Deathfame (stylized in all caps) is a solo studio album by American rapper and producer Quelle Chris. It was released via Mello Music Group on May 13, 2022. Production was handled by Chris Keys, Knxwledge, and Quelle Chris himself. It features guest appearances from Cavalier, Denmark Vessey, J Jig Cicero, MoRuf, Navy Blue, and Pink Siifu.

Deathfame
Studio album by
ReleasedMay 13, 2022 (2022-05-13)
GenreHip hop
Length41:59
LabelMello Music Group
Producer
Quelle Chris chronology
Innocent Country 2
(2020)
Deathfame
(2022)

Critical reception

edit
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic81/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [2]
Beats Per Minute77/100[3]
Crack7/10[4]
HipHopDX4.2/5[5]
Pitchfork7.8/10[6]
The Needle Drop7/10[7]
Tom HullB+ ( )[8]

Deathfame was met with acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 81, based on five reviews.[1]

In his review for HipHopDX Matthew Ritchie wrote: "it's a continuation of his intense focus on a singular topic, which results in a clear elevation in quality that few could hope to achieve, setting the standard for any plan to follow his formula".[5] Pitchfork reviewer Nadine Smith wrote: "balancing broad comedy with pointed political satire, the Detroit rapper continues his evolution from skilled MC to producer polymath on his latest album".[6] Tim Sentz of Beats Per Minute wrote: "not since Everything's Fine has Quelle Chris sounded so surefire and determined. He wears beats with flair now, and lyrically he's in top form, moving like a chameleon behind the mic and in front. Deathfame is easily the best solo outing for Chris so far".[3] In his YouTube channel The Needle Drop, Anthony Fantano stated: "Quelle Chris delivers what might be his most challenging album yet".[7] AllMusic's Paul Simpson wrote: "even as Quelle Chris' music grows more challenging, it's still highly compelling, and his lyrics are filled with sharp, powerful observations about life, death, success, and failure".[2] Writing for Crack Magazine, Dean Van Nguyen said: "the beats veer between jazz club grooves (the tinkling piano of So Tired You Can't Stop Dreaming featuring Navy Blue), smooth sophisti-pop (the saxophone riff of Die Happy Knowing They'll Care) and grubby loops that creep like a villain though rain-streaked streets at night".[4]

Year-end lists

edit
Deathfame year-end lists
Publication # Ref.
Crack 36 [9]

Track listing

edit
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."TEYC"
0:36
2."Alive Ain't Always Living"
  • Chris Keys
  • Quelle Chris
4:01
3."King in Black"Quelle Chris3:12
4."PS1 (Pontiac Sunfire 1)"
  • Chris Keys
  • Quelle Chris
0:48
5."Feed the Heads"Quelle Chris3:10
6."So Tired You Can't Stop Dreaming" (featuring Navy Blue)Quelle Chris3:41
7."Die Happy Knowing They'll Care"Quelle Chris1:50
8."Deathfame"Quelle Chris3:25
9."The Agency of the Future"Quelle Chris3:08
10."Help I'm Dead"Quelle Chris1:07
11."How Could You Love Something like Me?"
  • Chris Keys
  • Quelle Chris
3:20
12."CUI Prodest" (featuring Denmark Vessey and J Jig Cicero)Quelle Chris4:33
13."The Sky Is Blue Because the Sunset Is Red" (featuring MoRuf and Pink Siifu)
5:56
14."Excuse My Back" (featuring Cavalier)Quelle Chris3:05
Total length:41:59

Personnel

edit

Credits adapted from liner notes.

  • Gavin Christopher Tennille – main artist, producer (tracks: 1–12, 14), mixing
  • Chris Keys – producer (tracks: 1, 2, 4, 11, 13)
  • Glen Earl "Knxwledge" Boothe – producer (track 13)
  • dane.zone – mastering
  • Sage "Navy Blue" Elsesser – featured artist (track 6)
  • Denmark Vessey – featured artist (track 12)
  • J Jig Cicero – featured artist (track 12)
  • MoRuf Adewunmi – featured artist (track 13)
  • Livingston "Pink Siifu" Matthews – featured artist (track 13)
  • Cavalier – featured artist (track 14)

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "Critic Reviews for Deathfame". Metacritic. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  2. ^ a b Simpson, Paul. "Quelle Chris - Deathfame Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Sentz, Tim (May 17, 2022). "Album Review: Quelle Chris – Deathfame | Beats Per Minute". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Van Nguyen, Dean (June 8, 2022). "Quelle Chris: 'DEATHFAME' review". Crack Magazine. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  5. ^ a b Ritchie, Matthew (May 14, 2022). "Quelle Chris' 'DEATHFAME' Exhibits Excellence At Navigating The Pitfalls Of Popularity". HipHopDX. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  6. ^ a b Smith, Nadine (May 17, 2022). "Quelle Chris: Deathfame". Pitchfork. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Fantano, Anthony (May 22, 2022). "Quelle Chris - DEATHFAME". The Needle Drop. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  8. ^ Hull, Tom (May 16, 2022). "Tom Hull: Grade List: Quelle Chris". www.tomhull.com. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
  9. ^ Abiade, Yemi. "The Top 50 Albums of the Year". Crack. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
edit