Nero (album)
| Nero | ||||
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| Vega studio album | ||||
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Publication |
2013 |
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| Label (s) | Friends of nobody | |||
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Format (s) |
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Title (number) |
15/19 (Premium Edition) |
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running time |
48:15 min. / 63:15 min. |
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Nero is the third solo album by the German rapper Vega . It was released on January 11, 2013 via the record company Friends of Nobody , a sub-label of Wolfpack Entertainment . Nero reached number 2 on the German album charts.
background
According to Vega, the album title Nero refers to both the Roman emperor Nero and the Italian translation of the color black . Especially in the presentation of his “ battle songs ” he sees himself as a “destructive emperor”. Furthermore, Nero could also stand for the German hip-hop scene, whereas Vega and the members of his label represent “the small Gallic village in this great Roman empire”.
Track list
| # | title | Guest musician | Producer (s) | length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intro | Timo Krämer | 1:41 | |
| 2 | Closer to heaven | Jumpa | 3:23 | |
| 3 | Last one to go | Medeline | 2:46 | |
| 4th | It is time | Bosca | Bizzy Montana | 2:51 |
| 5 | hourglass | Timo Krämer | 4:02 | |
| 6th | Gold cage | Timeless | Johnny Pepp | 2:38 |
| 7th | This city must be on fire | F7 | 3:23 | |
| 8th | White | Timo Krämer | 4:22 | |
| 9 | black | Timo Krämer | 2:58 | |
| 10 | From another planet | MoTrip & RAF Camora | Johnny Pepp & Cristal | 4:21 |
| 11 | heart of stone | Jumpa | 3:15 | |
| 12 | Still | Jumpa | 2:57 | |
| 13 | Just the two of us | David Pino | Jumpa | 3:39 |
| 14th | I was | Jumpa | 3:21 | |
| 15th | Outro | Jumpa | 2:47 |
| # | title | Guest musician | Producer (s) | length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Owls to Athens | Haudegen , Dirty Dasmo and Matthias Mania | 4:55 | |
| 17th | Hands up | Joshimixu | 2:58 | |
| 18th | It must be | KC Rebel and PA Sports | Jumpa | 3:32 |
| 19th | King Today Remix | Bizzy Montana, Timeless, Bosca , Johnny Pepp and Liquit Walker | Johnny Pepp & Cristal | 4:05 |
Versions
Nero appeared in three different versions. In addition to the “Standard Edition” of the album, which consists of 15 pieces, four additional songs were recorded with Eulen nach Athen , hands up , Es muss sein and König Heut Remix , which can be found as bonus pieces on the “Premium Edition”. In addition, a boxed “Limited Edition” was released. This contains the pieces from the “Standard Edition” and a DVD, which contains concert recordings, interviews and music videos for the songs Intro , Can you see it , So far away and I'm king today / With my head through the wall . The “Limited Edition” also comes with a so-called download card, with which the bonus songs of the “Premium Edition” can be downloaded. The box also contains a signed Vega autograph card and an exclusive t-shirt.
marketing
At the same time as the announcement of the release date of Nero , the song Wand was released , which Vega had recorded with the rapper Kool Savas . The piece was originally written for Savas' album The John Bello Story 3 . A snippet presenting excerpts from the songs on the album was released on November 22, 2012. With From another planet end of November appeared the first video conversion of a piece of the album. This was produced by Famefabrik . As part of a making-of , impressions of the shooting were also given.
During the week of publication, the Aggro.TV website organized a themed week on Vega under the title "Aggro Alarm". In the course of this, exclusive videos about Nero appeared daily . The series began on January 6, 2013 with a video for a piece called 50 Bars , a music video for the intro and the "Freetrack" Es muss sein , which Vega had recorded with KC Rebell and PA Sports. This was followed by a music video for Outro , a video called Acapella , in which Vega raps a cappella , and a music video for Herz aus Stein , which was published as part of the series Halt die Fresse .
Two other music videos were produced by Helles Design . On January 13, a video for the song Dem Himmel Even closer , which was directed by Robin Heller, was released. At the end of January there was a video for the piece Weiß . From February 14th to March 3rd, 2013 Vega completed a concert tour through thirteen cities under the title “Nero Tour 2013”.
