Full Court Press (album)

{{Infobox album

| name = Full Court Press

| type = studio

| artist = Girl Talk, Wiz Khalifa, Big K.R.I.T., and Smoke DZA

| cover = Girl Talk, Wiz Khalifa, Big K.R.I.T., and Smoke DZA - Full Court Press.jpg

| alt = A photo of the four artists around a desk in a room with medium-light brown walls and ceiling.

| released = April 8, 2022

| recorded =

| venue =

| studio =

| genre = Hip hop

| length = 31:19

| label = {{hlist|Asylum|Taylor Gang}}

| producer = Girl Talk

| chronology = Girl Talk

| prev_title = Broken Ankles

| prev_year = 2014

| next_title =

| next_year =

| misc =

{{Extra chronology

| artist = Wiz Khalifa

| type = studio

| prev_title = Stoner's Night

| prev_year = 2022

| title = Full Court Press

| year = 2022

| next_title = Multiverse

| next_year = 2022

}}

{{Extra chronology

| artist = Big K.R.I.T.

| type = studio

| prev_title = Digital Roses Don't Die

| prev_year = 2022

| title = Full Court Press

| year = 2022

| next_title =

| next_year =

}}

{{Extra chronology

| artist = Smoke DZA

| type = studio

| prev_title = Driplomatic Immunity

| prev_year = 2022

| title = Full Court Press

| year = 2022

| next_title = Respecanize Vol. 1

| next_year = 2022

}}

{{Singles

| name = Full Court Press

| type = studio

| single1 = Put You On

| single1date = March 9, 2022

| single2 = How the Story Goes

| single2date = March 23, 2022

| single3 = Ain't No Fun

| single3date = April 6, 2022

}}

Full Court Press is a collaborative hip hop album by American producer Girl Talk and rappers Wiz Khalifa, Big K.R.I.T., and Smoke DZA, released April 8, 2022 via Asylum Records and Taylor Gang Entertainment.{{Cite news |last=Fu |first=Eddie |date=March 9, 2022 |title=Girl Talk, Wiz Khalifa, Big K.R.I.T., and Smoke DZA Announce Collaborative Album, Share "Put You On" |work=Consequence of Sound |url=https://consequence.net/2022/03/girl-talk-wiz-khalifa-big-krit-smoke-dza-full-court-press/ |access-date=June 1, 2022}} Full Court Press is Girl Talk's first full album in over a decade, following 2010's All Day.{{Cite news |last=Gomez |first=Jade |date=March 9, 2022 |title=Girl Talk Returns with New Single "Put You On", Announces New Album Full Court Press |work=Paste |url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/girl-talk/girl-talk-returns-with-new-single-put-you-on-annou/ |access-date=June 1, 2022}}

Background

Three singles were released from the album: "Put You On" was released March 9 along with an animated music video directed by Lisa Ramsey.{{Cite news |last=Blistein |first=Jon |date=March 9, 2022 |title=Mash-Up King Girl Talk Teams With Wiz Khalifa, Big K.R.I.T., Smoke DZA for New Song "Put You On" |work=Rolling Stone |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/girl-talk-wiz-khalifa-big-krit-smoke-dza-put-you-on-1318940/ |access-date=June 1, 2022}} "How the Story Goes" released March 23,{{Cite news |last=Rose |first=Jordan |date=March 23, 2022 |title=Wiz Khalifa, Big K.R.I.T., and Girl Talk Release New Single "How the Story Goes" Off Collab Album |work=Complex |url=https://www.complex.com/music/wiz-khalifa-big-krit-girl-talk-how-the-story-goes |access-date=June 1, 2022}} and "Ain't No Fun" came out April 6 with a music video.{{Cite news |last=Williams |first=Aaron |date=April 6, 2022 |title=Wiz Khalifa, Big KRIT, Smoke DZA, and Girl Talk Party Like They Mean It in Their "Ain't No Fun" Video |work=Uproxx |url=https://uproxx.com/music/wiz-khalifa-big-krit-smoke-dza-girl-talk-aint-no-fun-video/ |access-date=June 1, 2022}} A video for "Season" directed by Slick Jackson was released December 2.{{Cite news |last=Duong |first=Paul "Big Homie" |date=December 2, 2022 |title=Video: Smoke Dza, Girl Talk "season" |work=RapRadar |url=https://rapradar.com/2022/12/02/video-smoke-dza-girl-talk-season/ |access-date=December 14, 2022}}

