The Darkside Vol. 1 is the 10th solo studio album

Studio album

A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...

 by rapper Fat Joe

Fat Joe

Joseph Antonio Cartagena , better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper, CEO of Terror Squad Entertainment, and member of musical groups D.I.T.C. and Terror Squad....

. The album was released July 27, 2010. Production came from Cool & Dre

Cool & Dre

Cool & Dre are a team of hip hop producers from Miami, Florida, consisting of Marcello "Cool" Valenzano and Andre "Dre" Christopher Lyon.-Epidemic Records:...

, Streetrunner

StreetRunner

Nicholas Warwar, better known as STREETRUNNER, is a Grammy Award Winning American record producer and DJ who works and lives in Miami, Florida. He first gained recognition in 2004 for producing Terror Squad's hit single, "Take Me Home". More recently he has gained fame for working with Lil Wayne on...

, DJ Infamous

DJ Infamous

Marco Rodriguez-Diaz, better known by his stage name Infamous, is a Grammy winning record producer and three-time world champion DJ.-Biography:Infamous is a Miami Based Music Producer most known for his work with rapper Lil Wayne...

, Just Blaze

Just Blaze

Justin Smith, better known as Just Blaze, is an American hip hop music producer from Paterson, New Jersey. Blaze is also the CEO of Fort Knocks Entertainment. He is most well known for producing Jay-Z songs on the albums The Blueprint, The Blueprint 2, and The Black Album. He is also known for...

, Scram Jones

Scram Jones

Marc Shemer, better known by his stage name Scram Jones, is a producer, DJ and emcee from New Rochelle, New York. He has produced music for the Wu-Tang Clan. Mariah Carey, Jae Millz, Saigon, and Lloyd Banks. As an emcee he has been featured alongside Nas, Saigon, Styles P, Kool G Rap and Immortal...

, DJ Premier

DJ Premier

Christopher Edward Martin , better known by his stage name DJ Premier , is an American record producer and DJ, and was the instrumental half of the hip hop duo Gang Starr, together with emcee Guru...

, Raw Uncut, and Scoop DeVille, with guest performances by Trey Songz

Trey Songz

Tremaine "Trey" Aldon Neverson , better known by his stage name Trey Songz, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor. His debut album, I Gotta Make It, was released in 2005, while his second album, Trey Day, was released in 2007...

, Too Short, R. Kelly

R. Kelly

Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...

, Cam'ron

Cam'ron

Cameron Giles , better known by his stage name Cam'ron or "Killa Cam", is a Grammy-nominated American actor. He is the founder of the hip-hop group The Diplomats , and also of The U.N. group....

, Clipse

Clipse

Clipse is a Virginia Beach, Virginia-based hip hop duo. Formed in 1992 by brothers Malice and Pusha T , the group is heavily affiliated with production team The Neptunes and signed to Star Trak Entertainment.- Exclusive Audio Footage :The Thornton brothers were born in The Bronx, New...

, Lil Wayne

Lil Wayne

Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...

 and Young Jeezy

Young Jeezy

Jay Wayne Jenkins , better known by his stage name Young Jeezy, is an American rapper. He is the member of the hip hop group United Streets Dopeboyz of America and a former member of BMF...

.

Background

The album was announced in January 2010 by Fat Joe saying that "he was working on a new album, The Darkside: Volume 1". MTV News reported that Fat Joe intended "all the material...to be much harsher" than his previous album. On March 28, 2010, Fat Joe signed a record deal with E1 Music and announced that he would release The Darkside Vol. 1 through the label in July. Fat Joe stated The Darkside Vol. 1 is all about: showin' the world that I'm a legend, and just furtherin' the legacy." Fat Joe stated that he returned to his hardcore hip hop

Hardcore hip hop

Hardcore hip hop, also referred to as hardcore rap, is a sub-genre of hip hop music that developed through the East Coast hip hop scene in the 1980s. Pioneered by such artists as Schoolly D, Spoonie Gee, Boogie Down Productions, and Kool G Rap, it is generally characterized by anger, aggression and...

 roots and considers this album to be a classic.

Singles

The first single from The Darkside is "(Ha Ha) Slow Down

(Ha Ha) Slow Down

" Slow Down" is the first single off Fat Joe's upcoming tenth studio album The Darkside Vol. 1. It features rapper Young Jeezy. It also contains a short sample of Soul II Soul's "Back to Life " throughout the whole entire beat.-Remixes:Several rappers have recorded freestyles over the song's...

