Three Ringz

Three Ringz (stylized as Thr33 Ringz) is the third studio album by American R&B singer T-Pain, It was released on November 11, 2008, by his record label Nappy Boy Entertainment (under the distribution of Akon's label Konvict Muzik, Jive Records, and Zomba Label Group). It was supported by three singles: "Can't Believe It" featuring Lil Wayne, "Chopped 'n' Skrewed" featuring Ludacris, and "Freeze" featuring Chris Brown.

Three Ringz
Studio album by
T-Pain
ReleasedNovember 11, 2008[1]
Recorded2007–08
Genre
Length60:35 (Standard)
73:08 (Deluxe)
Label
Producer
T-Pain chronology
Epiphany
(2007)		 Three Ringz
(2008)		 The Instrumentals
(2009)
Alternative cover
Import edition cover
Singles from Thr33 Ringz
  1. "Can't Believe It"
    Released: July 29, 2008
  2. "Chopped 'n' Skrewed"
    Released: September 23, 2008
  3. "Freeze"
    Released: October 10, 2008
  4. "Boom"
    Released: December 20, 2008 (Philippines and Serbia)
    January 1, 2009 (Worldwide)

Reviews for the album were favorable but critics were growing weary of the party-filled track listing and overreliance on Auto-Tune. Three Ringz debuted at number four on the Billboard 200. It was nominated for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 52nd Grammy Awards, but lost to Beyoncé's I Am... Sasha Fierce.

Singles

The album's lead single, called "Can't Believe It" was released on July 29, 2008. The track features a guest appearance from American hip hop recording artist Lil Wayne. with the production provided by T-Pain. The song peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100.

The album's second single, called "Chopped 'n' Skrewed" was released on September 23, 2008. The song features a guest appearance from American rapper Ludacris, with the production, which once again was provided by T-Pain. The song reached number 27 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The album's third and final single, "Freeze" was released on October 10, 2008. The song features a guest appearance from American recording artist Chris Brown, with the production provided by T-Pain. The song peaked at number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The single, "Boom" was the fourth and final single from T-Pain's repackaged album intended to be sold to the Philippines and Serbia. The track became an instant dance hit in those countries and became a staple piece of music used in hip-hop contests and shows in both Serbia and the Philippines.

Promotional singles

In late 2007, T-Pain released the first promotional single "Silver & Gold". However, it was cut from the final album track-listing. T-Pain released "Ringleader Man" as the album's promotional single.[2]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Daily News[4]
Billboard(Favorable review)[5]
Village Voice(Favorable review)[6]
The Guardian[7]
RapReviews7.5/10[8]
Rolling Stone[9]
Slant Magazine[10]
Spin[11]
USA Today[12]

Three Ringz received positive reviews; however, many music critics questioned T-Pain's continued usage of Auto-Tune and his delivery of the club tracks. Jesel Padania of RapReviews said that despite the album's lack of humor and some tracks falling short of previous efforts, he praised T-Pain's genre-hopping production and his chemistry with the guest artists.[8] AllMusic's David Jeffries also found the humor hit or miss but praised the record's production, guest list and T-Pain's persona for giving the tracks energy to grab listeners' attention, calling it "an otherwise entertaining example of the gimmick-filled R&B/hip-hop album done right."[3] Eric Henderson of Slant Magazine praised tracks like "Can't Believe It" and "Freeze" for their production and catchiness but questioned whether T-Pain could move beyond his Auto-Tune crutch, concluding that "T-Pain’s got the pop credentials. It’s just a pity that this entire album is drenched in what already sounded like last year’s sound a couple years ago."[10]

J. Gabriel Boylan of Spin criticized T-Pain for utilizing the same old tricks and delivery he had used on previous works before, concluding that "With a hot guest list (Ciara, T.I.), this is bound to bump the clubs, but beyond that, it’s clown time."[11] Elysa Gardner of USA Today found the songs about women off-putting and disgusting, and said that more empathy and tenderness would help this record, concluding that "Ringz doesn’t offer enough wit or insight to mitigate its rancor, or make it terribly interesting."[12]

Commercial performance

Three Ringz debuted at number four on the Billboard 200, selling 167,700 copies in the first week.[13] The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), selling 700,000 copies in the United States.[14]

