BlackenedWhite

BlackenedWhite is the debut studio album by Odd Future sub-group MellowHype. Production for the album was handled by Left Brain. It was made available for free download October 31, 2010, and re-released on July 12, 2011, through Fat Possum Records.

BlackenedWhite
Studio album by MellowHype
Released	October 31, 2010 (2010-10-31)
Recorded	May–October 2010
Genre	Alternative hip hop
Length	45:03
Producer	Left Brain
MellowHype chronology
YelloWhite (2010) BlackenedWhite (2010) MellowHypeWeek (2012)
Singles from BlackenedWhite
"Right Here" Released: October 14, 2010

BlackenedWhite (Re-release)
Studio album by MellowHype
Released	July 12, 2011 (2011-07-12)
Studio	The Trap (Los Angeles, California)
Genre	Alternative hip hop
Length	31:07
Label	Fat Possum
Producer	Left Brain Tyler, the Creator
MellowHype chronology
BlackenedWhite (2010) BlackenedWhite (Re-release) (2011) MellowHypeWeek (2012)
Singles from BlackenedWhite (Re-release)
"64" Released: June 13, 2011

Release

Singles

The first single "Right Here" was released on October 14, 2010.^[1]

The first single for the re-release, "64", was released on June 13, 2011.^[2] The music video of the single was released on the same day.^[3]

BlackenedWhite (Re-release)

The mixtape was re-released on July 12, 2011, by Fat Possum Records, without the song "Chordaroy" because the label did not have permission to use Earl Sweatshirt's vocals.^[4][5]

Track listing

All tracks are produced by Left Brain.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Primo"	2:13
2.	"Gunsounds"	2:43
3.	"Brain" (featuring Domo Genesis)	2:30
4.	"Loaded" (featuring Mike G)	4:23
5.	"Hell" (featuring Frank Ocean)	3:34
6.	"Deaddeputy"	2:26
7.	"Right Here"	3:11
8.	"Loco"	3:54
9.	"Stripclub"	3:00
10.	"Fuck the Police" (featuring Tyler, the Creator)	3:12
11.	"Chordaroy" (featuring Earl Sweatshirt and Tyler, the Creator)	5:01
12.	"Rico" (featuring Frank Ocean)	3:07
13.	"Gram"	1:36
14.	"Circus"	3:07
15.	"Based" (featuring C. Renee)	1:42
Total length:		45:03

Re-release track listing

All tracks are produced by Left Brain, except "Game" produced by Tyler, the Creator.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Primo"	Vyron Turner Gerard Long	2:13
2.	"Gunsounds"	Turner Long	2:45
3.	"Brain" (featuring Domo Genesis)	Turner Long Dominique Cole	2:31
4.	"64"	Turner Long	2:57
5.	"Loaded" (featuring Mike G)	Turner Long Mike Griffin II	4:24
6.	"Deaddeputy"	Turner Long	1:59
7.	"Right Here"	Turner Long	3:12
8.	"Igotagun"	Turner Long	2:06
9.	"F666 the Police" (featuring Tyler, the Creator)	Turner Long Tyler Okonma	3:14
10.	"Rico" (featuring Frank Ocean)	Turner Long Christopher Breaux	2:37
11.	"Circus"	Turner Long	3:09
Total length:			31:07

iTunes bonus track

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
12.	"Gunz"	Turner Long	2:14
Total length:			33:21

Australian bonus tracks

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
12.	"Game" (featuring Tyler, The Creator)	Long Okonma	2:03
13.	"Gunz"	Turner Long	2:14
Total length:			35:24

Notes

• The re-release does not contain the tracks "Chordaroy", "Hell", "Loco", "Stripclub", "Gram", and "Based".

Critical response

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	6.7/10[6]
Metacritic	72/100[7]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[8]
The A.V. Club	B[9]
Consequence of Sound	F[10]
HipHopDX	3.5/5[11]
Now	2/5[12]
Pitchfork	8.0/10[13]
RapReviews	6.5/10[14]
Rolling Stone	[15]
Slant Magazine	[16]
Under the Radar	6/10[17]

BlackenedWhite was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, the album received an average score of 72, based on 21 reviews.^[7] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 6.7 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.^[6]

Drew Beringer from AbsolutePunk called it "the most accessible Odd Future release to date" and went on to say that it's "another strong album from the Odd Future pack."^[18] David Jeffries of AllMusic said, "The original mixtape is worth checking for the Sweatshirt bits alone, but this version does a better job of putting the spotlight on Mellowhype, the Odd Future crew's secret weapon."^[8] Evan Rytlewski of The A.V. Club said, "In spite of its marvelous production from Left Brain, who shares Tyler's ear for beautifully deformed grooves and Lex Luger's gift for epileptic bangers, BlackenedWhite doesn't boil over as maniacally as Goblin, and it never fully reaches that album's reckless highs."^[9]

