Trials & Tribulations (Ace Hood album)

Trials & Tribulations
Studio album by Ace Hood
Released	July 16, 2013
Recorded	2012–2013
Genre	Hip hop Trap
Length	55:24
Label	We the Best Cash Money Republic
Producer	Executive producers DJ Khaled (also exec.), Ronald "Slim" Williams Bryan "Birdman" Williams Dwayne Carter, Jr. Additional producers Arthur McArthur Ben Billions Beewirks Boi-1da Cardiak Lee On the Beats The Maven Boys The Runners Metro Boomin Mike Will Made It The Renegades Schife Sonny Digital Southside StreetRunner TM88 Young Chop [1]
Ace Hood chronology
Blood, Sweat & Tears (2011) Trials & Tribulations (2013)
Singles from Trials & Tribulations
"Bugatti" Released: January 29, 2013 "We Outchea" Released: May 27, 2013 "We Them Niggas" Released: June 27, 2013 "Rider" Released: September 2013

Trials & Tribulations is the fourth studio album by American rapper Ace Hood. The album was released on July 16, 2013, by We the Best Music Group, Cash Money Records and distributed by Republic Records. The album was supported by the hit single "Bugatti" which has peaked at number 33 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and "We Outchea" featuring Lil Wayne. The album features guest appearances from Meek Mill, Future, Chris Brown, Rick Ross, Wiz Khalifa, T.I., 2 Chainz Birdman and Anthony Hamilton, among others.

Background

On January 10, 2013, Ace Hood released a mixtape titled Starvation 2 in promotion of the album. It featured 20 tracks and guest appearances from Plies, Meek Mill, French Montana, and Kevin Cossom among others.^[2] On January 16, 2013, Ace Hood announced that his fourth studio album would be titled Trials & Tribulations.^[3] On February 19, 2013, it was announced that the album would be released on July 16, 2013.^[4] On March 8, 2013, the trailer for the album was released.^[5] On April 7, 2013, during an interview on Power 99, Ace Hood explained the meaning of the title and why he displays so much passion in his music, saying:

"I felt like for me to actually get people to support this Trials & Tribulations album, that's dropping July 16, like I needed them to understand what I've been through and really kind of visualize and see my trials and tribulations and understand where the passion come from, understand where the hunger come from."^[6]

On June 13, 2013, the album cover was released.^[7] On June 26, 2013, the final track listing was revealed revealing guest appearances on the album from Meek Mill, Lil Wayne, Anthony Hamilton, Chris Brown, Future, Rick Ross, Betty Wright, Wiz Khalifa, T.I., French Montana, 2 Chainz, DJ Khaled and Birdman.^[8]

Singles

On January 29, 2013, the first single from the album "Bugatti" featuring Rick Ross and Future was released.^[9] The music video for "Bugatti" was directed by Gil Green and premiered on 106 & Park on February 6, 2013. DJ Khaled and Birdman make an appearance in the video.^[10] The song has peaked at number 33 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it Ace Hood's most successful single of his career.^[11] The song has sold over 1,000,000 copies and been certified Platinum by the RIAA. On May 6, 2013 the "Bugatti" (Remix) was released featuring Wiz Khalifa, T.I., Meek Mill, French Montana, 2 Chainz, Future, DJ Khaled and Birdman. The remix would be included as a deluxe edition track on the album.^[12]

On June 5, 2013, the second single from the album "We Outchea" featuring Lil Wayne was released to iTunes.^[13] The song was solicited to rhythmic contemporary radio stations in the United States on June 25, 2013.^[14] On June 29, 2013, the music video was released for "We Outchea" featuring Lil Wayne.^[15]

"We Them Niggas" was released on June 26, 2013 along with the pre-order of the album on iTunes^[16][17] and then released as the album's third official single the following day.^[18] In September 2013, "Rider" featuring Chris Brown was serviced to urban contemporary and rhythmic contemporary radio in the United States as the album's fourth single.^[19][20]

