AI YoungBoy 2 received positive reviews from music critics, while also appearing atop The New York Times' "Best Albums of 2019" list.[5] It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, marking Gaulden's first number one on the chart.[6][7][8] It earned 110,000 album-equivalent units, of which 3,000 were pure album sales.[9] Six of the fifteen album tracks debuted on the Billboard Hot 100, and as of 2023, all tracks on the project have been certified gold or higher by the RIAA.[10] The mixtape was supported by three official singles: "Self Control", "Slime Mentality", and "Make No Sense". It is known as one of the best hip hop albums of all time.
Release and promotion
On August 4, 2017, the first part of the "AI YoungBoy" series titled "AI YoungBoy" was released.[11] It reached number 24 on the Billboard 200 and was certified Gold by the RIAA.[12] On August 14, 2019, Gaulden was released from jail and put on house arrest after being in police custody for 90 days following an assassination attempt on his life.[13][14] With no news of a new project, on October 8, 2019, Gaulden's videographer Louie Knows had taken to his Instagram to share the mixtape's official cover art alongside its release date.[15]
Singles
On September 1, 2019, Gaulden released the official music video for "Slime Mentality".[16][17] On September 6, the aforementioned track was bundled with "Self Control" as "The Continuance", released as the album's first and second single.[18][19] On September 25, while under house arrest, Gaulden released the official music video for "House Arrest Tingz" which failed to appear on the mixtape, however appeared as the eighteenth cut of his second studio album, Top.[20][21] The album's sixth cut, "Make No Sense" was sent to urban contemporary radio on January 14, 2020, as the album's third single, following a rise in the track's popularity.[22] The track was released alongside its official music video.[23]
According to The Fader, the mixtape deals with "difficulties he's faced over the past year".[2] Regarding the cover art, Joshua Espinoza of Complex concluded that it depicts "a clear reference to the constant headlines about his legal issues".[4] Writing for HotNewHipHop, Alex Zidel stated that throughout the mixtape, "YoungBoy utilizes his melodious talents and hook-making mastery throughout the bulk of the songs". Zidel wrote that "the lyrical content is incredibly versatile", however, "the general sound of the project may be too uniform". He concluded his review, by writing that the mixtape "is a very enjoyable body of work" and listeners won't regret tuning in.[25] Writing for The New York Times, Jon Caramanica wrote that the album "is a harrowing swirl of personal trauma, treacherous relationships, murderous fantasies and ice-cold bluster". He complimented the project, noting that the project "captures [Gaulden's] gifts well". He wrote that "sometimes, perversely, his vocal affect and his lyrics don’t match up", allowing his verses to feel unpredictable. Citing the album as a "critic's pick", the project as a whole is described as "an excellent work of sing-rap urgency".[26]
Complex ranked the mixtape as the thirty-fourth best project of 2019. Lucas Wisenthal of Complex noted that the mixtape covers Gaulden's "supreme self-confidence" on "Make No Sense" and his introspection and vulnerability on "Lonely Child".[27] Jon Caramanica for The New York Times ranked AI YoungBoy 2 as the third best album of 2019. Caramanica wrote that "the howls of sadness and vitriol" on the album "are almost disorienting".[5]
AI YoungBoy 2 debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, earning 110,000 album-equivalent units (including 3,000 pure album sales) in its first week.[9] This became YoungBoy's 12th chart entry and his first US number-one album.[9][28] In its second week, the album dropped to number two on the chart, earning an additional 80,000 units.[29] In its third week, the album dropped to number four on the chart, earning 64,000 more units.[30]In its fourth week, the album climbed to number three on the chart, earning 62,000 units, bringing its four-week total to 316,000 units.[31] On September 22, 2020, the mixtape was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over a million units in the United States. On August 4, 2022, it was certified double platinum.
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