Cordae found himself a critical darling and then some with the release of his 2019 debut album The Lost Boy. The stellar release nabbed Cordae his first Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Album and confirmed his talents were only beginning to reach their full potential.
Following the release of his long awaited sophomore effort From A Birds Eye View, the DMV rapper may readily agree sales don’t define him, but with a guest list including Stevie Wonder, Lil Wayne, Freddie Gibbs and more, the album’s early returns didn’t match up.
According to HitsDailyDouble, Corade’s latest effort moved an estimated 20,000 album-equivalent units earned. The number was good enough to land at No. 20 on the Billboard 200 chart but fell short of expectations and fell below those of The Lost Boy, which debuted at No. 13 on the Billboard 200 chart with an estimated 25,000 album-equivalent units earned.
Cordae “From A Birds Eye View” sells 20k first week.
— DJ Akademiks (@Akademiks) January 22, 2022
Despite the number, Cordae has already crafted a salvo for critics who downplay the album’s message or his own artistic growth.
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Speaking to Big Boy’s Neighborhood, Cordae didn’t hide his thoughts about the project and criticism, lightly comparing the record to Kanye West’s 2008 album, 808’s and Heartbreak.
“Obviously, I’m not where Kanye was when he made 808s & Heartbreak, like, success-wise, but he was like, ‘I got so much confidence in the music that I make that if you don’t like my music, you just got poor taste,’” he told Big Boy.
Cordae’s love for the creative process in putting together an album didn’t stop with the Ye comparisons. He even alluded to the albums as his children.
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“It’s really an infant, man, these albums are all like my kids,” he said. “It’s like I’m giving you everything. A seed! My seed to the world, what are you gonna do with it? It’s a balance.”
It remains to be seen if the love for From A Bird’s Eye View grows via word of mouth. However, Cordae has built anticipation for the album before through a documentary, the announcement of a U.S. tour and more.
Revisit the album in full below.
