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K.T.S.E.

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K.T.S.E.
Studio album by
Teyana Taylor
ReleasedJune 22, 2018 (2018-06-22)
StudioWest Lake Ranch, Jackson Hole, Wyoming[1]
GenreR&B[2]
Length22:53
Label
ProducerKanye West (also exec.)
Teyana Taylor chronology
The Cassette Tape 1994
(2015) 		K.T.S.E.
(2018) 		The Album
(2020)
Singles from K.T.S.E.
  1. "Gonna Love Me"
    Released: July 17, 2018
  2. "Issues/Hold On"
    Released: April 2, 2019

K.T.S.E. (an initialism of Keep That Same Energy) is the second studio album by American recording artist Teyana Taylor, released on June 22, 2018, by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings.[3]

Following the release of VII in 2014, Taylor took a step back from her music career, instead working in television, getting married and giving birth to her first child. In 2018, it was announced that Kanye West would be producing K.T.S.E, with recording for the album taking place in Wyoming. It is the final of five albums released over consecutive weeks, produced by West in their entirety as a part of the "Wyoming Sessions",[4][5] following the release of Pusha T's Daytona, West's Ye and Kids See Ghosts with Kid Cudi, and Nas's Nasir. The album features a guest appearance by West, as well as additional vocals by Ty Dolla Sign and Mykki Blanco. A wide variety of record producers collaborated with West on the album, including Mike Dean, Rodney Jerkins, and BoogzDaBeast.

Taylor's and West's efforts resulted in an R&B album that heavily featured soul based productions and sampling. Upon release, Taylor announced that the album was released in an incomplete form, as several tracks were absent due to sample clearance issues. An updated version of K.T.S.E. was announced; however, Taylor appeared on the Breakfast Club and said she will not hold her breath on the album's extended version and she won't make any promises on it.

Background

[edit]

After releasing her debut studio album VII (2014), Taylor landed a number of television gigs, got married and became a mother. Taylor kept a low profile music-wise following VII, only releasing an EP and a few singles.[6] In June 2016, Taylor released the song "Freak On", featuring guest vocals from Chris Brown.[7] She announced that it would be the lead single from her upcoming second studio album; however, the album never came to fruition.

On August 28, 2016, at the MTV Video Music Awards, Kanye West premiered the music video for his single, "Fade", which features Taylor performing a dance routine inspired by the 1983 film Flashdance.[8] In April 2018, Kanye West announced two new albums, a solo album and self-titled collaboration with Kid Cudi under the name Kids See Ghosts, both of which would be released in June.[9] Additionally, he revealed he would produce upcoming albums by GOOD Music label-mates Pusha T and Teyana Taylor, as well as Nas.[10]

Pusha T's Daytona was the first project out of Wyoming weekly releases.[11][12] The following week, West released his album, Ye.[13] The week after, West released a collaborative album with Kid Cudi, titled Kids See Ghosts, named after their group of the same name. The following week the fourth album from the Wyoming sessions, Nasir by Nas, was released. Taylor's album, KTSE, was the last of the five weekly releases and was slated to be released on June 22, 2018.[3]

Recording

[edit]

In May 2017, news began to surface that Kanye West was working on his new album "on top of a mountain in Wyoming" in seclusion.[14] Similar reports emerged almost a year later, in March 2018, of various artists including West being spotted in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.[15] The same month, Taylor revealed that she and West were working on new music together. While remaining secretive about the project, she revealed that West would be making a return to "Polo 'Ye". "Polo 'Ye" refers to West's more sonically conscious lyrics (heard on "All Falls Down") and sample-heavy productions such as "Through the Wire" or "Famous".[15] In January 2018, announced that recording for the album was complete, with just a few "minor tweaks and whatever last-minute switches or edits and a green light from Kanye and should be good to go," before revealing West as the executive producer for her project.[16] West was still working on the album's production on a flight from Paris to Los Angeles hours before the listening party.[17]

Composition

[edit]

