The Pink Lavalamp

The Pink Lavalamp is the debut studio album by American hip hop recording artist Charles Hamilton, released December 8, 2008, by Hamilton himself, due to disagreements with his former label, Interscope Records. Produced entirely by Hamilton, the album has received positive reviews and has since gained a cult following. Background In August 2008, Charles Hamilton announced via interview that he had signed to Interscope Records. After beginning a series of mixtapes known as the Hamiltonization Process, Hamilton released his debut single "Brooklyn Girls" on November 11, 2008, which proved to be a hit. Hamilton was rumored to be recording his major-label debut was under pressure from the label to include "Brooklyn Girls" on the album. He later disagreed with this idea and chose to release his debut effort independently. The album did not include new material and was actually recorded during Hamilton's notorious bout of homelessness in the recording studio of the Frederick Douglass Academy in Harlem, New York, which Charles and other members of Demevolist Music Group dubbed "The Lab". Music and lyrics The Pink Lavalamp is an introspective, loose concept album detailing Hamilton's thoughts and emotions leading up to an attempted suicide. The production is rooted in soulful samples mixed with down-tempo grooves and draw influence from jazz, psychedelic funk, R&B, and rock. Lyrically, the album concerns themes of depression, substance abuse, infidelity, and individuality. It was the final project in the Hamiltonization Process. Critical reception Despite its low mainstream coverage at the time of its release, ‘’The Pink Lavalamp’’ has over time continued to receive rave reviews, both from the hip hop community as well as music critics. Hamilton's personal lyrics and sample-based production were both particularly praised widely. Jordan Rogowski of Punknews.org wrote that "Hamilton has created swirling, dynamic atmospheres that suit his clever bars to perfection".