The Recession

This article is about the album. For a general slowdown in economic activity, see Recession.

For other uses, see Recession (disambiguation).

2008 studio album by Young Jeezy

The Recession

Studio album by

Young Jeezy

Released| September 2, 2008
Recorded| 2007–2008
Genre| Hip hop
Length| 75:44
Label|

* CTE
* Def Jam

Producer|

* Drumma Boy
* Midnight Black
* DJ Pain 1
* Bangladesh
* DJ Toomp
* Don Cannon
* Fatboi
* J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League
* Shawty Redd
* Street Market Music
* Tha Bizness
* The Inkredibles
* T.A.
* Crown Kingz Productions
* DJ Squeeky
* D. Rich

Young Jeezy chronology
| Thug Motivation 102: The Inspiration
(2006)  | The Recession
(2008)  | TM103 Hustlerz Ambition
(2011)

|
|

Singles from  The Recession

1. "Put On"
Released: June 3, 2008
2. "Vacation"
Released: August 12, 2008
3. "Crazy World"
Released: October 25, 2008
4. "My President"
Released: November 15, 2008
5. "Who Dat"
Released: December 17, 2008

The Recession is the fifth studio album by American rapper Young Jeezy. It was released on September 2, 2008, by Corporate Thugz Entertainment and Def Jam Recordings. The album was supported by five singles: "Put On" featuring Kanye West, "Vacation", "Crazy World", "My President" featuring Nas, and "Who Dat". The Recession 2, the album's sequel was released in 2020.

The albums title and lyrics make references to the 2007-2008 Great Recession in the United States.

## Singles

[edit]

The album's lead single, "Put On", was released on June 3, 2008. The song features a guest appearance from American rapper Kanye West, while the production was handled by Drumma Boy.[1]

The album's second single, "Vacation", was released on August 12, 2008. The song was produced by the duo The Inkredibles.[2]

The album's third single, "Crazy World", was released on October 25, 2008. The song was produced by Midnight Black.[3]

The album's fourth single, "My President", was released on November 15, 2008. The song features a guest appearance from American rapper Nas, while the production was handled by the duo Tha Bizness.[4]

The album's fifth and final single, "Who Dat", was released on December 17, 2008. The song was produced by Shawty Redd, with co-production by D. Rich.[5]

## Critical reception

[edit]

Professional ratingsAggregate scores

Source| Rating
Metacritic| (72/100)[6]
Review scores
Source| Rating
AllMusic| [7]
Entertainment Weekly| B+[8]
Los Angeles Times| [9]
Pitchfork Media| 6.5/10[10]
PopMatters| 8/10[11]
Robert Christgau| [12]
RapReviews| 8.5/10[13]
Rolling Stone| [14]
Tiny Mix Tapes| [15]
USA Today| [16]

The Recession has a score of 72 out of 100 from Metacritic based on "generally favorable reviews".[6] The Phoenix gave it all four stars and said that "Elsewhere we get lots of the usual earthquake bass and keening synth arpeggios and staccato horns, and, of course, Jeezy’s hypnotically commanding flow, all of it amounting to one of the hardest mainstream rap albums in years."[17] The Guardian gave it four stars out of five and said that "The album touches upon economic issues without dwelling on them, and it captures the spirit of the times with an unerring precision."[18] Slant Magazine also gave it four stars out of five and said, "There's a unique pleasure in hearing a once one-dimensional rapper discover complexity, and for that Recession is nearly indispensable."[19] Billboard gave it a favorable review and stated, "Young Jeezy balances commercial/ pop aspirations with core hip-hop sounds on The Recession, getting a lift from DJ Toomp, Drumma Boy, Midnight Black and longtime collaborator Shawty Redd on this sonically enjoyable follow-up to 2006's 'The Inspiration'."[20] The Village Voice also gave it a favorable review and said that Jeezy's previous two albums "were well-crafted, uncompromising in their focus, and exceptionally entertaining. The Recession makes it three."[21]

