Third and final album by hip-hop duo Kool G Rap & DJ Polo, completing a trio of albums that are among the best in the history of the genre. Initially planned to be released in 1991, the record was rejected the following year: neither Warner Bros., which has to face the controversy of Ice-T's "Cop Killer", nor Marley Marl's Cold Chillin' Records, already humiliated in court by Biz Markie, they intend to raise more fuss with the release of this album, which features controversial covers and lyrics. In particular, the cover features Kool G Rap & DJ Polo giving steaks to a couple of Rottweilers, in turn tied to a chair that, if pulled, will strangle two Tactical Narcotics Team agents to death.
The record is sometimes compared to Ice Cube's debut, as, on the contrary, it features an East Coast rapper and a West Coast producer: the beats are made by Sir Jinx together with G Rap, and in part by Trakmasterz, who make three beats. It's a great hardcore funky production, hard and very dark, but not perfect. Lyrically, the entire album takes steps forward from the duo's previous efforts: the MC of Queens writes solid, hard and violent lyrics, he provides a vivid and graphic narrative, combining it with intricate lyricism, internal rhymes, multi-syllabic bars and interesting patterns of metric schemes.
Instead of following the East Coast mainstream and going in the floral direction — later turned out to be dead — of the Native Tongues, G Rap decides to take the path of the gangsta, inspired by the Geto Boys, going even harder than average and creating a hardcore classic: keeping themes linked to organized crime, he confirms himself as the pioneer of mafioso rap, the subgenre of gangsta on the East Coast, making an entirely mafia LP.
Kool G Rap takes up some of the tracks from his previous album to make some great sequels: "Wanted: Dead or Alive", "Streets of New York" and "Talk Like Sex" are honored respectively by "Still Wanted Dead or Alive", "Home Sweet Home" and "Fuck U Man". There's a good thematic variety, although the project remains focused on gangsta themes: G Rap spends time telling criminal stories ("Train Robbery", "Two on the Head", "On the Run", "Ill Street Blues") , horrorcore ("Straight Jacket", "Edge of Sanity"), and he engages in sexual cuts ("Fuck U Man", "Operation CB") as well as socio-conscious and political songs ("Crime Pays").
G Rap's delivery is always excellent, smoothness, deeply flowing, relaxed and effortless, thanks to his signature style and remarkable writing skills, even the sex tracks are fun and better than the rest of the scene. The few guests present, Big Daddy Kane, Bushwick Bill, Ice Cube & Scarface, provide excellent performance and don't disappoint.
Released by Cold Chillin', the album achieves moderate commercial success and, in retrospect, is universally regarded by audiences and critics alike as one of the most influential East Coast albums of the mid-nineties and one of the best records ever of the era. It features one of the best MCs ever at his best in career, excellent production and rapping, and is a practically flawless record, of fundamental importance for the birth of noir rap and mafia rap.
Rating: 9.5/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment