Schoolboy Q Ranked His Own Albums And Detailed The Creative Processes Behind Them

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Schoolboy Q’s new album, Blue Lips, dropped Friday and the South Central rapper is taking the opportunity to look back on his career as a whole. While he’s been more active on Twitter lately as he promotes his new album, he asked fans if he could “be a nerd” and spend some time talking about his past albums. Like Jay-Z before him, he did so in the form of a ranking. Here’s Schoolboy Q’s ranking of his albums, along with the reasoning for each one.

How Schoolboy Q Ranked His Albums

6. Setbacks

Q ranks his 2011 debut the lowest out of his discography because “I barely started rapping & u can tell.” However, he does credit TDE President Punch for being “smart” for signing him.

5. Crash Talk

2019’s Crash Talk was Q’s most recent release but it’s far from his favorite. Although he thinks the album has “sum of my best rappin even tHo it wasn’t to my standards,” he gives it a demerit for “cHasing tHe first week number.”

4. Oxymoron

Q’s third album lands in the middle of both his discography and his ranking. While it marked the beginning of his commercial dominance, receiving a Platinum certification and spawning fan-favorite singles like “Collard Greens”, “Man Of The Year,” and “Yay Yay,” Quincy didn’t much enjoy having to make multiple versions for different outlets like Target, Best Buy, and Apple (which probably explains why Blue Lips isn’t getting a deluxe edition).

3. Habits & Contradictions

By indie standards, 2012’s Habits & Contradictions was an impressive success, announcing Q’s arrival on the mainstream level despite its humble resources. While he says he’d “take away maybe 3 songs” (without saying which three), he gives it an “8/10.”

2. Blank Face LP

The TDE rapper’s fourth studio album and second on a major, 2016’s Blank Face was his departure from expectations, what he calls “one of the most creative GANGSTA RAP albums ever.” While the creative risks may have hindered it as a high-profile follow-up to his hit mainstream debut, Q considers it a “classic.”

1. Blue Lips

Naturally, Q feels like his newest is his best, but he might not be too off-base. Q got vulnerable discussing the direction of the new album, admitting “album been done for years,” but confessing that he wasn’t sure about releasing it in the modern climate. “I just didn’t know wHere I would fit in tHis circus of just bullsHit & algoritHm,” he said. However, it certainly looks like his courage is paying off.

Blue Lips is out now via TDE/Interscope.

ScHoolboy Q Ranks His Own Albums, Reveals Five-Year Process Behind “BLUE LIPS”

ScHoolboy Q is still riding high off the critical success of his new album BLUE LIPS. Moreover, the five-year wait clearly resulted in a hit for fans, and he’s been very active on social media to engage with them and enjoy this moment. In fact, the TDE rapper wanted to look back on his storied career and rank all of his six projects from worst to best from his perspective. From what you’ll see below, it’s clear that there might be a bit of recency bias here, but an understandable one. After all, after working on an album for five years, he must feel incredibly proud to finally put it our there.

Furthermore ScHoolboy Q’s “worst” project, in his opinion, is his 2011 studio debut, Setbacks, in which he says he was “finding [himself] but was pretty good for only rapping about 4-5 years.” Next is 2019’s CrasH Talk, which he thinks was “cHasing tHe first week number,” and following that is 2014’s Oxymoron, which had a “lot of pop records.” Then, 2012’s Habits & Contradictions lands at No. 3 on the “Pop” MC’s list (which “made [him] who [he is]”), and the silver medal goes to 2016’s Blank Face LP, which he thinks is “one of the most creative gangsta rap albums ever.” Finally, he thinks that BLUE LIPS is his best. Check out all these explanations down below.

Read More: SZA, Isaiah Rashad, And More React To ScHoolboy Q Playing His New Album For Jay-Z

ScHoolboy Q’s Ranking For His Own Albums

In addition to all this, the 37-year-old recently pulled the curtain on the process behind BLUE LIPS. “I knew where I was going with it in 2019,” ScHoolboy Q told BACKONFIGG in an interview published Saturday (March 2). “Most of these songs were recorded early, lyrics wise. I always tell people, I’m more of a producer than I am a rapper. I explained everything… and we took literally almost five years *laughs*. That’s just how I work. I got more songs than ‘Pac, for sure. If I’m being honest, I recycle a lot of lyrics. I have a lot of songs, but I take words from other songs.”

