City on Lock

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City on Lock
Studio album by
City Girls
ReleasedJune 20, 2020 (2020-06-20)
Recorded2019–2020
GenreTrap
Length36:11
Label
Producer
City Girls chronology
Girl Code
(2018) 		City on Lock
(2020) 		RAW
(2023)
Singles from City on Lock
  1. "Jobs"
    Released: June 19, 2020
  2. "Pussy Talk"
    Released: July 6, 2020

City on Lock is the second studio album by American hip hop duo City Girls. The album leaked in its entirety on June 19, 2020, whereafter it was released on June 20 by Quality Control Music and Motown Records. It serves as the follow-up to their 2018 debut studio album Girl Code and features guest appearances from Yo Gotti, Doja Cat, Lil Durk and Lil Baby.[1] The album's first single, "Jobs", was released hours before the album release alongside a music video.[2] The album's second single, "Pussy Talk" featuring Doja Cat, was released on July 6, 2020, alongside a music video.[3]

Recording

In September 2019, after a string of releases featuring artists like Cardi B and Lil' Kim, Yung Miami shared that she was waiting for the release of JT to start recording new music.[4] JT previously began her prison term for credit card fraud charges in July 2018 after turning herself in to authorities.[5] She was eventually released on October 8, 2019, having served 15 months in prison.[6] Only a few days later, Quality Control executive Pierre Thomas announced that the duo already started recording their sophomore album and that it was slated for an early 2020 release.[7]

Release

On June 19, 2020, it was reported that the album was leaked in full to the internet.[8] The album was subsequently released the following day.[9]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
And It Don't Stop
A−[11]
HipHopDX3.7/5[12]
Pitchfork7.3/10[13]
Tom Hull – on the WebA−[14]

City on Lock was generally well received by music critics, upon its release. Reviewing in his Substack-published "Consumer Guide" column, Robert Christgau applauded the City Girls' "light, articulated rhymes" and declared, "What a relief to hear credible hoes rather than dubious cracklords brag about their cash on hand, to hear designer brands coveted as adornments rather than status symbols, to hear 'bitch' claimed by women rather than wielded by men."[11] Fellow critic Tom Hull found the lyrics "over the top, but so are the trap beats".[14] In the review for AllMusic, Fred Thomas said the album had "moments of tenderness are brief and understated, though, with the majority of City on Lock delivering amped-up, belligerent fun."[10]

Kenan Draughorne gave the album a positive write-up for HipHopDX, claiming that "True to City Girl form, City on Lock is about scamming, tricking and full-volume boasts that simply don't hit the same without a subwoofer."[12] The review by Pitchfork's Lakin Starling noted the growth in City Girls' experience, stating that "Yung Miami and JT come through with their signature amped-up party jams, while also making space to acknowledge what they've survived. It's a dynamic informed by their time apart during a trying period that required confidence and ambition to conquer."[13]

Year-end lists

Numerous publications listed City on Lock in their rankings of best albums of 2020.

City on Lock on year-end lists
Critic/Publication List Rank Ref.
NPR Alyssa Vingan's Top 10 Albums of 2020 5 [15]
Rolling Stone The 50 Best Albums of 2020 13 [16]
Jeff Ihaza's Top 10 Albums of 2020 8 [17]
Rob Sheffield's Top 10 Albums of 2020 8
Brittany Spanos' Top 10 Albums of 2020 3
Vice The 100 Best Albums of 2020 35 [18]

Track listing

City on Lock track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Enough / Better"
2:55
7."City on Lock" (featuring Lil Durk)
Tay Keith2:19
8."Winnin"
  • Brownlee
  • Johnson
  • Darnell Matthew
  • Cox
  • Robinson
DJOnDaBeat2:04
9."Come Outside"
  • Brownlee
  • Johnson
  • Deundraeus Portis
Twysted Genius2:07
10."Flewed Out" (featuring Lil Baby)
3:10
11."Rodeo"
  • Brownlee
  • Johnson
  • Jamarii Massey
  • Anthony Mosley
  • Smith
  • MariiBeatz
  • Sean Da Firzt
2:57
12."Double CC's"
  • Brownlee
  • Johnson
  • Luellen
Southside2:12
13."That's My Bitch"
  • Portis
  • Beauville
    		• Twysted Genius1:56
    14."Friendly"
    • Brownlee
    • Johnson
    • Beauville
    • McCollum
    • Norman Payne
    		DJ Chose2:59
    15."Ain't Sayin Nothin"
    • Brownlee
    • Johnson
    • Michael Clark
    • Robinson
    		Young Zoe Beats1:26
    Total length:36:11

    Charts

    Chart performance for City on Lock
    Chart (2020) Peak
    position
    US Billboard 200[19] 29

    References

    1. Complex
      . Retrieved June 20, 2020.
    2. ^ "City Girls Drop "Jobs" Single & Visual Following Album Leak". HotNewHipHop. June 20, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
    3. ^ Minsker, Evan (6 July 2020). "City Girls and Doja Cat Share New "Pussy Talk" Video". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2020-07-07.
    4. ^ Droke, Carolyn (November 2, 2019). "City Girls Signal They Are Back In The Studio And Hint That A New Album Is Coming Soon". Uproxx. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
    5. ^ Saponara, Michael (July 2, 2018). "City Girls Member JT Begins Serving Jail Sentence for Fraud Charges". Billboard. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
    6. ^ Fitzgerald, Trent (October 8, 2019). "Yung Miami Says J.T. Has Been Released From Prison". XXL. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
    7. ^ "City Girls to Release New Album in 90 Days". Rap-Up. October 14, 2019. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
    8. ^ "City Girls "City On Lock" Album Reportedly Leaks In Full". HotNewHipHop. June 19, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
    9. ^ Hussey, Allison (June 20, 2020). "City Girls Release New Album City on Lock: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
    10. ^
      All Media Network
      . Retrieved June 20, 2020.
    11. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (August 12, 2020). "Consumer Guide: August, 2020". And It Don't Stop. Substack. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
    12. ^ a b Draughorne, Kenan (June 25, 2020). "Review: City Girls' 'City On Lock' Is Full Of Ratchet Anthems & Deserves A Real Summer". HipHopDX. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
    13. ^ a b Starling, Lakin (July 6, 2020). "City Girls: City on Lock Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
    14. ^ a b Hull, Tom (August 17, 2020). "Music Week". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved August 19, 2020.
    15. ^ "Best Music of 2020: Staff Picks". NPR. December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
    16. ^ Ihaza, Jeff; Sheffield, Rob; Spanos, Brittany (December 4, 2020). "The 50 Best Albums of 2020". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
    17. ^ "Year in Review: Best Music of 2020 — Staff Picks". Rolling Stone. December 22, 2020. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
    18. ^ "The 100 Best Albums of 2020". Vice. December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
    19. ^ @billboardcharts (June 29, 2020). "Debuts on this week's #Billboard200 (2/2):#27, @GabbyBarrett_ Goldmine#29, @citygirls City On Lock#43,..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
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