Live At The Gates Of Hell
| Live At The Gates Of Hell | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Digital and cassette cover | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 23 March 2018 | |||
| Recorded | 2015–2016 | |||
| Genre | Trap · gangsta rap · emo | |||
| Length | 74:42 | |||
| Producer |
Various
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| Yung Nevabroke chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Live At The Gates Of Hell | ||||
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| CD and Vinyl cover | ||||
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Live At The Gates Of Hell is the second studio album by Sierran rapper Yung Nevabroke. It was released on 23 March 2018 by L.B.C. and Republic Records, six months following the release of the rapper's fourth mixtape, Almost Time (2017), and his second commercial release following his 3 January 2017 arrest on Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) charges. The album features guest appearances from Rich Tunechi, Rondo Gotti, Lil Carter, Gleesh Reese, Pluto, Big Drizzy, Q-Lo, Cash Diego, Lil Tec, and Lil Coast.
Live At The Gates Of Hell was supported by five singles: "Murda" featuring Lil Coast, "Platinum Grill Shogun", "Heartless", "No Lost Soul" featuring Lil Carter, and "Slang That Iron". Upon release, the album received generally positive reviews from music critics and was a commercial success, debuting at number one on the KS Sunset 100 chart, becoming the fifth rapper besides Hovah, Zaa, Lil Carter, and Yung Uzi Mane to release two consecutive number-one albums in Sierra while incarcerated, and earning 108,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. In 2020, the album was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
Background
While behind bars, Yung Nevabroke's management and team would release the mixtape Almost Time (2017) to commercial success, with the release garnering the rapper his first number one record atop the KS Sunset 100 album chart. The success of the mixtape, which featured leaked and unreleased songs ranging from 2014 to 2016, would lead to Nevabroke being interviewed while in prison by Porciúncula Times journalist Michael DeMar on 31 October 2017, his 22nd birthday. In the interview, Nevabroke would criticize the poor conditions of the Riverside County jail, infamously stating they had put him in solitary confinement for a month upon Almost Time debuting at number one. Despite these circumstances, the rapper would thank his family, friends, fans and supporters, promising that new music was on the way if he wasn't able to secure bonded release before summer of 2018.
In November 2017, after numerous inquiries throughout the year, federal agents would return a number of Nevabroke's personal belongings to his team and family, including his jewelry, laptop and two flash drives which collectively contained 100 unreleased songs, all of which had been seized upon his arrest. Upon recovery, an album of recorded material would be assembled by the team and Nevabroke while imprisoned via phone calls.
Release and promotion
On 5 January 2018, Nevabroke's management team would release the first single "Murda" featuring Lil Coast, in tribute to the rapper's passing on 28 December 2017. A video featuring Coast talking to Nevabroke on the phone less than a month prior would be posted by Nevabroke's bubbler the same day. The second single, "Platinum Grill Shogun", would be released on 26 January. The music video, recorded prior to the rapper's arrest while on the Through The Storm tour, would garner nearly 10 million views within a week of premiering on VidStream. The video would end with a clip of Nevabroke live during a conjugal visit in prison, and stating that he's "live in hell" and announcing his next album will release in March. The song would debut at number 14 on the Sunset Hot 100, peaking at number 7.
On 22 January 2018, a clip of Q-Lo talking to Nevabroke over the phone from 31 October 2017, wishing Nevabroke a happy birthday and hoping for his release soon, would be posted following the announcement of the Q-Lo's death, with Nevabroke's social media tweeting condolences to his family. The clip would garner over two million views on bubbler within two days, with Nevabroke's manager Arlo Bagshaw re-posting a comment onto his bubbler of a fan asking if Q-Lo and Nevabroke have any more songs together. On 29 January, Bagshaw would announce that L.B.C.'s latest signee, Rondo Gotti, would be featured on the album.