Unlike the previous four releases, K.T.S.E features eight songs instead of the traditional seven and breaks from the hip-hop heavy production style. K.T.S.E features soulful sounds and acoustic guitars but still includes West's signature vocal samples.[18]

"Issues/Hold On" is an R&B song that features a "fuzzy, laidback beat" and samples Billy Stewart's 1965 single "I Do Love You". Kanye West and the song's co-producers strip the sample back leaving the song to feature a "tender guitar loop, warm bass line, simple drum pattern, and airy background vocals." Lyrically the song explores love and vulnerability, with themes of uncertainty regarding relationships due to past experiences.[19]

Release and promotion

[edit]

The album was released by GOOD Music and Def Jam Recordings on June 22, 2018. To coincide with the album's release Taylor held a listening party in Los Angeles that was streamed live via Taylor's Twitter account starting at 11PM PST (2AM EST).[20] K.T.S.E. was released incomplete, with the ninth track "We Got Love" being excluded due to an uncleared Billy Stewart sample. The track "Issues/Hold On" was to include a Sade sample and "Rose In Harlem" was going to contain an interpolation of Lauryn Hill's "Lost Ones". Taylor originally announced that K.T.S.E. would receive post-release updates similar to West's The Life of Pablo (2016) once the samples were cleared. However, on July 2, 2018, Taylor announced that the album would no longer be updated and instead the extended records may debut through future visuals.[21][22] Taylor later said on July 12, 2018, that she wasn't aware there'd actually be no visuals for the album.[23]

Taylor later performed a remixed version of "We Got Love" with West on Saturday Night Live on September 29, 2018. On October 1, 2018, the duo recorded a music video for the song at the TMZ offices, with indications that the song would appear on West's forthcoming album Yandhi.[24] After Yandhi was scrapped, Taylor released "We Got Love" as a single in December 2019. Taylor later used "We Got Love" as the closing track on The Album (2020).

In support of the album Taylor embarked on a joint summer tour with American singer Jeremih across North America. The 24-city joint tour began in Tampa, Florida, on August 3 and make stops in Atlanta, Philadelphia, New York, Detroit, New Orleans before the tour ends in Portland, Oregon, on September 8.[25] In late August, following a dispute between the two artists, Taylor dropped out of the tour.[26]

Singles

[edit]

"Gonna Love Me" impacted US urban contemporary radio on July 17, 2018, as the album's first single.[27] A remixed version of the single, billed as the "Wu-Tey" remix, featuring the appearance of the Wu-Tang Clan members Ghostface Killah, Method Man, and Raekwon was released on October 19, 2018.[28] A music video for the track was released on November 6, 2018.[29] "Issues/Hold On" impacted US urban contemporary radio on April 2, 2019, as the second single from the album. On April 3, 2019, "Gonna Love Me" was certified gold in sales by the RIAA.[30]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?7.1/10[31]
Metacritic74/100[32]
Review scores
SourceRating
The A.V. ClubB[33]
Consequence of SoundB−[34]
Exclaim!6/10[35]
The Guardian[2]
The Independent[36]
The New Zealand Herald[37]
Pitchfork7.8/10[38]
PopMatters6/10[39]
Rolling Stone[40]

K.T.S.E. was met with generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 74, based on eight reviews.[32]

Alexis Petridis of The Guardian described K.T.S.E. as "a record that melds new and old R&B with such flair", praising Kanye West's production who "takes the artfully distorted old-school R&B samples that double as his calling card – the ones that, over the years, he's rendered increasingly abrasive and jarring – and returns them to a more blissed-out and soulful sound."[2] Claire Lobenfeld of Pitchfork believed that K.T.S.E. is "long overdue, but the album remains too small a platform for her tremendous vocal talent", complimenting Teyana Taylor's performance whose "singing sounds luxurious but effortless" and "sticky and seductive."[38] Maura Johnston of Rolling Stone wrote: "There are enough good ideas on K.T.S.E. to suggest a path to prominence for Taylor, and her album ends with a strong statement of purpose. But until Taylor releases, or is allowed to release, music more often, she will remain stuck on pop's sidelines – still necessary, and still missing."[40]

