O.G. Original Gangster | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | May 14, 1991 | |||
Recorded | July 1990 – January 1991 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | Gangsta rap | |||
Length | 72:17 | |||
Label | Sire | |||
Producer |
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Ice-T chronology | ||||
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Singles from O.G. Original Gangster | ||||
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O.G. Original Gangster is the fourth studio album by American rapper Ice-T, released May 14, 1991, by Sire Records. Recording took place from July 1990 to January 1991 in Los Angeles. Its production was handled by seven producers: Afrika Islam, Beatmaster V, Bilal Bashir, DJ Aladdin, Nat the Cat, SLJ and Ice-T himself, who also served as executive producer. It features guest appearances from Body Count, Prince Whipper Whip and various Rhyme Syndicate artists, such as Donald D, Evil E and Randy Mac.
The album peaked at number 15 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and number 9 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. On July 24, 1991, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, indicating U.S. sales of more than 500,000 units. [1] O.G. Original Gangster was ranked at #25 in Melody Maker's list of the top 30 albums of 1991, [2] and was featured in The Source 's 100 Best Rap Albums [3] and the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die . [4] The album was praised by many as his best. [5] [6]
On the album's release, the vinyl version only contained 16 of the compact disc's 24 tracks. [7] The NME stated to "forget the format's limitations" and promoted the compact disc version with 24 tracks over the lp. [7]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [8] |
Chicago Sun-Times | [9] |
Chicago Tribune | [10] |
Christgau's Consumer Guide | A [11] |
Daily News | [12] |
Entertainment Weekly | A [13] |
NME | 9/10 [7] |
Rolling Stone | [14] |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [15] |
Select | 2/5 [16] |
From contemporary reviews, NME critic Dele Fadele praised O.G. Original Gangster as Ice-T's "best shot yet; riotous vignettes from a decaying America full of devious humour and striking pathos – all those things NWA profess to be but clearly aren't." [7] Fadele found that the music "is always restlessly inventive in catering for your solar plexus (even on the hardcore/Heavy Metal crossover token track)" and "complements highlights like the sad, droning 'The Tower', the optimistic 'Escape from the Killing Fields' (a scathing re-write of Public Enemy's 'Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos' that explains the original metaphor) and the out-of-character bad-tempered 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Infamous'". [7]
In a negative review for Select , Adam Higginbotham wrote that only three tracks – "Mind Over Matter", "The Tower" and "The House" – are "outstanding", while "much of the rest relies on a well-tested recipe of looped breakbeats and linear drums"; he concluded that the album "often functions better as manifesto than as music." [16]
The album was certified gold on July 24, 1991, selling over 500,000 copies.
All tracks are written by Tracy Marrow, except where noted
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Featured artist(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Home of the Bodybag" | 2:12 | ||
2. | "First Impression" | 0:45 | ||
3. | "Ziplock" | 1:19 | ||
4. | "Mic Contract" | Donald D | 4:23 | |
5. | "Mind Over Matter" | 4:12 | ||
6. | "New Jack Hustler (Nino's Theme)" |
| DJ Aladdin | 4:43 |
7. | "Ed" | 1:10 | ||
8. | "Bitches 2" | Charlie Jam | 5:24 | |
9. | "Straight Up Nigga" |
| DJ Aladdin | 3:43 |
10. | "O.G. Original Gangster" | 4:43 | ||
11. | "The House" | 0:57 | ||
12. | "Evil E - What About Sex?" | Evil E | 0:45 | |
13. | "Fly By" |
| 3:28 | |
14. | "Midnight" | Randy Mac | 5:48 | |
15. | "Fried Chicken" | Prince Whipper Whip | 1:00 | |
16. | "M.V.P.s" | 4:19 | ||
17. | "Lifestyles of the Rich and Infamous" | Sean E. Sean | 3:51 | |
18. | "Body Count" | 6:07 | ||
19. | "Prepared to Die" | 0:38 | ||
20. | "Escape from the Killing Fields" | 2:35 | ||
21. | "Street Killer" | Special K | 0:41 | |
22. | "Pulse of the Rhyme" | 4:16 | ||
23. | "The Tower" |
|
| 3:57 |
24. | "Ya Shoulda Killed Me Last Year" | 1:41 |
Sample Credits
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [18]
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [24] | Gold | 50,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [25] | Silver | 60,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [26] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
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{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)O.G. Original Gangster at Discogs (list of releases)