Droppin' Science is a mix released in 2010 by former DMC Champion, DJ Supa Dave. Paying tribute to two of the Juice Crew's most illest MCs, you'll hear some of DJ Supa Dave's favorite cuts from Big Daddy Kane and Kool G Rap. If we're still in the days of Verzuz battles, then this is even more interesting because you probably saw Big Daddy Kane vs. KRS-One, right? You're also well aware that most fans always try to pit Big Daddy Kane and Rakim against each other... but how about Big Daddy Kane and Kool G Rap? On lyrics and records alone, it's tough. Where Kane tips the scale is his live performance and stage presence, but put a pin in THAT part of the debate, and just focus on the music. These two MCs birthed many of your favorite artists. Go take a trip down memory lane...
A strong case could be made for Live and Let Die as Kool G Rap & DJ Polo's crowning achievement. Who can really say for sure if the controversy surrounding the cover artwork--which shows the duo feeding steaks to a pair of rottweilers, in front of two noose-necked white men--clouded a proper consensus? With across-the-board stellar production help from Sir Jinx and Trackmasterz, G Rap (who also produces) thrives on his no-holds-barred narratives that peaked with Wanted: Dead or Alive's "Streets of New York," but most everything on this album comes close to eclipsing that song. "Ill Street Blues" is practically a sequel to it, and it manages to use more swanky piano vamps and horn blurts without making for a desperate attempt at capitalizing on a past glory. Few tales of growing up in a life of crime hit harder than the title track, in which G Rap displays the traits--unforced frankness, that unmistakable voice, and a flow that drags you involuntarily along--that made him a legend. The album is one story after another that draws you in without fail, and they come at you from several angles. Whether pulling off a train heist, venting sexual frustration, analyzing his psychosis, or lording over the streets, G Rap is a pro at holding a captive audience. All die-hard East Coast rap fans, especially followers of the Notorious B.I.G., owe it to themselves to get real familiar with this album and the two that predated it. If you were to take this duo's best five songs away from them, they'd still be on the top duos rap music has ever seen. - Old School Rap and Hip-Hop. The book surely made their case very strong for Kool G Rap as one of the G.O.A.T.!
And yes, "Ill Street Blues" was easily one of my favorite cuts of 1992.
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo's Road to the Riches had been a long time coming when Cold Chillin' released it in 1989. It didn't disappoint. After some successful singles and G Rap's contributions to Marley Marl's Juice Crew, the duo arrived almost fully formed on its debut. Whether boasting (his greatest strength at this point) or spinning tales (which would become his greatest strength), G Rap's knife-edged rhymes--delivered with the hardest sounding lisp in hip-hop--tear through Marley Marl's productions and DJ Polo's scratching with all the ferocity of a pit bull devouring a piece of meat. Though tracks like "Poison," "It's A Demo," and the title track won this record a lot of respect, there are several other moments that help make this a remarkable debut. On "Men At Work," lines like, "I drop rhymes on paper and then build a skyscraper/When I die scientists will preserve my brain/Donate it to science to answer the unexplained" whip by so fast that it's easy to overlook Marl and Polo's perfectly snarling, densely percussive backdrop. Marl's imaginative sampling gleans from all sorts of unexpected sources, like the harmonica from Area Code 615's "Stone Fox Chase," the odd phasings of Kraftwerk's "Trans-Europe Express" (no one used it like this), and the burbling synths from Gary Numan's "Cars" (remember, this was the late '80s). G Rap's occasional homophobic and woman-hating lyrics, along with some production nuances that haven't aged well, are the only hindrances. Aside from that, Road to the Riches showed promise while providing a jolt in its own right. - Old School Rap and Hip-Hop, 2008. I could not have said it any better. Revisit the LP below...
Take it back to 1989 with some early promo and more...
Here's another classic anniversary mix from the homie, DJ Filthy Rich, who shares the following message along with his new mix: "This album is so underrated. Kool G Rap's earlier work with DJ Polo is without a doubt the cornerstone of his catalog, but this album is right up there with them. He switched things up by working with a team of producers, and Kool G Rap admits this is the first time he felt like a true artist. Not one skippable track, and crazy production from Buckwild, T-Ray, Dr. Butcher & Naughty Shorts. CLASSIC. If you think differently, listen to the mix and tell me I'm wrong." Dig into the mix of album cuts, samples and blends below. Props to Filthy Rich and G Rap...
"...But dough don't respect me, it got me handcuffed
The rough life, I just be up nights, breathin' with scuffed Nike's
Pour my beers for my peoples under the stairs
These years I got they names in my swears..."