AllHipHop gave it a score of seven-and-a-half stars out of ten and said, "Overcoming shaky moments in the album's early half, Jeezy again sets himself apart from his Trap music peers. But this time he combines a serious social theme with his usual content to make that distinction. And while there's no doubt that America is currently in an economic decline, in 2008 that same claim cannot be made about Young Jeezy."[22] The A.V. Club gave it a B and called it "silly, repetitive, and wildly unoriginal. Yet thanks to Jeezy's razor-blade rasp and goofy charisma, it's also strangely infectious."[23] Blender gave it three-and-a-half stars out of five and said that "If Recession-era Jeezy sounds a lot like boom-time Jeezy--describing coke cooking and the cars one gets in reward—that’s because he has always fancied himself an educator, a Learning Annex lecturer, an inspirational-desktop-calendar hustler."[6]

Other reviews are average, mixed or negative: Hartford Courant gave the album an average review and said it was "largely a faithful rehash of his first two platters, which transformed him from unrepentant hustler to unlikely inspirational figure."[24] Paste gave it a 5.8 out of ten and said that the singles "are exceptional, but the filler suffers from a detached and dispirited sound."[25] Prefix Magazine gave it a 4.5 out of ten and said of Jeezy, "Putting out an album called The Recession right now, and draping the American flag over your head on its cover, comes with expectations of politically conscious ruminations. Instead, we get more of the same."[26]

## Commercial performance

[edit]

The Recession debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 260,000 copies in its first week.[27] This became Jeezy's second US number one debut and his third top-ten album.[27] In its second week, the album dropped to number two on the chart, selling an additional 90,000 copies.[28] In its third week, the album dropped to number six on the chart, selling 60,000 more copies.[29] In its fourth week, the album dropped to number nine on the chart, selling 41,000 copies.[30] As of October 2009, the album sold 886,000 copies in the United States.[31] On July 2, 2020, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over one million units in the United States.[32]

## Track listing

[edit]

No.| Title| Writer(s)| Producer(s)| Length

|
|
|
|

1.| "The Recession (Intro)"|

* Jay Jenkins
* Aldrin Davis

| DJ Toomp| 4:38
2.| "Welcome Back"|

* Jenkins
* Hayward Ivy

| DJ Squeeky| 4:07
3.| "By the Way"|

* Jenkins
* Terry Allen

| T.A.| 4:00
4.| "Crazy World"|

* Jenkins
* Tracey Sewell

| Midnight Black| 3:57
5.| "What They Want"|

* Jenkins
* Sewell

| Midnight Black| 3:53
6.| "Amazin'"|

* Jenkins
* Christopher Gholson

| Drumma Boy| 4:16
7.| "Hustlaz Ambition"|

* Jenkins
* Gholson

| Drumma Boy| 3:40
8.| "Who Dat" (featuring Shawty Redd)|

* Jenkins
* Demetrius Stewart
* Dwayne Richardson

* Shawty Redd
* D. Rich (co.)

| 3:49
9.| "Don't You Know"|

* Jenkins
* Sewell

| Midnight Black| 4:58
10.| "Circulate"|

* Jenkins
* Donald Clark

| Don Cannon| 3:49
11.| "Word Play"|

* Jenkins
* Erik Ortiz
* Kenny Bartolomei
* Kevin Crowe

| J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League| 3:15
12.| "Vacation"|

* Jenkins
* Leigh Elliott
* Maurice Carpenter

| The Inkredibles| 3:47
13.| "Everything" (featuring Anthony Hamilton and Lil Boosie)|

