Top 5 Dead or Alive
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2025}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Top 5 Dead or Alive
| type = studio
| artist = Jadakiss
| cover = Jadakiss Top 5 Dead or Alive.jpg
| alt =
| released = November 20, 2015
| recorded = 2012–2015
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = Hip hop
| length = 60:01
| label = {{hlist|D-Block|Def Jam}}
| producer = {{hlist|Jason "Jadakiss" Philips {{small|(exec.)}}|Jay "Icepick" Jackson {{small|(exec.)}}|Akon|Arkatech Beatz|Bangladesh|Beat Butcha|Buda & Grandz|Dane Beats|Just Blaze|Lee on the Beats|Mark Batson|Pitchshifters|POSTA|Rico Beats|Scram Jones|Swizz Beatz|Ty Fyffe}}
| prev_title = The Last Kiss
| prev_year = 2009
| next_title = Friday on Elm Street
| next_year = 2017
| misc = {{Singles
| name = Top 5 Dead or Alive
| type = Studio
| single1 = Jason
| single1date = October 16, 2015
| single2 = Ain't Nothin New
| single2date = October 30, 2015
}}
}}
Top 5 Dead or Alive is the fourth studio album by American hip hop recording artist Jadakiss. The album was released on November 20, 2015, by D-Block Records and Def Jam Recordings.{{cite web|url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/top-5-dead-or-alive/id1054581368 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120021233/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/top-5-dead-or-alive/id1054581368 |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 20, 2015 |title=Top 5 Dead or Alive by Jadakiss on iTunes |publisher=iTunes |date=1975-05-27 |access-date=2015-11-09}}{{cite web|url=http://www.rap-up.com/2015/11/06/jadakiss-top-5-dead-or-alive-tracklisting/ |title=Jadakiss Taps Nas, Lil Wayne, & Future for ‘Top 5 Dead or Alive’ |publisher=Rap-Up |date= |accessdate=2015-11-09}} The album features guest appearances from Akon, Future, Jeezy, Lil Wayne, Ne-Yo, Nas, Nipsey Hussle, Styles P, Puff Daddy, Sheek Louch, Swizz Beatz, Young Adz and Young Buck.
Background
In May 2010, he spoke about the progress of the album, saying: "I got about three good ones. Not even recorded. I got probably two verses off each song. Maybe four good ones. [DJ Drama] sent me something. I’m doing real careful selection on production on this project…Even my street joints, even if it’s a symphony. If every verse got 75 curses in it, I want the production to be big…I was gonna switch the name up. I put it on Twitter, I put it on every website you can imagine, and that came back unanimous. So Top Five, Dead or Alive it is, baby…It’s Def Jam, Roc-A-Fella, Ruff Ryders, D-Block, Aphilliates, Green Lantern, a couple of other white guys [releasing it.] You know how this game is. Everybody is in the pot. But it’s enough money for everybody."{{cite web|author=mtv |url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1638594/jadakiss-wants-top-five-dead-or-alive-to-be-just-fire/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151120220315/http://www.mtv.com/news/1638594/jadakiss-wants-top-five-dead-or-alive-to-be-just-fire/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 20, 2015 |title=Jadakiss Wants Top Five, Dead Or Alive To Be ‘Just Fire’ |publisher=MTV |date= |accessdate=2015-11-09}}
In December 2012, he explained that he was halfway done recording the album, saying: "It's coming baby, first quarter. Anywhere, February, March, April... You know, somewhere around there where it feels right,. It's halfway finished now. When I finish this tour, I'll go home and finish the rest of it and then we strategize the marketing plan and get that thing out to the people."{{cite web|url=http://hiphopdx.com/news/id.22092/title.jadakiss-is-halfway-done-recording-top-5-dead-or-alive-reveals-the-lox-album-title |title=Jadakiss Is Halfway Done Recording "Top 5 Dead Or Alive," Reveals The LOX Album Title |publisher=HipHopDX |date=2012-12-04 |accessdate=2015-11-09}}
Singles
