A Much Better Tomorrow
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox album
| name = A Much Better Tomorrow
| type = studio
| artist = Dan the Automator
| cover = A Much Better Tomorrow.jpg
| alt =
| released = {{Start date|2000|07|18}}
| recorded =
| venue =
| studio = The Glue Factory, San Francisco, California, U.S.
| genre = Hip hop
| length = {{Duration|m=53|s=13}}
| label = 75 Ark
| producer = Dan the Automator
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title = Wanna Buy a Monkey?
| next_year = 2002
}}
A Much Better Tomorrow is the debut studio album by Dan the Automator. It was released on 75 Ark in 2000. It is the expanded version of his 1996 EP, A Better Tomorrow.{{cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2010/08/whatever-happened-to-dan-the-automator/|title=Whatever Happened To: Dan the Automator|work=Consequence of Sound|first=Len|last=Comaratta|date=August 29, 2010|access-date=October 7, 2019}} It features guest appearances from Kool Keith, Neph the Madman, and Poet.
Critical reception
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev1score = {{rating|4|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-much-better-tomorrow-mw0000087344|title=A Much Better Tomorrow - Dan the Automator|work=AllMusic|first=John|last=Bush|date=|access-date=October 7, 2019}}
| rev2 = Brainwashed
| rev2score = favorable{{cite web|url=http://brainwashed.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1466:automator-qa-much-better-tomorrowq&catid=13:albums-and-singles&Itemid=133|title=Automator "A Much Better Tomorrow"|work=Brainwashed|first=Mark|last=Weddle|date=October 7, 2000|access-date=October 7, 2019}}
| rev3 = Robert Christgau
| rev3score = {{rating-Christgau|hm1}}{{cite web|url=https://robertchristgau.com/get_artist2.php?id=4744|title=Dan the Automator [extended]|work=RobertChristgau.com|first=Robert|last=Christgau|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=|access-date=October 7, 2019}}
| rev5 = NME
| rev5score = {{rating|3|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/reviews-nme-2776|title=A Much Better Tomorrow|work=NME|first=|last=|date=September 12, 2005|access-date=October 7, 2019}}
| rev6 = RapReviews
| rev7 = Select
| rev7score = {{rating|3|5|full=U+25A0.svg|empty=U+25A1.svg|rating=medal}}{{cite journal|journal=Select|title=Album reviews|page=108|author=Lowe, Steve|date=October 2000|publisher=EMAP Metro|issn=0959-8367}}
}}
John Bush of AllMusic stated that the tracks sound "a bit aimless without at least an occasional rap in front of them." Thomas Quinlan of Exclaim! praised Dan the Automator and Kool Keith's collaborative tracks, stating that they "all demonstrate a creative partnership that is rarely found in hip-hop." He called Dan the Automator "a producer who can make beats that expose the various personalities of Kool Keith's different characters."{{cite web|url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/automator-much_better_tomorrow_lp|title=Automator A Much Better Tomorrow LP|work=Exclaim!|first=Thomas|last=Quinlan|date=November 1, 2000|access-date=October 7, 2019}}
Track listing
{{Track listing
| all_writing = Dan the Automator and Kool Keith, except where noted
| title1 = A Better Tomorrow
| note1 = featuring Kool Keith
| length1 = 5:57
| title2 = King of NY
| note2 = featuring Kool Keith
| length2 = 3:53
| title3 = I Want da Mic
| note3 = featuring Kool Keith
| length3 = 3:51
| title4 = Sleep
| writer4 = Dan the Automator
| length4 = 5:10
| title5 = Wiling
| note5 = featuring Neph the Madman
| writer5 = {{hlist|Dan the Automator|Nephtali Lewis}}
| length5 = 3:56
| title6 = Cartoon Capers
| note6 = featuring Kool Keith
| length6 = 4:44
| title7 = 4:17
| writer7 = Dan the Automator
| length7 = 3:46
| title8 = Buck Buck
| note8 = featuring Poet
| writer8 = {{hlist|Dan the Automator|Siwatu Kamau}}
| length8 = 4:25
| title9 = The Truth
| writer9 = Dan the Automator
| length9 = 4:59
| title10 = It's Over Now
| note10 = featuring Kool Keith
| length10 = 5:32
| title11 = A Better Tomorrow Pt. 2
| note11 = featuring Kool Keith
| length11 = 7:00
| total_length = 53:13
}}
Personnel
Credits adapted from liner notes.
{{Div col}}
- Kool Keith – vocals (1, 2, 3, 6, 10, 11)
- DJ Qbert – turntables (3)
- Brandon Arnovick – guitar (4)
- Neph the Madman – vocals (5)
- Sweet "P" – cartoon voices (6)
- Poet – vocals (8)
- Dan the Automator – production, mixing
- Howie Weinberg – mastering
- Christie Rixford – artwork
- Chris Veltri – photography
{{Div col end}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Discogs master|123610|A Much Better Tomorrow}}
{{Dan the Automator}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Much Better Tomorrow, A}}