Money Can't Buy Happiness

Money Can't Buy Happiness is the second studio album by British rapper Fredo, released on January 29, 2021, by Since 93, RCA, and Sony Music UK. The album succeeds the debut album Third Avenue, released in 2019, and includes guest appearances from Dave, Pop Smoke, Summer Walker & Young Adz. Money Can't Buy Happiness was executive produced by Dave, with additional production from Da Beatfreakz, Kyle Evans, and Rico Beats, alongside several other producers.

Money Can't Buy Happiness was supported by three singles: "What Can I Say", "Back to Basics", which reached number 20 on the UK Singles Chart, and "Money Talks" featuring Dave, which reached number 3 on the UK Singles Chart.

Background
Fredo released the album's lead single, "What Can I Say", on October 29, 2020, following a six-month absence before returning to music. Following his six-month hiatus, on January 20, 2021, Fredo had officially taken to his Instagram to announce the album. The announcement was followed by Fredo's return to music with the album's second single, "Back to Basics" on January 21, 2021, which peaked at #20 on the UK Singles Chart. On January 24, 2021, Fredo had taken to his Instagram to post the album's official tracklist, teasing features from Dave, Pop Smoke, Summer Walker & Young Adz. Just a day before the release of the album, on January 28, 2021, Fredo released the third and final single from the album, "Money Talks" featuring Dave.

Critical reception
Money Can't Buy Happiness received generally positive reviews from critics. Writing for Clash, Robin Murray wrote that "thematically, the album cuts close to the bone", before admitting that "it’s the sonic details that really allow Money Can’t Buy Happiness to reach that higher level". Murray wrote that "the sheer accuracy of the studio effects, the subtlety of the arrangements, all build to enhance Fredo’s bars, containing intricate messages of personal truth" and that "Fredo has never been so open, and this frankness is at first shocking". Concluding his review, he stated that the album "is our most vivid portrait yet of Fredo’s soul". The Forty-Five's Kate French-Morris stated that "to document street life without staying stuck in it, both in music and real life, is a tough gig that Fredo hasn’t wholly mastered, but his fixation on solid narration could be his ace card". Concluding her review, she wrote that "the select feature list and continued neat control suggest Fredo’s not just a good rapper but a good editor, whittling down songs until only the finest remain". Kate Hutchinson for The Observer wrote that on the album, "the mood is surprisingly melancholy, accented by Tupac-echoing piano, the beats punchy and unfussy, and Fredo’s lyrical flair shines through".