In a November 2012 interview, Schoolboy Q expressed: "Kendrick left me no choice but to drop a classic", referring to Lamar's album Good Kid, M.A.A.D City and its impact on his own respective major label debut. In June 2012, Schoolboy Q revealed he had begun working on his major label debut, announcing that he would be the second member of Black Hippy, to release his commercial debut with Interscope Records, following Kendrick Lamar's Good Kid, M.A.A.D City. Schoolboy Q also toured the United States and Europe on the Oxymoron World Tour, with Isaiah Rashad and Vince Staples. To date, "Studio" is his highest-charting song as a lead artist peaking at number 38 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. The album was supported by four official singles: " Collard Greens", " Man of the Year", " Studio" and " Hell of a Night", as well as the promotional singles " Yay Yay" and " Break the Bank". The album received a nomination at the 2015 Grammy Awards for Best Rap Album. It additionally peaked highly on the main album charts in Canada, New Zealand, Ireland, and the United Kingdom. The album was also a commercial success, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 139,000 copies in its first week of release. Oxymoron received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its haunting production and Schoolboy Q's aggressive lyrics. The album's production was handled by high-profile record producers such as Boi-1da, The Alchemist, Mike Will Made It, Clams Casino, Nez & Rio, DJ Dahi and Pharrell, as well as others, including members of Top Dawg Entertainment's in-house production teams Digi+Phonics and THC. Schoolboy Q enlisted collaborators such as Kendrick Lamar, 2 Chainz, ASAP Rocky, Jay Rock, Tyler, the Creator and Kurupt, among others. Oxymoron was his first album released under a major record label to music retailers, whereas his previous albums were released independently to digital retailers only. It was released on February 25, 2014, through Top Dawg Entertainment and distributed by Interscope Records. Just the fact that the album contains over an hour of Pharrell will be enough to attract scores of his fans, and it's not like any part of it is flat-out poor, but it's a shame it didn't turn out better.Oxymoron is the third studio album by American rapper Schoolboy Q. Those who have been wanting to hear more of Pharrell's softer side will be pleased with the direction the album takes during the latter half, where his usual cocky demeanor is tempered by some loverman vulnerability. Produced entirely by Pharrell, with guest appearances from several of the high-profile artists ( Jay-Z, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Gwen Stefani, Nelly, Slim Thug, Clipse's Pusha T) whose careers have been boosted by the Neptunes, the album is divided in half between R&B and rap, at least if you go by Pharrell's singing-to-rapping ratio. While the album never sounds as if less than 100 percent was put into it, a large chunk of the material is second rate compared to his past highlights ("Frontin'" included), and it's no help that the tracks tapped as singles are some of the weakest moments (as was the case with the first version of the first N.E.R.D. In interviews, Pharrell seemed more exhausted than excited and indicated that the album was too much of a compromised process. Perhaps this partly explains why In My Mind took so long to materialize. If he weren't so crafty at his primary calling, he'd be relying almost exclusively on his charm and sex appeal. You'd think he would've been on his second or third solo album by the time the decent In My Mind was released in July 2006, but Pharrell has always considered himself a producer/songwriter first, a background figure who isn't a singer - and, for that matter, he's not much more than a competent MC. As of late 2005, however, there was only one single - the summer 2003 smash "Frontin'" - the man could call his own. Half of the extremely successful Neptunes production team, as well as a collaborator who has been deployed for countless guest verses and vocal hooks, Pharrell has been a regular presence on radio stations and video programs for several years. The idea of an all- Pharrell album is natural and unnatural in roughly equal measure.
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