A Martyr's Reward
Studio album by
Ka
ReleasedAugust 13, 2021 (2021-08-13)
GenreHip hop
Length41:11
LabelIron Works
Producer
Ka chronology
Descendants of Cain
(2020)		 A Martyr's Reward
(2021)		 Languish Arts / Woeful Studies
(2022)

A Martyr's Reward is the sixth solo studio album by American rapper and record producer Kaseem "Ka" Ryan. It was released on August 13, 2021 through Iron Works Records. Production was handled by Ka himself, DJ Preservation and Navy Blue. It features guest appearances from Joi and Navy Blue.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Beats Per Minute84%[2]
Pitchfork8.3/10[3]
Spectrum Culture80%[4]
The Line of Best Fit9/10[5]

A Martyr's Reward was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics. The aggregator Album of the Year, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 81, based on six reviews.[6]

Tim Sentz of Beats Per Minute found that the album "feels like the most complete Ka album yet, from the brighter production to the ever-evolving wordplay".[2] Mano Sundaresan of Pitchfork stated: "one of rap's most inventive stylists surfaces from his memories to reflect on himself and his vocation, transforming his latest record into a searing, soulful gem in his catalog".[3] AllMusic's David Crone wrote: "make no mistake, A Martyr's Reward is an excellent rap record -- but from one of the genre's most visionary poets, it can't help but feel slightly underbaked".[1]

Accolades

Accolades for A Martyr's Reward
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
Beats Per Minute BPM's Top 50 Albums of 2021
11
Complex The Best Albums of 2021
40
Passion of the Weiss The POW Best Albums of 2021
26
Pitchfork The 50 Best Albums of 2021
48
Spin The 30 Best Albums Of 2021
26
Stereogum The 50 Best Albums Of 2021
22

Track listing

A Martyr's Reward track listing
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Everybody Up"Ka2:48
2."I Need All That"Ka3:51
3."Peace Peace Peace" (featuring Joi)Ka2:53
4."Sad to Say"Ka2:13
5."P W H"Ka2:16
6."I Notice"Ka3:21
7."Like Me"Ka4:09
8."We Living / Martyr" (featuring Navy Blue)Navy Blue4:32
9."Subtle"DJ Preservation2:14
10."With All My Heart"Ka2:59
11."Enough Praise / Recovering"Ka5:12
12."Be Grateful"Ka2:21
13."Having Nothin'"Ka2:22
Total length:41:11

Personnel

  • Kaseem "Ka" Ryan – main artist, producer (tracks 1–7, 10–13)
  • Joi Gilliam – vocals (track 3)
  • Sage "Navy Blue" Elsesser – vocals & producer (track 8)
  • Jean "Preservation" Daval – producer (track 9)
  • Chris Pummill – engineering
  • Charles Scott Harding – mixing
  • Michael Fossenkemper – mastering
  • Mark Shaw – design

References

  1. 1 2 Crone, David. "Ka - A Martyr's Reward Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Sentz, Tim (August 18, 2021). "Album Review: Ka – A Martyr's Reward | Beats Per Minute". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Sundaresan, Mano (August 21, 2021). "Ka: A Martyr's Reward". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  4. ↑ Stremfel, Thomas (September 1, 2021). "Ka: A Martyr's Reward". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  5. ↑ McMullen, Chase (August 19, 2021). "Brooklyn rapper Ka proves he's holding an immense power on A Martyr's Reward". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  6. ↑ "KA - A Martyr's Reward - Reviews - Album of The Year". www.albumoftheyear.org. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  7. ↑ Johnston, Andy (December 16, 2021). "BPM's Top 50 Albums of 2021 | Beats Per Minute". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  8. ↑ Gee, Andre (December 1, 2021). "The Best Albums of 2021". Complex. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  9. ↑ Nabavian, Evan (December 31, 2021). "The POW Best Albums of 2021". Passion of the Weiss. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  10. ↑ Kearse, Stephen (December 7, 2021). "The 50 Best Albums of 2021". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  11. ↑ Schonfeld, Zach (December 13, 2021). "The 30 Best Albums Of 2021". SPIN. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  12. ↑ "The 50 Best Albums Of 2021". Stereogum. December 6, 2021. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
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