- 7/1/2025
From chart-toppers to career-killers, these albums didn't just flop—they imploded entire music careers! Join us as we explore albums that tanked so spectacularly they sent their creators into obscurity. From Terence Trent D'Arby's ego-inflated follow-up to Metallica's notorious snare-drum disaster, these releases prove that even the biggest stars can fall hard after one catastrophic misstep.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today, we're looking at more of the worst performing albums in music history.
00:12Break out the book.
00:12You're gonna break out the book.
00:14Break out the book.
00:17Neither fish nor flesh.
00:20Terrence Trent Darby.
00:21In 1987, Darby achieved strong success with his debut album.
00:26Wish me love or wishing well to get sent out.
00:30Oh, wishing well to put a lot of tape.
00:33It took the UK's top spot, then went on to sell millions of copies globally.
00:38All this went straight to his head, with him saying it was the most important album since Sgt. Pepper's.
00:44You could hear how much it had inflated his ego on his second album, Neither Fish Nor Flesh.
00:50If I could stay, could I be gone?
00:54I must be strong.
00:56Released in 1989, it was a commercial disaster.
01:00It wasn't an awful album, but its experimental style alienated his mainstream fans.
01:05It has since gained a cult following, but Darby never entered the mainstream again.
01:10I think, at the end of the day, there's kind of more peace within myself regarding what I feel I'm doing as an audience.
01:19Mind-blowing.
01:20Vanilla Ice.
01:21The younger generations might know Vanilla Ice as a home flipper for the DIY network.
01:26So we're going to rip all this kitchen out of here and put our new kitchen in over here with a great view of the ocean.
01:31Well, long before he was a reality TV star, he was one of the biggest rappers of the 90s.
01:37His 1990 hit, Ice Ice Baby, is still widely known today.
01:41Ice maintained mainstream fame until it all came crumbling down in 1994.
01:46His second album, Mind-blowing, was a monumental disaster.
01:50It seriously undersold, with reviewers universally disliking it.
01:54The issue was that Ice tried to rebrand as a hardcore gangster rapper, which came across as phony.
02:03He was already facing scrutiny for cultural appropriation and unauthorized sampling.
02:09This, as well as some scandals, sent his status into a death spiral.
02:18The Big Day.
02:20Chance the Rapper.
02:21During the 2010s, Chance was one of hip-hop's most promising stars.
02:33His first three mixtapes received huge acclaim, making millions excited for his studio album.
02:39It dropped in 2019, then sold 108,000 units in one week, with roughly 80,000 coming from streams.
02:48Things only went downhill for Chance from there.
02:57Rolling Stone magazine considers it one of the most disappointing releases ever.
03:02And when you listen to it, it's easy to see why.
03:04Many fans didn't enjoy a single track, massively hampering his reputation.
03:09Since then, he's released a handful of singles and has plans for a mixtape.
03:13But he's hesitant to release another full-length album.
03:16They cut the heart out with the tongue, they want it undivided.
03:19You bet not start, you make a fuss, you end up uninvited.
03:22Playing With Fire.
03:24Kevin Federline.
03:25Do you remember Kevin Federline?
03:27Nobody can prepare you for anything like what I've been through.
03:31You do now, but in the 2000s, he was frequently in the spotlight.
03:36It was mainly because of his marriage to singer Britney Spears, alongside their subsequent divorce.
03:41He wasn't an artist, though.
03:42He was a backup dancer.
03:44In 2006, he made the huge blunder of pivoting into rap.
03:48This resulted in Playing With Fire, one of the worst debut albums in history.
03:52Step up in the club, so fresh and clean.
03:55Not the outcast that they label me.
03:57It was critically annihilated, earning a $15 on Metacritic, making it the website's worst-reviewed album.
04:04Federline never released another album, then left the mainstream entirely after leaving Spears.
04:09This is that hip-hop flavor mixed with a little bit of rock and roll.
04:13From luxury to heartache, Culture Club.
04:17Two of the biggest hits of the 80s were Karma Chameleon and Do You Really Want to Hurt Me.
04:22Do you really want to hurt me?
04:26Do you really want to make me cry?
04:31They were courtesy of Boy George's new wave band, Culture Club.
04:34They had immense status until their fourth album, From Luxury to Heartache.
04:38Behind the scenes, however, the group was falling apart, leaving the recording process in shambles.
04:44Move, move, move away from me, darling.
04:48I never said I'd hold your hand.
04:51Its lead single was a modest hit, but scandals surrounding Boy George became increasingly prominent.
04:57This caused the album to flop commercially, with Culture Club breaking up soon after.
05:02They wouldn't reform until 1998, but none of them ever regained their mainstream status.
05:08Won't you call me, if you need me?
05:12Won't you call me, if you need me?
05:1612 Bar Blues
05:17Scott Weiland
05:18Between 1989 and 2003, Weiland was the frontman of Stone Temple Pilots.
05:24I know you want what's on my mind.
05:28I know you like what's on my mind.
