Revenge of the Dreamers II

Revenge of the Dreamers II
Revenge of the Dreamers II
Compilation album by Dreamville Records
Released	December 8, 2015
Recorded	2015
Genre	Hip hop; R&B;
Length	30:20
Label	Dreamville; Interscope;
Producer	J. Cole; Cedric Brown; K-Quick; Soundwave; Meez; Elite; Ron Gilmore; DJ Grumble; J Dilla;
Dreamville Records chronology

Revenge of the Dreamers II is the second compilation album by American record label Dreamville Records and was released on December 8, 2015. The album includes contributions by Dreamville artists, J. Cole, Bas, Cozz, Omen, Lute, and Ari Lennox.^[1]^[2] Producers on this album include, J. Cole, Cedric Brown, K-Quick, Soundwave, Meez, Elite, Ron Gilmore Jr., DJ Grumble, and J Dilla.

Background

On December 12, 2015, posters promoting a surprise Dreamville concert were seen in subway stations and local stores in New York, NY. The concert crawl kicked off at Drom, followed by a Cake Shop appearance, and concluded with an encore at SOB's. The idea of the series, Cole said, was "to get back to the sense of underground and raw musical talent, and celebrating artists with a true, uncensored craft."^[3]

The tracks "Grow" and "Tabs" are found on Cozz's mixtape, Nothin' Personal (2016). "Housewives" and "Night Job" are featured on Bas' album Too High to Riot (2016). "Backseat" is featured on Ari Lennox's EP Pho (2016). "Still Slummin'" was featured on Lute's debut studio album West1996 pt. 2 (2017).

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Pitchfork	6.2/10^[4]

Pitchfork gave the compilation a 6.2 out of 10 saying "Fumbled legacy-building though it is, Dreamers is not without its bright spots. The tape introduces the label's two newest signees: the Washington, D.C.-bred singer Ari Lennox and lute, a rapper from Charlotte who joins Cole in representing North Carolina. Each artist contributes one song here, both of which are among the best on the tape; lute's Dilla-cribbing "Still Slummin" in particular is superb, throwing you immediately into his world and dispensing plaintive, delightfully un-cinematic notes."^[4] Yoh Phillips from DJBooth said "J. Cole has surrounded himself with artists that are passionate. You can hear it, they want this, a quality they all share. It’s weird, I remember watching J. Cole come up, no pun intended. Part of his success is the story of his struggle, going from North Carolina to the big city with a dream to make it as a rapper. It’s a story that anyone can relate to.'^[5]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Folgers Crystals" (J. Cole)	Jermaine Cole Anthony Parrino	Elite J. Cole	2:23
2.	"Night Job" (Bas featuring J. Cole)	Cole Abbas Hamad Ron Gilmore	Cedric Brown K-Quick Ron Gilmore^[a]	3:13
3.	"Backseat" (Ari Lennox featuring Cozz)	Courtney Salter Cody Osagie	DJ Grumble	3:38
4.	"Caged Bird" (J. Cole featuring Omen)	Cole Darren Coleman	Meez	3:59
5.	"48 Laws" (Omen featuring Donnie Trumpet)	Coleman Donnie Trumpet	Elite	2:19
6.	"Housewives" (Bas)	Hamad Gilmore	Soundwave Gilmore^[a]	3:16
7.	"Tabs" (Cozz featuring Bas)	Osagie Hamad	Meez	3:46
8.	"Still Slummin'" (Lute)	Luther Nicholson James Yancey	J Dilla	3:28
9.	"Grow" (Cozz featuring Correy C)	Osagie	Meez	4:17
Total length:				30:20

Notes

^{^[a]} signifies an additional producer
Caged Bird samples We Do It by Disco Orchestral
Folgers Crystals samples Babe I'm Yours by Whilk & Misky
Night Job samples No More by Jeremy and Shlohmoh

Charts

Chart (2015)	Peak position
US Billboard 200^[6]	24
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)^[7]	4
US Rap Albums (Billboard)^[8]	3

References

^ Victoria Hernandez (December 10, 2015). "J. Cole x Dreamville "Revenge Of The Dreamers II" Cover Art, Tracklist & Album Stream". HipHopDX. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
^ Kevin Goddard (December 7, 2015). "J.Cole & Dreamville Surprise Fans With Release Of "Revenge Of The Dreamers 2"". hotnewhiphop. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
^ McKinney, Jessica (14 December 2015). "J.Cole And Dreamville Return To Underground Vibes For "Revenge Of The Dreamers NYC Crawl"". Vibe.
^ ^a ^b Thompson, Paul A. (January 6, 2016). "Dreamville II: Revenge of the Dreamers". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 12, 2019.
^ Phillips, Yoh (9 December 2015). "Revenge of J. Cole's Dreamers: The Blessing & Curse of Being a Dreamville Artist". DJBooth.
^ "Billboard 200 - Year End Chart". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
^ "Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Year End Chart". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2016.
^ "Billboard Rap Albums Year End Chart". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2016.

[1] Victoria Hernandez (December 10, 2015). "J. Cole x Dreamville "Revenge Of The Dreamers II" Cover Art, Tracklist & Album Stream". HipHopDX. Retrieved January 28, 2016.

[2] Kevin Goddard (December 7, 2015). "J.Cole & Dreamville Surprise Fans With Release Of "Revenge Of The Dreamers 2"". hotnewhiphop. Retrieved January 28, 2016.

[3] McKinney, Jessica (14 December 2015). "J.Cole And Dreamville Return To Underground Vibes For "Revenge Of The Dreamers NYC Crawl"". Vibe.

[Pitchfork-4] Thompson, Paul A. (January 6, 2016). "Dreamville II: Revenge of the Dreamers". Pitchfork. Retrieved January 12, 2019.

[5] Phillips, Yoh (9 December 2015). "Revenge of J. Cole's Dreamers: The Blessing & Curse of Being a Dreamville Artist". DJBooth.

[6] "Billboard 200 - Year End Chart". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2016.

[7] "Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Year End Chart". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2016.

[8] "Billboard Rap Albums Year End Chart". Billboard. Retrieved February 7, 2016.

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