Accolades

[edit]
Year-end lists
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Billboard The 50 Best Albums of 2018
42
[41]
Fact The 50 Best Albums of 2018
40
[42]
Thrillist The Best Albums of 2018
39
[43]
Complex The Best Albums of 2018
37
[44]
The Independent The 40 Best Albums of 2018
30
[45]
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums of 2018
29
[46]
Crack Magazine The 50 Best Albums of 2018
27
[47]
A.Side The 25 Best Albums of 2018
23
[48]
Flavorwire The 25 Best Albums of 2018
16
[49]
Paper Top 20 Albums of 2018
8
[50]
HotNewHipHop Top 15 Hottest R&B Albums of 2018
7
[51]
Billboard The 10 Best R&B Albums of 2018
5
[52]
Okayplayer The Best Albums of 2018
1
[53]

Commercial performance

[edit]

K.T.S.E. debuted at number 17 on the US Billboard 200 with 23,000 album-equivalent units, of which 7,000 were pure album sales.[54] It was the seventh best-selling digital album of the week.[55] It serves as Taylor's second top 20 album in the United States.[54] In its second week the album fell to number 57 on the US Billboard 200, moving 10,000 album-equivalent units, which included 1,000 pure album sales.[56]

Track listing

[edit]

Credits adapted from Tidal.[57]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."No Manners"
1:39
2."Gonna Love Me"
2:47
3."Issues / Hold On"
  • Taylor
  • Coney
  • Andrews
  • West
  • Dean
3:06
4."Hurry" (featuring Kanye West)
2:54
5."3Way"
3:24
6."Rose in Harlem"
  • Taylor
  • Coney
  • Andrews
  • West
  • Dean
3:43
7."Never Would Have Made It"
West2:40
8."WTP" (featuring Mykki Blanco)
2:47
Total length:22:53

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer
  • ^[b] signifies an additional producer
  • ^[c] signifies a vocal producer
  • "3Way" and "Never Would Have Made It" feature additional vocals by Ty Dolla Sign

Sample credits[citation needed]

Personnel

[edit]
  • Mike Dean – engineering (tracks 1–6, 8), mixing (tracks 1, 3, 6)
  • Zack Djurich – engineering (tracks 1, 3, 4, 6–8)
  • Nathaniel Alford – engineering (tracks 1, 4, 6, 8)
  • Noah Goldstein – engineering (tracks 1, 2, 4, 6)
  • Baruch "Mixx" Nembhard – engineering (tracks 2, 3, 5, 6)
  • Mike Snell – engineering (tracks 2, 3, 5, 6)
  • Mike Malchicoff – engineering (track 1)
  • Clinton "HeadAche" Walker III – engineering (track 7,8)
  • Jenna Felsenthal – assistant recording engineering (tracks 1, 3–6, 8)
  • Sean Solymar – assistant recording engineering (tracks 1, 3, 4, 6), assistant mixing (tracks 1–6, 8)
  • Jess Jackson – mixing (tracks 1–6, 8)
  • Andrew Dawson – mixing (tracks 2, 4, 5, 7)
  • Stephen Feigenbaum – string arrangement (track 6)
  • Yasmeen Al-Mazeedi – violin (tracks 3, 6)

Charts

[edit]
Chart (2018) Peak
position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[58] 125
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[59] 60
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[60] 77
New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ)[61] 3
UK Albums (OCC)[62] 57
US Billboard 200[63] 17
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[64] 10