Q Reveals Five-Year Process Behind BLUE LIPS

Meanwhile, what do you think about this album ranking? Do you agree or disagree with his praise of BLUE LIPS, and with fans calling it the album of the year so far? However you may feel, let us know in the comments section down below. Also, stay up to date on HNHH for the latest news and more updates on ScHoolboy Q.

Read More: ScHoolboy Q Shares The “Cringiest” Lyric He Ever Wrote

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Will Schoolboy Q Release A ‘Blue Lips’ Deluxe Album?

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This past New Music Friday, Schoolboy Q released his first album in nearly five years, Blue Lips. The long-awaited follow-up to 2019’s Crash Talk, Blue Lips contained guest appearances from Ab-Soul, AZ Chike, Childish Major, Freddie Gibbs, Jozzy, Rico Nasty, and more. Prior to its release, Q dropped one single, “Yeern 101,” as well as teasers of several other tracks from the album, and although it’s still early, the album has already drawn major praise from critics and fans as a satisfying comeback for the South Central rapper.

It’s been so well-received so far, you may be wondering if there’s more new music on the horizon for the TDE star, particularly in the form of a deluxe re-release, which has become a standard for the music business as a whole.

Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it looks like Schoolboy isn’t a big fan of the format, so the answer is most likely a “no.” “Labels & artist kinda killed da deluxe,” he told a fan on Twitter. “it’s a scam.. no way I’m adding 3-4 songs to my album a week after it drop. I work 2 Hard on my craft for a extra 2k in sales. nobody cares.”

To be fair, the man’s got a point. During the big music industry slowdown during 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, it became common practice for artists — especially rappers — to follow-up new releases with “deluxe” editions adding a handful of new songs in the hopes of juicing streams. In some cases, a whole album’s worth of new tracks were added. While the strategy was seen as a useful middle ground to save resources from promoting EPs or mixtapes to keep artists’ buzz alive between albums, it’s rarely produced very many viable tracks or huge bumps in streaming numbers.

Perhaps Schoolboy’s decision to avoid chasing the trend will benefit him in the long run, giving fans time to actually anticipate his next release.

ScHoolboy Q & Rico Nasty Go Ballistic On “Pop”

One of the trademark formulas that ScHoolboy Q has pretty much perfected up until this point is delivery gritty bangers. Just listen to tracks like “Gangsta” and “The Purge,” for example and you will see what we mean. BLUE LIPS has some variations of that style as well across the record. “Pop,” with its heavy percussion and nasty guitar riffs, are perfect complements to ScHoolboy Q and Rico Nasty’s aggressive lyrics and cadence.

When it comes to a majority of rap albums, you are almost always looking for a strong opener to reel you in. In essence, it sets up the rest of the listening experience. “Pop” passes with flying colors in that department, as Q and Rico have great chemistry on this cut. It in its simplest form, this song is all about violence and sending warning shots to anyone trying to step up to you.

Read More: Kid Cudi Hypes Up His Two Upcoming Films, Gets Head Tattoo Around His Skull

Listen To “Pop” By ScHoolboy Q & Rico Nasty

While Rico does deliver a zany performance, her verse would have been even better if it was a tad longer. “I ain’t poppin’ my s***, I keep a spear / I’m fresh as a mint, I’m hard as cement / You can’t leave a dent, demolish him, finish him.” It has so much potential based on these opening lines, but for the amount of time she had, she did make the most of it. ScHoolboy Q recently ranked this as his best album in a series of tweets, and we might have to agree with him, even if it is too early to say.

What are your thoughts on this brand-new song, “Pop,” by ScHoolboy Q and Rico Nasty? Is this the best track from BLUE LIPS, why or why not? What is your favorite element of the song and why? Is this the album of the year so far, why or why not? Who had the stronger performance? We would like to hear what you have to say, so be sure to leave your takes in the comments section. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding ScHoolboy Q and Rico Nasty. Finally, stay with us for the most informative song posts throughout the week.

Quotable Lyrics:

I probably shouldn’t walk, where I walk, n****
Socked out, watch the way you talkin’, when you talk, n**** (Uh)
Yeah (Got me f****d up, look)
I’m snatching n****s wave caps off, gang tats off
F*** yo’ set, hat get soakеd
Spilled that yolk, Figg Side

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ScHoolboy Q Gets First Week Sales Projections For New Album “BLUE LIPS”

ScHoolboy Q may have just crafted a gem of the 2020s with his new album BLUE LIPS, his first in five years. Moreover, fans have been very receptive to the comeback, singing the tracklist’s praises and breaking down all the intricacies within. Although this is still a very big release, it also feels like it really cements the TDE MC’s legend status rather than forge a new claim to the throne. Despite that, it seems like he will still make a big commercial impact and set up many more great albums to come. Furthermore, the first week sales projections for the LP are here via a HITSDailyDouble report.

