SR3MM was supported by eight singles: "Perplexing Pegasus", "T'd Up", "Powerglide" and "Close" for SR3MM; "Hurt to Look" and "Guatemala" for Swaecation; and "Brxnks Truck" and "Chanel" for Jxmtro. The album received generally positive reviews from critics and debuted at number six on the US Billboard 200, with 57,000 album-equivalent units in its first week.
Background
In early 2018, Rae Sremmurd and Mike Will Made It announced that Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi would release their solo albums—Swaecation and Jxmtroduction—in the same package with an album by the duo, as a triple album package called SR3MM.[5]
Promotion
The lead singles from the albums SR3MM, Swaecation and Jxmtro, "Perplexing Pegasus", "Hurt to Look" and "Brxnks Truck" was released on August 4, 2017, while the latter two were released on March 1, 2018, simultaneously.[6][7] The production for "Perplexing Pegasus" was handled by the duo's frequent collaborators Mike Will Made It, J-Bo, as well as Kent Lucciano, while "Hurt to Look", was handled by Bizness Boi, FWDSLXSH and EY, and "Brxnks Truck" was handled by Mike Will Made It and J-Bo.[8][9][10] The Tomás Whitmore-directed music video was released on November 17, 2017.[11][12] "Perplexing Pegasus" performed moderately on charts, peaking at number 84 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[13] The song was used in 15 second television commercials advertising each of the 12 National Football League (NFL) teams then competing in the 2017–18 playoffs.[14]
The second singles from the albums SR3MM, Swaecation and Jxmtro, "T'd Up", "Guatemala" and "Chanel" featuring Swae Lee and Pharrell, was released on February 5, 2018, April 11, 2018 and April 5, 2018, respectively.[15][16][17] The production for "T'd Up" was handled by Metro Boomin, Chopsquad DJ and Swae Lee, while the production for "Guatemala", was handled by Mally Mall, TuneDaRula and Karl Rubin, and "Chanel" by Mike Will Made It and 30 Roc.[15][16][17] "Guatemala" also performed moderately as "Perplexing Pegasus", peaking at number 84 on the Billboard Hot 100.[13]
The third single from the album SR3MM, "Powerglide" featuring Juicy J, was released on March 1, 2018.[7] The production was handled by Mally Mall, Jean Hovart and Mike Will Made It.[18] The Andy Hines-directed music video was released on March 13, 2018.[18] The song peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100.[13]
The fourth single from the album SR3MM, "Close" featuring Travis Scott, was released on April 18, 2018.[19] The production was handled by 30 Roc and Mike Will Made It.[19] The song peaked at number 98 on the Billboard Hot 100.[13]
Publications varied in reviewing the albums as a collective album or individually. The triple-disc album was met with generally positive reviews. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 76, based on 10 reviews.[21] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 6.9 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[20]
Neil Yeung of AllMusic concluded that "Taken as a whole – SR3MM is nearly two hours long – the album is a serious time investment. However, broken up into three parts as intended, it provides a trio of easily digestible bites that gives Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi freedom to indulge their own artistry while maintaining their bond as a duo".[22] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian concluded that SR3MM is "a decent triple album, but it would have been better yet boiled down to an eclectic single album" as "the grandness of the presentation slightly oversells the contents. Neither of the albums are as epic a statement as the concept suggests, and the best tracks from each could happily live side by side on a single album".[3] Sheldon Pearce of Pitchfork summarized: "The triple album from Slim Jxmmi and Swae Lee is their clearest personal statement yet."[27] Meaghan Garvey of Rolling Stone wrote that "The hip hop duo's 27-track opus takes the electric chemistry that made them stars into rich new territory", adding that "their music has grown lusher, their cadences more complex, making the leap to SR3MM less of a stretch that it might seem".[28] Clayton Purdom of The A.V. Club believed that SR3MM "delivers quantity and quality by zeroing in on its creators' charisma, clarifying the appeal that's been there the whole time. In the strange pantheon of triple LPs, there's nothing else like it".[23] Online publication Highsnobiety stated: "The collective album, overall, is more innovative, more daring, and flat-out riskier than its predecessors", adding that "the three albums contain fresh, carefully curated music."[25]
In a mixed review, Wren Graves of Consequence wrote that "There's the idea — the idea — that combined solo albums can add up to more than the sum of their parts. But musically, Speakerboxxx comes from another planet than The Love Below. On SR3MM, Discs One, Two, and Three are all hanging out on the same street corner. There are plenty of interesting moments. But it would have been nice to go on a journey".[4] Similarly, Tom Breihan of Stereogum concluded that SR3MM "stands as a misguided experiment, a too-long indulgence from a group that thrives on concision and immediacy".[29] Jordan Sargent of Spin believed that SR3MM "sports some of the duo's best ever songs", adding the thought that "it feels hypnotic and bewitching, the conjuring of a spell".[30] Sheldon Pearce of Pitchfork stated that SR3MM "is the strongest of the three albums, further proving that the pair work best as a unit".[27]
Swaecation
Online publication Highsnobiety complimented Swae Lee's vocals and production, stating "the album's more melodic beats are where Swae's latest manifestation is heard clearest" and adding that Swaecation is "a tender passion project that allows one of hip hop's most melodically gifted stars to explore outside the familiar template that has brought him success thus far. Simply put, Swae Lee has delivered his most earnest and wholesomely candid work to date".[25]
Jxmtro
Comparing Jxmtro to Swaecation, Sheldon Pearce of Pitchfork wrote that "While Swae's blend of pop, R&B, and dancehall is more daring, Jxmmi's Jxmtro is more consistent and reveals more of himself as an artist and person. As the more introverted (and less celebrated) of the two brothers, Jxmmi uses his opportunity to rap with fluidity, putting his ideas first for a change, rapping about growing up, outgrowing friends, and prioritizing".[27] Calum Slingerland of Exclaim! considered Jxmtro as "a less adventurous outing, but Jxmmi shows marked improvement in his own technique".[24]
