 4, 2020.