Godfather Buried Alive

Godfather Buried Alive is the second and final studio album by Belizean-American rapper Shyne. It was released on August 10, 2004 by Gangland Records and Def Jam Recordings. It was released during Shyne's 10-year prison sentence for a 1999 nightclub shooting in New York City. The album included 13 tracks, 12 of which were previously recorded vocals, while one was recorded over the phone from jail. It features guest appearances from Kurupt, Nate Dogg, Foxy Brown and Ashanti, and production from Kanye West, Swizz Beatz, Mike Dean and Just Blaze, among others. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 with 158,000 copies sold in its first week, making Shyne the second rapper after 2Pac to have an album debut within the top five of the Billboard 200 while incarcerated.

Godfather Buried Alive
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 10, 2004
Recorded2002–2004
GenreHip hop, gangsta rap
Length52:36
Label
Shyne chronology
Shyne
(2000)
Godfather Buried Alive
(2004)
Gangland
(2012)
Singles from Godfather Buried Alive
  1. "More or Less"
    Released: 2004
  2. "Jimmy Choo"
    Released: 2004
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic54/100[1]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[3]
HipHopDX[4]
Los Angeles Times[5]
Pitchfork6.9/10[6]
RapReviews7/10[7]
Rolling Stone[8]

Background

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After the release of his debut album in September 2000, Shyne was sentenced to 10 years in prison in June 2001 and released from his contract with Bad Boy Entertainment.[9] A bidding war ensued, with numerous labels meeting with Shyne in prison and offering him contracts. Shyne eventually signed a $3 million contract with Def Jam Records, and plans were made to release his second studio album. Due to the fact Shyne was unable to professionally record new music while in prison, the album was largely composed of music he had recorded prior to his incarceration. Certain lines, however, were recorded over a prison phone. The only song fully recorded from prison was "For The Record", a diss track recorded over the phone and made in response to 50 Cent dissing Shyne on Hot 97 during a freestyle.[10][11]

Track listing

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# Title Producer(s) Featured Guest(s) Time Samples
1 Buried Alive Intro Moses Leviy 0:19
2 Quasi O.G. Buckwild 4:25
3 More or Less Kanye West, Brian "All Day" Miller Foxy Brown 4:37
4 Behind the Walls (East Coast Gangsta Mix) Mike Dean Kurupt & Nate Dogg 4:29
5 S.H.Y.N.E. Swizz Beatz Swizz Beatz, Mashonda 4:30
6 For the Record Moses Leviy 4:55
  • "Friends" performed by Whodini
  • "For The Record"
  • "Here I Go" written by Leroy Edwards and Michael Tyler
7 Martyr Moses Leviy & Chucky Thompson 3:53
8 Jimmy Choo Irv Gotti Ashanti 3:43
9 Godfather Yogi 4:00
10 The Gang Moses Leviy & Chucky Thompson Foxy Brown 4:18
  • "I Did It For Love" written by Terry Etlinger and Linda Laurie
  • "If You Think It" written by David Porter and Ronnie Williams
  • "Verbal Intercourse" as performed by Raekwon featuring Nas & Ghostface Killah
11 Edge Charlemagne 4:15
12 Here with Me Just Blaze 4:36
13 Diamonds & Mac 10's Just Blaze 4:38

Chart performance

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Weekly charts

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Chart (2004) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[12] 3
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[13] 1

Year-end charts

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Chart (2004) Position
US Billboard 200[14] 182
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[15] 55

References

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  1. ^ "Godfather Buried Alive by Shyne". Metacritic. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  2. ^ Godfather Buried Alive at AllMusic
  3. ^ Fiore, Raymond (August 20, 2004). "Godfather Buried Alive". Entertainment Weekly. No. 779/780. New York. p. 126. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  4. ^ J-23 (August 15, 2004). "Shyne - Godfather Buried Alive". HipHopDX. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  5. ^ Baker, Soren (August 15, 2004). "Songs released; he isn't". Los Angeles Times. p. E39. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  6. ^ Warren, Jamin (September 21, 2004). "Shyne: Godfather Buried Alive". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  7. ^ Barone, Matt (August 10, 2004). "Shyne's "Godfather Buried Alive"". RapReviews. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  8. ^ Caramanica, Jon (September 16, 2004). "Bring the Pain". Rolling Stone. No. 957. New York. p. 78. Archived from the original on November 13, 2007. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  9. ^ "iTunes Artist Page". iTunes. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
  10. ^ Wolf, Buck (Sep 30, 2005). "Lil' Kim Aims to Be Rap's Martha Stewart". ABC News. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
  11. ^ Leeds, Jeff (August 8, 2004). "From Behind Bars, a Rapper Aims at the Top of the Chart". The New York Times. Retrieved February 9, 2012.
  12. ^ "Shyne Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  13. ^ "Shyne Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  14. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2004". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
  15. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2004". Billboard. 2 January 2013. Retrieved September 14, 2020.