According to this report, BLUE LIPS is expected to push between 30K and 35K album-equivalent units in its first week, based on day one streams and sales. While this might not seem like all that impressive compared to other big releases, it’s great to see that ScHoolboy Q can make a significant splash after so long out of the game. Of course, the cultural, critical, and fanbase impact was going to be there regardless, and it’s much more important than what any numbers suggest. Overall, the “Foux” spitter should be very proud of what he offered here, and of the success it’s bound to have.

Read More: ScHoolboy Q Shares The “Cringiest” Lyric He Ever Wrote

ScHoolboy Q Performing At TDE’s Annual Christmas Event In 2023

ScHoolboy Q New Album Blue Lips First Week Sales Projections Hip Hop News
Los Angeles, CA – December 19: SCHOOLBOY Q performs at Top Dawg Entertainment’s (TDE) 10th annual toy drive and concert featuring SZA, Jay Rock, YG and other TDE artists in the Nickerson Gardens housing projects on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023 in Los Angeles, CA. (Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

Not only that, but projections indicate BLUE LIPS will be the highest-charting album to debut this week on the Billboard 200 albums chart. It will be interesting to see if ScHoolboy Q can top other charting 2024 releases as of late in the rap world, namely Ye and Ty Dolla $ign’s VULTURES 1 and Yeat’s 2093. As for this week, it seems like Morgan Wallen’s One Thing at a Time will nab another non-consecutive week as the highest-charting album in the U.S. You probably still haven’t forgotten the absolutely dominant run that this country record went on in 2023, and it looks like it won’t slow down just yet.

Meanwhile, if you’re curious, you can check out fans’ reactions to BLUE LIPS and see if you agree. What did you think of this new album, and how do you feel about these first week sales projections? Whatever the case, let us know down in the comments section below. Also, check back in with HNHH for the latest news and updates on ScHoolboy Q.

Read More: Freddie Gibbs Disses DJ Akademiks On ScHoolboy Q’s New Album “Blue Lips”

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ScHoolboy Q & Ab-Soul Have A Fan-Favorite With “Foux”

ScHoolboy Q has finally given us BLUE LIPS and we are very pleased to say that it has delivered and then some. The California rapper almost always seems to be at his peak when he experiments with instrumentals, cadences, lyrics, and flows. Q does that throughout the duration of the LP and you can definitely tell five years were needed to craft this body of work. While it may not be for everyone, there is no doubt that this project was worth the wait. One highlight we had to cover is ScHoolboy Q and Ab-Soul’s “Foux.”

This one of the more introspective cuts here, as it sees each TDE talent dealing with internal struggles. Q’s hook is infectious but also quite gloomy. He quickly raps over the scattering drum patterns, howling background vocals, and somber piano keys. Incredibly, outside of some Black Hippy cuts, this the first time we have heard Q and Ab-Soul on a song together since 2012 with “Druggys Wit H**s Again.”

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Listen To “Foux” By ScHoolboy Q & Ab-Soul

In fact, ScHoolboy references the first of those two songs, “Druggy’s Wit H**s.” That landed on his debut, Setbacks, and you can hear the callback on the bridge. Ab-Soul does not disappoint either. “Shot for the moon, now I need my gat
Cocaine is a hell of a drug / And my year been Heaven above / But ’nuff is just never enough / I’m stuck when I should be levelin’ up
.”

What are your thoughts on this brand-new song, “Foux,” by ScHoolboy Q? Is this the best track from BLUE LIPS, why or why not? What is your favorite element of the song and why? Is this the album of the year so far, why or why not? Who had the stronger performance? We would like to hear what you have to say, so be sure to leave your takes in the comments section. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding ScHoolboy Q. Finally, stay with us for the most informative song posts throughout the week.

