Hamilton, Charles is the second studio album and major-label debut by American hip hop recording artist, Charles Hamilton following the shelving and later leak of his commercial debut "This Perfect Life" in 2009.[1] Released on December 9, 2016 by Starchasers Records, First Access Entertainment (formerly Turn First Records), and Republic Records, the album serves as Hamilton's major label debut, after his signing to First Access and Republic in early 2015.

Hamilton, Charles
Studio album by
ReleasedDecember 9, 2016
Recorded2014–16
GenreHip hop
Length47:31
Label
Producer
Charles Hamilton chronology
The Black Box
(2015)
Hamilton, Charles
(2016)

Background

edit

After taking a hiatus from Mainstream media and releasing his music independently via his personal blogs, on October 16, 2014 Hamilton announced via his blog that he had finally started working on his debut studio album.[2]

It would later be announced Hamilton signed a major label record deals with First Access Entertainment (formerly Turn First Records) and Republic Records.[3][4][5][6][7] On December 12, 2015 during an interview, Hamilton told Billboard that he had more than 100 songs to choose from for his upcoming major-label debut album.[8]

On April 19, 2016 during an interview Hamilton would announce the title of his debut album entitled Hamilton Charles.[9] On October 28, 2016 Hamilton would announce that the release date for his upcoming major-label debut album Hamilton, Charles would be released on December 2, 2016, but it would later get pushed back to December 9.[10][11]

The cover art was revealed when the album was made available for pre-order on iTunes.[12]

Music and lyrics

edit

Hamilton, Charles is a concept album it is a continuation of Hamilton's concept EP The Black Box that revolves around taking a plane trip around Hamilton's mind & his songs are part of the recordings on the Flight recorder which two men later discover after the plane wrecks.[13] The album's production was handled primarily by Charles Hamilton and The Invisible Men.

On the track entitled "Stay There" off the album Hamilton would address the controversy of getting punched by his former girlfriend at the time & Mary J. Blige's former stepdaughter Briana Latrise stating "Briana had good pussy, why hit her back?, I got my hit back that night in the sack, Shut up management, I'm tryin' to rap, Y'all act like I don't know I die for this craft" Hamilton would also address the past controversy of him dissing fellow rapper J. Cole on a 2012 track entitled "It's My World" stating "I'm not apologizing to Cole, I'm sodomizing his soul, The bottom line is I was high off of coke, Ignore it, I kinda had to force it, it sucked, MTV asked and I didn't give a fuck, I put the shit out and I didn't get a buck, It wasn't for attention cause shit I get enough."[14]

Release and promotion

edit

On January 28, 2015, Hamilton released a snippet of a song, titled "Correct". The song, was produced by Hamilton himself, on March 8, 2015 he would release the full version.[15][16][17] On December 11, 2015 Hamilton would release an extended play entitled The Black Box as promotion for the album.[18][19][20]

On December 2, 2016, Hamilton released a 50-minute documentary, titled 'Let it Play...Faultlines': The Phoenix That Rose From The Ashes, on Red Bull TV. The documentary features footage of Hamilton, following his life & his career.[21][22] The film was directed by Fred Scott.[23]

Critical reception

edit
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
HipHopDX     

Upon its release, Hamilton, Charles was met with positive reviews from music critics. HipHopDX called it a personal triumph & artistic snare.[24]

Track listing

edit
Hamilton, Charles — Standard version[25][26]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Oh Well"
5:22
2."Clowns"
  • Hamilton
  • Charles Hamilton
  • The Invisible Men
3:24
3."Everyone"
  • Hamilton
  • Charles Hamilton
  • The Invisible Men
3:53
4."Correct"
  • Hamilton
  • Charles Hamilton
  • The Invisible Men
3:44
5."Be with You"
  • Hamilton
  • Charles Hamilton
  • The Invisible Men
3:33
6."Make Yourself Over"
  • Hamilton
  • Charles Hamilton
  • The Invisible Men
3:20
7."Man's World"
  • Hamilton
  • Charles Hamilton
  • The Symphony
4:14
8."MVP"
  • Hamilton
  • Charles Hamilton
  • The Invisible Men
3:21
9."Only Christina Knows"
  • Hamilton
  • Charles Hamilton
  • The Invisible Men
3:30
10."Real Life"
  • Hamilton
  • Charles Hamilton
  • The Invisible Men
3:59
11."Stay There"
  • Hamilton
  • Charles Hamilton
  • The Invisible Men
5:46
Total length:44:06
Hamilton, Charles — iTunes Store standard version[12]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
12."Ugly Supermodel"
  • Hamilton
  • Charles Hamilton
  • The Invisible Men
3:25
Total length:47:31