Omar Burgess of HipHopDX said, "Ultimately, BlackenedWhite is conflicted, but quality music."^[11] Jordan Sargent of Pitchfork said, "The catch-22 for MellowHype is that while their centrism certainly has its merits, their music is unlikely to convert anyone that has, at this point, already written off Odd Future. Which leaves them with a solid, fun rap album to satiate a feverish cult and a growing number of casual fans."^[13] Steve "Flash" Juon of RapReviews said, "It's clearly a release intended for hardcore Odd Future fans."^[14] Huw Jones of Slant Magazine said, "The duo strikes a fine working relationship throughout BlackenedWhite too, with Left ensuring his colleague's standout bars are accentuated with a quirky sample or a sudden key change. In all, this is a far more accessible affair than Goblin; it never comes close to being as downright offensive, and Hodgy's breezy flow helps make this a far easier album to digest."^[16]

Chris Martins of Spin said, "Producer Left Brain breaks ground on bangers that stitch ambient electronica to cracked G-funk, while Hodgy sports the casual swag of Wiz Khalifa or Lil Wayne, with a less cringe-worthy sense of humor than his peers."^[19] Jason Richards of Now said, "There's the occasional clever turn of phrase, but MellowHype's brand of vulgarity is subtler and less arresting than Tyler's."^[12] Matthew Trammell from Rolling Stone calling it "L.A. gangsta rap for the swag generation that die-hard fans will eagerly lap up."^[15] Alex Young of Consequence of Sound said, "The reissue of BlackenedWhite comes as a missed opportunity. Odd Future followers will likely have grabbed the expanded (and notably better) version when it was available free online a few months back; newcomers to the collective's output have better entry points elsewhere in their continuously-growing catalog."^[10]

Commercial performance

BlackenedWhite debuted at number 81 on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 6,000 copies in the United States.^[20]

Charts

Chart (2011)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[21]	81
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[22]	19
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[23]	18

References

1. Shepherd, Julianne Escobedo (October 14, 2010). "Mellowhype, "Right Here" MP3". The Fader. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
2. "Mellowhype – 64 Music Video (June 13th)". Odd Future. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
3. "Odd Future's MellowHype Drop Spooky New Video". Spin. June 13, 2011. Archived from the original on April 7, 2016. Retrieved March 27, 2016.
4. "MellowHype "BlackenedWhite" Release July 12 | Fat Possum Records". fatpossum. May 31, 2011. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
5. Ryon, Sean (June 1, 2011). "OFWGKTA's MellowHype To Release "Blackenedwhite" On July 12 | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHopDX. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
6. "Blackenedwhite by MellowHype reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on November 12, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
7. "BlackenedWhite Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. Archived from the original on August 26, 2011. Retrieved September 11, 2011.
8. Jeffries, David (July 11, 2011). "BlackenedWhite review". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 17, 2012. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
9. Rytlewski, Evan (July 12, 2011). "MellowHype: Blackenedwhite | Music | Music Review". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on March 30, 2013. Retrieved October 12, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
10. Young, Alex (July 12, 2011). "MellowHype – BlackenedWhite [Reissue]". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
11. Burgess, Omar (July 11, 2011). "Hodgy Beats & Left Brain (MellowHype) (OFWGKTA) BlackenedWhite". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on September 2, 2017. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
12. "Rating from Now Magazine Canada (Nowtoronto.com)". Retrieved March 4, 2012.
13. Sargent, Jordan (July 29, 2011). "MellowHype: BlackenedWhite [Reissue] Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on May 28, 2016. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
14. "MellowHype: BlackenedWhite | Music Review". RapReviews. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
15. "Rating from Rolling Stone (Rollingstone.com)". Archived from the original on March 31, 2012. Retrieved March 4, 2012.
16. "MellowHype: BlackenedWhite | Music Review". Slant Magazine. Archived from the original on September 2, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
17. Fink, Matt (July 14, 2011). "MellowHype: BlackenedWhite (Fat Possum)". Under the Radar. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved July 3, 2019.
18. "Mellowhype – Blackenedwhite – Album Review". AbsolutePunk. July 13, 2011. Archived from the original on February 21, 2013. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
19. "MellowHype, 'BlackenedWhite' (Fat Possum)". Spin. Archived from the original on March 22, 2016. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
20. "Hip Hop Albums Sales: The Week Ending 7/17/2011". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on September 11, 2014. Retrieved February 4, 2016.
21. "MellowHype Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
22. "MellowHype Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
23. "MellowHype Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 17, 2018.