Track listing
  • All tracks produced by T-Pain except “Karaoke”.
No.TitleWriter(s){{{extra_column}}}Length
1."Brand New Show (skit)"Najm 1:02
2."Welcome to Thr33 Ringz (Intro)"Faheem Najm, Frank Romano, Eddie Griffin 1:25
3."Ringleader Man"Najm, Johnny Smith 2:54
4."Chopped 'n' Skrewed" (featuring Ludacris)Najm, Christopher Bridges 4:21
5."Take a Ride (skit)"Najm 1:45
6."Freeze" (featuring Chris Brown)Najm, Christopher Brown 3:36
7."Blowing Up" (featuring Ciara)Najm, Ciara Harris 3:24
8."Can't Believe It" (featuring Lil Wayne)Najm, Dwayne Carter, Jr., David Balfour 4:33
9."It Ain't Me" (featuring Akon and T.I.)Najm, Aliaune Thiam, Clifford Harris, Jr., Romano 3:45
10."Feed the Lions (skit)"Najm 1:28
11."Therapy" (featuring Kanye West)Najm, Kanye West, Romano 3:34
12."Long Lap Dance"Najm, Romano, Rocco Valdes 4:36
13."Lorraine Interlude"Najm 1:00
14."Reality Show" (featuring Musiq Soulchild, Raheem DeVaughn and Jay Lyriq)Najm, James Cohen, Taalib Johnson, Romano, Raheem DeVaughn 4:27
15."Keep Going"Najm, Romano 2:14
16."Superstar Lady" (featuring Young Cash)Najm, Joseph Williams 3:17
17."Change" (featuring Akon and Diddy)Najm, Thiam, Mary Jane Blige, Valdes, Gordon-Scott Kennedy, Wayne Kirkpatrick, Tommy Sims, Sean Combs 5:10
18."Digital" (featuring Tay Dizm)Najm, Artavious Smith 3:14
19."Karaoke" (featuring DJ Khaled)Najm, Khaled Khaled, Christopher Whitacre, Justin HendersonTha Bizness4:09
20."Drácula (skit)"Najm 0:38
Total length:60:35
Deluxe edition (bonus tracks)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
21."Distorted"Najm2:24
22."Sweet"Najm, Balfour3:58
23."Bad Side"Najm, Romano2:35
24."Phantom"Najm, Balfour3:36
Total length:73:08
United Kingdom bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
21."Naked on the Dance Floor"Najm3:17
22."Can't Believe It (FP Remix)" (featuring Lil Wayne)Najm, Carter, Jr., Balfour3:32
Denmark bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
21."Can't Believe It (Rishi Ram Remix)" (featuring Mauran)Najm, Balfour4:35
Repackaged edition (Philippines and Serbia only)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
21."Boom" (featuring Sin Sizzerb)Najm, Filip Filipi3:35
Notes
  • The Skits and Interludes are not mencionated in the physical copies of the album
  • "Change" features uncredited vocals by Mary J. Blige.

Charts

Release history
Region Date Format Label
Australia[24] November 7, 2008 Digital download, CD Jive Records
New Zealand[25]
United Kingdom[26]
Canada[27] November 11, 2008
United States[28]
Japan[29] November 26, 2008

References
  1. Reid, Shaheem (September 9, 2008). "Kanye West Calls VMA Show-Closer 'Love Lockdown' His 'Favorite Song 2 Date'". MTV. Retrieved September 9, 2008.
  2. "iTunes - Music - Ringleader Man - Single by T-Pain". Itunes.apple.com. 2008-10-28. Retrieved 2013-05-16.
  3. Jeffries, David. "Thr33 Ringz - T-Pain". AllMusic. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  4. Farber, Jim (November 7, 2008). "T-Pain's 'Thr33 Ringz' gets four stars". Daily News. Mortimer Zuckerman. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  5. Archived November 15, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  6. Ben Detrick (2008-11-12). "Back to the Strip Club With T-Pain - Page 1 - Music - New York". Village Voice. Retrieved 2013-05-16.
  7. Macpherson, Alex (November 7, 2008). "CD: T-Pain, Thr33 Ringz | Music". The Guardian. London: Guardian Media Group. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  8. Padania, Jesal (November 11, 2008). "Feature for November 11, 2008 - T-Pain's "Thr33 Ringz"". RapReviews. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  9. "Rolling Stone Music | Album Reviews". Rollingstone.com. 2013-05-08. Archived from the original on April 30, 2009. Retrieved 2013-05-16.
  10. Henderson, Eric (November 11, 2008). "T-Pain: Thr33 Ringz | Music Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  11. Boylan, J. Gabriel (November 4, 2008). "T-Pain, 'Thr33 Ringz' (Jive)". Spin. SpinMedia. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  12. Gardner, Elysa (November 10, 2008). "This week's reviews: Taylor shows no fear, pop candy from Archie, hollow 'Ringz' to T-Pain's album". USA Today. Gannett. Archived from the original on May 1, 2010. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  13. Langhorne, Cyrus (November 19, 2008). "T-PAINS RINGS IN 167K IN FIRST WEEK SALES NUMBERS". SOHH. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  14. Burgess, Omar (January 7, 2009). "Auto-Tune Maker Cashes In On Hip Hop Trends". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Archived from the original on March 30, 2010. Retrieved March 14, 2010.
  15. "ARIA Report 979" (PDF). pandora.nla.gov.au. Retrieved March 9, 2012.
  16. "T-Pain Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  17. "Ｔ－ＰＡＩＮのCDアルバムランキング、Ｔ－ＰＡＩＮのプロフィールならオリコン芸能人事典-ORICON STYLE". Oricon.co.jp. Retrieved April 27, 2013.
  18. "Charts.nz – T-Pain – Thr33 Ringz". Hung Medien.
  19. "T-Pain Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  20. "T-Pain Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  21. "2008 Year-End Charts: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 13, 2015. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  22. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2009". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  23. "2009 Year-End Charts: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 17, 2015. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  24. "iTunes - Music - Thr33 Ringz by T-Pain". iTunes (AU). Apple. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  25. "iTunes - Music - Thr33 Ringz by T-Pain". iTunes (NZ). Apple. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  26. "iTunes - Music - Thr33 Ringz by T-Pain". iTunes (GB). Apple. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  27. "iTunes - Music - Thr33 Ringz by T-Pain". iTunes (CA). Apple. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  28. "iTunes - Music - Thr33 Ringz by T-Pain". iTunes (US). Apple. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  29. "iTunes - ミュージック - T-Pain「Thr33 Ringz」". iTunes (JP). Apple. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
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