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I Told You

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I Told You
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 19, 2016
Recorded2015–16
Genre
Length78:53
Label
Producer
Tory Lanez chronology
The New Toronto
(2015)
I Told You
(2016)
Chixtape IV
(2017)
Singles from I Told You
  1. "Say It"
    Released: July 15, 2015
  2. "Luv"
    Released: July 29, 2016

I Told You is the debut studio album by Canadian rapper Tory Lanez. It was released on August 19, 2016, through Mad Love Records and Interscope Records. Recording sessions took place from 2015 to 2016. The production on the album was contributed by Lanez, alongside several other record producers such as Benny Blanco, Cashmere Cat, Frank Dukes, DJ Dahi, Pop Wansel and Noah Breakfast, among others.

I Told You was supported by two singles: "Say It" and "Luv". Despite commercial success, the album received generally mixed reviews from music critics. It debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 chart, earning 52,000 album-equivalent units in its first week.[1]

Recording and production

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In an interview with HotNewHipHop, Lanez spoke on the album: "I was tryna come up with a title for mad long and that what was kind of slowing me down cause I didn't want to make music off the wrong title... I might fuck around and not put no features on it. It has to have features that I can put on it and then there's those days where I'm like 'you know, I don't really need any features on it'. I prefer albums in the 10-12 [track list range], you know that 18 be too long sometime because sometimes I wanna listen to an album from top to front and 18 songs is like 70 minutes of music. That's too much for me to comprehend and understand and I really want people to look at the musicalities of what we're putting out as far as the product and how good it is."[2]

Release and promotion

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In August 2015, Lanez performed on the Mac Miller's GO:OD AM Tour.[3] On October 15, 2015, the singer announced that he will be headlining "The Swavenation Tour" with fellow American rapper Boogie.[4] On December 25, 2015, these mixtapes such as Chixtape III and The New Toronto were promoted as the prelude for his major-label debut album.[5][6]

On April 1, 2016, the singer and fellow American rapper ASAP Ferg announced that they will be performing in "The Level Up Tour", setting up the two to perform in a special joint set, trading off between their own tracks and collaborations.[7] On June 10, 2016, Lanez revealed the title to the album and tweeted, "The Album is coming this summer".[8]

On July 7, 2016, the singer announced that he will be headlining the I Told You tour, to support the album. The tour started on July 22, in WayHome Music & Arts Festival in Oro-Medonte, Ontario. Lanez will be traveling across North America through December 2016, with stops at Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, Made in America, and the Mad Decent Block Party.[9]

Singles

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On July 15, 2015, Lanez released the first single from the album, called "Say It".[10] The song was produced by Pop Wansel and Toro. The music video was released on August 11, 2015.[11] The song peaked at number 23 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and number 10 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts. On July 29, 2016, Lanez released the second single from the album, called "Luv" on iTunes.[12] The song was produced by Cashmere Cat and Benny Blanco. The song peaked at number 19 on the US Billboard Hot 100, and number 9 on the US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
Exclaim!6/10[14]
HipHopDX2.8/5[15]
HotNewHipHop80%[16]
Now[17]
Pitchfork Media6.3/10[18]
PopMatters[19]

In a positive review, online publication HotNewHipHop, who collectively rated the album an 80, described the album as an "ambitious and lavish" project that showed that Lanez's future seemed "only brighter from here".[16] Kevin Ritchie of Now was also positive towards the project, saying that the album made "a convincing case for Lanez's pop appeal".[17]

Commercial performance

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I Told You debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 chart, earning 52,000 album-equivalent units (including 32,000 copies as pure album sales) in its first week.[1] This became Tory Lanez's first US top-ten debut on the chart.[1] The album also debuted at number two on the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[1] In its second week, the album dropped to number 16 on the chart, earning an additional 21,000 units.[20] As of March 2018, the album has earned 538,000 album-equivalent units and 95,000 copies in pure album sales in the US, according to Nielsen Music.[21] On March 16, 2021, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalenut units of over 500,000 units in the United States.[22]

Track listing

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Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[23]

Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."I Told You / Another One"
  • Play Picasso
  • Lavish
  • Tory Lanez
8:39
2."Guns and Roses"
4:28
3."Flex"
  • Lavish
  • Play Picasso
  • XXYYXX
  • Tory Lanez
5:45
4."To D.R.E.A.M."
  • Peterson
  • Nathan Perez
  • Gonzalez
  • Ash
  • Javeon McCarthy
  • Play Picasso
  • Happy Perez
  • Tory Lanez
  • Two Inch Punch
6:34
5."4AM Flex"
  • Peterson
  • Gonzalez
  • Sergio Romero
  • Play Picasso
  • Romero
4:27
6."Friends with Benefits"
5:29
7."Cold Hard Love"
  • Peterson
  • Perez
  • Gonzalez
  • Happy Perez
  • Play Picasso
  • Tory Lanez
5:58
8."High"
4:24
9."Dirty Money"
  • Peterson
  • Gonzalez
  • Play Picasso
  • Tory Lanez
5:37
10."Question Is"
  • Pop Wansel
  • Toro
7:11
11."Loners Blvd"
6:58
12."All the Girls"
  • Peterson
  • Perez
  • Gonzalez
  • Happy Perez
  • Play Picasso
  • Tory Lanez
4:48
13."Say It"
  • Pop Wansel
  • Toro
4:26
14."Luv"
  • Cashmere Cat
  • Benny Blanco
4:09
Total length:78:53
Target deluxe edition (bonus disc)[24]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
15."Come Back to Me"
  • Play Picasso
  • Romero
3:08
16."Honda Civic"D33J4:49
Total length:83:70