On October 16, 2015, the album's first single "Jason" featuring Swizz Beatz was released.{{cite web|url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/jason-feat.-swizz-beatz/id1048713229?i=1048713231 |title=Jason (feat. Swizz Beatz) - Single by Jadakiss on iTunes |publisher=Web.archive.org |date=2015-10-16 |accessdate=2015-11-09 |url-status=unfit |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151109041102/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/jason-feat.-swizz-beatz/id1048713229?i=1048713231 |archivedate=November 9, 2015 }} On October 30, 2015, the album's second single "Ain't Nothin New" featuring Ne-Yo and Nipsey Hussle was released.{{cite web|url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/aint-nothin-new-feat.-ne-yo/id1052451116 |title=Ain't Nothin New (feat. Ne-Yo & Nipsey Hussle) - Single by Jadakiss on iTunes |publisher=Web.archive.org |date=2015-10-30 |accessdate=2015-11-09 |url-status=unfit |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151109041336/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/aint-nothin-new-feat.-ne-yo/id1052451116 |archivedate=November 9, 2015 }}
Critical reception
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = AllMusic
| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|author=David Jeffries |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/top-five-dead-or-alive-mw0002885826 |title=Top Five Dead or Alive - Jadakiss | Songs, Reviews, Credits |publisher=AllMusic |date=2015-11-20 |accessdate=2015-12-14}}
| rev2 = HipHopDX
| rev2score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web|last=Glaysher |first=Scott |url=http://hiphopdx.com/reviews/id.2579/title.jadakiss-top-5-dead-or-alive |title=Jadakiss - Top 5 Dead or Alive |publisher=HipHopDX |date=2015-11-20 |accessdate=2015-12-14}}
| rev3 = Pitchfork Media
| rev3score = 5.5/10{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21281-top-5-dead-or-alive/ |title=Jadakiss: Top 5 Dead or Alive |publisher=Pitchfork |date=2015-12-02 |accessdate=2015-12-14}}
| rev4 = RapReviews
}}
Top 5 Dead or Alive received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 73, based on 5 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". David Jeffries of AllMusic said, "A top-notch Lil Wayne appearance plus an unofficial Lox reunion with Styles P and Sheek Louch guesting on the LP help put this one through the uprights, giving veteran Jada one of his best and most ambitious showcases to date." Scott Glaysher of HipHopDX said, "After the first initial play through, this album definitely translates as Jadakiss’ most celebratory to date. The beats are more grandiose, less gutter horror story and more hustler's celebration. The whole theme plays out like his very own victory lap."
Commercial performance
In the United States, the album debuted at number 4 on the Billboard 200, selling 60,000 copies in its first week.{{cite web|author=Keith Caulfield |url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6777926/adele-25-debuts-no-1-billboard-200-albums-chart |title=Adele's '25' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200 Albums Chart, '21' Returns to Top 10 |publisher=Billboard |date=2015-11-29 |accessdate=2015-12-15}}
Track listing
{{Track listing
| extra_column = Producer(s)
| total_length = 60:01
| title1 = First 48 (Intro)
| note1 =
|writer1 = {{hlist|Jason Phillips|Tyrone Fyffe|Lauren Seymour|Angela Winbush}}
| extra1 = Ty Fyffe
| length1 = 3:23
| title2 = Shop Talk (skit)
| writer2 = {{hlist|Phillips|Sedgewick Robinson|Kristian Smith|Keith Wheeler}}
| extra2 =
| length2 = 0:56
| title3 = You Don't Eat
| note3 = featuring Puff Daddy
| writer3 = {{hlist|Phillips|Marc Anthony|Kaseem Dean|Sam Debbie|Bjoern Djupstroem|Bilal Hajji|Achraf Jannusi|Nadir Khayat|Alex Papaconstantinou|Seymour}}
| extra3 = {{hlist|Swizz Beatz|Avenue Beatz}}
| length3 = 3:00
| title4 = You Can See
| note4 = featuring Future
| writer4 = {{hlist|Phillips|Jamie Jason Daley|Khaled Khaled|Anthony Lee Norris|Seymour|Nayvadius Wilburn}}
| extra4 = {{hlist|Lee on the Beats|Dane Beats|DJ Khaled}}
| length4 = 3:15