On Valentines Day 2018, the third single "Heartless" would be released to continued success on VidStream. The song peaked at number 14 on the Sunset Hot 100. In the month leading up to the album's release, various rappers and producers in the industry would post an image of a key-hole, tagging the rapper in the post. Among these accounts which reposted the key-hole included Rich Tunechi, Rondo Gotti, Streetside, Gun Gary, Lil Carter, Lil Coast, ZuWop, Gleesh Reese, Q-Lo, Pluto, Big Drizzy, Cash Diego, Lil Tec, ZuWop, Tu Dotty, Queen Talia, and Yung Uzi Mane. In a week prior to release, the album garnered significant controversy surrounding the physical-copy cover of the album, which showed an inverted cross.
The album's fourth single, "No Lost Soul" featuring Lil Carter, was sent to rhythmic contemporary radio on 30 March 2018, a week following release. The song would peak at number 8 on the Sunset Hot 100. The album's fifth and final single, "Slang That Iron", would be released on 13 April 2018, with an animated music video being premiered the day prior on VidStream. The song would peak at number 15 on the Sunset Hot 100.
Critical reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 78/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| WhatMyMusic? |  
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| The Huntington Beach Post |
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| La Brea Times | B |
| Newstar | 
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| Porciúncula Times | 7.9/10 |
| Sierra Media | 8.15/10 |
| Music Box Magazine | 7.2/10 |
| Zeke Media | B+ |
Live At The Gates Of Hell was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 78, based on 12 reviews.
Holden McCrae of The Huntington Beach Post praised the album, stating, "Featuring masterpieces of collaborations with the late, great Q-Lo and Lil Coast, this well-rounded second studio album proves Nevabroke's all-time greatness". Silas Brockhouse from Sierra Media enjoyed the album, saying, "While Nevabroke's incarceration may have impacted what sway he could have had over emerging trends, Live suggests that the space he now occupies is one that allows him more room to experiment with what material he has left". Colt Lachlan of Music Box Magazine said, "Impactful and often unexpected, Live At The Gates Of Hell breaks new ground within Yung Nevabroke's identity". Porciúncula Times critic Levi Ryan said, "With his latest album, you get the feeling that these are songs Nevabroke needed to get off of his chest. While not a dazzling record, it opens a door to exciting opportunities". Reviewing the album for Newstar, Jordan Cohen stated, "Live At The Gates Of Hell is relatively odd for an album that debuted at number one on the charts, given some of Nevabroke's confessional moments among its more commercially viable moments".
Elijah Gesner of The Huntington Beach Post said, "With Live At The Gates Of Hell, Nevabroke continues to expand his game to the point of reaching true limitlessness". In a positive review from WhatMyMusic?, David Mayer wrote, "Live At The Gates Of Hell will likely be remembered as a great Nevabroke album despite his conditions, and we should appreciate that we get to hear him tinker with his sound for when he finally puts it all together again". Writing for Zeke Media, Macy Ewart stated, "There are countless rappers who use a similar melodic flow, but none that can so effortlessly find hidden melodies in every beat".
Year-end lists
| Critic/Publication | List | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Sierra Media | Top 20 Rap Albums of 2018 | 5
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| Zeke Media | Top 20 Rap Albums of 2018 | 3
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Commercial performance
Live At The Gates Of Hell debuted at number one on the KS Sunset 100 chart, earning 108,000 album-equivalent units (including 27,000 copies in pure album sales) in its first week. This became Nevabroke's second KS number one debut on the chart. The album also accumulated a total of 119 million on-demand streams of the album's songs. In its second week, the album dropped to number six on the chart, earning an additional 51,000 units.
