Sremm 4 Life is the fourth studio album by American hip hop duo Rae Sremmurd. It was released through Ear Drummer and Interscope Records on April 7, 2023. The album features guest appearances from Young Thug and Future. Production was handled by Mike Will Made It, Chopsquad DJ, Zaytoven, Paddy Beats, Murda Beatz, Pluss, Oxthello, Jaxx, Keanu Beats, J-Bo, Bizness Boi, Banshee the Great, 30 Roc, Melz, Oz, Cubeatz, Ari PenSmith, Sonny Digital, Austin Powerz, Sav, D-Jay Sremm, Ronny J, and Dynox. The album was supported by two singles, "Torpedo" and "Tanisha (Pump That)". It serves as the follow-up to the duo's previous album, SR3MM (2018), and is their first project after coming out of a five-year-long hiatus.[1]
Background
In March 2020, after social media rumors that Rae Sremmurd had disbanded, Swae Lee from took to social media to assure fans that the duo was staying together and would be releasing a new album, as well as solo releases from both him and his brother, Slim Jxmmi. In an interview with GQ in July 2022, both brothers both spoke on how the album would be different from their previous projects, in which Swae Lee cited English singer-songwriter James Blake as an influence for his melodic vocals and Slim Jxmmi said that they touched on their stepfather's murder that saw their youngest brother serving time in jail in one of the songs.[2]
Release and promotion
The lead single of the album, "Torpedo", was released on December 30, 2022.[3] The second and final single, "Tanisha (Pump That)", was released on March 10, 2023.[4] On the same day, the duo shared the cover art and release date for the album.[5] On March 30, 2023, the duo revealed its tracklist and production credits.[6]
Sremm 4 Life received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 78, based on six reviews.[8] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it 6.9 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[7]
In her review for HipHopDX, Nina Hernandez writes that "the brothers tap into a level of introspection that only comes with age that they’ve never quite harnessed before."[11] Writing for Pitchfork, Stephen Kearse praised the album for "exploring new sounds and real-world themes."[13]AllMusic's Fred Thomas wrote that the album has "incessantly catchy material" that is delivered "with a casual confidence."[9] Writing for Clash, Robin Murray concludes that the album is "sometimes fascinating yet always gripping."[10]Slant's Paul Attard writes that the album is a "clear-eyed showcase for the pair’s innate talents when it comes to crafting pop-rap hits intended for pure revelry."[15] Brittany Spanos of Rolling Stone described the album as a "tight statement from the two that sees them continue to grow and expand the unique sonic world they’ve invented."[17]