* Jenkins
* Wolsey Thomas
* Metkel Deglel
* Anthony Hamilton
* Torrence Hatch

| Street Market Music| 4:41
14.| "Takin' It There" (featuring Trey Songz)|

* Jenkins
* LaDamon Douglas
* Tremaine Neverson

| Fatboi| 3:28
15.| "Don't Do It"|

* Jenkins
* Pacal Bayley

| DJ Pain 1| 4:06
16.| "Put On" (featuring Kanye West)|

* Jenkins
* Gholson
* Kanye West

| Drumma Boy| 5:21
17.| "Get Allot"|

* Jenkins
* Howard White
* Mike Davis
* Nico Solis

| Crown Kingz Productions| 4:29
18.| "My President" (featuring Nas)|

* Jenkins
* Chris Whitacre
* Justin Henderson
* Nasir Jones

| Tha Bizness| 5:30

iTunes bonus tracksNo.| Title| Writer(s)| Producer(s)| Length

|
|
|
|

19.| "Put On (Remix)" (featuring Jay-Z)|

* Jenkins
* Gholson
* Shawn Carter

| Drumma Boy| 4:18
20.| "Done It"|

* Jenkins
* Ortiz
* Bartolomei
* Crowe

| J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League| 4:04

## Charts

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

| Chart (2008)  | Peak
position

|

Canadian Albums (Billboard)[33] | 6
US Billboard 200[34] | 1
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[35] | 1

### Year-end charts

[edit]

| Chart (2008)  | Position

|

US Billboard 200[36] | 62
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[37] | 12
Chart (2009)  | Position

|

US Billboard 200[38] | 128
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[39] | 34

## Certifications

[edit]

Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

United States (RIAA)[40] | Platinum  | 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Breihan, Tom (May 20, 2016). "Kanye West: Going Nuts?". The Village Voice. Retrieved June 17, 2012.[dead link]
2. ^ "Young Jeezy Gearing Up for The Recession". June 25, 2016. Archived from the original on July 17, 2016. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
3. ^ "Young Jeezy - Crazy World". HipHopDX. August 5, 2016. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
4. ^ "Young Jeezy - My President ft. Nas". YouTube. December 25, 2012. Archived from the original on November 20, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
5. ^ "Young Jeezy - Who Dat ft. Shawty Redd". YouTube. April 13, 2013. Archived from the original on November 16, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
6. ^ a b c "Critic Reviews for The Recession". Metacritic. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
7. ^ David Jeffries (July 29, 2016). "The Recession - Young Jeezy | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
8. ^ Vozick, Simon (September 16, 2012). "The Recession". EW.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
9. ^ "They're hangin' tough - latimes". Articles.latimes.com. July 7, 2013. Retrieved December 10, 2015.[dead link]
10. ^ "Jeezy: The Recession". Pitchfork. September 3, 2008. Archived from the original on November 13, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
11. ^ "Young Jeezy: The Recession". PopMatters. Archived from the original on October 20, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
12. ^ "CG: young jeezy". Robert Christgau. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
13. ^ "Feature for September 2, 2008 - Young Jeezy's "The Recession"". Rapreviews.com. September 2, 2008. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
14. ^ "The Recession : Young Jeezy : Review : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. September 4, 2012. Archived from the original on September 2, 2008. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
15. ^ "Young Jeezy - The Recession". Tiny Mix Tapes. October 8, 2013. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
16. ^ "Usatoday.Com". Usatoday30.usatoday.com. September 1, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
17. ^ SAM UBL (September 10, 2012). "Young Jeezy | The Recession - CD Reviews". Thephoenix.com. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
18. ^ Alex Macpherson. "Young Jeezy, The Recession | Global". The Guardian. Retrieved December 10, 2015.[dead link]
19. ^ "Young Jeezy The Recession | Album Review". Slant Magazine. September 2, 2012. Archived from the original on December 25, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
20. ^ "The Recession". Billboard. September 1, 2016. Archived from the original on November 9, 2008. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
21. ^ Detrick, Ben (September 10, 2012). "Young Jeezy Tackles Our Wintry Economic Climate". Village Voice. Retrieved December 10, 2015.[dead link]
22. ^ AbduSalaam, Ismael (September 3, 2008). "Young Jeezy: The Recession (Album Review)". AllHipHop. Retrieved April 21, 2020.
23. ^ Rabin, Nathan. "The Recession · Young Jeezy · Music Review Young Jeezy: The Recession". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on October 16, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
24. ^ "New On Disc - tribunedigital-thecourant". Articles.courant.com. September 2, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2015.[dead link]
25. ^ "Young Jeezy: The Recession :: Music :: Reviews :: Paste". Pastemagazine.com. Retrieved December 10, 2015.[dead link]
26. ^ Dan Nishimoto. "Album Review: Young Jeezy - The Recession | Prefix". Prefixmag.com. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
27. ^ a b "Young Jeezy Nets Second Album Chart-Topper". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
28. ^ Katie Hasty (September 17, 2008). "Metallica Scores Fifth Straight No. 1 Album". Billboard. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
29. ^ Katie Hasty (September 24, 2008). "Metallica Edges Ne-Yo, Nelly To Remain No. 1". Billboard. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
30. ^ Katie Hasty (October 1, 2008). "Metallica Scores Third Week Atop Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
31. ^ Navjosh (October 18, 2009). "XXL Scans: Def Jam's Entire Discography & Record Sales". HipHop-N-More. Archived from the original on November 23, 2009. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
32. ^ "RIAA Certificaitons - Young Jeezy". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
33. ^ "Young Jeezy Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
34. ^ "Young Jeezy Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
35. ^ "Young Jeezy Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
36. ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
37. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2008". Billboard. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
38. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
39. ^ "Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2018.
40. ^ "American album certifications – Young Jeezy – The Recession". Recording Industry Association of America.