| title5 = Y. O. (Youthful Offenders)
| note5 = featuring Akon
| writer5 = {{hlist|Phillips|Seymour|Aliaune Thiam}}
| extra5 = Akon
| length5 = 3:52
| title6 = Jason
| note6 = featuring Swizz Beatz
| writer6 = {{hlist|Phillips|Dean|Mark Batson|Seymour}}
| extra6 = {{hlist|Swizz Beatz|Batson}}
| length6 = 4:06
| title7 = Kill
| note7 = featuring Lil Wayne
| writer7 = {{hlist|Phillips|Dwayne Carter, Jr.|Shondrae Crawford|Seymour}}
| extra7 = Bangladesh
| length7 = 2:48
| title8 = Man in the Mirror
| writer8 = {{hlist|Phillips|Joseph Acosta|Seymour|Paris Wells}}
| extra8 = {{hlist|Pav Bundy|Swerv}}
| length8 = 3:58
| title9 = Synergy
| note9 = featuring Styles P
| writer9 = {{hlist|Phillips|Donald Blackman|Justin Smith|David Styles}}
| extra9 = Just Blaze
| length9 = 3:51
| title10 = Ain't Nothin New
| note10 = featuring Ne-Yo and Nipsey Hussle
| writer10 = {{hlist|Phillips|Ermias Asghedom|Eliot Dubock|Dan Garcia|Seymour|Shaffer Smith|Francis Ubiera}}
| extra10 = {{hlist|Buda & Grandz|Beat Butcha}}
| length10 = 3:46
| title11 = So High
| note11 = featuring Wiz Khalifa
| writer11 = {{hlist|Phillips|Ricardo Lamarre|Seymour|Cameron Thomaz}}
| extra11 = Rico Beats
| length11 = 3:20
| title12 = Ahaa Interview (skit)
| writer12 = {{hlist|Phillips|Anthony Donahue|James D. Fowler|Seymour}}
| extra12 =
| length12 = 1:32
| title13 = Critical
| note13 = featuring Jeezy
| writer13 = {{hlist|Phillips|Jay Jenkins|Lamarre}}
| extra13 = Rico Beats
| length13 = 3:14
| title14 = Confetti (skit)
| note14 = featuring Young Adz
| writer14 = {{hlist|Phillips|Daniel Morris|Bradley Myers|Seymour|Adam Williams}}
| extra14 = Bespoke
| length14 = 2:27
| title15 = Cutlass
| note15 = featuring EX.OD.US
| writer15 = {{hlist|Phillips|Jesus Hernandez|Anthony Graham|Stephen Nicholson|Seymour|D'angelo Taylor-Ricard}}
| extra15 = {{hlist|POSTA|Stevie Nick XX{{ref|a|[a]}}}}
| length15 = 3:44
| title16 = Realest in the Game
| note16 = featuring Young Buck and Sheek Louch
| writer16 = {{hlist|Phillips|Thomas J. Bergersen|David Darnell Brown|Collin Dewar|Michael Dewar|Sean Jacobs|Seymour}}
| extra16 = Arkatech Beatz
| length16 = 5:42
| title17 = Rain
| note17 = featuring Nas and Styles P
| writer17 = {{hlist|Phillips|Nasir Jones|Styles|Seymour|Linda Perhacs|Marc Shemer}}
| extra17 = Scram Jones
| length17 = 4:54
| title18 = One More Mile to Go
| writer18 = {{hlist|Phillips|Mads Møller|Thor Nørgaard|Seymour}}
| extra18 = Pitchshifters
| length18 = 3:42
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Best Buy bonus track
| extra_column = Producer(s)
| title19 = Baby
| note19 = featuring Dyce Payne
| writer19 = {{hlist|Phillips|Shemer|Dave Hall|Kenny Greene}}
| extra19 = Scram Jones
| length19 = 2:57
}}
Notes
- {{sup|{{note|a|[a]}}}} signifies a co-producer
Charts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
=Weekly charts=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2015)
! scope="col"| Peak |
|---|
| {{album chart|Billboard200|4|artist=Jadakiss|rowheader=true|accessdate=December 1, 2015}} |
| {{album chart|BillboardRandBHipHop|1|artist=Jadakiss|rowheader=true|accessdate=December 1, 2015}} |
{{col-2}}
=Year-end charts=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2016)
! scope="col"| Position |
|---|
| scope="row"| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard){{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2016/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums|title=Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2016|work=Billboard|accessdate=July 4, 2020}}
| 27 |
{{col-end}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Jadakiss}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Def Jam Recordings albums
Category:D-Block Records albums
Category:Albums produced by Swizz Beatz
Category:Albums produced by Bangladesh (record producer)
Category:Albums produced by Akon
Category:Albums produced by Ty Fyffe
Category:Albums produced by Just Blaze
Category:Albums produced by Mark Batson
Category:Albums produced by Scram Jones