Dying to Live (2018)

Dying to Live is the second studio album by American rapper Kodak Black. It was released on December 14, 2018, via Atlantic Records. It follows his Heart Break Kodak mixtape, released earlier in 2018, as well as his previous mixtape, Project Baby 2: All Grown Up, the deluxe edition of his mixtape Project Baby 2, released in 2017. The production on the album was handled by multiple producers including Southside, Jake One, D. A. Doman, and London on da Track. The album features guest appearances from Lil Pump, Travis Scott, Offset and Juice Wrld.

Dying to Live was supported by four singles: "If I'm Lyin, I'm Flyin", "Zeze", "Take One" and "Calling My Spirit". The album received highly positive reviews from music critics and was a commercial success; it debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, earning 89,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. In November 2020, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Background

On November 25, 2018, Kodak Black announced via Twitter that he would be releasing his second studio album the following month. Black wrote on social media that "Yung Nigga Been Getting Money... I Did Everything The Streets Glorified #AlbumDropping Next Month." The album is Black's first following his release from jail in August.

On December 11, 2018, Kodak Black shared the album's tracklist.

Promotion

The album's lead single, "If I'm Lyin, I'm Flyin" was released on September 28, 2018, along with the music video.

The second single, "Zeze" featuring Travis Scott and Offset was released on October 12, 2018. The music video was released on November 23, 2018.

The third single, "Take One", was released on November 16, 2018, and the fourth single, "Calling My Spirit", was released on November 30, 2018. The music video for "Calling My Spirit" was released on December 5, 2018.

The first two promotional singles, "Testimony" and "MoshPit" featuring Juice Wrld was released on December 8, 2018, and December 12, 2018, respectively. The music video for "Testimony" was released on December 10, 2018.

Critical reception

Dying to Live, aside from a rare negative review from The Guardian, received critical acclaim. HipHopDX's Daniel Spielberger said: "Dying to Live is an imperfect window into a troubled soul. At times, it's unclear whether Kodak is being honest or disingenuously begging for sympathy. Even if it's carefully executed and shows artistic growth, the album's mature subject matter is overshadowed by Kodak's alleged history." Kyann-Sian Williams of NME wrote that "when Kodak preaches, people listen." He commended the album's diversity, identifying "a buoyant, lightweight vibrancy" on the song "Zeze", "which helps to balance out an album that could otherwise be weighed down methodical lyrics about with heavy lyrics about gang activity." Williams also praised Black's use of guest features and concluded: "Throughout Dying To Live, Kodak delivers a vibe that’s versatile and raw, packed with clever, complex storytelling. Yet the record doesn’t become self-indulgent; the rapper never forgets his audience, peppering his more uncompromising material with all-out bangers. A compelling album characteristic of Florida’s fertile rap scene."

Commercial performance

Dying to Live debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 with 89,000 album-equivalent units (of which 5,000 were pure album sales). It is Kodak Black's first number-one album on the chart.

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.

Technical

Derek "Dyryk" Garcia – mixing (tracks 2–4, 6–16)

Jacob Richards – mixing (track 5)

Jaycen Joshua – mixing (track 5)

Mike Seaberg – mixing (track 5)

Rashawn McLean – mixing (track 5)

Chris Athens – mastering (all tracks)

Chris Ulrich – engineering (all tracks)

Drew Drucker – engineering (all tracks)

Jamie Peters – engineering (all tracks)

Tyler Unland – engineering (all tracks)