A Dream Deferred (album)

A Dream Deferred is the second studio album of Brooklyn rapper Skyzoo. The album was released on October 23, 2012. The album met with a largely positive critical response, earning 86/100 from Metacritic.[1] It is one of Skyzoo's best charting albums, reaching No. 7 on the Top Heatseekers chart, No. 191 on the Billboard 200, No. 25 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums , No. 18 on Top Rap Albums, and No. 40 on the Independent Albums chart.[2]

A Dream Deferred
Studio album by
Skyzoo
ReleasedOctober 2, 2012
Recorded2010-2012
Big China Studios
Brooklyn, New York
GenreHip hop
Length65:49
LabelThe Faculty/Duck Down Records
Producer!llmind, 9th Wonder, Jahlil Beats, Eric G., Focus..., DJ Khalil, Best Kept Secret, Black Milk, Tall Black Guy
Skyzoo chronology
Live from the Tape Deck
(2010)		 A Dream Deferred
(2012)		 Barrel Brothers
(2014)
Singles from A Dream Deferred
  1. "Jansport Strings"
    Released: August 5, 2012
  2. "Give It Up"
    Released: October 3, 2012
  3. "Spike Lee Was My Hero"
    Released: January 23, 2013

Production and release

The album was originally scheduled for release on September 18, 2012, but it got pushed back to October 2, 2012.

The album's lead single "Jansport Strings" was produced by 9th Wonder[3] and was released on August 7, 2012. Two more singles "Give It Up" and "Range Rover Rhythm" were released later.

Reception

Critical response
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic86/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
Exclaim![1][4]
HipHopDX[5]
Okayplayer[6]
PopMatters[7]
XXLXL[8]

A Dream Deferred largely received positive reviews upon its release from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 86, which indicates "universal acclaim", based on 5 reviews.[1] Earning 4/5 stars from HipHopDX,[5] PopMatters gave it 8/10,[7] Okayplayer gave it 9/10,[6] and it earned a positive review from the hip hop publication XXL.[8] It earned a lower score from the Canadian website Exclaim!, which gave it 6/10.[4]

Track listing
No.TitleProducer(s)[3]Length
1."Dreams In a Basement" (featuring Jill Scott)!llmind5:56
2."Jansport Strings (One Time for Chi-Ali)"9th Wonder3:19
3."Pockets Full" (featuring Freeway)!llmind4:15
4."Give It Up" (featuring DJ Prince)!llmind3:40
5."Glass Ceilings"!llmind3:49
6."Range Rover Rhythm"Jahlil Beats3:29
7."The Knowing" (featuring Jessy Wilson)Eric G.6:00
8."Drew & Derwin" (featuring Raheem DeVaughn)Focus...4:18
9."Realization" (featuring Jared Evan)DJ Khalil3:52
10."The Rage of Roemello"DJ Khalil5:38
11."How to Make It Through Hysteria"Best Kept Secret6:04
12."Steel's Apartment"Black Milk4:12
13."Spike Lee Was My Hero" (featuring Talib Kweli)Tall Black Guy5:37
14."The Cost of Sleep"Tall Black Guy5:38
Deluxe version bonus track
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
15."Live for the Moment" (featuring Colin Munroe)Colin Munroe4:41

Charts
Chart (2014) Peak
position[2]
US Billboard 200 (Billboard) 191
US Top Heatseekers (Billboard) 7
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) 25
US Independent Albums (Billboard) 40
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard) 18

Samples
  • "Jansport Strings (One Time for Chi-Ali)" contains a sample from "What Good Is A Castle" by Joe Bataan
  • "Pockets Full" contains a sample from "Synthetic Substitution" by Melvin Bliss
  • "Steel's Apartment" contains a sample from "Jupiter" by Hypnotic Brass Ensemble
  • "Spike Lee Was My Hero" contains a sample from "Windjammer" by Freddie Hubbard

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.[9]

References
  1. "A Dream Deferred - Skyzoo". Metacritic. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
  2. "Skyzoo Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2015-07-21.
  3. Skyzoo "A Dream Deferred" Tracklist & Cover Art from HipHopDX
  4. Patrick, Ryan (2 October 2012). "Skyzoo - A Dream Deferred". Exclaim!. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
  5. Mlynar, Phillip (10 October 2012). "Skyzoo - A Dream Deferred". HipHopDX. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
  6. "Skyzoo - A Dream Deferred". Okayplayer. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
  7. Amidon, David (18 October 2012). "Skyzoo: A Dream Deferred". PopMatters. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
  8. Lelinwalla, Mark (4 October 2012). "Skyzoo, A Dream Deferred". XXL. Retrieved 8 December 2012.
  9. Skyzoo (2012). A Dream Deferred. Duck Down Records.
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