05:31They were huge in the 90s grunge scene, but pivoted into different styles later on.
05:36In 1998, Weiland dropped his first solo album, 12 Bar Blues.
05:40Barbarilla, come and save me from my misery.
05:46While it certainly killed Weiland's chances at having a solo career, at least it didn't kill his entire musical career.
05:53In 1999, Stone Temple Pilots released their fourth album, which included their biggest hit, Sour Girl.
05:59She turned away, what was she lookin' at?
06:02She was a sour girl the day that you met me.
06:06Weiland also formed Velvet Revolver in 2002, which was highly successful.
06:12Based on a true story, Will Smith.
06:14Unbeknownst to younger generations, Smith was a huge feel-good rapper in the 90s.
06:20Big Willie style's all ready, gettin' jiggy with it.
06:26Gettin' jiggy with it.
06:27The disappointing reception for 2005's Lost and Found pushed him to focus on his acting career.
06:3320 years later, based on a true story, failed to signal a return to form and music.
06:38Critics weren't impressed, and neither was the public.
06:41I've been about to action, master actor, I still rap, feel like mic when they turn the mic on.
06:46Smith was already considered a bit of a pariah for infamously slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars in 2022.
06:53Based on a true story, became his first album to not really chart anywhere, except on the UK album Downloads chart.
07:00Apparently, 36 downloads in the release week are enough to do that.
07:04If the slap didn't quite kill Smith's career, this album sure failed to rejuvenate it.
07:09Only real is my reality, I rebuild with the broken pieces that are shattered on the floor.
07:13I am healed by the deepest teachings that were given by the Moors.
07:17Generation Swine
07:18Motley Crue
07:19These guys were one of the biggest bands in metal during the 1980s.
07:24Whoa!
07:25Yeah!
07:26Can't stop the heart, give it a star!
07:29Nine of their albums have made it into the top 10.
07:31But in 1992, Motley Crue lead singer Vince Neil left.
07:35He wouldn't return until Generation Swine in 1997.
07:39It was meant to be their big comeback album, but it was instead a disaster.
07:44Don't leave me alive!
07:46She's so afraid to kiss!
07:50People expected glam metal, but it was instead full of poorly done 90s trends.
07:55According to Neil, it failed due to too much experimenting.
07:59It sold semi-decently at release, but that was entirely due to the reputation.
08:03The band never quite returned to their former glory.
08:07Driving you insane
08:09The Funky Headhunter
08:13MC Hammer
08:14One of the biggest singles of 1990 was You Can't Touch This from MC Hammer's third album.
08:20Yo, sound the bell, school is in, sucker.
08:22You can't touch this.
08:23For a few years, he was at the top of the rap industry.
08:26By the mid-90s, he had almost entirely fallen from grace.
08:29His fourth album wasn't great, but his fifth, The Funky Headhunter, was the nail in the coffin.
08:38His main error was leaning into G-Funk trends.
08:42Hammer dropped both the MC from his name and the pop-friendly vibes from his music.
08:47His credibility took a huge hit.
08:49Then he filed for bankruptcy in 1996.
08:52By the end of the 90s, he was nowhere near the mainstream.
09:01Before we take a look at our last pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
09:05Return of Dragon
09:06Sisqo
09:07Sisqo couldn't reach the heights
09:09A thong song
09:10De Rumbi
09:18Gerardo
09:19His follow-ups ensured he was only known for Rico Suave.
09:23Look at all the dance floor
09:25Quiero bailar
09:27Quiero bailar
09:29Quiero bailar
09:31This is me
09:32Then Jennifer Lopez
09:34This was an unfortunate turning point for Lopez's career.
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10:01Saint Anger
10:02Metallica
10:03Next, we have the only album on our list whose failure was captured in real-time with the documentary.
10:09Why don't you try getting a more solid beat?
10:13Regular?
10:13Oh, well, you can call it regular.
10:15You call it regular.
10:16No, I'm trying not to call it regular, because I know it bugs you when I call it regular.
10:21So, a little more solid then.
10:23Metallica was arguably the most famous of thrash metal's big four bands.
10:27They peaked during the late 80s and early 90s, releasing some of metal's greatest albums ever.
10:33By the 2000s, they were shadows of their former selves.
10:37I feel my world shake, like an earthquake, hard to see clear.
10:44This culminated in Saint Anger, a historically terrible album.
10:48Recording was hell, with the members constantly squabbling.
10:51Perhaps the most glaring creative flaw was Lars Ulrich's snare drum tone, which made it sound
10:57like he was hitting a trash can with a stick.
10:59My lifestyle determines my dance style.
11:02My lifestyle determines my dance style.
11:05Which album do you think was the biggest misstep in history?
11:09Let us know in the comments section.
11:10Dude!
11:11I just caught a plug and his phone was unplugged.
11:12I was looking at Doug like, oh, oh, dude!
11:16I was looking at Doug like, oh, oh, dude!
11:18I was looking at Doug like, ooh, ooh, ooh!
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