Kool G Rap & DJ Polo "Live and Let Die" (November 24, 1992)

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 "Road to the Riches" (March 14, 1989)

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...

Kool G Rap & DJ Polo "Live And Let Die" (The Source, 1993)

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 & DJ Polo "On The Run" (The Source, 7/93)

"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...