The Pillage is the debut solo studio album by American rapper Cappadonna. It was released on March 24, 1998, through Razor Sharp and Epic Street. Recording sessions took place at 36 Chambers Studio in New York, except for the song "Everything Is Everything", which was recorded at Soundtrack Studios and Sony Music Studios in New York. Production was handled by Wu-Elements (True Master, Goldfinghaz, 4th Disciple, Mathematics) and the RZA, who also served as executive producer together with Ghostface Killah, Mitchell "Divine" Diggs and Oliver "Power" Grant. It features guest appearances from fellow Wu-Tang Clan members and affiliates Killa Bamz, Method Man, Ghostface Killah, Tekitha, Blue Raspberry, Raekwon, Rhyme Recca and U-God.

The Pillage
Studio album by
ReleasedMarch 24, 1998 (1998-03-24)
Recorded1996-1997
Studio
  • 36 Chambers (New York City)
  • Soundtrack (New York City)
  • Sony (New York City)
GenreHip hop
Length57:43
Label
Producer
Cappadonna chronology
The Pillage
(1998)
The Yin and the Yang
(2001)
Wu-Tang Clan solo chronology
Ironman
(1996)
The Pillage
(1998)
Tical 2000: Judgement Day
(1998)
Singles from The Pillage
  1. "Slang Editorial"
    Released: 1998
  2. "Run"
    Released: 1998
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Entertainment WeeklyB[2]
NME5/10[3]
Pitchfork3.8/10[4]
RapReviews7/10[5]
Robert Christgau(1-star Honorable Mention)[6]
Rolling Stone[7]
Tom HullB[8]

In the United States, the album debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200 and topped the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart with 132,000 copies sold in its first week.[9] In its second week, the album charted at number 16 on the Billboard 200 and sold an additional 63,000 copies.[10] It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on April 24, 1998. It also peaked at No. 8 in Canada, No. 28 in the Netherlands, No. 36 in Finland, No. 43 in the United Kingdom, No. 58 in France and No. 67 in Germany.

The song "Run" later appeared on Bulworth The Soundtrack.

Track listing edit

The Pillage
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Slang Editorial"True Master4:46
2."Pillage" (featuring Killa Bamz)
  • Hill
  • Scott Kinchen
Goldfinghaz3:14
3."Run"RZA4:00
4."Blood on Blood War" (featuring Killa Bamz)
  • Hill
  • Diggs
RZA3:55
5."Supa Ninjaz" (featuring U-God and Method Man)True Master3:24
6."MCF"
  • Hill
  • Diggs
RZA3:54
7."Splish Splash"
  • Hill
  • Harris
True Master2:02
8."Oh-Donna" (featuring Ghostface Killah)Mathematics3:50
9."Milk the Cow" (featuring Method Man)
  • Hill
  • Harris
True Master3:45
10."South of the Border"
  • Hill
  • Diggs
True Master2:51
11."Check for a Nigga"4th Disciple4:00
12."Dart Throwing" (featuring Raekwon and Method Man)
True Master3:09
13."Young Hearts" (featuring Blue Raspberry)
  • Hill
  • Diggs
RZA3:13
14."Everything Is Everything" (featuring Rhyme Recca)
  • Hill
  • Kinchen
Goldfinghaz3:49
15."Pump Your Fist" (featuring Tekitha and Killa Bamz)RZA3:38
16."Black Boy" (featuring Tekitha)
  • Hill
  • Kinchen
Goldfinghaz4:13
Total length:57:43
The Pillagebonus track for Europe
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
17."'97 Mentality" (featuring Ghostface Killah)
  • Hill
  • Coles
  • Diggs
RZA5:05
Total length:62:48

Sample credits

Personnel edit

  • Darryl "Cappadonna" Hill – vocals
  • Walbert "Killer Bamz" Dale – vocals (tracks: 2, 4, 15)
  • Lamont "U-God" Hawkins – vocals (track 5)
  • Clifford "Method Man" Smith – vocals (tracks: 5, 9, 12)
  • Dennis "Ghostface Killah" Coles – vocals (tracks: 8, 17), executive producer
  • Corey "Raekwon" Woods – vocals (track 12)
  • Candi "Blue Raspberry" Lindsey – vocals (track 13)
  • Thaddaeus "Rhyme Recca" Birkett – vocals (track 14)
  • Tekitha Washington – vocals (tracks: 15, 16)
  • Derek "True Master" Harris – producer (tracks: 1, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12), mixing (tracks: 1, 5, 8-10, 12)
  • Scott "Goldfinghaz" Kinchen – producer & mixing (tracks: 2, 14, 16)
  • Robert "RZA" Diggs – producer & mixing (tracks: 3, 4, 6, 13, 15, 17), executive producer, supervisor
  • Ronald "Allah Mathematics" Bean – producer (track 8)
  • Selwyn "4th Disciple" Bougard – producer & mixing (track 11)
  • Ted Wohlsen – mixing (tracks: 1, 7)
  • Nolan "Dr. No" Moffitte – mixing (tracks: 2, 14-16), engineering
  • Jason Groucott – engineering assistant (tracks: 1, 7)
  • Mitchell "Divine" Diggs – executive producer
  • Oliver "Power" Grant – executive producer
  • Ron Jaramillo – art direction, design
  • Daniel Hastings – photography
  • Jeff Trotter – A&R

Charts edit

Certifications edit

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[23] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Pillage - Cappadonna | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  2. ^ Weingarten, Marc (April 3, 1998). "The Pillage". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  3. ^ Dalton, Stephen (1998). "CAPPADONNA The Pillage (Razor Sharp / Epic)". NME. Archived from the original on 2000-08-17. Retrieved March 27, 2021 – via Wayback Machine.
  4. ^ Schreiber, Ryan (October 3, 2000). "Cappadonna: The Pillage: Pitchfork Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 2000-10-03. Retrieved March 27, 2021 – via Wayback Machine.
  5. ^ Noixe (June 23, 2001). "Cappadonna :: The Pillage :: Razor Sharp Records/Epic". www.rapreviews.com. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  6. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Robert Christgau: CG: Artist 2160". www.robertchristgau.com. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  7. ^ Hunter, James (1998). "Album Reviews Cappadonna The Pillage". Rolling Stone. No. 783. Archived from the original on 2008-10-10. Retrieved March 27, 2021 – via Wayback Machine.
  8. ^ Hull, Tom. "Tom Hull: Grade List: Cappadonna". tomhull.com. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  9. ^ Boehlert, Eric (April 2, 1998). "Cappadonna Debuts At No. 3". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  10. ^ "GANG STARR RISES FROM RAP UNDERGROUND TO #6". MTV. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  11. ^ The Pillage (booklet). Cappadonna. Razor Sharp Records. 1998. 488850 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ "Cappadonna Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  13. ^ "Edmonton's Top 10 R&B Albums". Edmonton Journal. April 11, 1998. p. C3 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Cappadonna – The Pillage" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  15. ^ "Cappadonna: The Pillage" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  16. ^ "Lescharts.com – Cappadonna – The Pillage". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  17. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Cappadonna – The Pillage" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  18. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  19. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  20. ^ "Cappadonna Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  21. ^ "Cappadonna Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  22. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1998". Billboard. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
  23. ^ "American album certifications – Cappadonna – The Pillage". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links edit