Release history

[edit]
List of release dates, formats, and label
Region Date Format Label Ref(s)
Various June 22, 2018 (Original version)
[65][66]
November 9, 2018 (Original version) CD [67]
November 28, 2018 (Original version) Vinyl [67]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Jonah Engel Bromwich (February 23, 2020). "Kanye, Out West". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 24, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Petridis, Alexis (June 25, 2018). "Teyana Taylor: KTSE review – Taylor and Kanye combine grit and soul". The Guardian. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  3. ^ a b Maicki, Salvatore (June 22, 2018). "Stream Teyana Taylor's KTSE album release party". The FADER. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  4. ^ Yeung, Neil Z. "Kids See Ghosts – Kids See Ghosts". AllMusic. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  5. ^ Findlay, Mitch (March 26, 2018). "Kanye West's New Album: Everything We Know". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  6. ^ "Teyana Taylor's Sophomore Album 'K.T.S.E.' Has Arrived". Complex. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  7. ^ "Teyana Taylor And Chris Brown Throw It Back With "Freak On"".
  8. ^ "Teyana Taylor, The Girl In Kanye's Racy 'Fade' Video, Was An Early MTV Star". MTV. Archived from the original on August 29, 2016.
  9. ^ Strauss, Matthew (19 April 2018). "Kanye Announces 2 New Albums, Including Kid Cudi Collaboration". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
  10. ^ Wicks, Amanda (April 23, 2018). "Kanye Says He's Producing Nas' New Album". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 23, 2018.
  11. ^ "KANYE WEST on Twitter: "Daytona is the first project out of Wyoming. I'm really proud of what we put together. We've spent a year and a half digging for samples and writing. I really appreciate the overwhelmingly positive response that we've been receiving. 🙏🙏🙏". Twitter. May 24, 2018. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  12. ^ "Kanye West Unveils New Album YE | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. June 2018. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
  13. ^ Skelton, Erik (June 3, 2018). "Kanye West Says He Completely Redid His Album After TMZ". Pigeons & Planes. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
  14. ^ "Kanye West Is Reportedly Busy Creating His Next Album… On a Mountain". 9 May 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  15. ^ a b "Everything We Know So Far About Kanye West's New Album". Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  16. ^ "Teyana Taylor Says New Album Is Executive-Produced by Kanye West & Coming Soon". Billboard. 30 January 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  17. ^ "Kanye West Completed Teyana Taylor's Album On Flight To Listening Party". HNHH. 22 June 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  18. ^ "Teyana Taylor Caps Off G.O.O.D. Music's Summer With "K.T.S.E."". HotNewHipHop. June 23, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  19. ^ ""Issues/Hold On" by Teyana Taylor Review". Pitchfork. June 25, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  20. ^ Maicki, Salvatore (June 22, 2018). "Stream Teyana Taylor's KTSE album release party". The Fader. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  21. ^ Rettig, James (2 July 2018). "Teyana Taylor's Album Won't Be Updated With Those Sade & Lauryn Hill Samples After All". Stereogum. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  22. ^ Giulione, Bianca (3 July 2018). "Teyana Taylor Is No Longer Dropping an Updated Version of 'K.T.S.E.'". Highsnobiety. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  23. ^ Darville, Jordan (12 July 2018). "Teyana Taylor says she didn't know there "wouldn't be any singles or visuals" from K.T.S.E." The Fader. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
  24. ^ Coe, Kairi (3 October 2018). "Kanye West and Teyana Taylor Shoot the Video for "We Got Love"". XXL. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  25. ^ "Jeremih Announces North American Tour With Teyana Taylor". Billboard. 12 June 2018. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  26. ^ "Teyana Taylor Explains Why She Canceled Her Tour with Jeremih: 'Don't Try to Play Me'". Billboard. 17 September 2018.
  27. ^ "Urban/UAC Future Releases – R&B, Hip Hop, Release Schedule and Street Dates – ..." Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  28. ^ "Teyana Taylor Enlists Wu-Tang Members for New "Gonna Love Me" Remix: Listen | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. 19 October 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  29. ^ "Teyana Taylor's "Gonna Love Me" video is a family affair".
