Kreayshawn – "Somethin' Bout Kreay" Review: Gucci Gucci Was Great. The Album Earned $0.01.
- Daniel Rasul
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Quick Verdict
Gucci Gucci went viral in 2011. A white girl from Oakland rapping about not needing luxury brands to prove her worth — it captured a specific internet-rap cultural moment so perfectly that Columbia Records signed her almost immediately. Somethin' Bout Kreay was the album that followed over a year later, released September 14, 2012, after multiple delays. It debuted at number 112 on the Billboard 200 with 3,502 copies sold. Pitchfork gave it a 3 out of 10. Metacritic scored it 42. Under the Radar gave it a 2 out of 10, calling it a pop album of awful pop music. On January 16, 2014, Kreayshawn tweeted a screenshot of her profit statement — the total amount she had earned from the album was $0.01. One cent. The entire commercial failure of Somethin' Bout Kreay is captured in a single screenshot that Kreayshawn herself decided to share publicly. Rating: 2/10.
At a Glance
Album Details
Context: The Viral Moment That Didn't Translate
Gucci Gucci was uploaded to YouTube in May 2011 and went viral almost immediately — a bratty, confident, lo-fi club track where Kreayshawn rapped about not needing designer labels to establish her worth while wearing exactly the kind of low-budget DIY aesthetic that made the video feel authentic and distinctive. The 2011 internet-rap moment was one of those rare cultural alignments where timing, personality, and aesthetic converged perfectly. By the time Somethin' Bout Kreay arrived in September 2012 — delayed multiple times from its original release date — that moment had passed. Pitchfork's Carrie Battan wrote that Somethin' Bout Kreay could very well be her first and last album. It was.
The Problem: Personality Cannot Sustain an Album
Album of the Year's most precise review called Somethin' Bout Kreay 46 minutes of soul-deadening vapidity, lazily spat lyrics, and beats Ke$ha wouldn't touch with a glittery 10-foot pole. Pitchfork said personality has always trumped talent in the Kreayshawn formula, and that Somethin' Bout Kreay is a testament to the inadequacy of that approach when the persona is built on a foundation of puffed-up shamelessness. NME noted that over 13 tracks, Kreay's thing wears waaay thin. The Spill Magazine observed that Kreayshawn is not a real rapper — she's a kid with an attitude, a microphone, and access to other artists and a studio. None of these assessments are unfair. The album is built on a single personality that was compelling in a two-minute viral video and becomes exhausting across a 46-minute album.
The $0.01 Profit: A Perfect Symbol
On January 16, 2014, Kreayshawn posted a screenshot of her profit statement on Twitter. After the album sold, the tours, the Columbia Records deal, and all associated activity, her total personal profit from the album was one cent. This was not the result of fraud or industry malpractice — it was the result of recoupment, the standard industry mechanism by which labels recover their advance and promotional investment before the artist sees a dollar. Columbia had invested in Kreayshawn. The album sold 3,502 copies in its first week and debuted at number 112. The recoupment never happened. The one cent is the most honest accounting of what Somethin' Bout Kreay delivered: it existed, it sold approximately nothing, and it ended with a screenshot that became more famous than any song on the album.
Final Verdict and Rating
Somethin' Bout Kreay earns a 2/10 because Gucci Gucci is genuinely good as a standalone track, and because some of the production has moments of genuine interest. But the album confirms what most suspected: Kreayshawn was a viral moment, not an artist. Pitchfork said it could be her first and last album. Metacritic scored it 42. Under the Radar scored it 2/10. She earned $0.01. Pitchfork's prediction was correct — Kreayshawn has not released another studio album. The $0.01 profit screenshot is the most memorable thing to emerge from the entire project. When a tweet about the album is more widely shared than the album itself, the album has failed. Final Rating: 2/10.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Kreayshawn really earn $0.01 from the album?
Yes. On January 16, 2014, Kreayshawn tweeted a screenshot of her profit statement showing a total personal profit of $0.01 from Somethin' Bout Kreay. This is the result of standard industry recoupment — Columbia had not recouped their advance investment before paying Kreayshawn royalties, and the album's commercial performance of 3,502 first-week copies and a #112 debut meant that recoupment never happened.
What is the rating for Somethin' Bout Kreay?
Our rating is 2/10. Pitchfork gave it 3/10. Metacritic scored it 42. Two points for Gucci Gucci and the production's occasional moments of interest. Everything else earns the album its position here — including the $0.01 profit, which may be the most honest critical assessment in this entire list.
References
Comments