Notes

  • ^[a] signifies a co-producer
  • A skit is featured in between each track
  • "I Told You / Another One" features additional vocals by Nichole Gilbert and Teisha J. Brown
  • "Guns And Roses" and "4AM Flex" features additional vocals by Kadeem Brown and Elizabeth Ruiz
  • "Flex" features additional vocals by Kadeem Brown and Mikhail McCreath
  • "To D.R.E.A.M." features additional vocals by Javeon McCarthy and Kadeem Brown
  • "High" and "Dirty Money" features additional vocals by Elizabeth Ruiz and Robert Brown
  • "Question Is" features vocals by Brianna Cash and additional vocals by Teisha J. Brown, Nichole Gilbert and Elizabeth Ruiz
  • "Loners Blvd" features additional vocals by Matthew Adam, Sebastian Jorge Rompotis and Sonstar Peterson
  • "Say It" features additional vocals by Elizabeth Ruiz

Sample credits

Personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[23]

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[22] Gold 500,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Caulfield, Keith (August 28, 2016). "Frank Ocean's 'Blonde' Bows at No. 1 on Billboard 200 With Third-Largest Debut of 2016". Billboard. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  2. ^ Lilah, Rose (March 26, 2016). "Tory Lanez On Play Picasso, Debut Album & New Collaboration With ASAP Ferg". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  3. ^ Middleton, Ryan (September 25, 2015). "Mac Miller GO:OD AM Tour With Goldlink, Tory Lanez Announced". Music Times. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  4. ^ Benton-Martin, Erika (October 15, 2015). "Tory Lanez Announces 'The Swavenation Tour' After Young Thug Gig Postponed". Music Times. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  5. ^ Smith, Trevor (December 25, 2015). "Tory Lanez - The New Toronto | Download & Listen [New Mixtape]". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  6. ^ "Tory Lanez - Chixtape 3 Mixtape - Stream & Download". DatPiff. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  7. ^ "A$AP FERG AND TORY LANEZ ANNOUNCE 'LEVEL UP TOUR'". Rap-Up. April 1, 2016. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  8. ^ Goddard, Kevin (June 10, 2016). "Tory Lanez Reveals Debut Album Title". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  9. ^ "Tory Lanez Announces 'I Told You Tour'". Rap-Up. July 19, 2016. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  10. ^ "Say It - Single by Tory Lanez on iTunes". iTunes. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  11. ^ Davis, Justin (September 11, 2015). "Watch Tory Lanez's Video for "Say It"". Complex. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  12. ^ "Luv - Single by Tory Lanez on iTunes". iTunes. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  13. ^ "I Told You - Tory Lanez - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic.
  14. ^ "Tory Lanez I Told You".
  15. ^ "Tory Lanez - I Told You Review". HipHopDX. August 24, 2016.
  16. ^ a b Cavaseno, Maxwell (August 23, 2016). "Tory Lanez I Told You Review News". HNHH. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  17. ^ a b Tory Lanez's debut album, I Told You, has pop appeal - NOW Magazine
  18. ^ I Told You | Pitchfork
  19. ^ "Tory Lanez: I Told You". January 26, 2021.
  20. ^ Hernandez, Victoria (September 5, 2016). "Hip Hop Album Sales: Young Thug's "No, My Name Is Jeffrey" Lands In Top 10 of Billboard 200". HipHopDX. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  21. ^ Caulfield, Keith (March 7, 2018). "Tory Lanez's 'Memories Don't Die' Aiming for Top 5 Debut on Billboard 200 Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved March 8, 2018.
  22. ^ a b "American album certifications – Tory Lanez – I Told You". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  23. ^ a b I Told You (CD liner notes). Tory Lanez. Interscope Records. 2016. 94388-0.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  24. ^ "Tory Lanez – I Told You (Target Exclusive)". Target Corporation. Retrieved August 6, 2016.
  25. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Tory Lanez – I Told You". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
  26. ^ "Ultratop.be – Tory Lanez – I Told You" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
  27. ^ "Ultratop.be – Tory Lanez – I Told You" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
  28. ^ "Tory Lanez Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  29. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Tory Lanez – I Told You" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
  30. ^ "Lescharts.com – Tory Lanez – I Told You". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  31. ^ "NZ Heatseeker Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. August 29, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2016.
  32. ^ "VG-lista - Topp 40 Album uke 35, 2016". VG-lista. Retrieved September 3, 2016.
  33. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Tory Lanez – I Told You". Hung Medien. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  34. ^ 26, 2016/7502/ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
  35. ^ "Tory Lanez Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 29, 2016.
  36. ^ "Tory Lanez Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  37. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  38. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved May 28, 2020.