You Should Be Here (mixtape)

You Should Be Here
Mixtape by
Kehlani
ReleasedApril 28, 2015 (2015-04-28)
GenreR&B[1]
Length46:12
LabelTSNMI[2]
Producer
Kehlani chronology
Cloud 19
(2014) 		You Should Be Here
(2015) 		SweetSexySavage
(2017)
Singles from You Should Be Here
  1. "The Way"
    Released: July 27, 2015[3]

You Should Be Here is the second and debut commercial mixtape[4] by American singer and songwriter Kehlani.[5] It was self-released through the iTunes Store on April 28, 2015.[6] You Should Be Here features guest appearances from Lexii Alijai, Chance the Rapper, and BJ the Chicago Kid.[7] It peaked at number 36 on the US Billboard 200.[8] Mixed by Joe Fitzgerald, the mixtape predominantly features production by Jahaan Sweet, along with production from JMike, Madmax, Geoffro Cause and Ted Digtl, among others.

In July 2015, Kehlani embarked on a tour to promote the mixtape. The tour visited cities; including North America and Europe.[9] Music videos were created for "You Should Be Here",[10] "The Way",[11] and "Alive".[12] The mixtape received a nomination for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 58th Annual Grammy Awards.[13]

In April 2023, after receiving significant backlash for her mixed race identity over the song "N****s", the song was removed from all streaming platforms and excluded from the tracklist.[14]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic80/100[15]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[16]
Billboard[17]
Complex[18]
HipHopDX[19]
The New York Timesfavorable[20]
Pitchfork7.4/10[2]

At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score to reviews from mainstream critics, You Should Be Here received an average score of 80 based on 6 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[15]

Matthew Ramirez of Pitchfork commented that "You Should Be Here's dynamism and generosity is something to be amazed by, especially considering Kehlani is all of 19 years old."[2] Andy Kellman of AllMusic said: "While the singer and songwriter has fashioned [themself] into a contemporary R&B artist comparable to the likes of Jhené Aiko and Tinashe, [they] have retained the charming, down-to-earth qualities they displayed with their band."[16] Elias Leight of Billboard described it as "an intense, focused exploration of all, or nearly all, the relationships the singer is involved in, both romantic and familial."[17]

Accolades

Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Complex Best Albums of 2015
12
[21]
Noisey 50 Best Albums of 2015
16
[22]
Rolling Stone 20 Best R&B Albums of 2015
16
[23]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro"
Kehlani2:19
2."You Should Be Here"
  • Parrish
  • Alexander Castillo
  • Jeremy Coleman
  • JMIKE
  • A.C.
  • I.T.M.G
2:37
3."How That Taste"
Jahaan Sweet2:32
4."Jealous" (featuring Lexii Alijai)
Sweet3:38
5."Niggas"
  • PP
  • Sweet
  • Parrish
Jahaan Sweet2:54
6."Wanted"
  • Parrish
  • Ricky Witherspoon, Jr.
  • Coleman
  • Graham Muron
  • JMIKE
  • MadMax
  • KillaGraham
2:10
7."The Way" (featuring Chance the Rapper)
  • Jahaan Sweet
  • Eryck Bry
  • KillaGraham
4:22
8."Unconditional"
2:36
9."The Letter"
  • Parrish
  • Joshua Blaxon
Ted Digtl3:52
10."Runnin' (Interlude)"
  • Parrish
  • Sweet
Jahaan Sweet2:17
11."Be Alright"
  • Parrish
  • Coleman
  • Mathieu Jomphe
  • JMIKE
  • Billboard
2:54
12."Down for You" (featuring BJ the Chicago Kid)
Jahaan Sweet3:47
13."Yet"
The Featherstones2:29
14."Bright"
  • Parrish
  • Earley
Geoffro Cause4:17
15."Alive" (featuring Coucheron)
  • Parrish
  • Sebastian Kornelius Gautier Teigen
Coucheron3:07
Total length:46:12

Sample credits

• "Down For You" interpolates "Just Friends (Sunny)" by Musiq Soulchild

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2015) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[8]
36
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[24]
5

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[25] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Leight, Elias (April 29, 2015). "Kehlani Releases the Year's First Great R&B Album With 'You Should Be Here'". Billboard. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Ramirez, Matthew (May 6, 2015). "Kehlani: You Should Be Here". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  3. ^ "Kehlani: You Should be Here". Pitchfork.
  4. ^ "Kehlani Interview - Talks new mixtape, "You Should Be Here", Tour, Fans & More!". YouTube. 2015-06-18. Retrieved 2016-03-06.
  5. ^ Freeman, Macy (July 9, 2015). "With second mix tape, Kehlani is a rising star". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  6. ^ Alexis, Nadeska (April 28, 2015). "Double Up On Kehlani With You Should Be Here Album And Video". MTV. Archived from the original on April 30, 2015. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  7. ^ Robinson, Will (April 28, 2015). "Kehlani releases delightful mixtape You Should Be Here". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  8. ^ a b "Kehlani - Chart history". Billboard 200. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  9. ^ "Tour". Kehlani. Retrieved August 20, 2015.
  10. ^ Gollayan, Christian (September 30, 2015). "Song I Have on Repeat: "You Should Be Here" by Kehlani". InStyle. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  11. ^ Adams, Gregory (July 27, 2015). "Kehlani: "The Way" (ft. Chance the Rapper) (video)". Exclaim!. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  12. ^ Leight, Elias (October 2, 2015). "Kehlani Shares "Alive" Video". The Fader. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  13. ^ "2016 Grammy Awards: Complete List of Nominations | E! Online". M.eonline.com. 7 December 2015. Retrieved 2016-03-06.
  14. ^ Nevares, Gabriel Bras (2023-04-23). "Kehlani Removes "N***as" From Streaming After Backlash, Twitter Reacts". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  15. ^ a b "You Should Be Here by Kehlani". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  16. ^ a b Kellman, Andy. "Kehlani - You Should Be Here". AllMusic. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  17. ^ a b Leight, Elias (April 29, 2015). "Kehlani Releases the Year's First Great R&B Album With 'You Should Be Here'". Billboard. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  18. ^ Mistry, Anupa (May 2, 2015). "Review: Kehlani Is Wounded But Not Weak on Her Impressive New Mixtape, 'You Should Be Here'". Complex. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  19. ^ Dowling, Marcus (May 20, 2015). "Kehlani - You Should Be Here". HipHopDX. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  20. ^ Caramanica, Jon (May 24, 2015). "Kehlani and Nick Catchdubs Release New Albums". The New York Times. Retrieved August 1, 2015.
  21. ^ "The Best Albums of 2015". Complex. December 2, 2015. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  22. ^ "The 50 Best Albums of 2015". Noisey. December 3, 2015. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  23. ^ "20 Best R&B Albums of 2015". Rolling Stone. December 16, 2015. Retrieved March 13, 2016.
  24. ^ "Kehlani - Chart history". Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  25. ^ "American album certifications – Kehlani – You Should Be Here". Recording Industry Association of America.