The first promotional single from the album "I Need Your Love" featuring Trey Songz was released on October 16, 2012.^[21] On October 12, 2012, the music video was released for "I Need Your Love". The video features cameos from DJ Khaled, Birdman, Busta Rhymes, Meek Mill and Fat Joe.^[22] On April 5, 2013, the music video was released for "Have Mercy".^[23] On July 16, 2013, the music video was released for "Trials & Tribulations".^[24] On August 22, 2013, the music video for "Before the Rollie" featuring Meek Mill premiered on 106 & Park.^[25][26]

Critical response

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	69/100[27]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllHipHop	8.5/10[28]
AllMusic	[29]
Artistdirect	[30]
Exclaim!	7/10[31]
HipHopDX	[32]
The New York Times	(mixed)[33]
PopMatters	8/10[34]
Rolling Stone	[35]
RapReviews	6.5/10[36]
XXL	(L)[37]

Trials & Tribulations was met with generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 69 which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 7 reviews.^[27] David Jeffries of AllMusic gave the album four out of five stars, saying "He sounds extra inspired when producer Sonny Digital pastes together gamelan orchestra chimes from Bali and a boom-bap backbeat from the golden age for the thrilling, hooky history lesson called "Before the Rollie," and when it comes to that Florida flash, "Bugatti" is blinding with Rick Ross and Future kicking the swagger into overdrive. The sequence of "Rider," "Hope," and "Pray for Me" makes for a long stretch of slow and low, and while this isn't a giant leap forward or a stunning diversion from previous releases, Hood's on a roll and it's hard not to welcome the usual power and polish."^[29] Reed Jackson of XXL gave the album an L, saying "Regardless of its hiccups, though, Trials & Tribulations is a step forward for Ace. Although he’ll always be best known for tracks like “Hustle Hard” and “Bugatti”, it’ll be his more personal work that’ll separate him from the pack. Perhaps this will be the album that will finally put him in the limelight."^[37] Remmie Fresh of AllHipHop gave the album an 8.5 out of 10, saying "If there are issues on Trials and Tribulations, its in the repetitive content, but its easy to overcome, particularly once fans curate the songs their way on iTunes. There are incessant bars about God, the struggle, the haters, the money and the pursuit of prosperity. Sonically, he’s got great beats with The Renegades, Cardiak, Sonny Digital, Ben Billions, Schife, StreetRunner, and Lee On the Beats. This is his fourth album so he’s no rookie anymore and it shows. Hopefully, the BET debacle doesn’t have the social media world too hard on the emerging talent known as Ace Hood as his wings begin to spread."^[28]

