In 1989 is formed Above the Law, hip-hop group from Pomona, California. The group included Gregory "Cold 187um" Hutchinson, Kevin "KMG the Illustrator" Gulley, Anthony "DJ Total K-Oss" Stewart and the brothers Arthur Lee "Go Mack" Goodman III and Larry "Lay Law" Goodman.
In the same year, the group deals with Eazy-E's Ruthless Records. In 1990, Above the Law releases his debut LP. The disk is produced by themselves, credited as A.T.L., by the member of the group Cold 187um and NWA's producer Dr. Dre. Cold 187um worked closely with Dr. Dre on production, and the two influenced each other, fully realizing the production of the disc with a funky, tight and hard sound, helped by Lay Law.
The tape is completed with a solid but not excellent rapping, in which the performers mainly deal with braggadocio and criminal matters, describing the dramatic violence of the ghettos, in particular the raw situation in South Central LA. On a soundscape that occasionally makes use of jazzy variations and some g-funk touches, the rappers report their socio-political comments with an energetic, fluent and effortless hardcore delivery, with slightly higher lyrics than the gangsta standard that elevate this compact debut, one of the most slept on documents in the West Coast scene.
Released by Ruthless and Epic Records, the disk is lead by two #1 hits in the rap chart, "Murder Rap" and "Untouchable", becoming one of the best-selling gangsta rap albums of the year, despite some negative reviews from critics, especially regarding the lyrics and the performance offered by the group.
Highlights: "Murder Rap" (one of my favorite on Radio Los Santos), "Untouchable", "Ballin'", "Freedom of Speech", "Flow On (Move Me No Mountain)", "The Last Song" (Eazy-E, MC Ren & Dr. Dre kill the cut).
Rating: 8.3/10.
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