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''The Greatest Story Never Told'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Saigon, released February 15, 2011 on Suburban Noize Records. The album was initially scheduled to be released in 2007, but experienced numerous delays due to issues with Saigon's previous label Atlantic Records. Although primarily produced by Just Blaze, ''The Greatest Story Never Told'' features additional production from several renowned producers, such as Buckwild, Scram Jones and Kanye West, with guest appearances from Black Thought, Bun B, Faith Evans, Jay-Z and Q-Tip, among others.〔Just Blaze (June 14, 2007) (Strictly Business ) The Megatron Don. Accessed November 21, 2007.〕 In its opening week, ''The Greatest Story Never Told'' entered on the ''Billboard'' 200 at number 61, selling 11,000 copies. In its second week, the album sold an additional 4,800 copies, bringing its total sales to around 16,000. As of March 6, 2011, the album has sold 19,000 copies in the United States. Upon its release, ''The Greatest Story Never Told'' received rave reviews from music critics and hip hop publications, who complimented the album's intellectual lyrics, soulful production, and overall cohesiveness. == Background == In the late 1990s, Brian "Saigon" Carenard was sentenced to jail time at Napanoch’s Eastern Correctional Facility, serving a sentence for first-degree assault after shooting at someone in a bar.〔 One day while in the recreation yard, Brian met a fellow inmate named Hakim, who rapped and had a reputation for incorporating positive messages, and heavy use of prestigious vocabulary in his rhymes.〔 Carenard would later state that battle rapping with Hakim would help instigate his personal rehabilitation, as he set a course for redemption through hip hop music.〔 While serving time, Brian named himself "Saigon" after reading Wallace Terry’s book about the Vietnam War.〔 This book helped realign the content and diction in Saigon's raps, as well as the advice of a prison lifer: "There’s no right way to do wrong."〔 Saigon was eventually released from prison in the year 2000, and immediately recorded mixtapes, with the goal of obtaining a record contract as a means to release a debut album, which he wanted to be titled "The Greatest Story Never Told".〔 With the help of the underground buzz that he garnered over the years, Saigon signed a record deal with Atlantic Records in 2004.〔 Despite the co-sign from producer Just Blaze and collaborations with several acclaimed rap artists such as Jay-Z, Kanye West and Kool G Rap, Saigon's record label repeatedly balked at setting a release date for his debut album.〔 Saigon revealed that he realized as early as two months into his deal with Atlantic Records that there were problems.〔 He later recalled how his early excitement at signing to the same label that "had so much history with black music, like Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles" was quickly dampened when they suggested he record a radio-friendly song with the Miami-based R&B quartet, Pretty Ricky.〔 He also recalled a meeting with an Atlantic executive who told him "We need our three singles, then you can bust your artistic nut on the rest of the album."〔 Saigon however, wasn’t willing to compromise with this request, and only one year after signing with Atlantic, he hired a lawyer to work out a release from his label.〔 He explained "They signed me knowing the kind of music I was making, but then they try and change the direction". This however didn’t prompt a break from his record company, as they offered a few stipends, leading him and his fans to believe they’d still eventually put the record out.〔 Saigon later suspected that Atlantic wanted to make sure he didn’t take the material elsewhere and benefit from the buzz he’d created.〔 While caught in this issue with Atlantic, Saigon continued to perform freestyles on hip hop radio shows, release mixtapes, and also continued to write and record ''The Greatest Story Never Told''.〔 Despite not having an official album out, Saigon gradually became somewhat of a high profile hip hop artist, as he appeared on the covers of several magazines and had a recurring role playing himself on the hit HBO show ''Entourage''.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Greatest Story Never Told」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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