Against the Grain (Kurupt album)
| Company type | Record label |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founder | Suge Knight (executive producer of the album) |
| Headquarters | United States |
Key people | Suge Knight (executive producer) |
| Products | Music albums |
Against the Grain represents the fourth solo studio project by American hip-hop artist Kurupt, officially released on August 23, 2005, via Death Row Records. This album stands as his sole individual release under this label. The production roster features contributions from Mark Sparks, Doug Mayhem, Sir Jinx, Baby-C-Style, Blaqthoven, Diverse, Joshua Andrews, Ric Rude, Screwface, and tha Row Hitters, with executive production handled by Suge Knight. The record includes guest performances by Eastwood, Tri Star, Young Tone, 2Pac, Dave Hollister, Domination, M.O.P., Potion, Roscoe, Spider Loc, the Dayton Family, and Val C.
Promotion for the album was limited by Koch Records, responsible for distributing releases from Tha Row. Prior to the album's launch, Kurupt had exited Death Row and reunited with collaborators Snoop Dogg and Daz Dillinger. Against the Grain entered the US market at number 60 on the Billboard 200 and climbed to number 20 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Internationally, it attained position 146 on France’s albums chart. Unreleased material from this period surfaced later in 2007 on the bootleg collection Against tha Grain E.P.. In February 2010, the album was reissued under the title Down and Dirty, featuring a modified tracklist. Notably, the song "Calico" had previously appeared on the Dayton Family’s album Family Feud.
Background
As one half of the duo Tha Dogg Pound alongside Daz Dillinger, Kurupt was originally signed to Death Row Records. Together they released their sole Death Row studio album, Dogg Food, in 1995 before Kurupt departed from the label in late 1997. He returned to Death Row in early 2002, which led to tensions with former associates including Daz, Snoop Dogg, and Soopafly. The release of this album was postponed from 2004 until August 2005, coinciding with Kurupt’s second exit from Death Row. This project marked Death Row’s first newly produced album in over four years and was the label’s last original release during its initial era before its revival seventeen years later with BODR by Snoop Dogg.
Track listing
- Notes
- The majority of songwriting credits are attributed to Kurupt’s brother, David "Roscoe" Williams.
- Sample credits
- Track 6 incorporates a sample from "Vitamin C" performed by Can.
- Track 12 features replayed elements from "Me and My Homies" by Nate Dogg.
Charts
Template:Album chart| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 | 60 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) | 20 |