## External links

[edit]

* The Recession at Metacritic
* Young Jeezy official website at defjam.com
* The Recession Trailer 1 on YouTube
* The Recession Trailer 2 on YouTube

* v
* t
* e

Jeezy

Discography

Studio albums|

* Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101
* Thug Motivation 102: The Inspiration
* The Recession
* TM:103 Hustlerz Ambition
* Seen It All: The Autobiography
* Church in These Streets
* Trap or Die 3
* Pressure
* TM104: The Legend of the Snowman
* The Recession 2
* I Might Forgive... But I Don't Forget

Mixtapes|

* 1,000 Grams
* The Real Is Back
* The Real Is Back 2
* It's tha World
* Boss Yo Life Up Gang

Collaboration albums|

* Boyz n da Hood
* Cold Summer

Singles|

* "And Then What"
* "Soul Survivor"
* "Go Crazy"
* "My Hood"
* "I Luv It"
* "Go Getta"
* "Dreamin'"
* "Put On"
* "Vacation"
* "Crazy World"
* "My President"
* "Who Dat"
* "Lose My Mind"
* "Ballin'"
* "F.A.M.E."
* "I Do"
* "Leave You Alone"
* "R.I.P."
* "Seen It All"
* "All There"

Featured songs|

* "Icy"
* "Get Throwed"
* "Say I"
* "Grew Up a Screw Up"
* "Top Back (Remix)"
* "Diamonds"
* "5000 Ones"
* "I'm So Hood (Remix)"
* "100 Million"
* "Love in This Club"
* "Side Effects"
* "Louie"
* "Out Here Grindin"
* "I'm So Paid"
* "Never Ever"
* "Amazing"
* "Better Believe It"
* "I'm Goin' In"
* "Hard"
* "Put Your Hands Up"
* "(Ha Ha) Slow Down"
* "We in This Bitch"
* "Hold On (Shut Up)"
* "Champion"
* "My Homies Still"
* "Major Distribution"
* "Show Out"
* "Pour It Up (Remix)"
* "Act Right"
* "My Nigga"
* "Money Can't Buy"

Collaborative singles|

* "Dem Boyz"
* "White Girl"

Related topics|

* Boyz n da Hood
* U.S.D.A.
* CTE World
* Jeannie Mai

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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