Three Ringz (stylized as Thr33 Ringz) is the third studio album by American singer T-Pain. It was released on November 11, 2008, by his record label Nappy Boy Entertainment, an imprint 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
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 mixed, as critics were growing weary of the party-filled track listing and over-reliance 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 Annual Grammy Awards, but lost to Beyoncé's I Am... Sasha Fierce.

Singles

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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

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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

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

Three Ringz received mixed reviews, with many music critics questioning 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.[12] 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."[9]

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."[10] 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."[11]

Commercial performance

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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

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  • All tracks produced by T-Pain except “Karaoke”.
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Welcome to Thr33 Ringz (Intro)"1:25
2."Ringleader Man"Najm, Johnny Smith2:54
3."Chopped 'n' Skrewed" (featuring Ludacris)4:21
4."Brand New Show (skit)" (removed from edited version)Najm1:02
5."Take a Ride (skit)" (removed from edited version)Najm1:45
6."Blowing Up" (featuring Ciara)3:24
7."Freeze" (featuring Chris Brown)3:36
8."Can't Believe It" (featuring Lil Wayne)
4:33
9."It Ain't Me" (featuring Akon and T.I.)3:45
10."Feed the Lions (skit)" (removed from edited version)Najm1:28
11."Therapy" (featuring Kanye West)
3:34
12."Long Lap Dance"
4:36
13."Lorraine Interlude"Najm1:00
14."Reality Show" (featuring Musiq Soulchild, Raheem DeVaughn and Jay Lyriq)
4:27
15."Keep Going"
  • Najm
  • Romano
2:14
16."Superstar Lady" (featuring Young Cash)3:17
17."Change" (featuring Akon and Diddy)
5:10
18."Digital" (featuring Tay Dizm)3:14
19."Karaoke" (featuring DJ Khaled) (produced by Tha Bizness)
4:09
20."Drácula (skit)" (removed from edited version)Najm0:38
Total length:60:35
Deluxe edition (bonus tracks)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
21."Distorted"Najm2:24
22."Sweet"
  • Najm
  • Balfour
3:58
23."Bad Side"
  • Najm
  • Romano
2:35
24."Phantom"
  • Najm
  • Balfour
3:36
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.
  • Balfour
3:32
Japanese Bonus Tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
21."Naked on the Dance Floor"Najm3:17
22."Can't Believe It (Lost In Shibuya Remix)" (featuring Verbal of M-flo)
  • Najm
  • Verbal
4:37
Denmark bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
21."Can't Believe It (Rishi Ram Remix)" (featuring Mauran)
  • Najm
  • Balfour
4:35
Repackaged edition (Philippines and Serbia only)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
21."Boom" (featuring Sin Sizzerb)
  • Najm
  • Filip Filipi
3:35
Notes
  • The Skits and Interludes are not mentioned in the physical copies of the album
  • "Change" features uncredited vocals by Mary J. Blige.

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[24] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Format Label
Australia[25] November 7, 2008 Digital download, CD Jive Records
New Zealand[26]
United Kingdom[27]
Canada[28] November 11, 2008
United States[29]
Japan[30] November 26, 2008

References

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  1. ^ Reid, Shaheem (September 9, 2008). "Kanye West Calls VMA Show-Closer 'Love Lockdown' His 'Favorite Song 2 Date'". MTV. Archived from the original on September 10, 2008. Retrieved September 9, 2008.
  2. ^ "iTunes - Music - Ringleader Man - Single by T-Pain". Itunes.apple.com. 2008-10-28. Retrieved 2013-05-16.
  3. ^ a b Jeffries, David. "Thr33 Ringz - T-Pain". AllMusic. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  4. ^ Farber, Jim (November 7, 2008). "T-Pain's 'Thr33 Ringz' gets two stars". Daily News. Mortimer Zuckerman. Archived from the original on October 17, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  5. ^ [1] 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. ^ "Rolling Stone Music | Album Reviews". Rollingstone.com. 2013-05-08. Archived from the original on April 30, 2009. Retrieved 2013-05-16.
  9. ^ a b Henderson, Eric (November 11, 2008). "T-Pain: Thr33 Ringz | Music Review". Slant Magazine. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  10. ^ a b Boylan, J. Gabriel (November 4, 2008). "T-Pain, 'Thr33 Ringz' (Jive)". Spin. SpinMedia. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  11. ^ a b 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.
  12. ^ Padania, Jesal (November 11, 2008). "Feature for November 11, 2008 - T-Pain's "Thr33 Ringz"". RapReviews. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
  13. ^ Langhorne, Cyrus (November 19, 2008). "T-PAINS RINGS IN 167K IN FIRST WEEK SALES NUMBERS". SOHH. Archived from the original on May 29, 2009. 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). webarchive.nla.gov.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-12-19. 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. ^ "American album certifications – T-Pain – Thr33 Ringz". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
  25. ^ "iTunes - Music - Thr33 Ringz by T-Pain". iTunes (AU). Apple. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  26. ^ "iTunes - Music - Thr33 Ringz by T-Pain". iTunes (NZ). Apple. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  27. ^ "iTunes - Music - Thr33 Ringz by T-Pain". iTunes (GB). Apple. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  28. ^ "iTunes - Music - Thr33 Ringz by T-Pain". iTunes (CA). Apple. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  29. ^ "iTunes - Music - Thr33 Ringz by T-Pain". iTunes (US). Apple. Retrieved March 9, 2015.
  30. ^ "iTunes - ミュージック - T-Pain「Thr33 Ringz」". iTunes (JP). Apple. Retrieved March 9, 2015.