Light of Mine
Light of Mine is the debut studio album by American rapper and singer Kyle. It was released on May 18, 2018, by Independently Popular and Atlantic Records.[1][2][3] The album features guest appearances from Kehlani, 2 Chainz, Sophia Black, Khalid, Take 6, Avery Wilson, Lil Yachty and Alessia Cara. The album was supported by four singles; "iSpy", "To the Moon", "Playinwitme" and “Ikuyo". A deluxe version of the album was released on August 23, 2019. It features three previously released singles: "Moment" featuring Wiz Khalifa, "SuperDuperKyle" featuring MadeinTYO, "Hey Julie!" featuring Lil Yachty, and most recently released single "F You I Love You" featuring Teyana Taylor, along with two new songs.
Light of Mine | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | May 18, 2018 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 50:58 | |||
Label |
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Producer |
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Kyle chronology | ||||
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Singles from Light of Mine | ||||
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Artwork
The cover art was designed by SuperDuperBrick and James McCloud, who previously collaborated on the art for Kehlani’s debut album SweetSexySavage.
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Highsnobiety | 3.5/5[4] |
HipHopDX | 3.8/5[5] |
NME | [6] |
Pitchfork | 6.9/10[7] |
Vice (Expert Witness) | [8] |
Light of Mine received favorable positive reviews from music critics. At Album of the Year, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 75 based on five reviews.[9]
In his review for Highsnobiety, Russell Dean Stone wrote that "At best, you could say that Light of Mine is optimism as cultural rebellion – at worst, it plays things too safe in an attempt to be liked by everyone (in Kyle’s defense, at least it doesn’t feel he’s ever trying to be anything he’s not)".[4] In Vice, Robert Christgau summed it up as the "best innocent act in r&b, with girlish female cameos nailing two fetching numbers", naming "Ikuyo" and "Games" as highlights.[8]
Commercial performance
Light of Mine debuted at number 29 on the Billboard 200, selling 17,000 album-equivalent units and 2,000 pure album sales in its first week. The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over 500,000 copies in the United States. It was also certified gold in Canada.
Track listing
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Ups & Downs" |
| M-Phazes | 4:44 |
2. | "Coming, Going?" (featuring Take 6) |
| Ricci Riera | 1:57 |
3. | "Zoom" |
|
| 2:46 |
4. | "Ikuyo" (featuring 2 Chainz and Sophia Black) |
|
| 3:41 |
5. | "Games" |
|
| 2:19 |
6. | "Babies" (featuring Alessia Cara) |
|
| 4:00 |
7. | "OpenDoors" (featuring Avery Wilson) |
| Jordan Reyes | 5:03 |
8. | "To the Moon" |
|
| 2:51 |
9. | "Playinwitme" (featuring Kehlani) |
|
| 3:11 |
10. | "iMissMe" (featuring Khalid) |
|
| 3:09 |
11. | "ShipTrip" |
|
| 2:55 |
12. | "Rodeo" |
|
| 3:54 |
13. | "It's Yours" |
| M-Phazes | 4:11 |
14. | "Clouds" |
|
| 2:05 |
15. | "iSpy" (featuring Lil Yachty) |
|
| 4:12 |
Total length: | 50:58 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
16. | "F You I Love You" (featuring Teyana Taylor) | M-Phazes | 3:56 | |
17. | "Hey Julie!" (featuring Lil Yachty) |
|
| 2:36 |
18. | "Mmmm" | 2:48 | ||
19. | "SuperDuperKyle" (featuring MadeinTYO) | Ronny J | 2:49 | |
20. | "Moment" (featuring Wiz Khalifa) |
|
| 3:08 |
21. | "Kyoto" | 3:06 |
- Sample credits
- "Ups & Downs" contains an interpolation of "Just What I Am", as performed by Kid Cudi featuring King Chip.
Charts
Chart (2018) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[12] | 33 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[13] | 144 |
US Billboard 200[14] | 29 |
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[15] | 16 |
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada)[16] | Gold | 40,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[17] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Release history
Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Various | May 18, 2018 | Atlantic | [10] | |
July 20, 2018 | CD | [18] | ||
October 19, 2018 | Vinyl | [19] | ||
References
- Johnson, Cherise (April 19, 2018). "KYLE's "Light Of Mine" Debut Album Gets Release Date". HipHopDX. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
- Enos, Morgan (April 19, 2018). "KYLE Announces Debut Album 'Light of Mine' & North American Tour With Logic". Billboard. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
- P., Milca (May 11, 2018). "Kyle To Feature Kehlani, Khalid, 2 Chainz & More On Debut Album "Light Of Mine"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
- "KYLE - 'Light of Mine' Review: Positivity Personified". 22 May 2018.
- "Review: KYLE's "Light of Mine" Shines Optimism into Dark Times". 27 May 2018.
- "KYLE – 'Light of Mine' Review". NME. 22 May 2018.
- "KYLE: Light of Mine". Pitchfork.
- Christgau, Robert (April 19, 2019). "Robert Christgau on Khalid's Textured Anxiety". Vice. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
- "Kyle - Light of Mine - Reviews - Album of the Year". Album of the Year. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
- "Light of Mine by KYLE". itunes.apple.com. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
- "Light of Mine (Deluxe) by KYLE". 23 August 2019.
- "Kyle Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – Kyle – Light Of Mine" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
- "Kyle Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
- "Kyle Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "Canadian album certifications – Kyle – Light of Mine". Music Canada.
- "American album certifications – Kyle – Light of Mine". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
- "KYLE – Light of Mine – Amazon.com Music". Amazon. ASIN B07CXYMXVZ. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- "Kyle – Light of Mine (2018, Clear, Vinyl)". Discogs. 19 October 2018.