Edwin Ortiz of HipHopDX gave the album two and a half stars out of five, saying "Ace Hood fails to deliver on Trials & Tribulations, and with four albums under his belt that have produced similar results, no rapper has arguably done so much and so little at the same time. Ace Hood has an irrefutable response for that, and it comes on the album’s title track, “Trials & Tribulations,” with the following, “Go ahead and count me out, you can talk behind my back / Don’t give a fuck about what you say, so you think my music wack / That ain’t what my banker said, couple million wired in.” He makes more money than us. Argument settled."^[32] Chris Dart of Exclaim! gave the album a seven out of ten, saying "Trials and Tribulations is a solid album; Hood is able to make music that moves both asses and minds, which is a rare skill."^[31] Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone gave the album three out of five stars, saying "Crisp Florida bass beats from producers like DJ Khaled and Boi 1da and sharp guest spots from Lil Wayne and Future keep things rolling, but his big heart keeps it real."^[35] David Amidon of PopMatters gave the album an eight out of ten, saying "Ask me anything about Ace Hood prior to Trials & Tribulations, I’d tell you he’s a rare talent who’ll probably never be worth listening to for an hour. Now? I’m not sure there’s anything worth listening to more, from the mainstream lane, released so far in 2013. I’m not sure anything better is on the horizon. Ace Hood came out of nowhere to deliver the most well rounded, engaging gangsta rap album on a major label in some time; it’ll be a shame if most folks manage to shrug it off."^[34]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number four on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 37,000 copies in the United States.^[38] In its second week the album sold 11,000 more copies.^[39] In its third week the album sold 6,400 more copies.^[40] In its fourth week the album sold 4,200 more copies bringing its total album sales to 60,000.^[41]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Testimony"	Antoine McColister Mervin Riviere Bryan Johnson	The Renegades	1:27
2.	"Trials & Tribulations"	McColister Riviere Johnson	The Renegades	3:08
3.	"Another Statistic"	McColister Carl McCormick	Cardiak	3:37
4.	"Before The Rollie" (featuring Meek Mill)	McColister Robert Williams Sonny Uwaezuoke	Sonny Digital	4:17
5.	"We Outchea" (featuring Lil Wayne)	McColister Dwayne Carter Anthony Norris	Lee On the Beats	4:19
6.	"We Them Niggas"	McColister Matthew Samuels	Boi-1da The Maven Boys	4:04
7.	"The Come Up" (featuring Anthony Hamilton)	McColister Jeremy McArthur Anthony Hamilton	Arthur McArthur	3:59
8.	"Rider" (featuring Chris Brown)	McColister Bobby Yewah Kevin Cossom Chris Brown	Beewirks	4:30
9.	"Hope"	McColister Norris E. Turner	Lee On The Beats	4:32
10.	"Pray For Me"	McColister Uwaezuoke Leland Wayne Joshua Luellen Bryan Simmons	Sonny Digital Metro Boomin Southside TM88	3:37
11.	"Bugatti" (featuring Future and Rick Ross)	McColister Nayvadius Wilburn William Roberts Michael Williams	Mike Will Made It	4:29
12.	"How I'm Raised"	McColister Benjamin Diehl Ian Lewis	Ben Billions Schife	3:34
13.	"My Bible"	McColister Nicholas Warwar Eddie Robinson	StreetRunner	3:46
14.	"Mama" (featuring Betty Wright)	McColister McCormick Barry Manilow Khaled Khaled Bessie Norris	Cardiak DJ Khaled (co.)	5:59
Total length:				55:24

Deluxe edition bonus tracks
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
15.	"Bugatti (Remix)" (featuring Wiz Khalifa, T.I., Meek Mill, French Montana, 2 Chainz, Future, DJ Khaled and Birdman)	McColister R. Williams Wilburn M. Williams Khaled Clifford Harris Cameron Thomaz Bryan Williams Karim Kharbouch Tauheed Epps	Mike Will Made It	5:26
16.	"Fuck Da World"	McColister Tyree Pittman	Young Chop	4:26
17.	"Have Mercy"	McColister McCormick	Cardiak	4:54
Total length:				70:12

Best Buy deluxe edition bonus tracks[42]
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
18.	"Thugs Fall" (featuring Kevin Cossom)	McColister Cossom Jermaine Jackson Andrew Harr	The Runners	4:42
19.	"Disloyal"	McColister Wayne	Metro Boomin	4:08

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2013) Peak position Canadian Albums Chart[43] 19 UK R&B Albums (OCC)[44] 29 US Billboard 200[45] 4 US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[46] 2

Year-end charts Chart (2013) Position US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[47] 68

