Rapper's prison album runs hot and cold

E-SENS from "Back In Time" music video / Courtesy of Naver blog

Cover of “The Anecdote” by E-SENS

Public reaction to the album “The Anecdote” by rapper E-SENS, who is in jail, has been mixed.

The album was released on Aug. 27, 10 months after he was jailed in November 2014 for smoking marijuana.

Hip-hop artists and critics have praised quality of the album, which sold 16,000 copies in a week, a high number for a hip-hop artist.

The album’s title song also performed well on online music charts.

But other people have criticized the rapper, saying it simply does not make sense that a criminal serving a prison term can release a music album.

Some also said he would encourage musicians to think that using the drug would help their music.

E-SENS’s management company

Beasts and Natives

was quoted as saying it decided to release the album because management believed the public would provide the most honest feedback in this way.