Judgement Day (album)

Production

Reel Life Productions founder and Esham's brother James Smith decided that Esham should record a double album following the release of Prince's Love Symbol Album. Smith thought that if an R&B artist could record a double album, a rapper should record a double album. However, it is not the first double album in hip hop, as previously DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince released He's the DJ, I'm the Rapper, which was a double album in its original vinyl configuration.

Music

While the lyrical content of Judgement Day is similar to that of Esham's debut, Boomin' Words from Hell, the music features a heavier use of rock samples. The album's rock-based sound influenced rap rock artists such as Kid Rock.

Release history

Judgement Day was released separately in two volumes, Day and Night, on April 9, 1992. On June 6, 2006, a Judgement Day box set was released, featuring both original volumes remastered, two volumes of previously unreleased material, the exclusive album Martyr City, an illustrated booklet with a short autobiography written by Esham detailing the days of the original Judgement Day release as well as a background story for Martyr City, a live concert DVD, deluxe packaging and a Certificate of Authenticity.

Reception

Allmusic's Jason Birchmeier wrote that Judgement Day, Vol. 1 "may not be his most well-crafted work, but it certainly stands as his most inspired work of the '90s", while Vol. 2 "isn't quite as strong as the first volume, suffering mostly from a number of weak tracks [...] the first volume doesn't rely quite so much on cheap shock, instead focusing on evocative horror motifs, making Judgement Day, Vol. 2 the less important of the two."