Bucket List Project

Bucket List Project is the debut studio album by American rapper Saba. It was released on October 27, 2016 by Saba Pivot, LLC.^[1][2]

Bucket List Project
Studio album by Saba
Released	October 27, 2016
Studio	Red Bull Studios, Santa Monica
Genre	Hip hop jazz rap neo soul
Length	49:32
Label	Saba Pivot, LLC
Producer	Saba (also exec.) Phoelix (also exec.) Cam O'bi Cory Grindberg D. Phelps daedaePIVOT Daoud Flex Lennon Joseph Chilliams Ken Ross L Boog Monte Booker squeakPIVOT
Saba chronology
SpareChange! (2015) Bucket List Project (2016) Care for Me (2018)

Background

The album was produced mainly by Saba himself and Phoelix, with guest producers ranging from Cam O'bi, daedaePIVOT, Joseph Chilliams, Ken Ross, Flex Lennon, squeakPIVOT, among others. The album also includes guest appearances from Noname, Twista, Smino, Ravyn Lenae, and Jean Deaux, among others.^[3][4]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Consequence of Sound	[5]
Exclaim!	[6]
HipHopDX	[7]
Pitchfork	7.0/10[8]
The Irish Times	[9]
Tom Hull – on the Web	B+ ()[10]

Bucket List Project received critical acclaim from critics. Pitchfork wrote "it is superbly written and performed. Saba is a crafty storyteller who makes full use of his long memory and slithering wordplay."^[11] Finishing 12th on Rolling Stone's list of 40 Best Rap Albums of 2016, Saba "successfully mashes of-the-moment hip-hop and atmospheric, live-band funk textures."^[12] Consequence of Sound compared Bucket List Project to Kendrick Lamar, writing "Saba maintained a precocious mastery of his craft with windingly poetic flows over murky, subdued beats, not too far removed from Kendrick Lamar circa Section 80."^[13]

Track listing

No.	Title	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"In Loving Memory"	Phoelix Saba Daoud[a] L Boog[a]	1:57
2.	"Stoney" (featuring Phoelix and BJRKNC)	Phoelix Saba	3:32
3.	"GPS" (featuring Twista)	Cam O'bi	3:48
4.	"Church (Liquor Store)" (featuring Noname)	Cam O'bi	4:05
5.	"Westside Bound 3" (featuring Joseph Chilliams)	Joseph Chilliams daedaePIVOT Saba[a]	2:58
6.	"MOST"	Saba Phoelix[a]	3:34
7.	"Symmetry"	Ken Ross Phoelix[a] daedaePIVOT[a]	4:33
8.	"Photosynthesis" (featuring Jean Deaux)	Phoelix Saba	3:23
9.	"The Billy Williams Story"	Flex Lennon squeakPIVOT	3:54
10.	"Bucket List" (featuring Matthew Santos)	daedaePIVOT Cory Grindberg	3:36
11.	"American Hypnosis" (featuring Akenya)	Phoelix Saba D. Phelps[a] Daoud[a]	4:14
12.	"California / Outro" (featuring Ravyn Lenae and Phoelix)	Monte Booker Phoelix Daoud[a] / Phoelix Saba	6:25
13.	"World in My Hands" (featuring Smino and LEGIT)	Saba Phoelix daedaePIVOT	3:52

All tracks are written by Tahj Malik Chandler

Track notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies an additional producer
• "In Loving Memory" and "American Hypnosis" features additional vocals from Daoud.
• "Stoney" features additional vocals from BRJKNC.
• "GPS" features uncredited vocals from Chandlar and BJRKNC.
• "Church (Liquor Store)" features additional vocals from Akenya.
• "Symmetry" and "Photosynthesis" features additional vocals from Phoelix.

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the rapper's official Soundcloud page.^[14]

Vocalists Saba - primary artist Phoelix - featured artist (2, 12), background artist (7, 8) BJRKNC - featured artist (2), background artist (3) Twista - featured artist (3) Noname - featured artist (4) Joseph Chilliams - featured artist (5) Jean Deaux - featured artist (8) Matthew Santos - featured artist (10) Akenya - featured artist (11), background artist (3) Ravyn Lenae - featured artist (12) Smino - featured artist (13) LEGIT - featured artist (13) Daoud - background artist (1, 11) Chandlar - background artist (3) Musicians Herbie One - trumpet (1, 11, 12) Simon Dufor - sax (2) Benjamin J Shepherd - additional bass (4) Jameson Brenner - guitar (8)

Technical Matt Wheeler - mixing, mastering (1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13) Elton "L10" Chueng - mixing (2, 12) Matt Wheeler - mastering (2, 12) James Musshorn - recording (2, 4, 6, 10, 12) Cornell "MixedbyCJ" Smith - recording (3) Elton "L10" Chueng - vocal engineer (4) Cameron Boswell - vocal engineer (10) Production Phoelix - production (1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 13) Saba - production (1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 11, 12, 13) Daoud - production (1, 11, 12) L Boog - production (1) Cam O'bi - production (3, 4) Joseph Chilliams - production (5) daedaePIVOT - production (5, 7, 10, 13) Ken Ross - production (7) Flex Lennon - production (9) squeakPIVOT - production (9) Cory Grindberg - production (10) D. Phelps - production (11) Monte Booker - production (12)

References

1. "Stream Saba's "Bucket List Project"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
2. "Stream Saba's New Project 'Bucket List'". Complex. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
3. "Album Of The Week: Saba Bucket List Project". Stereogum. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
4. "Saba – Bucket List Project". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
5. "Saba – Bucket List Project | Consequence of Sound". consequenceofsound.com. Retrieved 2017-08-13.
6. "Saba – Bucket List Project | Exclaim Mag". exclaim.ca. Retrieved 2016-09-02.
7. "Review: Saba Adds The Right Components To His Early "Bucket List Project" | HipHopDX". hiphopdx.com. Retrieved 2017-08-13.
8. "Saba – Bucket List Project | Pitchfork Media". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2016-09-02.
9. "Saba - Bucket List Project album review: Beautiful sounds from a tough town | The Irish Times". irishtimes.com. Retrieved 2017-08-13.
10. Hull, Tom (May 31, 2018). "Streamnotes". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved July 19, 2020.
11. "Saba: Bucket List Project Album Review | Pitchfork". pitchfork.com. Retrieved 2017-08-13.
12. "40 Best Rap Albums of 2016". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2017-08-13.
13. "Album Review: Saba – Bucket List Project". Consequence of Sound. 2016-10-28. Retrieved 2017-08-13.
14. "Bucket List Project by SABA | Saba Pivot". Retrieved June 7, 2017.