No Love Lost (Joe Budden album)
| Company type | Studio album |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | February 5, 2013 |
| Founder | Joe Budden |
| Products | Hip hop music album |
| Owner | Joe Budden, E1 Music |
No Love Lost marks the sixth studio album by American hip-hop artist Joe Budden, officially released on February 5, 2013, via E1 Music. This album includes collaborations with notable artists such as French Montana, Fabolous, Lil Wayne, Lloyd Banks, Juicy J, the group Slaughterhouse, Tank, Kirko Bangz, Wiz Khalifa, Twista, and Omarion.
The project was promoted through two singles: "She Don't Put It Down" featuring Lil Wayne and Tank, alongside "NBA" which includes guest verses from Wiz Khalifa and French Montana.
Background
Budden characterizes No Love Lost as the concluding chapter in a four-album narrative arc, succeeding Halfway House, Padded Room, and Escape Route. This series reflects his progression toward creative independence and self-evolution.
On August 11, 2009, Budden partnered with Amalgam Digital to release Escape Route, a digital-only album serving as the third installment in this conceptual sequence. By September 2010, he transitioned to E1 Music from Amalgam Digital for future projects. Toward the end of 2012, Budden embarked on the Second First Impression Tour, showcasing his artistic growth and refined sound.
The mixtape "A Loose Quarter" was unveiled on November 22, 2012, earning favorable reviews and featuring contributions from artists like Ab-Soul, Royce da 5'9", and Kobe.
Guests and production
A track potentially intended as a single for the album, "No Competition" featuring R&B vocalist Emanny, surfaced unofficially on August 31, 2009. The production was handled by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League. On January 29, 2010, Budden shared through Twitter a previously unreleased song titled "Downfall," which was later withdrawn due to sample clearance complications involving J.Cardim. This track eventually appeared on Mood Muzik 4.5.
In August 2010, Budden revealed that DJ Premier had contributed a beat for No Love Lost. Earlier that year, on January 5, he hinted at involvement from Havoc of Mobb Deep. By November 2012, production credits included names such as Cardiak, AraabMuzik, Beewirks, Dark Night and 8 Bars, Blessed By The Beats, along with his collective SLV (Summer Leather Vest).
Confirmed guest appearances encompassed artists like Twista, Wiz Khalifa, French Montana, Lil Wayne, and Lupe Fiasco. Budden also collaborated extensively with Black Hippy member Ab-Soul. In December 2012, he disclosed features from Juicy J, Lloyd Banks, as well as vocal contributions by Omarion and Kirko Bangz. He emphasized that this album would include more guest artists than any of his prior records. The finalized track listing also verified participation from Emanny and Slaughterhouse.
Singles
The lead single from the album, "She Don't Put It Down Like You," produced by T-Minus and featuring rapper Lil Wayne alongside R&B singer Tank, was released by E1 Music on October 10. An official remix including verses from Fabolous and Twista was incorporated into the album. A music video for this remix was filmed in January 2013 and premiered on February 5, 2013.
Budden announced the second single titled "NBA," featuring guest spots from Wiz Khalifa and French Montana, on November 28, 2012. Its music video debuted alongside the iTunes release on March 26, 2013.
Furthermore, a visual for the song "Castles" was produced; its trailer premiered on February 5, 2013, followed by the full video release on March 19, 2013.
Critical response
No Love Lost garnered a variety of opinions from music reviewers. On Metacritic, the album has an aggregate score of 57 based on nine critiques, reflecting a reception of "mixed reviews." Roman Cooper from HipHopDX assigned it three stars out of five, expressing dissatisfaction with the production but commending tracks like “Castles” and “All in My Head” for their appeal. Grant Jones at RapReviews rated it six out of ten, highlighting songs such as "Skeletons" and "You And I" as notable, though he felt the album lacked consistency to leave a strong impression.
David Jeffries of Allmusic gave the album three and a half stars, acknowledging several standout moments while cautioning that the emo-influenced and midtempo songs could potentially deter new listeners. Christopher Minaya from XXL awarded an XL rating, suggesting that No Love Lost caters well to Budden’s entire fan base. In contrast, Ken Capobianco from The Boston Globe rated it two out of five stars, describing Budden’s direction as uncertain and criticizing the choice of beats throughout the project.
Commercial performance
Upon release, the album entered the US Billboard 200 chart at position 15, moving 30,000 units in its initial week. By October 2015, total sales in the United States had reached 86,000 copies.
Track listing
- All credits for writing, production, and song samples are sourced from the album’s liner notes.
- Note
- "Our First Again (Intro)" includes uncredited vocal contributions by Wakenna Rosado and Emanny.
- Dion Primo provides uncredited vocals on "NBA."
- Uncredited vocals by Kaydence appear on "Skeletons."
- Emanny is featured as part of SLV on "Tell Him Somethin'."
- "Runaway" contains uncredited instrumental work by Maki Athanasiou.
Personnel
The following credits for No Love Lost are adapted from Allmusic.
- A6 – Producer
- Kirko Bangz – Featured Artist
- Lloyd Banks – Featured Artist
- Boi-1DA – Producer
- Danielle Brimm – A&R, Producer
- Joe Budden – Executive Producer, Primary Artist
- Sean C. – Producer
- Bekah Connolly – A&R
- Crooked I – Featured Artist
- Emanny – Featured Artist, Vocals
- Beewirks – Producer
- Zale Epstein – Composer
- Fabolous – Featured Artist
- French Montana – Featured Artist
- Roger "Mista Raja" Greene – A&R
- Paul Grosso – Creative Director
- Chris Herche – Marketing
- Marcos Hernandez – Recording Engineer
- Halley Hiatt – Assistant
- Zach Isner – Booking
- Billy J. – A&R, Management
- Karon KdotOnTheBeat – Keyboards, Producer
- Andrew Kelley – Package Design
- Kobe – Featured Artist
- Jeremy Kolmin – Guitar
- Stephen Kozmeniuk – Vocal Engineer
- Brendan Laezza – Marketing
- Lil Wayne – Featured Artist
- John McDonald – Producer
- Giovanna Melchiorre – Publicity
- Arnold Mischkulnig – Mastering
- Mizfitz Soundz – Producer
- Victor Morante – Producer
- Corey Newton – Management
- Omarion – Featured Artist
- Joell Ortiz – Featured Artist
- Joe Pesci – Engineer
- Dion Primo – Vocals
- Jennifer Quard – Assistant
- Isaac Romero – Vocal Engineer
- Wakenna Rosado – Vocals
- Royce da 5'9" – Featured Artist
- Emanny Saldago – A&R
- Feras "Ferrari" Sheika – Assistant
- Ben Stevenson – Composer
- Hanif Sumner – Publicity
- Julia Sutowski – Coordinating Producer
- Dontay Thompson – Promoter
- T-Minus – Producer
- Twista – Featured Artist
- Maurice White – Promoter
- Wiz Khalifa – Featured Artist
- LV. – Producer
- Maki Athanasiou – Guitar
Weekly Rankings
Template:Album chartTemplate:Album chart| Chart (2013) | Highest position |
|---|
Annual Rankings
| Chart (2013) | Rank |
|---|---|
| US Top Independent Albums | 44 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 67 |