True & Livin is a studio album by Zion I. It was released by Live Up Records in 2005.

True & Livin'
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 19, 2005 (2005-04-19)
GenreHip hop
Length59:15
LabelLive Up Records
ProducerAmp Live
Zion I chronology
Deep Water Slang V2.0
(2003)
True & Livin'
(2005)
Break a Dawn
(2006)
Singles from True & Livin
  1. "Bird's Eye View"
    Released: 2005
  2. "Temperature"
    Released: 2005

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The A.V. Clubfavorable[1]
Blender     [2]
Dusted Magazinefavorable[3]
East Bay Expressfavorable[4]
HipHopDX7.5/10[5]
PopMatters          [6]
Prefix7/10[7]
RapReviews.com9/10[8]
Vibefavorable[9]
XLR8Rfavorable[10]

Kabir Hamid of Chicago Reader described the album as "soulful hip-hop that favors acoustic sounds over electronics, thoughtfulness over braggadocio, and spirit-enhancing grooves over testosterone-fueled beats."[11] Rachel Swan of East Bay Express wrote, "This is hip-hop without irony, geared for people who prefer feel-good vibes and songs with happy endings."[4] A.J. Wolosenko of Vibe wrote, "True & Livin' is an album full of contradictions, and that's what makes it so interesting and appealing."[9] Del F. Cowie of Exclaim! commented that "While past efforts dabbled with drum & bass and delved into melodic electronics and live instrumentation, this organic effort represents the most potent synthesis yet of their spiritually-infused hip-hop."[12]

Track listing

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No.TitleLength
1."True"0:58
2."Doin' My Thang"3:28
3."Bird's Eye View"2:34
4."The Bay"3:48
5."Luv"3:25
6."Soo Tall"3:06
7."I Need Mo"4:27
8."Rockin'"1:16
9."Temperature" (featuring Talib Kweli)2:43
10."One Chance"4:11
11."Amerika"1:39
12."Poems 4 Post Modern Decay" (featuring Aesop Rock)4:25
13."Heads Up"2:48
14."Next to U"3:48
15."What U Hear" (featuring Del the Funky Homosapien)6:09
16."Stranger in My Home" (featuring Gift of Gab)3:49
17."Oh Lawd Blues"3:27
18."Livin'"3:14

References

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  1. ^ Rabin, Nathan (May 17, 2005). "Zion I: True & Livin'". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  2. ^ Hsu, Hua. "Zion I : True & Livin'". Blender. Archived from the original on December 27, 2007. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  3. ^ Drimmer, Josh (May 26, 2005). "Dusted Reviews: Zion I - True & Livin'". Dusted Magazine. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Swan, Rachel (April 13, 2005). "Zion-I". East Bay Express. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  5. ^ J-23 (May 25, 2005). "Zion I - True & Livin'". HipHopDX. Retrieved September 4, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Braidwood, Stefan (May 11, 2005). "Zion I: True & Livin'". PopMatters. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  7. ^ Cpacifico (October 24, 2005). "Zion I - True and Livin'". Prefix. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  8. ^ Chan, Nin (April 26, 2005). "Zion I :: True & Livin'". RapReviews.com. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  9. ^ a b Wolosenko, A.J. (May 17, 2005). "Zion I -True & Livin'". Vibe. Archived from the original on December 27, 2007. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  10. ^ Mayo, James (June 14, 2005). "Zion I True & Livin'". XLR8R. Archived from the original on May 22, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  11. ^ Hamid, Kabir (June 2, 2005). "Zion I, One.Be.Lo". Chicago Reader. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
  12. ^ Cowie, Del F. (January 1, 2006). "Zion I's Home Life". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
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