References

1. "Trials & Tribulations - Ace Hood - Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
2. Horowitz, Steven J. (2013-01-09). "Ace Hood "Starvation 2" Mixtape Tracklist & Cover Art". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
3. "New Music: Ace Hood Ft. Future x Rick Ross "Bugatti"". Rap Radar. 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
4. "Ace Hood Trials & Tribulations Trailer". Rap Radar. 2013-03-08. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
5. "Watch Ace Hood's Album Trailer for "Trials & Tribulations"". Complex. 2013-03-08. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
6. Meara, Paul. "Ace Hood "Trials & Tribulations" Release Date & Cover Art". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
7. "Ace Hood 'Trials & Tribulations' (Album Artwork) - XXL". Xxlmag.com. 2013-06-08. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
8. "Here's The Tracklist To Ace Hood's 'Trials & Tribulations' - XXL". Xxlmag.com. 2013-06-26. Retrieved 2013-07-16.
9. "iTunes - Music - Bugatti (feat. Future & Rick Ross) - Single by Ace Hood". Itunes.apple.com. 2013-01-29. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
10. "Video: Ace Hood f/ Future & Rick Ross – 'Bugatti'". Rap-Up. Devin Lazerine. February 7, 2013. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
11. "Ace Hood - Chart history". Billboard. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
12. "Ace Hood f/ Wiz Khalifa, T.I., Meek Mill, French Montana, 2 Chainz, Future, DJ Khaled, & Birdman "Bugatti (Remix)"". Complex. 2013-05-06. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
13. "iTunes - Music - We Outchea (feat. Lil Wayne) - Single by Ace Hood". Itunes.apple.com. 2013-06-05. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
14. "Top 40 Rhythmic Future Releases". AllAccess. AllAccess Music Group. Archived from the original on June 20, 2013. Retrieved June 20, 2013.
15. "Video: Ace Hood (Feat. Lil Wayne) - We Outchea". Worldstarhiphop.com. 2013-06-29. Retrieved 2013-07-16.
16. Igor (2013-06-26). "New Song: Ace Hood - 'We Them Niggas'". Directlyrics.com. Retrieved 2013-09-25.
17. Malbin (2013-06-26). "Ace Hood - We Them Niggas". Fashionably Early. Retrieved 2013-09-25.
18. "We Them N****S (Explicit Version): Ace Hood: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.com. Retrieved 2013-09-25.
19. "View Listing | Promo Only: Music & Music Video". Promo Only. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
20. "View Listing | Promo Only: Music & Music Video". Promo Only. Retrieved 2014-01-26.
21. "iTunes - Music - I Need Your Love (feat. Trey Songz) - Single by Ace Hood". Itunes.apple.com. 2012-10-16. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
22. "New Video: Ace Hood x Trey Songz "Need Your Love"". Rap Radar. 2012-10-12. Retrieved 2013-06-13.
23. "New Video: Ace Hood "Have Mercy"". Rap Radar. 2013-04-05. Retrieved 2013-07-16.
24. "New Video: Ace Hood "Trials & Tribulations"". Rap Radar. 1970-01-01. Retrieved 2013-07-16.
25. "Twitter / Acehood: Tune in Tonight @106andpark". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2013-08-30.
26. "New Video: Ace Hood Feat. Meek Mill "Before the Rollie"". MissInfo.tv. Retrieved 2013-08-28.
27. "Critic Reviews for Trials & Tribulations". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 27, 2013.
28. Remmie Fresh. "REVIEW: Ace Hood's Trials & Tribulations (Deluxe Version)". AllHipHop.com. Retrieved 2013-07-20.
29. David Jeffries. "Trials & Tribulations - Ace Hood | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-07-16.
30. "Ace Hood "Trials & Tribulations" Album Review – 5 out of 5 stars @ARTISTdirect". Artistdirect.com. Retrieved 2013-08-19.
31. Dart, Chris (2013-07-16). "Ace Hood - Trials and Tribulations • Hip-Hop Reviews •". Exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2013-08-19.
32. Ortiz, Edwin. "Ace Hood - Trials & Tribulations". HipHop DX. Retrieved 2013-07-23.
33. "Sara Bareilles, George Duke and Ace Hood". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
34. Amidon, David. "Ace Hood: Trials & Tribulations". PopMatters. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
35. "Ace Hood - 'Trials & Tribulations' Album Review - XXL". Xxlmag.com. Retrieved 2013-07-16.
36. "Ace Hood :: Trials & Tribulations :: We the Best/Cash Money/Universal". rapreviews.com. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
37. "Ace Hood - 'Trials & Tribulations'". Xxlmag.com. Retrieved 2013-07-30.
38. "Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 7/21/2013". HipHopDX. Retrieved July 24, 2013.
39. "Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 7/28/2013". HipHopDX. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
40. "Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 8/4/2013". HipHopDX. Retrieved August 7, 2013.
41. "Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 8/11/2013". HipHopDX. Retrieved August 14, 2013.
42. "Trials and Tribulations Best Buy Exclusive - CD". Best Buy. 2013-07-16. Retrieved 2013-07-20.
43. http://www.billboard.com/artist/277937/ace+hood/chart?f=309
44. "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 1, 2014.
45. "Ace Hood - Chart history Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
46. "Ace Hood - Chart history Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 2013-08-12.
47. "2013 Year-End Charts – Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved December 13, 2013.