Released November 11, 2008 | Recorded 2007–08 Release date 11 November 2008 | |
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Length 60:35 (Standard)73:08 (Deluxe) Three Ringz(2008) The Instrumentals(2009) Genres Hip hop music, Contemporary R&B Nominations Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album Similar T-Pain albums, Hip hop music albums |
Three Ringz (stylized as Thr33 Ringz) is the third studio album by American hip hop recording artist and producer T-Pain. It was released on November 11, 2008, by his label Nappy Boy Entertainment (under the distribution of Akon's label Konvict Muzik, Jive Records, and Zomba Label Group). It was supported by three singles: "Can't Believe It" featuring Lil Wayne, "Chopped 'n' Skrewed" featuring Ludacris, and "Freeze" featuring Chris Brown.
Contents
The album debuted at number four on the Billboard 200. The album received mixed to favorable reviews from music critics. The album was nominated for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 52nd Grammy Awards, but lost to Beyoncé's I Am... Sasha Fierce.
Singles
The album's lead single, called "Can't Believe It" was released on July 29, 2008. The track features a guest appearance from American hip hop recording artist Lil Wayne. with the production provided by T-Pain. The song peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100.
The album's second single, called "Chopped 'n' Skrewed" was released on September 23, 2008. The song features a guest appearance from American rapper Ludacris, with the production, which once again was provided by T-Pain. The song has been reached at number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The album's third and final single, "Freeze" was released on October 10, 2008. The song features a guest appearance from American recording artist Chris Brown, with the production provided by T-Pain. The song peaked at number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Promotional singles
In late 2007, T-Pain released the first promotional single "Silver & Gold". However, it was cut from the final album track-listing. T-Pain released "Ringleader Man" as the album's promotional single.
Critical reception
Three Ringz received positive reviews; however, many music critics questioned T-Pain's continued usage of Auto-Tune and his delivery of the club tracks. Jesel Padania of RapReviews said that despite the album's lack of humor and some tracks falling short of previous efforts, he praised T-Pain's genre-hopping production and his chemistry with the guest artists. AllMusic's David Jeffries also found the humor hit or miss but praised the album's production, guest list and T-Pain's persona for giving the tracks energy to grab listeners' attention, calling it "an otherwise entertaining example of the gimmick-filled R&B/hip-hop album done right." Eric Henderson of Slant Magazine praised tracks like "Can't Believe It" and "Freeze" for their production and catchiness but questioned whether T-Pain could move beyond his Auto-Tune crutch, concluding that "T-Pain’s got the pop credentials. It’s just a pity that this entire album is drenched in what already sounded like last year’s sound a couple years ago."
J. Gabriel Boylan of Spin criticized T-Pain for utilizing the same old tricks and delivery he had used on previous works before, concluding that "With a hot guest list (Ciara, T.I.), this is bound to bump the clubs, but beyond that, it’s clown time." Elysa Gardner of USA Today found the album's songs about women off-putting and disgusting, and said that more empathy and tenderness would help this album, concluding that "Ringz doesn’t offer enough wit or insight to mitigate its rancor, or make it terribly interesting."
Commercial performance
Three Ringz debuted at number four on the Billboard 200, selling 167,700 copies in the first week. The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), selling 700,000 copies in the United States.
Track listing
Songs
1Brand New Show (skit)1:02
2Welcome to Thr33 Ringz (intro)1:25
3Ringleader Man2:54