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

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.