  30. ^ "Urban/UAC Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  31. ^ "K.T.S.E. by Teyana Taylor reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  32. ^ a b "K.T.S.E. by Teyana Taylor Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved October 20, 2018.
  33. ^ Purdom, Clayton (June 29, 2018). "Teyana Taylor, K.T.S.E." The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on December 11, 2019. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  34. ^ Barr, Natalia (June 28, 2018). "Teyana Taylor's Own Star Begins to Shine on K.T.S.E." Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  35. ^ Harmony, A. (June 27, 2018). "Teyana Taylor: K.T.S.E." Exclaim!. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  36. ^ Kaplan, Ilana; Shepherd, Jack; O'Connor, Roisin; Beech, Dave (June 27, 2018). "Album reviews: Gorillaz, Teyana Taylor, Ray Davies and more". The Independent. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  37. ^ Yates, Siena (July 12, 2018). "Album review: Teyana Taylor, K.T.S.E (Keep The Same Energy)". The Independent. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  38. ^ a b Lobenfeld, Claire (June 27, 2018). "Teyana Taylor: K.T.S.E." Pitchfork. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  39. ^ Thiessen, Christopher (August 1, 2018). "Teyana Taylor Improves on 'K.T.S.E.', But Are These Songs Right for the #MeToo Era?". PopMatters. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  40. ^ a b Johnston, Maura (June 25, 2018). "Review: Teyana Taylor's Kanye-Produced 'K.T.S.E.' Is An R&B Album Without Constraints". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 25, 2018.
  41. ^ "Billboard's 50 Best Albums of 2018: Critics' Picks". Billboard. 10 December 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  42. ^ "The 50 best albums of 2018". Fact Mag. 13 December 2018.
  43. ^ Jackson, Dan (20 December 2018). "The Best Albums of 2018". Thrillist.
  44. ^ "The Best Albums of 2018". Complex. 5 December 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  45. ^ "The 40 best albums of 2018: From Arctic Monkeys to Christine and the Queens, Kendrick Lamar to Janelle Monae". Independent. 20 December 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  46. ^ "The 50 Best Albums Of 2018". Stereogum. 4 December 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  47. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2018". Crack Magazine. 20 December 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  48. ^ "The 25 best albums of 2018". On The A Side. 24 December 2018. Archived from the original on 27 December 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2019.
  49. ^ Barnes, Shane (7 December 2018). "The 25 Best Albums of 2018". Flavorwire.
  50. ^ "PAPER's Top 20 Albums of 2018". Paper Mag. 17 December 2018.
  51. ^ "Top 15 Hottest R&B Albums Of 2018". HotNewHipHop. 6 December 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  52. ^ "The 10 Best R&B Albums of 2018: Critics' Picks". Billboard. 26 December 2018.
  53. ^ "The Best Albums of 2018". Okayplayer. 1 January 2018.
  54. ^ a b Eustice, Kyle (July 2, 2018). "Hip Hop Album Sales: XXXTENTACION's "?" Lands At #2 On Billboard 200 Following His Death". Hip Hop DX. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  55. ^ "Teyana Taylor's "KTSE" Debuts At #12 On Top Album Sales, #17 On Billboard 200". Billboard. July 2, 2018. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  56. ^ Giacomazzo, Bernadette (July 9, 2018). "Hip Hop Album Sales: Drake's "Scorpion" Hits #1 On Billboard 200 With Massive First Week". Hiphopdx. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  57. ^ "Try the TIDAL Web Player". listen.tidal.com. Retrieved 11 October 2018.
  58. ^ "Ultratop.be – Teyana Taylor – K.T.S.E." (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  59. ^ "Teyana Taylor Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  60. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Teyana Taylor – K.T.S.E." (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  61. ^ "NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. July 2, 2018. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  62. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
  63. ^ "Teyana Taylor Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  64. ^ "Teyana Taylor Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  65. ^ K.T.S.E. by Teyana Taylor, 23 June 2018, retrieved 2019-10-04
  66. ^ "Teyana Taylor - K.T.S.E." Discogs. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
  67. ^ a b "Teyana Taylor - K.T.S.E." Discogs. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
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