Ether (B.o.B album)
Ether is the fourth[1] studio album by American rapper B.o.B. The album was released on May 12, 2017, by Label No Genre and distributed by Empire Distribution, it is the first album by B.o.B to be released independently.[2][3] The album is the fifth installment in his Element series going back to 2015, with the previous four compiled on 2016's Elements.[4] The album features guest appearances from Lil Wayne, Young Thug, T.I., Big K.R.I.T., Ty Dolla Sign, Usher, CeeLo Green, Young Dro, and more.
Recording and production[edit]
B.o.B said his decision to include guest appearances came from the previous installments in his Elements series not having any at all: "For this Ether project I kinda opened the doorway for more outside influences, because the Elements project I put out, it was all me, I didn't want nobody touching it, because it had to be that way. But to finish it off with the fifth element, I just felt like I wanted to really make it more of a grandiose grand finale".[18] In an interview with Complex, B.o.B said: "All the features is just really people who I fuck with. I don't collaborate with everybody, man, and I'm at a point where […] I just want to [work] with people who I gel with and vibe with. Even if I collaborate with the same artist six times, I'm still going to keep doing it."[19] It was revealed in an interview that the album's fourth track "Peace Piece", featuring vocals and production from Big K.R.I.T., was originally given to T.I. for his Us or Else: Letter to the System project.[20] In an interview with Fuse, B.o.B said he produced about half of the album, adding "Jacque Beatz and 30 Roc did a lot of production."[18]
Release and promotion[edit]
"4 Lit" featuring fellow rapper T.I. and singer Ty Dolla Sign, was released as the album's lead single on October 28, 2016.[21] It is the first song released by B.o.B's independent record label, No Genre, as a single.[22] The music video for the song, directed by Chad Tennies, premiered on April 5, 2017.[23] On April 19, 2017, B.o.B announced a concert tour, The Elements Tour, in support of the album.[24] On May 3, 2017, B.o.B revealed the album's track-listing and released the song "Xantastic", featuring rapper Young Thug, as a promotional single,[25][26][27][28] making it available on the iTunes Store for those who pre-ordered the album.[29][30][31] On May 11, 2017 B.o.B held a "listening experience" for Ether at Studio No. 7 in Atlanta, Georgia.[1]