In the City (Kevin Rudolf album)

In the City is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter and producer Kevin Rudolf. It was released nationwide, physically and digitally, on November 24, 2008, via Cash Money Records and Universal Republic. Every song on the album was produced and written by Rudolf. "She Can Get It" was a production collaboration between Rudolf and Chad Hugo of The Neptunes. "Let It Rock" was the first single released from the album. The song "NYC" was featured on an episode of CSI: NY[2] and "Let It Rock" was featured on the Melrose Place pilot and The Hills[3] as well as being featured as the theme song for the 2009 WWE Royal Rumble. The album has sold 102,000 copies in the US.

In the City
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 24, 2008[1]
Recorded2007–2008
Genre
Length43:46
LabelCash Money, Universal Republic
ProducerBryan "Baby" Williams (exec.), Ronald "Slim" Williams (exec.), Kevin Rudolf, The Neptunes
Kevin Rudolf chronology
In the City
(2008)
To the Sky
(2010)
Singles from In the City
  1. "Let It Rock"
    Released: July 29, 2008
  2. "Welcome to the World"
    Released: February 10, 2009

The album's first single, "Let It Rock" reached number 2 on the Canadian Hot 100, number 5 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, number 3 on the Australian ARIA charts and number 4 on the Irish Singles Chart.

"Welcome to the World", the version featuring Kid Cudi, is the second single released in February 2009, and reached number 58 on the US Hot 100 and peaked at number 42 on Australia's Aria Singles Chart.[4][5]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Artistdirect[7]
Billboardfavorable[8]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[9]
The Guardian[10]
Pitchfork2.7/10[11]
PopMatters[12]
RapReviews[13]
Rolling Stone[14]

In the City garnered mixed reviews from music critics. Mikael Wood from Entertainment Weekly said that Rudolf "steps out with a weirdly infectious debut that mixes his rap-track know-how with his love of guitar-god theatrics. (Think "Beat It," not Limp Bizkit.)"[9] Billboard writer Gary Graff noted how the record consisted of songs ranging from the "thumping, synthesizer-heavy club anthems" found in the featured rap collaborations to the more "mellower moments ("I Song", "Scarred")". He concluded that the closing track "Great Escape" "displays some of the chops that could ultimately separate him from the pack."[8] AllMusic's David Jeffries highlighted the Lil Wayne and Rick Ross-featured tracks but felt the album overall was filled with "cringe-worthy" lyrics and "so-so filler", concluding that "In the City gets by on hooks and hugeness, like an irony-free Andrew W.K., Timbaland working with Aerosmith, or a jaded version of the Jonas Brothers now willing to drop the F-bomb."[6] Alex Sheremet of RapReviews said, "In the City offers good production, excellent melodies, and – of course – the same song, idea(s), and kinds of guest appearances many times over. Still, I'd recommend it as a blueprint for potential. It's also good to enjoy on a visceral level, if you're interested in that sort of thing."[13] Rolling Stone's Christian Hoard said that despite the Lil Wayne-assisted single, he felt "the rest of Rudolf's self-produced debut is a middling rock record dressed up in sleek digital clothes."[14]

Track listing

All tracks produced by Kevin Rudolf; track 10 co-produced by The Neptunes

Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."In the City"Kevin Rudolf3:25
2."Let It Rock" (featuring Lil Wayne)Kevin Rudolf, Dwayne Carter3:51
3."I Song"Kevin Rudolf, Jacob Kasher, Ivan Corraliza3:15
4."Livin' It Up"Kevin Rudolf, Jacob Kasher, Charles D. Anderson2:55
5."N.Y.C." (featuring Nas)Kevin Rudolf, Jacob Kasher, Nasir Jones, Joshua Berkman3:08
6."No Way Out"Kevin Rudolf, Jacob Kasher3:24
7."Scarred"Kevin Rudolf, Jacob Kasher4:17
8."Welcome to the World" (featuring Rick Ross)Kevin Rudolf, Jacob Kasher, William Roberts, Ivan Corraliza3:03
9."Coffee and Donuts"Kevin Rudolf, Joshua Berkman3:16
10."She Can Get It"Kevin Rudolf, Jacob Kasher, Chad Hugo2:59
11."Gimme a Sign"Kevin Rudolf, Ivan Corraliza3:48
12."Great Escape"Kevin Rudolf, Jacob Kasher, Keleigh Reid, Cher London6:38
iTunes bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
13."Without You"Kevin Rudolf, Ivan Corraliza3:22
14."Tennessee" (featuring Birdman)Kevin Rudolf, Ivan Corraliza, George Martinez, Brian Williams3:26

Chart performance

Chart (2008) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard 200[15] 94
Canadian Albums Chart[16] 74

References

  1. "In The City: Kevin Rudolf: Music". Amazon.com. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  2. "Enough". CSI: NY. Season 5. Episode 6. November 5, 2008.
  3. Sylvia, Shea (October 2, 2008). "Music from The Hills Season 4 – "You'll Never Have This"". Mtvrealityworld.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2009. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  4. Steffen Hung. "Forum – Oz Chartifacts-23-March-09 (ARIA Charts: Weekly ARIA Chartifacts)". australian-charts.com. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
  5. Jeffries, David. "In the City – Kevin Rudolf". AllMusic. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  6. Artistdirect review
  7. Graff, Gary (December 13, 2008). "In the City". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. Archived from the original on January 23, 2009. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  8. Wood, Mikael (November 19, 2008). "In the City". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  9. Sullivan, Caroline (January 9, 2009). "Kevin Rudolf: In the City". The Guardian. London: Guardian Media Group. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  10. Cohen, Ian (February 9, 2009). "Kevin Rudolf: In the City". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 15, 2019.
  11. Sawdey, Evan (January 14, 2009). "Kevin Rudolf: In the City". PopMatters. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  12. Sheremet, Alex (December 9, 2008). "Kevin Rudolf :: In the City :: Cash Money Records". RapReviews. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  13. Hoard, Christian (January 22, 2009). "In The City : Kevin Rudolf". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Archived from the original on January 20, 2009. Retrieved August 4, 2011.
  14. Archived January 28, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
  15. "CANOE – JAM! Music SoundScan Charts". Jam.canoe.ca. February 1, 2012. Archived from the original on May 1, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
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