Nathaniel Thomas Wilson, better known by his stage name Kool G Rap, is an American rapper. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as a member of the Juice Crew. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential and skilled MCs of all time, and a pioneer of mafioso rap/street/hardcore content and multisyllabic rhyming. On his album The Giancana Story, he stated that the "G" in his name stands for "Giancana", but on other occasions he has stated that it stands for "Genius".
Cold Chillin' Records was a record label that released music during the golden age of hip hop from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. A producer-and-crew label founded by manager Tyrone Williams and run by Len Fichtelberg, most of the label's releases were by members of the Juice Crew, a loosely knit group of artists centered on producer Marley Marl. In 1998, the label shut down, and the majority of its expansive catalog was bought by Massachusetts-based LandSpeed Records.
Wanted: Dead or Alive is the second album by the hip hop duo Kool G Rap & DJ Polo, released on August 14, 1990. The album was released a year after the duo's debut, Road to the Riches, and received greater acclaim from most music critics. The singles "Streets of New York" and "Erase Racism" received notable airplay on Yo! MTV Raps and the former is credited by Nas as being influential on his song "N.Y. State of Mind" from his critically acclaimed album Illmatic.
Road to the Riches is the debut album by hip hop duo Kool G Rap & DJ Polo, which was released in 1989 on then-prominent hip hop label Cold Chillin' Records. The album is notable for being one of the blueprints for the mafioso rap trend with the title track "Road to the Riches," which received strong rotation on the TV show Yo! MTV Raps, and was later featured on the old-school hip hop radio station Playback FM from the game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Most of the songs, however, are not crime-related. Other popular songs included "It's a Demo" and "Poison." In 1998, Road to the Riches was selected as one of The Source's "100 Best Albums".
Live and Let Die is the third and final studio album by the American hip hop duo Kool G Rap & DJ Polo. It was released on November 24, 1992, via Cold Chillin' Records and features Big Daddy Kane, Bushwick Bill, Ice Cube and Scarface. The singles "Ill Street Blues" and "On The Run" both received consistent airplay on Yo! MTV Raps and BET's Rap City upon release.
"N.Y. State of Mind" is a song by hip hop recording artist Nas from his debut studio album Illmatic (1994). The song's production was handled by DJ Premier who sampled two jazz songs: "Mind Rain" by Joe Chambers and "Flight Time" by Donald Byrd. Premier additionally scratched up vocal samples from Eric B. & Rakim's "Mahogany" for the song's hook. Nas raps two verses on the song in which he talks about his rapping talent and describes the dangerous environment that is the city of New York over a drum break sample of "N.T." by Kool & the Gang. Nas has attributed the song "Streets of New York" by Kool G Rap as one of the song's primary influences. A sequel to "N.Y. State of Mind" can be found on Nas' 1999 album I Am.... On January 28, 2019, it was certified gold by the RIAA.
4,5,6 is the debut solo studio album by American rapper Kool G Rap. It was released on September 26, 1995, via Cold Chillin' Records. The album's title signifies the winning combination at the urban street game of cee-lo.
"Go Hard" is the second single from DJ Khaled's third studio album, We Global. The hip-hop track features American rappers Kanye West and T-Pain and their trademark auto-tune effect. The song is produced by The Runners and it samples Madonna's 1985 song "Angel". It first charted on the Bubbling Under R&B/Hip Hop chart on December 4, 2008, debuting at number 25, where it peaked at number 15, and charted on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs debuting at number 85 and then rising to number 53. It also debuted at number 69 on the Billboard Hot 100 the same week the album We Global was released due to digital downloads, also at number 19 on the Hot Rap Tracks.
Riches, Royalty, Respect is the fifth solo album by American hip-hop recording artist Kool G Rap, released on May 31, 2011 by Fat Beats.
"It's a Demo" is the 1986 debut single by American hip hop duo Kool G Rap & DJ Polo. Originally a non-album single with "I'm Fly" as a B-side, a remix of the track was featured on the duo's 1989 album Road to the Riches and later on the compilation albums Killer Kuts (1994), The Best of Cold Chillin' (2000), Greatest Hits (2002) and Street Stories: The Best of Kool G Rap & DJ Polo (2013).
"Poison" is the first single from American hip hop duo Kool G Rap & DJ Polo's 1989 debut album Road to the Riches. It was later included on the compilation albums Killer Kuts (1994), The Best of Cold Chillin (2000), Greatest Hits (2002) and Street Stories: The Best of Kool G Rap & DJ Polo (2013).
"Truly Yours" is the third single from American hip hop duo Kool G Rap & DJ Polo's 1989 debut album Road to the Riches. It was released as a single with "Cold Cuts" as a B-side and later included on the compilation albums Killer Kuts (1994), The Best of Cold Chillin (2000), Greatest Hits (2002) and Street Stories: The Best of Kool G Rap & DJ Polo (2013).
"Streets of New York" is the first single from American hip hop duo Kool G Rap & DJ Polo's 1990 album Wanted: Dead or Alive. It was released as a single with "Poison" as a B-side and was later included on the compilation albums Killer Kuts (1994), The Best of Cold Chillin (2000), Greatest Hits (2002) and Street Stories: The Best of Kool G Rap & DJ Polo (2013).
"Erase Racism" is the second single from American hip hop duo Kool G Rap & DJ Polo's 1990 album Wanted: Dead or Alive, featuring Big Daddy Kane and Biz Markie. Released as a single with "Wanted: Dead or Alive" as a B-side, it was later also featured on the compilation albums The Best of Cold Chillin (2000) and Street Stories: The Best of Kool G Rap & DJ Polo (2013).
"Ill Street Blues" is the first single from American hip hop duo Kool G Rap & DJ Polo's 1992 album Live and Let Die. Released with "Fuck U Man" as a B-side, it was later also featured on the compilation albums Killer Kuts (1994), The Best of Cold Chillin' (2000) and Greatest Hits (2002).
"On the Run" is the second single from American hip hop duo Kool G Rap & DJ Polo's 1992 album Live and Let Die. Released with "Straight Jacket" as a B-side, it was later also featured on the compilation albums Killer Kuts (1994) and The Best of Cold Chillin' (2000).
"It's a Shame" is the debut solo single from American hip hop artist Kool G Rap, from his 1995 album 4,5,6.
"Fast Life" is the second single from American hip hop artist Kool G Rap's 1995 album 4,5,6, featuring Nas. Released with the song "4,5,6" as a B-side, it later also featured on the compilation album Greatest Hits (2002).
"Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" is the first single from American hip hop duo Kool G Rap & DJ Polo's 1996 album Rated XXX.
"Talk Like Sex" is a song by American hip hop duo Kool G Rap & DJ Polo, originally recorded for their 1990 album Wanted: Dead or Alive and later released as the second single from 1996's Rated XXX. It was also featured on the compilation albums The Best of Cold Chillin' (2000), Greatest Hits (2002) and Street Stories: The Best of Kool G Rap & DJ Polo (2013).
