Fear of God II: Let Us Pray

Fear of God II: Let Us Pray is the major record label debut and extended play by American rapper Pusha T, released on November 8, 2011, under G.O.O.D. Music. The EP was his first project with Kanye West's GOOD Music label, since the announcement of his signing in September 2010. Pusha T claims his inspiration for Fear of God is that a vast majority of the people who he came in the music business with are in prison: "I came in the game with super producers. We made hit records. I never thought that it gets deeper. But not for nothing, 2009 I lost eight of my friends to incarceration. Everybody that I came in to the rap game with, and when I realized that those components weren't there anymore, the 'Fear of God' really came over me. It's full of the dichotomy of 'right and wrong' and 'good and evil'. A lot of it deals with greed. A lot of it deals with instant gratification. Personally... life without instant gratification... I don't know what it is."[3]

Fear of God II: Let Us Pray
EP by
Pusha T
ReleasedNovember 8, 2011 (2011-11-08)
Recorded2010–11
GenreHip hop
Length45:04
Label
Producer
Pusha T chronology
Fear of God
(2011)		 Fear of God II: Let Us Pray
(2011)		 Wrath of Caine
(2013)
Singles from Fear of God II: Let Us Pray
  1. "Trouble on My Mind"
    Released: July 12, 2011[1]
  2. "Amen"
    Released: September 13, 2011[2]
  3. "My God"
    Released: March 29, 2012

Background and release

Pusha T established his solo career in mid-2010, while still in the Clipse with Malice, appearing on songs "Runaway"[4] and "So Appalled" by Kanye West, propagating his features.[5] On March 21, 2011, Pusha T released his first solo work, a mixtape titled Fear of God. Released independently, it included features from Kanye West, 50 Cent, Rick Ross, Pharrell Williams and Kevin Cossom.[6] The EP is a re-release of the mixtape,[7][8] which has different structure, production and additional tracks. The EP was originally set to be released on June 21, 2011,[9] it was than pushed back to August 23, and for a while September 27, 2011, was believed to be the date, however on October 6, 2011, Thornton announced the EP is set to drop November 8, 2011. In addition it was revealed he added four more songs to the EP making it 12 tracks rather than just the nine tracks that were previously announced.[10] To begin promoting the album, he released a track produced by The Neptunes, titled "Trouble on My Mind", which features the frontman of rap collective Odd Future, Tyler, the Creator. The track "Everything That Glitters" featuring French Montana is also included on DJ Drama's third album Third Power (2011). The song "Amen" was originally meant for Young Jeezy and "Raid" was originally meant for 50 Cent for his third album Curtis (2007). "What Dreams Are Made of" samples a Ric Flair promo.

Singles

The album plays lead and Pusha T's debut single is "Trouble on My Mind", featuring Tyler, the Creator. Released on July 12, 2011,[11] the song was structured in two verses by both rappers.[12] The second single "Amen" featuring Kanye West and Young Jeezy was released August 11, 2011.

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[13]
Robert Christgau(A–)[14]
HipHopDX[15]
Pitchfork Media(7.1/10)[16]
Rolling Stone[17]
XXL (XL)[18]

Critical response

Fear of God II: Let Us Pray received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 69, based on 17 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[19] In his consumer guide for MSN Music, critic Robert Christgau gave it an A– rating,[14] indicating "the kind of garden-variety good record that is the great luxury of musical micromarketing and overproduction."[20] Christgau quipped in his review, "The grand beats are safer than the clenched, confining, arrogantly hookless minimalism of Hell Hath No Fury. But every mean word delivers, and with cameos from Tyler the Creator to 50 Cent it's as if he never went solo."[14]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 66 on the Billboard 200 with 8,900 copies sold in its first week released.[21] It also entered at number ten on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, at number eight on Billboard's Top Rap Albums, and at number 25 on its Digital Albums chart.[22][23] On the second week of its release the album sold 4,300 copies, bringing the total to 13,000 copies.[24]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Changing of the Guards" (featuring Diddy)
Rico Beats2:29
2."Amen" (featuring Kanye West and Young Jeezy)
Shawty Redd4:36
3."Trouble on My Mind" (featuring Tyler, the Creator)
3:32
4."What Dreams Are Made Of"ThorntonThe VIPs3:35
5."Body Work" (featuring Juicy J, Meek Mill, and French Montana)
Rico Beats4:29
6."Everything That Glitters" (featuring French Montana)
  • Thornton
  • Kharbouch
A-Traxx3:29
7."So Obvious"
Bangladesh3:15
8."Feeling Myself" (featuring Kevin Cossom)
Tha Bizness3:34
9."Raid" (featuring 50 Cent and Pharrell)
The Neptunes3:45
10."My God"
3:33
11."I Still Wanna" (featuring Rick Ross and Ab-Liva)
Lee Major4:16
12."Alone in Vegas"
Nottz4:31
Total length:45:04

Personnel

Charts
Chart (2011) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[21] 66
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[22] 10
US Top Rap Albums[23] 8

References
  1. Trouble on My Mind Amazon.com
  2. Amen (Explicit) Pusha T Amazon
  3. "Pusha T's Fear of God II: Let Us Pray Trailer [Video]". XXLMAG.COM. November 8, 2011. Retrieved November 14, 2011.
  4. "Kanye West f. Pusha T – Runaway". HipHopDX. September 14, 2010. Archived from the original on July 7, 2011. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
  5. Steven Horowitz (October 6, 2011). "Pusha T Announces Release Date For "Fear Of God II: Let Us Pray"". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2015.
  6. "Pusha T – Fear of God mixtape". HipHopDX. March 21, 2011. Archived from the original on May 30, 2011. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
  7. Kuperstein, Slava (May 8, 2011). "Pusha T Talks Odd Future, "Fear Of God 2"". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on August 4, 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  8. Iandoli, Kathy (July 19, 2011). "Tracklist Revealed For Pusha T's "Fear Of God: Let Us Pray" EP". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
  9. Blanco, Alvin (April 19, 2011). "Pusha T Set To Drop Fear of God 2 In June - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV.com. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  10. "Pusha T Announces November Release For Solo Debut, 'Fear of God II'". Ballerstatus. October 6, 2011. Retrieved October 7, 2011.
  11. "Pusha T – Trouble on My Mind (feat. Tyler, The Creator) single at iTunes". iTunes. July 12, 2011. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
  12. "Pusha T f. Tyler The Creator – "Trouble On My Mind" video". HipHopDX. July 21, 2011. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved July 21, 2011.
  13. Jeffries, David. link. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2011-11-12.
  14. Christgau, Robert (November 29, 2011). "Tom Waits/Pusha T". MSN Music. Microsoft. Archived from the original on December 4, 2011. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  15. Thornton, Alex. link Archived November 11, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. HipHopDX. Retrieved on 2011-11-12.
  16. Sargent, Jordan. link. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2011-11-12.
  17. Trammell, Matthew. link. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2011-11-12.
  18. Bristout, Ralph. link. XXL. Retrieved on 2011-11-12.
  19. "Fear of God II: Let Us Pray [EP] Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  20. Christgau, Robert (October 15, 2000). "CG 90s: Key to Icons". Robert Christgau. Retrieved December 1, 2011.
  21. "Pusha T Album & Song Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  22. R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Week of November 26, 2011. Billboard. Retrieved on 2011-11-19.
  23. Rap Albums – Week of November 26, 2011. Billboard. Retrieved on 2011-11-19.
  24. Jacobs, Allen. "Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 11/20/2011". Hip Hop DX. Archived from the original on January 23, 2015. Retrieved November 23, 2011.
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