Track listing
Track listing adapted from WaveRadio.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Mind of A Maniac" (featuring Rich Tunechi) | Amari Simons · William Knapp · Korbin Sunn | SK99 | 4:02 |
| 2. | "Nobody Hold Me" (featuring Rondo Gotti) | Simons · Nasir Odom · Gerald Damons | Gun Gary | 3:25 |
| 3. | "No Lost Soul" (featuring Lil Carter) | Simons · Dwayne Carter · Damons | Gun Gary | 3:19 |
| 4. | "Platinum Grill Shogun" | Simons · Hykeem Terrace · Da'vante Kelley | Wonderkidd · Dollo | 3:06 |
| 5. | "What Thugs Do" | Simons · Tyrone Davenport | Streetside | 3:49 |
| 6. | "Orange Crush Fun" (featuring Gleesh Reese) | Simons · Kenneth Richardson · Erwin Röthke · Samuel McIntyre · Isaiah Casey | Berlin on da track · HerbO · Wickedia | 2:52 |
| 7. | "With My Shooters" (featuring Pluto and Big Drizzy) | Simons · Hendrix Rivera · Marlon Mitchell · Hykeem Terrace | Wonderkidd | 4:49 |
| 8. | "Check Callin'" (featuring Q-Lo) | Simons · Jermaine Williams Jr. · Korbin Sunn | SK99 | 2:34 |
| 9. | "Left Foot Creep" | Simons · Sonny Olsen · Tayvon Richard | BigStacksBP · Trae Bandz | 3:15 |
| 10. | "Posted" | Simons · Caiden Brooks | DaaDah Bless | 3:14 |
| 11. | "What Is Love?" | Simons · Brooks | DaaDah Bless | 3:45 |
| 12. | "Take Care" (featuring Cash Diego and Lil Tec) | Simons · Diego Torres · Hector Travis · Damons · Jonathon Gordon · Dolan Calder | Gun Gary · Jimmy 6ix · DCC | 4:31 |
| 13. | "Permanent Scar" (featuring Rondo Gotti) | Simons · Odom · Ben Navarro | CXLDSVMM3R | 3:22 |
| 14. | "Slang That Iron" | Simons · Navarro | CXLDSVMM3R | 2:38 |
| 15. | "Murda" (featuring Lil Coast) | Simons · Keenan Goodwin · Jasen Prince · Charlie Scott · Damons | Nardo · WrongWayCharlie · Gun Gary | 3:07 |
| 16. | "All In" | Simons · Damons · McIntyre | Gun Gary · HerbO | 3:10 |
| 17. | "Back & Forth" (featuring Big Drizzy) | Simons · Mitchell · Davenport | Streetside | 1:59 |
| 18. | "Diamonds" | Simons · Damons | Gun Gary | 2:01 |
| 19. | "I Need It" | Simons · Calder · Damons | DCC · Gun Gary | 3:08 |
| 20. | "Never Change" | Simons · Alek Sierra · Quinn Camacho | From Sierra With Love · LDX Rage | 3:31 |
| 21. | "What I Want To" | Simons · Calder · Damons | DCC · Gun Gary | 3:56 |
| 22. | "Heartless" | Simons · Terrace · Damons | Wonderkidd · Gun Gary | 3:42 |
| 23. | "Before I Leave (Outro)" | Simons | Yung Nevabroke | 1:27 |
| Total length: | 74:42 | |||
Personnel
Performers
- Yung Nevabroke – vocals (all tracks)
- Rich Tunechi – rap vocals (2)
- Rondo Gotti – rap vocals (2, 13)
- Lil Carter – rap vocals (3)
- Gleesh Reese – rap vocals (6)
- Pluto – rap vocals (7)
- Big Drizzy – rap vocals (7, 17)
- Q-Lo – rap vocals (8)
- Cash Diego – rap vocals (12)
- Lil Tec – rap vocals (12)
Technical
- Gerald "Gun Gary" Damons – mastering, mixing, engineering
- Dillion "7Don" Joyner – mastering, mixing (1–4, 11, 12, 14, 19, 20, 22)
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom of Sierra (RIAA) | Platinum | 1,000,000 |
| Republic of Astoria (MC) | Platinum | 100,000 |
| Kingdom of Brazoria (RIAA) | Gold | 50,000 |
| Kingdom of Superior (RIAA) | Silver | 40,000 |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | Silver | 60,000 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Label(s) | Format(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 23 March 2018 |
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