Certified (David Banner album)

Certified
Studio album by David Banner
Released September 20, 2005
Recorded 2003-2005
Genre Hip hop
Length 68:36
Label SRC, Universal Records
Producer Billy Hume, Craig Love, Cyber Sapp, Down Beat, David Banner, Get Cool, Jazze Pha, Jake Arnold, Kevin Rudolf, Lil Jon, Mr. Collipark, Maestro, Mike Hartnett
David Banner chronology
MTA2: Baptized in Dirty Water
(2003)		 Certified
(2005)		 The Greatest Story Ever Told
(2008)
Singles from Certified
  1. "Ain't Got Nothing"
    Released: 2005
  2. "Play"
    Released: July 7, 2005
  3. "Touching"
    Released: 2005

Certified is the fourth studio album by American rapper and record producer David Banner. It was released on September 20, 2005, by SRC and Universal Records.[1] Most of the album's production was handled by Banner. The album features guest appearances from Jadakiss, Jazze Pha, Talib Kweli, Twista and Jagged Edge, among others. The first single was "Ain't Got Nothing" (backed with "Certified"). The second single was "Play" (backed with "Westside") which reached number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. In early 2006 promotional "Gangsta Walk" and "On Everything" (backed with "Fucking") were released.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic71/100[2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Entertainment WeeklyB-[4]
MusicOMH[5]
Pitchfork Media8.4/10[6]
PopMatters[7]
RapReviews9/10[8]
Stylus MagazineB-[9]
USA Today[10]
Vibe[11]

Certified garnered positive reviews from music critics who praised Banner's approach to over-the-top hip-hop stories and insightful political tracks. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream crtics, the album received an average score of 71, based on 13 reviews.[2]

Pedro Hernandez of RapReviews gave high praise to Banner for building upon his previous material and delivered an album with solid production, balanced themes and capable guest artists, concluding that "Certified treads a fine line between keeping it real and selling units, but Banner treads that line very well. Though it is his best album to date, hopefully this is only the beginning for the game's most conscious rapper."[8] Andy Kellman of AllMusic said that despite the cluttered list of guest artists, the album delivers on Banner's established material with higher production values and gusto conviction, saying that "Certified certifies that Banner is as crucial to hip-hop in the early 2000s as any other MC."[3] Dan Nishimoto of PopMatters admired Banner's approach of crafting a mainstream hip-hop album that over-exaggerates tropes while delivering serious topics in disguise, saying that "Certified's appeal lies in this tightrope act. Fully aware of his captive audience, Banner goes for broke to bring in as wide a swath as possible."[7]

Steve Jones of USA Today praised the album's balance of both political and sex-filled tracks, saying that "It's a mix that is certified to both educate and entertain."[10] Evan McGarvey of Stylus Magazine was lukewarm on the album, finding the production and guest artists not at the level of Banner's vision at times but said that its still able to deliver its twisted empathy, saying that, "Certified is mostly a frightening album because it’s so clearly not up to Banner’s full potential but still a dramatic cut above almost everything else."[9] Azeem Ahmad of MusicOMH felt that the album was over-bloated with numerous songs that told the same inane stories over similar beats found in Lil Jon's discography, concluding that "There's little familiarity, too little to relate to on Certified, and I for one would rather give airtime to British talent than to try and push the likes of David Banner, whose music may be groundbreaking, but is alien to our ears."[5]

Track listing

No. TitleProducer(s) Length
1. "Lost Souls"  David Banner, Craig Love 3:15
2. "Treat Me Like A" (featuring Jadakiss)Lil Jon 3:53
3. "Gangsta Walk" (featuring Three 6 Mafia, Marcus & 8Ball & MJG)Cyber Sapp 4:28
4. "2 Fingers" (featuring Jagged Edge)David Banner 3:29
5. "Play"  Mr. Collipark 3:50
6. "Fucking" (featuring Jazze Pha)Jazze Pha 3:51
7. "Thinking of You" (featuring Case)David Banner, Kevin Rudolf 5:03
8. "On Everything" (featuring Twista)Get Cool 4:09
9. "Certified" (featuring Marcus)David Banner 4:11
10. "Ain't Got Nothing" (featuring Magic & Lil Boosie)David Banner 3:52
11. "Bloody War" (featuring B.G.)David Banner 4:30
12. "Westside"  Maestro 3:32
13. "Take Your" (featuring Too Short, Bun B & Jazze Pha)David Banner 4:42
14. "My Life" (featuring Sky Keeton)David Banner, Mike Hartnett 3:54
15. "Ridin'" (featuring Talib Kweli & Dead Prez)Down Beat 4:34
16. "X-ed" (featuring Kamikaze)David Banner 3:41
17. "Crossroads" (featuring Grout)David Banner, Billy Hume, Jake Arnold 3:45

Charts

Chart (2005) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[12] 6
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[13] 3

References

  1. ↑ "Certified (Bonus Track Version) by David Banner on iTunes". Itunes.apple.com. 2005-09-20. Retrieved 2015-12-05.
  2. 1 2 "Reviews for Certified by David Banner". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Kellman, Andy. "Certified - David Banner". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  4. ↑ Sinclair, Tom (September 16, 2005). "Certified". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  5. 1 2 Ahmad, Azeem (February 13, 2006). "David Banner - Certified". MusicOMH. Archived from the original on April 13, 2007. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  6. ↑ Shepherd, Julianne (September 20, 2005). "David Banner: Certified". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  7. 1 2 Nishimoto, Dan (September 28, 2005). "David Banner: Certified". PopMatters. Retrieved October 10, 2015.
  8. 1 2 Hernandez, Pedro (September 27, 2005). "David Banner :: Certified :: Universal Records". RapReviews. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  9. 1 2 McGarvey, Evan (September 26, 2005). "David Banner - Certified - Review". Stylus Magazine. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  10. 1 2 Jones, Steve (September 19, 2005). "Bon Jovi rocks; Streisand rolls". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  11. ↑ Spin Media (September 2005). Vibe. Spin Media. p. 231. ISSN 1070-4701. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  12. ↑ "David Banner – Chart history" Billboard 200 for David Banner. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
  13. ↑ "David Banner – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for David Banner. Retrieved December 3, 2015.
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