Rave reviews and strong first week sales have greeted OXYMORON (Top Dawg Entertainment/Interscope Records), the highly anticipated debut album from ScHoolboy Q. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the album, released February 25th, will debut with more than 138,000 in sales and also atop the Billboard 100, Billboard Rap and R&B/Hip Hop charts. Oxymoron marks the first number one album for Top Dawg Entertainment.
The critics have all been effusive in their praise for Oxymoron. The L.A. Times’ Randall Roberts raved: “Sit down and wonder on the miraculous ways in which musical talent can germinate amid such a landscape and grow to create work filled with boundless promise.” Associated Press exclaims: “Oxymoron offers a cinematic vision, is absurdly ambitious and announces an artist of consequence who bears watching.” Rolling Stone praises: “ScHoolboy complements Lamar’s narrative distance with evocative, unflinching first-person dispatches from the front lines.” XXL adds: “ScHoolboy’s presence on Oxymoron is poised and confident.”
The 12 track standard version of Oxymoron points out in no uncertain terms the dangers of addiction and ScHoolboy Q doesn’t skirt his own past as a dealer. From the streets to the studio ScHoolboy Q has placed himself in the upper echelon of hip hop music music, a place where he is in no short supply of other talented artists to collaborate with. Guest appearances include labelmate and fellow Black Hippy members Kendrick Lamar (“Collard Greens”) and Jay Rock (“Los Awesome”), Raekwon (“Blind Threats”), Tyler, The Creator and Kurupt (“The Purge”), 2 Chainz (“What They Want”), and BJ the Chicago Kid (“Studio”). The Alchemist-produced hit track, “Break the Bank,” went live at iTunes on January 21, following up the release of “Collard Greens” in June and “Man of the Year” last November. Top producers on the album include Pharrell Williams (“Los Awesome”), dj Dahl (“Hell of a Night”), Mike WILL Made It (“What They Want”), Nez & Rio (“Gangstga”), Lord Quest (“Blind Threats”), Digi+Phonics’ Sounwave (“Prescription/ Oxymoron”), Swiff D (“Studio”), The Alchemist (“Break the Bank”) and THC Productions (“Collard Greens”).
ScHoolboy was named part of XXL Magazine’s 2013 Freshman Class, and performed last June at the bet Experience Music Festival with Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dog and Miguel. He also performed “Man of the Year,” on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and The Arsenio Hall Show and “Studio” on CONAN with BJ the Chicago Kid.