Cover of the single "From another star"
Cover of the single "Hourglass"
reception
success
Vegas third album could reach position 2 in the German album charts. In Switzerland, Nero rose to rank 30. At number 14, Nero also positioned himself in the Austrian charts.
criticism
The e-zine Laut.de rated Nero with four out of a possible five points. In the review written by Dani Fromm, the productions are positively highlighted. The melodies with “melancholy piano and strings, thick bass” and in places with “downright rock-heavy electric guitars” create a gloomy, oppressive mood. ”The mood of the pieces oscillates“ between sadness and anger ”. In terms of content, Vega primarily deals with personal issues, which is rated as "not necessarily innovative, but authentic and understandable". Songs like Cage made of gold can also be assigned to the subgenre of battle rap . The rap technique Vegas is rated as not particularly sophisticated in the criticism. On the other hand, Fromm praised the decline in the “disrespectful use of the word 'gay'.” The frequent use on his previous publications had been criticized several times. In the texts on Nero , Vega reduced the usage "to a tolerable level."
In a review published on the Rap.de website, the album received eight out of a possible ten points. From the editor's point of view, Oliver Marquart, Vega is sticking to its strengths with “uncompromisingness, toughness and lots of pathos”. Despite the “recurring content” of the texts, Nero is not boring. The recurring motifs include the forces and four elements of nature. This is combined with "a large portion of Weltschmerz and lone warfare". Exceptions are the pieces Weiß , which is dedicated to the football club Eintracht Frankfurt , and Nur We Both , in which Vega processes his love for his wife. In summary, compared to the previous album Vincent , Nero is "even more consistently arranged". In addition, the pathos is "even more monumental" and the melodies are "even better produced to the point".
The hip-hop magazine Juice Rated Nero with four of the possible six crowns. From the editor's point of view, Matthias Schädl, the fifth crown would have to be refused because the release was "not an album forever, but only for every winter". Nero caused a "battle of the ear" with the listener. On the one hand, Schädl could not tell the pieces apart due to the high degree of similarity; on the other hand, the album as a whole could be perceived as complex, stringent and coherent in itself. Numerous verses are "hymns for all underdogs and ruffnecks", but sometimes also have the effect of "platitudes on the edge of what is bearable." The productions are "milestones in bombast", but can also be described as a musical standstill.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Juice , January / February 2013, p. 46
- ↑ Meinrap.de: Vega shows the limited edition of "Nero" (video). (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on January 16, 2013 ; accessed on March 27, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Meinrap.de: Vega - Nero (pre-order). (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on April 4, 2013 ; Retrieved March 25, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Meinrap.de: Kool Savas feat. Vega wall (audio). (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on April 4, 2013 ; Retrieved March 25, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Meinrap.de: Vega - Nero (Snippet). (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on April 4, 2013 ; Retrieved March 25, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Meinrap.de: Vega feat. RAF Camora & MoTrip - From Another Star (Video). (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on April 4, 2013 ; Retrieved March 25, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Meinrap.de: Vega feat. Raf Camora & MoTrip - From Another Star (Making of). (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on April 4, 2013 ; Retrieved March 25, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Aggro.tv: Aggro Alarm - Vega 07.01. - 11.01.2013. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on August 21, 2013 ; Retrieved January 8, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Aggro.tv: Vega - 50 Bars (Official HD Version AggroTV). (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on January 24, 2013 ; Retrieved March 24, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Aggro.tv: Vega - Intro (Official HD Version AggroTV). (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on January 24, 2013 ; Retrieved March 24, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Aggro.tv: Vega feat. KC Rebell and PA Sports - It has to be - Freetrack (Official HD Version AggroTV). (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on January 24, 2013 ; Retrieved March 24, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Aggro.tv: Vega - Outro (Official HD Version AggroTV). (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on January 24, 2013 ; Retrieved March 25, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Aggro.tv: Vega - Acapella (Official HD Version AggroTV). (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on January 24, 2013 ; Retrieved March 25, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Aggro.tv: Shut up 05 - No. 265 - Vega (Official HD Version AggroTV). (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on March 5, 2013 ; Retrieved March 25, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Meinrap.de: Vega - Even closer to heaven (video). (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on April 4, 2013 ; Retrieved March 26, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Meinrap.de: Vega - White (video). (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on February 3, 2013 ; Retrieved March 26, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ 16bars.de: Vega on “Nero Tour” from next February. Retrieved March 25, 2013 .
- ↑ Meinrap.de: Vega storms the album charts. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on January 23, 2013 ; Retrieved January 22, 2013 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Austriancharts.at: Vega - Nero - Divide et Impera (album). Retrieved January 23, 2013 .
- ↑ Laut.de: Broken, fallen, got up again and more determined than ever. Retrieved January 26, 2013 .
- ↑ Rap.de: It's time for pathos. Retrieved January 30, 2013 .
- ↑ March / April issue of Juice , p. 117