In discussing the recording process behind the album, Girl Talk said "These guys all go back with each other over 10 years, so it was just a great energy in the room", and that he "wanted to have an environment where they could do what they do best; try out a bunch of different ideas and have fun with it." He also noted the three have very different styles and "as a fan of each of them, I wanted to capture what it is that draws me to their music." The album was recorded over multiple days in a studio in Los Angeles. "How the Story Goes" started with Khalifa recording his verse, followed by K.R.I.T. building the rest of the song around that verse, "captur[ing] the feel of the sample and tak[ing] it somewhere new." For "Ain't No Fun", Girl Talk's philosophy was to make "a flip on the concept of Snoop's original, kind of from the female perspective of the titular line. I wanted to keep the production diverse throughout the project, while still maintaining a cohesive feel. This beat stands out in the context of the album because it doesn't have a sample and uses a more minimal style. But I thought that with some of the specific sound design and the overall energy, it really connected to the project as a whole."

Girl Talk had previously collaborated with all three artists separately, having produced Khalifa's 2017 song "Steam Room" which appeared on his Bong Rips EP the same year,{{Cite news |last=Coleman |first=C. Vernon II |date=June 24, 2017 |title=Wiz Khalifa Drops Bong Rips EP |work=XXL |url=https://www.xxlmag.com/wiz-khalifa-bong-rips-ep/ |access-date=December 11, 2022}} DZA's 2018 track "The Hook Up" from his album Not for Sale,{{Cite news |last=Setaro |first=Shawn |date=April 10, 2018 |title=Premiere: Smoke DZA, Dom Kennedy, and Cozz Got "The Hook Up" on New Single |work=Complex |url=https://www.complex.com/music/2018/04/smoke-dza-dom-kennedy-cozz-the-hook-up |access-date=December 11, 2022}} and the 2020 DZA track "Santos Party House", which featured Khalifa, K.R.I.T., and Currensy, and appeared on his album Homegrown.{{Cite news |date=September 18, 2020 |title=Smoke DZA, Wiz Khalifa, Big K.R.I.T. & Curren$y Come Together in the "Santos Party House" |work=HotNewHipHop |url=https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/281604-smoke-dza-wiz-khalifa-big-krit-and-currensy-come-together-in-the-santos-party-house-new-song |access-date=December 11, 2022}}

Reception

{{Album ratings

| title =Full Court Press ratings

| rev1 =Pitchfork

| rev1score =6.9/10{{Cite news |last=Rytlewski |first=Evan |date=April 14, 2022 |title=Girl Talk / Wiz Khalifa / Big K.R.I.T. / Smoke DZA: Full Court Press Album Review |work=Pitchfork |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/girl-talk-wiz-khalifa-big-krit-full-court-press/ |access-date=June 1, 2022}}

| noprose =

}}

HipHopDX{{'}}s David Aaron Brake called the album "particularly unique given each of the different rappers' unique style", but that despite their differences "their distinct influences are blended seamlessly thanks to Girl Talk's thoughtful and soul-laden production."{{Cite news |last=Brake |first=David Aaron |date=April 7, 2022 |title=New Music Friday - New Albums from Coi Leray, Fivio Foreign, Vince Staples, Syd + More |work=HipHopDX |url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.69390/title.new-music-friday-new-albums-from-coi-leray-fivio-foreign-vince-staples-syd-more |access-date=June 1, 2022}} Pitchfork{{'}}s Evan Rytlewski gave specific praise to Khalifa's performance, writing that while his "track record with albums is horrid ... as if the burden of carrying a full-length project sucks all the air out of him before he even arrives at the booth", "in short doses he's an absolute charisma machine, and with three co-headliners to help him carry the weight, he raps with uncharacteristic joviality." Rytlewski also praised Girl Talk's curatorial skills, noting that he "produces like his finger is always hovering over the skip button in case things ever get dull", but that "it's a credit to him that on Full Court Press they never do."