Release history

edit
Country Date Format Label
United States December 9, 2016

References

edit
  1. ^ Spadine, Richard (September 21, 2009). "Charles Hamilton Leaks Unreleased Debut, "This Perfect Life" [Download]". DJBooth. Archived from the original on May 3, 2023. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  2. ^ [1] [dead link]
  3. ^ Weinstein, Max (26 January 2015). "Charles Hamilton Signs With Iggy Azalea's Management Company". Watchcloud.com.
  4. ^ Caldwell, Brandon (January 27, 2015). "What Do Charles Hamilton, Iggy Azalea And Rita Ora Have In Common?". Vibe. Archived from the original on May 2, 2023. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  5. ^ Frydenlund, Zach (February 18, 2015). "Charles Hamilton Is Officially Back, Signs Deal With Republic Records". Complex Networks. Archived from the original on September 17, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  6. ^ Smith, Trevor (February 18, 2015). "Charles Hamilton Signs With Republic Records, New Single With Rita Ora To Debut On "Empire"". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on May 1, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  7. ^ Langhorne, Cyrus (February 18, 2015). ""Empire" Set To Spark Charles Hamilton's Long-Awaited Comeback". SOHH. Archived from the original on April 26, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  8. ^ Rys, Dan (December 14, 2015). "Charles Hamilton vs. The Mainstream: 'I Know Too Much, Period'". Billboard. Archived from the original on February 1, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  9. ^ Malbin (April 16, 2016). "Charles Hamilton Announces Debut Album 'Hamilton Charles'". Fashionably-Early.com. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  10. ^ "Twitter". Twitter.com.
  11. ^ Hamilton, Charles (28 October 2016). "Enter the Hamilton: Hamilton, Charles". Enterthehamilton.blogspot.com.
  12. ^ a b "Hamilton, Charles by Charles Hamilton on Apple Music". iTunes.
  13. ^ "Sunday Sit Down with EmEz: Charles Hamilton | EmEz | Power 105.1 FM". Archived from the original on December 24, 2016. Retrieved December 24, 2016.
  14. ^ Diep, Eric (December 9, 2016). "Stream Charles Hamilton's New Album 'Hamilton, Charles'". Complex Networks. Archived from the original on August 13, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  15. ^ Lyons, Patrick (January 28, 2015). "Correct". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on October 7, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  16. ^ "Charles Hamilton "Correct"". XXL. January 28, 2015. Archived from the original on March 2, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  17. ^ "Here's The Full Version Of Charles Hamilton's "Correct"". Uk.complex.com.
  18. ^ "The Black Box - EP by Charles Hamilton on Apple Music". iTunes.
  19. ^ "The Black Box". Amazon.com.
  20. ^ "Charles Hamilton: The Black Box - Music on Google Play". Play.google.com.
  21. ^ "Let it Play...Faultlines - The Phoenix That Rose From The Ashes". Redbull.tv. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  22. ^ Gensler, Andy (December 1, 2016). "New Doc 'Faultlines' Profiles the Gifted, Troubled Rapper Charles Hamilton Ahead of His Debut Record: Exclusive Preview". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 7, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2016.
  23. ^ Goddard, Kevin (December 1, 2016). "Red Bull TV To Release New Documentary About "What Happened To Charles Hamilton?"". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on October 7, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  24. ^ Johnsen, Homer (December 21, 2016). "Review: "Hamilton, Charles" Marks A Personal Triumph & Artistic Snare". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved December 24, 2021.
  25. ^ "Hamilton, Charles". Amazon.com.
  26. ^ "Charles Hamilton: Hamilton, Charles - Music on Google Play". Play.google.com.
  27. ^ Goddard, Kevin (December 9, 2016). "Stream Charles Hamilton's Debut Album "Hamilton, Charles"". HotNewHipHop. Archived from the original on October 7, 2023. Retrieved October 7, 2023.