I Am

by Yo Gotti

Overview

Like so many rappers who play it street level and live and die by the mixtape game, Memphis man Yo Gotti has maintained an uneasy relationship with the official album. His early work was indie to a fault, with long-players sounding patched together from mixtape numbers and other related whatnot, while his mainstream debut, 2012's Live from the Kitchen, suffered from its long birthing process, sounding patched together on the million-dollar level with too much input from the marketing department. Good news for fans who stuck it out this long is that I Am is the moment when the skies clear, as the album comes on strong with a hard-hitting set of openers, and then, the high quality is maintained with a set of easy-flowing supportive songs that broaden the LP spectrum, all without leaving Gotti's comfort zone. Hopefully, the Feds aren't watching, because the crack game is still everything to the man, as the earworm title track boasts "I can show you how to cook right, and what a million dollars look like" plus "Man, I got a car worth your budget" over a suitably scrappy Cool & Dre production. By the time the late-album highlight "King Sh*t" rolls around with T.I. on the assist, the production has opened up enough to allow for Gotti's mansion-on-the-hill attitude and Arthur McArthur and David Versis' brilliant and brittle strain of rap-rock, new sounds that are welcome because the expected hip-hop anchors have already been dropped. Going old-school on the great "I Know," producer and guest Rich Homie Quan samples the same bit of "Why You Treat Me So Bad" that was used on Luniz's "I Got 5 on It." Living in the tradition, Meek Mill and Gotti are a classic gutter combination on the raw "F-U," and when it comes to the downtrodden "hate the game" number, "Cold Blood" with J. Cole is a perfectly placed mid-album triumph. This one is so packed and bold, it even exits on a turned-up club stunner ("Act Right" with Jeezy and YG), so consider it the big longevity payoff after years of rocky Yo Gotti albums. ~ David Jeffries

Product Details

Release Date:	11/19/2013
Label:	Epic
UPC:	0888837848428

Tracks

1. I Am
2. Don't Come Around
3. I Know
4. Sorry
5. F-U
6. Pride to the Side
7. Cold Blood
8. LeBron James
9. Die a Real Nigga
10. King Sh*t
11. Respect That You Earn
12. Ion Want It
13. Act Right

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Yo Gotti   Primary Artist
Rich Homie Quan   Featured Artist
Kendall Morgan   Featured Artist
Kent Jones   Guitar (Bass)
T.I.   Featured Artist
Jeezy   Featured Artist
YG   Featured Artist
Ne-Yo   Featured Artist
Canei Finch   Featured Artist
Wale   Featured Artist
Meek Mill   Featured Artist

Technical Credits

Heather Santos   A&R
Lee On the Beats   Engineer,Producer
Metro Boomin   Producer
Caroline McFadden   A&R
Colin Fitch   Assistant
David Versis   Producer
Denzel Foster   Composer
Dequanted Lamar   Composer
Fabian Marisciullo   Mixing
Greedy Money   Producer
Halim Rice   A&R
Jesse "Corparal" Wilson   Producer
Kazumi Tabarak   Composer
Mahenra Kakpoor   Composer
Paulo Ytienza Rodriguez   Composer
Chris Athens   Mastering
Ken "Duro" Ifill   Mixing
Infamous   Producer
Jay King   Composer
Walter Sigler   Composer
Roger   Composer
Thomas McElroy   Composer
Millie Jackson   Composer
Anthony Norris   Composer
Clifford Harris   Composer
Yo Gotti   Executive Producer
Asha Bhosle   Composer
Jaycen Joshua   Mixing
Jeezy   Composer
Randy Klein   Composer
Sha Money XL   A&R,Executive Producer
Canei Finch   Engineer,Producer
9th Ward   Engineer
Finis "KY" White   Mixing
Shaffer Smith   Composer
Olubowale Akintimehin   Composer
Juro "Mez" Davis   Engineer
Christopher Wallace   Composer
Robert Daniels   Composer
Chris Feldmann   Design,Art Direction
Tiffany Hasbourne   Stylist
Anita Marisa Boriboon   Design
Moses Gallart   Engineer
Dre   Producer
Philip Hurt   Composer
Phil Knott   Photography
Benny Pough   Executive Producer
Alec Newell   Engineer
The Young Stars   Producer
Cool   Producer
Honorable C.N.O.T.E.   Producer
Antonio Rey   Engineer
P-Lo   Producer
Dale Warren   Composer
Dee Brown   Engineer
Mario Mims   Composer
Keenon Jackson   Composer
Carlton Mays Jr.   Composer
Jermaine Cole   Composer
Arthur McArthur   Producer
Rob Suchecki   Assistant
Alexander Izquierdo   Composer
Trehy Harris   Assistant
Phatboiz   Producer
Ryan Kaul   Assistant
Osten Harvey   Composer
Kenton Dunson   Producer
Rich Homie Quan   Producer