Aa (album)

Aa (pronounced "double a"^[1][2][3]) is the debut studio album by American record producer Harry Rodrigues, under his alias Baauer, released by LuckyMe on March 18, 2016. It has guest features by Future, G-Dragon, Leikeli47, M.I.A., Novelist, Pusha T, Rustie, Tirzah and TT the Artist.

Aa
Studio album by Baauer
Released	March 18, 2016
Recorded	2014–2016
Genre	Electronic trap bass hip hop
Length	33:27
Label	LuckyMe
Producer	Baauer Noah Beresin Mason Klein (exec.)
Baauer chronology
ß (2014) Aa (2016) Planet's Mad (2020)
Singles from Aa
"GoGo!" Released: October 20, 2015 "Day Ones" Released: January 28, 2016[1] "Temple" Released: March 16, 2016[2]

Background and recording

That song ["Harlem Shake"] gave me the opportunity to travel the world. The whole world. And in doing so learnt more about music than I could have ever imagined. But more so than anything I discovered, what makes a sound special to me is its imperfections, its peculiarities. I spent the last couple years trying to get all of those imperfections into one record, and I think finally it makes sense.

- Rodrigues, 2016^[3]

After Rodrigues' debut single, "Harlem Shake", spawned numerous Internet memes, he stated that "it became corny and annoying as fuck".^[4] He also stated: "I didn't want to be an EDM producer and I still don't want to be".^[5]

The album is named after Rodrigues' stage name, Baauer.^[6][7] He said: "I have two A's in my name, and also the first release I did on LuckyMe was ß, so this is gonna be Aa and in the future I'll do a U, and then ER".^[7]

Rodrigues recorded the album in Glasgow, Japan and the United Arab Emirates^[8] for "at least two years".^[6]

Music

Aa is an electronic,^[9] trap,^[10] bass^[11] and hip hop^[10][12] album. It is also influenced by M.I.A. and tribal music.^[8][12]

Artwork

The artwork was designed by Jonathan Zawada and Dominic Flannigan.^[13][14] It depicts a tree rising from an upturned motorcycle helmet, which is a reference to the "Harlem Shake" music videos.^[8]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.4/10[15]
Metacritic	76/100[16]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[17]
Clash	5/10[18]
Consequence of Sound	B[11]
Exclaim!	9/10[19]
The Guardian	[20]
Pitchfork	7.3/10[9]
Q	[16]
Resident Advisor	3.3/5[21]
Rolling Stone Australia	[22]
The Skinny	[12]

At review aggregate site Metacritic, Aa has an average score of 76 out of 100, based on 11 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[16]

Accolades

Accolades for Aa

Publication	Accolade	Rank
Billboard	10 Best Dance/Electronic Albums of 2016[23]	9
Complex	50 Best Albums of the Year[24]	35

Track listing

Aa^[25]

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Church"	1:45
2.	"GoGo!"	3:14
3.	"Body"	3:31
4.	"Pinku"	2:05
5.	"Sow"	3:11
6.	"Day Ones" (featuring Novelist and Leikeli47)	2:51
7.	"Good & Bad"	1:09
8.	"Way from Me" (featuring Tirzah)	3:17
9.	"Temple" (featuring M.I.A. and G-Dragon)	3:05
10.	"Make It Bang" (featuring TT the Artist)	3:20
11.	"Kung Fu" (featuring Pusha T and Future)	2:34
12.	"Church Reprise" (featuring Rustie)	1:32
13.	"Aa"	1:15
Total length:		33:27

Personnel

Credits for Aa.^[14][26]

• Baauer – producer, writer, recording
• Caleb Leven – vocal engineering
• Dominic Flannigan – design
• Future – vocals ("Kung Fu")
• G-Dragon – vocals ("Temple")
• Joe LaPorta – mastering
• Johnatan Zawada – design
• Leikeli47 – vocals ("Day Ones")
• Mason Klein – executive producer
• M.I.A. – vocals ("Temple")
• Noah Beresin – production ("Church", "Way from Me", "Temple")
• Novelist – vocals ("Day Ones")
• Pusha T – vocals ("Kung Fu")
• Rustie – guitar ("Church Reprise")
• Ryan Schwabe – mixing, vocal engineering
• Stewart Hawkes – mastering
• S-Type – additional production
• Tirzah – vocals ("Way from Me")
• TT The Artist – vocals ("Make It Bang")

Charts

Chart performance for Aa

Chart (2016)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[27]	52
US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[28]	11
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[29]	3