- Nas (Kool G Rap's "Fast Life")
There may be no Nas without Kool G Rap, but it's visual lyrics like the bars above that make Nas consistently one of my favorite MCs of all-time. I'm on record saying Kool G Rap is one of the greatest lyricists of our generation, no question, but conceptually, he's lost me a few times over the years, so I'm glad Nas was there to pick up the torch. Just one man's opinion. Back to '95, here's a dope blend using Kool G Rap & Nas' "Fast Life" lyrics over K-Def & Larry-O (aka Real Live)'s "Larry-O Meets Iceberg Slick." Props to Step One & DJ Filthy Rich! You can check out more blends on Audiomack, more mixes via Mixcloud, and DJ Step One's site that has been flourishing for years at Only Built For ZShare Links. Opinion: do you think Buckwild's original production on "Fast Life" was the best fit for the track? Or, the Salaam Remi remix? Or, the Vinyl Reanimators remix? Or... ?
Beginning with his 1987 single, "It's A Demo," and continuing with "Streets Of New York" and the two "Symphonies," Kool G Rap has built a strong following as one of New York's most respected underground MC's. But as dope as he is, he has never gotten his props on a national level. To fix that, he mixes the best of both worlds on his new joint. Live And Let Die has Kool grabbing a trunkfull of that West Coast funk, slowing down his rapid delivery (so the rest of the country can understand him) and once again coming through with an all-out "you do me wrong, you'll get fucked up with a quickness" vocal assault. As always, his rhymes are top notch. Peep a couple lines from the anti-fist, pro-gat "Go For Your Guns:" "You punk n!@@as better stop or chill / 'Cause my Glock can kill 20 motherf#ckers with boxing skills / That's how I put a n!@@a's head out / The murder scene needs more than Visine to get the red out." ... The rawness of this album got to be a little hot for Warner Bros., who broke north, forcing Cold Chillin' to distribute it themselves. Sir Jinx from the Lench Mob produced all but three of the cuts (Trackmasterz handled the others which are only available on CD and cassette), and successfully found a way to bridge Kool G's N.Y. stylee with the West Coast flava. Big Daddy Kane trades off the mad swift verses on "#1 With A Bullet" and Mr. Scarface, Bushwick Bill and Ice Cube join in to play like the Afrikan Corleone family on the superior "Two To The Head." Even Jinx gets into the act, with a cameo on the hilarious "Operation C.B. (Cock Block)." Different from his previous works and not quite as ground breaking as Road To Riches, Live And Let Die is a ruffneck album that, despite its harsh content, should finally take Kool G Rap & DJ Polo "above ground." - The Source, 3.5 Mics (February, 1993). Oh, and Happy Born Day, Kool G Rap!
The original 3.5 mics-review in The Source, February 1993.
Kool G Rap doesn’t let his legend status stop him from continuing to do what he loves. Last year, the Corona, Queens veteran dropped his ‘Return Of The Don’ album with producer MoSS, and in 2018, he’s following up the solid effort with a collaborative album full of heavy hitters behind the boards and on the mic, alongside Rochester native 38 Spesh, who linked with Griselda Records’ Benny the Butcher earlier this year for the well-received ‘Stabbed & Shot’ album. Son Of G Rap’s tracklisting boasts veteran features like Cormega and AZ while also brandishing newer school spitters like Freddie Gibbs and Meyhem Lauren and Griselda Records’ Benny The Butcher. Behind the boards, as mentioned, KGR summoned production akin to MCing prowess. Alchemist heads up “Land Mine” while DJ Premier and Pete Rock lay the beats for two tracks each. Album mainstays Midnite and 38 Spesh handle most of the rest of the production. Overall, the project is a lot of what you’d expect from Kool G Rap: grimy street rhymes full of stories of peril and the beats to match. On “Land Mine,” the duo of 38 Spesh and Ransom provide a rather introspective look-back on their troubled come up while a song like “Flow Gods” reminds everyone that G and his assembly are nothing to be taken lightly when it comes to witty wordplay and velvety smooth bars. Dig in...
'Return of the Don' is the latest album from Hip-Hop pioneer, Kool G Rap. The entire album is produced by Toronto producer, MoSS, who has also worked with Ghostface, Obie Trice, Eternia, Joell Ortiz, Joe Budden and lots more. Kool G Rap enlisted features from Noreaga, Lil' Fame, Freeway, Raekwon, Termanology, Saigon, Crooked I, Sean Price, Westside Gunn & Conway, and other elite lyricists. Sonically, MoSS' signature gritty production stands out along with obscure samples, instrumentation and open loops for Kool G Rap to showcase his flow. Unfortunately, as I've gotten older I've distanced myself further and further from some of Kool G Rap's content; it's not for everyone but sounds great, lol. There are classic records that I know all the lyrics to and remember rapping along to, yet give me pause today. That aside, I credit him for the lane of rap he helped create, his influence in the game on artists like Nas, and it's still great to hear him back with a new release - especially produced by my brother, MoSS. Support it HERE and listen to the LP below...
Classic Whites Vol.1 was released in March, 2005, on vinyl and CD. I remember covering the release at the time, but it wasn't until a few years later that it resurfaced (around '08). We had it at Fat Beats but in limited quantities. I copped a copy and was sure other heads would, too, but I was wrong. For the most part it collected dust on the shelf. Was it the artwork? Or, did people overlook how classic some of these records were? Y'all slept. Either way, the project covered rare records like: 3 tracks from Kool G Rap: "Check Da Bitch," "Fast Life (Remix)", and "Hey Mister" (I do NOT co-sign his lyrics); Big L's "Let Me Find Out," "Dopefiend" by Noreaga, "The Wickedest" B.I.G., "Cop Hell" from Mobb Deep and more. Sure, you can find these elsewhere with the internet at your disposal, but on one album (even a bootleg), I think it was a solid release. Stream all 13-tracks below...
"Lately gangsta rap has been in the curious spot of being simultaneously declared played out, commercially unviable, and - no news here - threatening to the morals of the young. The murderously cool G-Rap of Kool G Rap's new album, 4,5,6 doesn't so much counter those complaints as ignore them. Over the course of 10 tales of lives on the line, street loyalty, desperate criminal ambition, unsentimental remorse, and vicious capitalist ethics, 4,5,6 approaches thug life the right way: as if it had never been written about before. For his first album without longstanding partner DJ Polo, Kool G Rap retreated to the rural wilds of Bearsville, NY and captured an ambience of deep urban dread. The tracks are determinedly New York old-school, with few concessions to contemporary fashion: an atonal piano sample here, a mournful keyboard line there, the odd sung chorus." Peep the Buckwild-produced smash with Nas, "Fast Life," the article continues below...
"The stark elements of '80s style eerily evoke that decade's reactionary politics - the greedy, ruthless, white-collar, white-boy governmental savagery that generated its black, underground mirror-image gangsta rap... What the corny politicians who denounce rap never get is how much they have in common with the entrepreneurial characters in these songs - "A team from outta Queens with the American dream," as "Fast Life" puts it. Unlike their free-enterprising counterparts in real life, though, the high rollers in Kool G Rap's world occasionally admit to moments of regret. As the chorus of "It's a Shame" puts it, "It's a damn shame what I gotta do just to make a dollar / Livin' in this game, sometimes it makes me wanna holler," echoing Marvin Gaye's plaint from the early '70s. As 4,5,6 grippingly demonstrates, not much as been done to ease the inner-city blues for the past quarter century. No amount of official hypocrisy can disguise that neglect. Or diminish the art - whether it's Marvin Gaye, Run DMC, or Kool G Rap - that rises up in response to it." - Vibe 9/95
"Kool G Rap" has long been regarded as one of rap's premiere story tellers. This remix tells you why. The second single off of his Live & Let Die LP, "On The Run" is the story of a mob courier who, after stealing a shipment of product and money, must escape the mob's revenge while protecting his wife and child. Unlike the LP mix, which was comprised of head-nodding guitar riffs, the Trackmasters remix replaces the funk with low key snare patterns and slow, sinister piano progressions. The musical result is an atmosphere of anticipation, contemplation and danger. The plot is familiar - "I got a job with the mob makin' Gs / Doin' some pick-ups deliveries and transportin' keys / Yeah they got me a like flunkie money / I'm ridin' around with ten kilos in side my trunk G / And I'm tryin' to ignore it / The thought alone makes me shiver / Damn, what if I get caught / They'll find me floatin' in the Hudson River" - but it's execution is nothing short of masterful. From the gunfights to the traffic jam on the way to the airport, when G Rap speaks, the tension builds, the adrenalin rises and images of cinematic mayhem roll through your mind." - The Source, 7/93 - One of my favorite tracks from '93, check out the visuals to "On The Run" below...
You can save a copy of the full Sure Shot Single review below...
