The Bad Guy Chronicles
| The Bad Guy Chronicles | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Studio album by John Anthony | ||||
| 📅 Released | 2020/06/26 | |||
| ⏳ Length | 1 hour, 7 minutes | |||
| Language | English | |||
| 🏷️ Label | Villainous Records | |||
| John Anthony (rapper) chronology | ||||
| ||||
Buy this album The Bad Guy Chronicles or listen to it on amazon
The Bad Guy Chronicles is the third studio album by American rapper John Anthony. It was released on June 26, 2020, by Villainous Records and Chaos Music Group. The album features two sides, both boom-bap and trap styles. The production on the album was by several producers including executive produced by John Anthony. The Bad Guy Chronicles (or BGC for short) was supported by its single "Ballin", which released a month before on May 28, 2020.
Background[edit]
On June 2, 2020, John Anthony teased a snippet of new music on his Instagram story, stating: "Its so close you can almost taste it...coming soon". A week later on June 11, John Anthony and Villainous Records announced the album on social media, along with a teaser trailer. The concept of the title generated when John Anthony developed The Villain persona, stating: "When [The Villain] came into place, that's when the light bulb switched and created this whole new character" he mentioned in a 2022 article. The album's cover art was captured by Keith Williams, with character assistance from James Stepanski, both long time friends of John Anthony. The album's artwork was received generally mixed due to many voicing comparisons to Eminem's 1999 debut album cover The Slim Shady LP.
John Anthony elaborated further on the album's concept in a YouTube video, revealing The Bad Guy Chronicles represents the creation of The Villain, which is the ruthless persona of John Anthony, and ultimately fires back at any criticism surrounding John Anthony's older music, while also obtaining several insults against rappers and critics alike. The Bad Guy Chronicles has a stand out twenty song track list and is a two-sided, subgenre hip-hop style album featuring in both boom-bap and trap music. It's first side, or Part One, centers around the aggressive, lyrical sound with certain songs viewed as discourteous, offensive and misogynistic. "Sharpening The Saw" and "Crazy" indulge in those views, as "Who I Am" and "Lost One" give more a humorous, story-telling picture. It's second side, or Part Two, features a more edgier, mainstream style. "Ballin" was released on May 28, 2020, and featured as the albums lead single.
Release[edit]
The Bad Guy Chronicles was released on June 26, 2020. Its lead song "Ballin", became the first John Anthony single to be available on major streaming platforms such as Spotify and iTunes. The song also generated an NBA mixtape music video. The Bad Guy Chronicles later followed upon its release, before previous albums such as The Therapy LP and Ride or Die appeared on streaming services too. The album also released with physical copies, selling locally in record stores and online.
Critical reception[edit]
The Bad Guy Chronicles received mixed reviews from music critics and fans alike. Benjamin Adams from Global Hip-Hop gave a positive review saying, "All in all, the album from top to bottom is clealy well put together but this is certainly an album for the right viewer...The Bad Guy Chronicles is could be John Anthony’s best album to date, giving this a notable listen for anyone insterested in that raw, attitudinal hip hop sound." Michael Greenlaw on his YouTube channel gave mixed reviews stating, "The album's first half really gives Eminem vibes, and I don't if that's such a good thing. Lyrically, he's there. But I just can't help when I hear John Anthony to think how heavily inspired he is off Eminem." Amelia Vandergast wrote an article for ANR Factory where she said, "His [John Anthony] gritty style and exceptional lyricism puts The Bad Guy Chronicles atop Independent rap albums of 2020."
Many fans gave the album mixed reviews as well, as certain first time viewers commented, "The Bad Guy Chronicles is an apt title. [He] needs to find [his] own sound. This is blatantly early Eminem and not only in enunciation but also in lyrics. At some points, [he] even rhymes the same words [Eminem] did over twenty years ago. [John Anthony] has potential, just needs to not pigeonhole himself into just being Eminem." said one viewer giving the album feedback.
Track listing[edit]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro (Skit)" | Anthony G. Grandinetti | John Anthony, Domin Beats |
| 2. | "Remember Me" | Anthony G. Grandinetti | Domin Beats |
| 3. | "The Bad Guy" | Anthony G. Grandinetti | Khronos Beats |
| 4. | "Who I Am" | Anthony G. Grandinetti | Anabolic Beats |
| 5. | "Lost One" | Anthony G. Grandinetti | ThatKidGoran |
| 6. | "Life's A Bitch" | Anthony G. Grandinetti | Idepen |
| 7. | "Calling Ex (Skit)" | Anthony G. Grandinetti | John Anthony |
| 8. | "Crazy" | Anthony G. Grandinetti | Khronos Beats |
| 9. | "Sharpening The Saw" | Anthony G. Grandinetti | ItsEraTime |
| 10. | "Better Late Than Ever" | Anthony G. Grandinetti | Shemag |
| 11. | "Back To The Top" | Anthony G. Grandinetti | Rocktee Beats |
| 12. | "Ballin" | Anthony G. Grandinetti | Paven Melody |
| 13. | "Bang" | Anthony G. Grandinetti | Ray Beats |
| 14. | "I Am A God" | Anthony G. Grandinetti | Sunday Club |
| 15. | "Never Enough" | Anthony G. Grandinetti | ThatKidGoran |
| 16. | "Wannabe" | Anthony G. Grandinetti | Lowkey Flamingo |
| 17. | "Bueller" | Anthony G. Grandinetti | Ryo The Ghoul |
| 18. | "Oh Shit!" | Anthony G. Grandinetti | Ace Bankz |
| 19. | "Loveless" | Anthony G. Grandinetti | CEDES |
| 20. | "Beef" | Anthony G. Grandinetti | Origami Beats |
Sample credits[edit]
- "Remember Me" contains audio samples from the American film "The Dark Knight" (2008).
- "The Bad Guy" contains audio samples from the American film "Scarface" (1983).
- "Life's A Bitch" samples "Life's A Bitch" performed by AZ and Nas (1994).
