Hard Candy

Madonna's eleventh studio album, Hard Candy, marked the end of her 25-year partnership with Warner Bros. Records. Released on April 28, 2008, the record saw her collaborating with a formidable crew of contemporary hitmakers: Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of the Neptunes, and Nate "Danja" Hills. The title plays on a duality, the hard edge of hip-hop beats set against the sweetness of pop melodies, which is exactly what the album delivers. It blends hip-hop, R&B, electro-pop, funk, and disco into a slick, dance-ready collection. Madonna initially considered adopting a "black Madonna" alter ego for the project but scrapped the idea to avoid racial controversy.

The album's 12 tracks were recorded at Sarm Studios in London and Record Plant Studios in Los Angeles. Timberlake, Timbaland, and Danja handled five songs, including the lead single "4 Minutes," while the Neptunes produced the rest, with Kanye West contributing a rap verse to "Beat Goes On." Critically, the album earned a Metacritic score of 65, with reviewers praising its infectious hooks but noting it leaned heavily on its collaborators' signature sounds. It debuted at number one in 37 countries, sold over 4 million copies worldwide, and became the eleventh best-selling album of 2008. The Sticky & Sweet Tour, launched to promote the album, grossed over $408 million, the highest for a female artist at the time. [edit]