", which features rapper Young Jeezy

Young Jeezy

Jay Wayne Jenkins , better known by his stage name Young Jeezy, is an American rapper. He is the member of the hip hop group United Streets Dopeboyz of America and a former member of BMF...

. The song peaked at number 54 on Billboard

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...

and number 23 on their Rap Songs chart. The second single from The Darkside is "If It Ain't About Money

If It Ain't About Money

"If It Ain't About Money" is the second single off Fat Joe's tenth studio album The Darkside Vol. 1. It features R&B singer Trey Songz.On May 22, 2010, Cool & Dre announced via Twitter that Fat Joe's second single, titled "It Aint About Money" featuring Trey Songz would be premièred on Funkmaster...

" featuring Trey Songz

Trey Songz

Tremaine "Trey" Aldon Neverson , better known by his stage name Trey Songz, is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, record producer and actor. His debut album, I Gotta Make It, was released in 2005, while his second album, Trey Day, was released in 2007...

. The song charted on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, peaking at 57, and also charted at 25 on the Rap Songs chart.

Commercial performance

The Darkside Vol. 1 appeared on several U.S. charts, debuting at number 27 on the Billboard 200

Billboard 200

The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

, with approximately 12,300 units sold in the first week. It also reached number nine on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...

 chart, number seven on Top Rap Albums

Top Rap Albums

Top Rap Albums is a record chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks Rap and hip-hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart began publication for the week of November 13, 2004....

, and made it to number two among the Independent Albums

Independent Albums

The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels...

.

Critical reception

The album received generally favorable reviews from music critics. Most of the critics praised Joe's return to his hardcore roots. Allmusic gave it 3½ out of 5 stars, stating "instead of sounding uninspired on topics he's visited, revisited, and then some, he sounds on fire, as if this were his grand debut." HipHopDX.com gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, praising its "Hardcore lyricism backed by the conviction that has been lacking since the '90s," also calling it his "best-produced album in over a decade." RapReviews.com gave it a 7/10 rating, writing "Reputation now restored, Joe finds himself comfortably back in the role of narrator to the streets."

Track listing

This complete track list was published by Amazon.
Sample credits

• "Intro" – Contains a sample of "Just a Memory" by The Notorious B.I.G.
  The Notorious B.I.G.
  Christopher George Latore Wallace , best known as The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper. He was also known as Biggie Smalls , Big Poppa, and The Black Frank White .Wallace was raised in the Brooklyn borough...
  
   featuring Clipse
  Clipse
  Clipse is a Virginia Beach, Virginia-based hip hop duo. Formed in 1992 by brothers Malice and Pusha T , the group is heavily affiliated with production team The Neptunes and signed to Star Trak Entertainment.- Exclusive Audio Footage :The Thornton brothers were born in The Bronx, New...
  
  
• "Valley of Death" – Contains a sample of "Do I Stand a Chance" by The Montclairs
• "Kilo" – Contains a sample of "I Weigh With Kilos" by Jimmy Van & Richard Hieronymus
• "Rappers Are in Danger" – Contains a sample of "Time's Up" by O.C.
  O.C. (rapper)
  Omar Credle , known by his stage name, O.C., is an American rapper who has been involved with several renowned underground hip-hop groups and also released many solo albums.-Recording career:...
  
  
• "(Ha Ha) Slow Down" – Contains a sample of "Back to Life (A cappella)" by Soul II Soul
  Soul II Soul
  Soul II Soul are a British group that was created in London in 1988. They are best known for their 1989 UK chart-topper and U.S. Top 5 hit, "Back to Life ".-Career:...
  
  
• "No Problems" – Contains samples of "Flash's Theme" by Queen
  Queen (band)
  Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
  
   and "Terminator X to the Edge of Panic" by Public Enemy
• "Heavenly Father" – Contains a sample of "Pray to the Lord" by Lil Wayne
  Lil Wayne
  Dwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. At the age of nine, Lil Wayne joined Cash Money Records as the youngest member of the label, and half of the duo, The B.G.'z, with B.G.. In 1997, Lil Wayne joined the group Hot Boys, which also included...
  
  

Chart positions

Chart (2010)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...	27
U.S. Top Independent Albums Independent Albums The Billboard Independent Albums is a chart of the highest-selling independent music albums and extended plays in the United States, compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is used to list artists who are not signed to major labels...	2
U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...	9
U.S. Top Rap Albums Top Rap Albums Top Rap Albums is a record chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks Rap and hip-hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart began publication for the week of November 13, 2004....	7