Light of Mine
Light of Mine is the debut studio album by American rapper and singer Kyle. It was released on May 18, 2018, by Independently Popular and Atlantic Records.[1][2][3] The album features guest appearances from Kehlani, 2 Chainz, Sophia Black, Khalid, Take 6, Avery Wilson, Lil Yachty and Alessia Cara. The album was supported by four singles; "iSpy", "To the Moon", "Playinwitme" and “Ikuyo". A deluxe version of the album was released on August 23, 2019. It features three previously released singles: "Moment" featuring Wiz Khalifa, "SuperDuperKyle" featuring MadeinTYO, "Hey Julie!" featuring Lil Yachty, and most recently released single "F You I Love You" featuring Teyana Taylor, along with two new songs.
| Light of Mine | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|  | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 18, 2018 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 50:58 | |||
| Label | 
 | |||
| Producer | 
 | |||
| Kyle chronology | ||||
| 
 | ||||
| Singles from Light of Mine | ||||
| 
 | ||||
Artwork
    
The cover art was designed by SuperDuperBrick and James McCloud, who previously collaborated on the art for Kehlani’s debut album SweetSexySavage.
Critical reception
    
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating | 
| Highsnobiety | 3.5/5[4] | 
| HipHopDX | 3.8/5[5] | 
| NME |      [6] | 
| Pitchfork | 6.9/10[7] | 
| Vice (Expert Witness) |    [8] | 
Light of Mine received favorable positive reviews from music critics. At Album of the Year, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 75 based on five reviews.[9]
In his review for Highsnobiety, Russell Dean Stone wrote that "At best, you could say that Light of Mine is optimism as cultural rebellion – at worst, it plays things too safe in an attempt to be liked by everyone (in Kyle’s defense, at least it doesn’t feel he’s ever trying to be anything he’s not)".[4] In Vice, Robert Christgau summed it up as the "best innocent act in r&b, with girlish female cameos nailing two fetching numbers", naming "Ikuyo" and "Games" as highlights.[8]
Commercial performance
    
Light of Mine debuted at number 29 on the Billboard 200, selling 17,000 album-equivalent units and 2,000 pure album sales in its first week. The album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and album-equivalent units of over 500,000 copies in the United States. It was also certified gold in Canada.
Track listing
    
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ups & Downs" | 
 | M-Phazes | 4:44 | 
| 2. | "Coming, Going?" (featuring Take 6) | 
 | Ricci Riera | 1:57 | 
| 3. | "Zoom" | 
 | 
 | 2:46 | 
| 4. | "Ikuyo" (featuring 2 Chainz and Sophia Black) | 
 | 
 | 3:41 | 
| 5. | "Games" | 
 | 
 | 2:19 | 
| 6. | "Babies" (featuring Alessia Cara) | 
 | 
 | 4:00 | 
| 7. | "OpenDoors" (featuring Avery Wilson) | 
 | Jordan Reyes | 5:03 | 
| 8. | "To the Moon" | 
 | 
 | 2:51 | 
| 9. | "Playinwitme" (featuring Kehlani) | 
 | 
 | 3:11 | 
| 10. | "iMissMe" (featuring Khalid) | 
 | 
 | 3:09 | 
| 11. | "ShipTrip" | 
 | 
 | 2:55 | 
| 12. | "Rodeo" | 
 | 
 | 3:54 | 
| 13. | "It's Yours" | 
 | M-Phazes | 4:11 | 
| 14. | "Clouds" | 
 | 
 | 2:05 | 
| 15. | "iSpy" (featuring Lil Yachty) | 
 | 
 | 4:12 | 
| Total length: | 50:58 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16. | "F You I Love You" (featuring Teyana Taylor) | M-Phazes | 3:56 | |
| 17. | "Hey Julie!" (featuring Lil Yachty) | 
 | 
 | 2:36 | 
| 18. | "Mmmm" | 2:48 | ||
| 19. | "SuperDuperKyle" (featuring MadeinTYO) | Ronny J | 2:49 | |
| 20. | "Moment" (featuring Wiz Khalifa) | 
 | 
 | 3:08 | 
| 21. | "Kyoto" | 3:06 | 
- Sample credits
- "Ups & Downs" contains an interpolation of "Just What I Am", as performed by Kid Cudi featuring King Chip.
Charts
    
| Chart (2018) | Peak position | 
|---|---|
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[12] | 33 | 
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[13] | 144 | 
| US Billboard 200[14] | 29 | 
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[15] | 16 | 
Certifications
    
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales | 
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[16] | Gold | 40,000‡ | 
| United States (RIAA)[17] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ | 
| ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
    
| Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. | 
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | May 18, 2018 | Atlantic | [10] | |
| July 20, 2018 | CD | [18] | ||
| October 19, 2018 | Vinyl | [19] | ||
References
    
- Johnson, Cherise (April 19, 2018). "KYLE's "Light Of Mine" Debut Album Gets Release Date". HipHopDX. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
- Enos, Morgan (April 19, 2018). "KYLE Announces Debut Album 'Light of Mine' & North American Tour With Logic". Billboard. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
- P., Milca (May 11, 2018). "Kyle To Feature Kehlani, Khalid, 2 Chainz & More On Debut Album "Light Of Mine"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
- "KYLE - 'Light of Mine' Review: Positivity Personified". 22 May 2018.
- "Review: KYLE's "Light of Mine" Shines Optimism into Dark Times". 27 May 2018.
- "KYLE – 'Light of Mine' Review". NME. 22 May 2018.
- "KYLE: Light of Mine". Pitchfork.
- Christgau, Robert (April 19, 2019). "Robert Christgau on Khalid's Textured Anxiety". Vice. Retrieved April 20, 2019.
- "Kyle - Light of Mine - Reviews - Album of the Year". Album of the Year. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
- "Light of Mine by KYLE". itunes.apple.com. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
- "Light of Mine (Deluxe) by KYLE". 23 August 2019.
- "Kyle Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – Kyle – Light Of Mine" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
- "Kyle Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
- "Kyle Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 15, 2018.
- "Canadian album certifications – Kyle – Light of Mine". Music Canada.
- "American album certifications – Kyle – Light of Mine". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
- "KYLE – Light of Mine – Amazon.com Music". Amazon. ASIN B07CXYMXVZ. Retrieved July 7, 2018.
- "Kyle – Light of Mine (2018, Clear, Vinyl)". Discogs. 19 October 2018.