Quotable Lyrics:

Got a house full of cars and it be like that (Be like that)
House full of pain and it be like that (Be like that)
Fell out of love and it be like that (Be like that)
Mouth full of drugs and it be like that
I done ran out of faith and it be like that (Be like that)
Hid many times and it be like that (Be like that)

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Fans React To ScHoolboy Q’s New Album “Blue Lips,” AOTY Praise Dominates

After a long five-year-or-so wait, ScHoolboy Q is finally back in the album game with his new offering, Blue Lips. Across 18 songs, 56 minutes, and with the help of eight featured artists across nine guest spots and a wealth of talented producers, he came through with a versatile, vibrant, often messy, but still compelling project. But that’s what this writer thinks; what about die-hards who have also been waiting on new music from the TDE rapper for years? Well, if Twitter is anything to go by, then he definitely found a big hit with audiences with this new record.

Furthermore, many fans compared the “Love Birds” MC’s Blue Lips to previously beloved LPs in his catalog like Oxymoron and Blank Face. However, it’s not much of a comparison, as he reinvents himself in both measured and aggressive spaces on this new album. What’s more is that ScHoolboy Q’s also been very active on social media, responding to praise for the album and providing some wholesome fan interactions. It goes to show an underrated part of the album rollout experience: artists enjoying the process, their craft, and their results as much as the ears they intended to hit.

Read More: ScHoolboy Q Shares The “Cringiest” Lyric He Ever Wrote

ScHoolboy Q Gets Fans’ Praise For Blue Lips

Meanwhile, this album also wasn’t without its fair share of eyebrow-raising lyrical moments, the biggest of which (at press time) has nothing to do with ScHoolboy Q. Freddie Gibbs reignited his beef with DJ Akademiks with his feature verse on “oHio,” which had a lot of fans joking around online. It’s nowhere near the most standout part of the lyrical content here, but it’s the most headline-inducing detail listeners have noticed so far in the few hours since Blue Lips‘ release. It will be interesting to see what bar-for-bar breakdowns of this record will yield in the coming days and weeks. Check out more reactions to the project down below.

More Fan Reactions

But enough about Twitter fingers; what did you think of Blue Lips? Do you think that Jay-Z had the same to say about the album when he listened to it or must he have some untapped genius beyond our grasp? Whatever the case, let us know in the comments section down below. Also, keep checking in with HNHH for the latest news and updates on ScHoolboy Q.

Read More: SZA, Isaiah Rashad, And More React To ScHoolboy Q Playing His New Album For Jay-Z

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ScHoolboy Q Shares The “Cringiest” Lyric He Ever Wrote

ScHoolboy Q is dropping his new album Blue Lips in just a couple of hours at press time, and it’s been great to see him engage with excited fans online ahead of the release. Moreover, he recently answered a fan’s question on Twitter about the “cringiest lyric [he] ever wrote looking back.” “‘Make da p***y drip like a slitted wrist,’” the TDE MC replied on the social media platform. “[Two facepalm emojis] like braH embarrassing.” Of course, any great lyricist has at least a couple of duds on their track record, and it doesn’t take away from his many great bars. But folks are hoping that the 37-year-old doesn’t stoop back down to this level on this new LP.

Jokes aside, there is one person who would’ve definitely called out any weak lines on Blue Lips, and that’s none other than Jay-Z. After expressing his wishes to do so on Twitter -– and after “hip-hop Twitter” called it to action -– ScHoolboy Q was able to play the new album for Hov. Many within and outside of his Top Dawg camp reacted to this news excitedly online, let alone hardcore fans waiting for a new full-length record from him for a long time. We can’t help but wonder what other top-tier wordsmiths were able to take a peek behind the curtain for this project.

Read More: ScHoolboy Q On His Resurfaced Opinion About White People Saying The N-Word: “I Was On Drugs”

ScHoolboy Q Crowns This As His Most Cringe-Inducing Bar Of All Time

What’s more is that ScHoolboy Q’s album listening event for Blue Lips over the weekend fueled this excitement even more. One particular song sounds absolutely grimy, and in a clip circulating on social media, you can see fans go wild for it. We’re sure that the tracklist will contain a lot of peaks and valleys when it comes to energy and aggression. But it’s nice to see a lot of versatility from the teases, especially from such a big release.

Meanwhile, would you also rank this bar as the cringiest one that the “Cooties” spitter’s ever delivered? What are some other contenders that pop up for you, and how do you think Blue Lips will shape up? Whatever the case, let us know in the comments section down below. Also, check back in with HNHH for the latest news and updates on ScHoolboy Q.

Read More: ScHoolboy Q Doesn’t Want Bobbi Althoff Interview

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