Self Explanatory (Ne-Yo album)

Self Explanatory
Studio album by
ReleasedJuly 15, 2022 (2022-07-15)
GenreR&B
Length41:24
Label
Producer
  • The Aristocrats
  • Cardiak
  • DeCarlo
  • Digi
  • Don Mills
  • Drew Banga
  • Ebenezer
  • FrankieOnTheGuitar
  • Hitmaka
  • Julia Lewis
  • Magnus Klausen
  • Mally Mall
  • Paul Cabbin
  • Remo
  • Retro Future
  • RoccStar
Ne-Yo chronology
Another Kind of Christmas
(2019)
Self Explanatory
(2022)
Singles from Self Explanatory
  1. "U 2 Luv"
    Released: May 29, 2020
  2. "What If"
    Released: September 24, 2021
  3. "Stay Down"
    Released: December 17, 2021
  4. "Don't Love Me"
    Released: April 14, 2022
  5. "You Got the Body"
    Released: June 17, 2022

Self Explanatory is the eighth studio album by American singer Ne-Yo. It was released by Compound Entertainment and Motown on July 15, 2022.

Self Explanatory debuted at number 184 on the US Billboard 200, marking his lowest charting album in the country.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic
The Guardian

Andy Kellman of AllMusic gave Self Explanatory three and a half stars out of five and called it Ne-Yo's "most biographical album yet." Ammar Kalia from The Guardian remarked that "strong vocals and head-nodding moments aside, the R&B singer-songwriter's latest record falls short of his career highs." He found that "the pleasant nostalgia of [the] highlights isn't enough to carry the record as a whole: tracks such as "Proud of You," "Call Me Up" and "No Loot" play as mid-tempo filler."

Chart performance

Self Explanatory debuted at number 184 on the US Billboard 200 in the week ending July 30, 2022. This marks Ne-Yo's lowest-charting album; his 2019 Christmas album Another Kind of Christmas failed to chart. On Billboard's component charts, the album also entered the Current Album Sales at number 59.

Track listing

Self Explanatory track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Layin' Low" (featuring Zae France)
  • Shaffer Smith
  • Aquil Jackson
  • Avery Segers
  • Calvin Hay
  • Remo Green
  • Xavier France
  • Anthony Nixon
Remo3:01
2."You Got the Body"
2:56
3."After Party"
3:15
4."Handle Me Gently"
  • Smith
  • Crowe
  • Jamil George Chammas
  • John Perkins
Digi3:01
5."Don't Love Me"
  • Smith
  • Jamal Rashid
Mally Mall2:47
6."U 2 Luv" (featuring Jeremih)
 3:28
7."Push Up" (featuring Trippie Redd)
FrankieOnTheGuitar2:29
8."Proud of You"Remo3:31
9."Call Me Up"
  • Smith
  • Hay
  • Ebenezer Fabiyi
  • Magnus Klausen
  • Ebenezer
  • Klausen
3:17
10."What If"
  • Ebenezer
  • Klausen
3:43
11."Want It All or Nothing"
3:23
12."No Loot"
  • Smith
  • Green
  • Crowe
  • Hay
  • Jackson
  • Segers
  • Nixon
Remo2:43
13."Stay Down" (featuring Yung Bleu)
  • Smith
  • Rashid
  • Andrew Laquan Arnett
  • Benjamin Falik
  • Drew Banga
  • Julia Lewis
  • Mally Mall
3:50
Total length:41:24

Personnel

Musicians

  • Ne-Yo – vocals
  • Zae France – vocals (track 1)
  • RoccStarprogramming (2)
  • Cardiak – programming (2)
  • Hitmaka – programming (2)
  • Paul Cabbin – programming (2)
  • Retro Future – programming (6)
  • Jeremih – vocals (6)
  • Trippie Redd – rap vocals (7)
  • Ebenezer – programming (9, 10)
  • Magnus Klausen – programming (9, 10)
  • Curtis "Sauce" Wilson – vocal programming (9, 10)
  • Yung Bleu – rap vocals (13)

Technical

  • Gene Grimaldi – mastering (1, 2, 4–13)
  • Kevin "KD" Davis – mixing (1, 2, 4–13)
  • Jaycen Joshua – mastering, mixing (3)
  • Curtis "Sauce" Wilson – engineering, vocal production
  • DJ Riggins – mixing assistance (3)
  • Jacob Richards – mixing assistance (3)
  • Mike Seaberg – mixing assistance (3)

Charts

Chart performance for Self Explanatory
Chart (2022) Peak
position
US Billboard 200 184

Release history

Self Explanatory release history
Region Date Format Label Ref(s)
Various July 22, 2022
  • Compound
  • Motown

References

  1. ^ "Self Explanatory". Apple Music. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d "Ne-Yo Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  3. ^ a b "Self Explanatory - Ne-Yo - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Kalia, Ammar (17 July 2022). "Ne-Yo: Self Explanatory review – nostalgic mid-tempo fillers". The Guardian. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
  5. ^ "Ne-Yo Chart History: Top Current Album Sales". Billboard. Retrieved April 21, 2024.
  6. ^ "Self Explanatory – Apple Music". Apple Music (in German). Retrieved August 8, 2022.