Death of a Pop Star by 9th Wonder

Death of a Pop Star is a 2010 album by hip hop artists David Banner and 9th Wonder, released on Banner's independent record label, Big Face Entertainment, in conjunction with eOne Music. It is the two artists' only collaborative work together and 9th Wonder's fifteenth collaborative album. The album's title derives from the artists' belief that contemporary black music was declining due to a perceived prioritization of style over substance, and the increasing popularity of music downloads, which they felt was reducing a new artist's chance of reaching the iconic status of previous artists. Originally conceived as a mixtape, Death of a Pop Star was recorded from 2009 to 2010 at Bright Lady Studios in Raleigh, North Carolina and Premier Studios in New York City. The hip hop production was mainly handled by 9th Wonder with assistance from David Banner, THX, Warryn Campbell and E. Jones on various tracks. The album includes guest appearances from rappers Ludacris and Big Remo; and singers Erykah Badu, Anthony Hamilton, Marsha Ambrosius, Heather Victoria and Lisa Ivey. The album was preceded by two official singles – "Slow Down", featuring Heather Victoria, and "Be With You", featuring Ludacris and Marsha Ambrosius. "Be With You" spent thirteen weeks on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, peaking at number 44. The song is Banner's first single to appear on this chart after more than two years. The album sold 7,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release, debuting and peaking at number 14 on the Top Independent Albums chart. A departure from Banner's past recordings, Death of a Pop Star received generally favorable reviews from music critics who deemed it the rapper's best work to date and gave praise to 9th Wonder's production.