Ice-T

O.G. Original Gangster

One of the very few gangsta rap albums worth owning.

Review Score:

(8/10)
First off, let me say that I hate gangsta rap. Most of the time, it's just an excuse for a bunch of talentless thugs, backed by a filthy-rich record label exec, to get together and mumble over lame, sugary beats about how much money, cars and women they get. An artform? Well, perhaps... if you possess the IQ of a stillborn cucumber. It's just unfocused, fake anger - an image to appeal to dysfuctional teenagers who have lived in the suburbs all their life, and have no clue as to what the real world is like.

Let's face it: hip-hop is not the ideal means of expressing senseless aggression. If I want that, I'll stick with grindcore, thank you very much. To be frank, I'd much rather listen to some pre-90s rap, when the lyrics actually mattered, MCs could flow (I'd like to see that 50 Cent clown try and make a name for himself 15 years ago - he'd get booed off the stage within seconds), and the beats were fresh and funky. Artists like Public Enemy, Eric B. & Rakim and Ultramagnetic MC's took the basic blueprint of hip-hop, innovated and built on it in previously unforseen ways, turning rap into a vital, cutting-edge artform. Music with a positive, self-concious message, that acted as a voice for the disaffected black youth of America.

So where does Ice-T fall into this? Well, it's pretty safe to say that he at least partially invented what came to be known as gangsta rap (if it wasn't for him, the likes of N.W.A. et al would never have had a career). However, to write him off as a no-talent thug would be a tad short-sighted, and not to mention plain wrong. For one thing, he could write thought-provoking lyrics, he could flow, had a sense of humour, and possessed a voice that would command the listener's attention. Instead of merely glorifying the ghetto lifestyle, he claimed to criticise it for what it was: a way of keeping the black man (and, for that matter, any other immigrant) at the bottom of the social ladder, letting him go to waste via a lifetime of poverty, drugs and gang-related violence. One listen to "Escape From the Killing Fields" should provide evidence to back this claim. Unlike N.W.A. (who were, in fact, from the middle-class, and just using the whole gangsta thing as a way of selling records), Ice actually came from the ghetto, and had first hand experience in its ways.

Still, it's not all good. He did have a rather annoying tendancy to brag about his conquests with the opposite sex (although it's kept to a minimum on this album - in fact, he turns the whole thing into a hilarious parody with "Evil E - What About Sex?"), and, at times, he would actually appear to be glorifying the ghetto, regardless of his claims (check out "Midnight" for an example of what I'm talking about). Plus, there's the obligatory bragging about his mic skills... but that's typical of pretty much all hip-hop, and he does it in a creative, intelligent manner. The beats are suitably raw and lo-fi sounding for my noise-craving ears. No worries there, then.

Released in 1991, this album signifies the end of true gangsta rap, before Dr. Dre came along with his 1992 record, "The Chronic" (hands-down THE most overrated piece of trash in hip-hop history), and turned the whole thing into one big commercial joke. It's far from perfect, and, at 24 tracks, a bit unfocused in places, but it's intelligent, witty and a downright *fun* listen. Too bad it was the last decent thing the Ice man ever released.

More Reviews: