Arguably the best of the era
W. Goodman | Newark, NJ | 08/26/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Kool G Rap will go down in my childhood as one of the best 3 pioneers of Hip Hop of the early 90's along with Rakim and Kane. These 3 were the Pac, Nas and Big of their time and although KGR didn't have the commercial success of Kane and Rak, he was no less talented and perhaps more talented and TOO gritty for listeners then and even now.. Much respect to my man Kool G Rap!"
Kool G Rap & Polo Score with Second LP
Hype Currie | Detroit, Michigan United States | 10/29/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"On his second LP, "Wanted Dead or Alive", Kool G's thematic flow started becoming more gangster-driven; by 1990, NWA had opened the floodgates for gangster rap tales, and "Road to the Riches" didn't exactly burn up the charts; maybe Kool G felt he had nothing to lose. Here, Kool G's lyrics about street living have a more blatantly violent context. He's rightfully considered a conceptual predecessor to current artists like Jay Z, Rick Ross and Fat Joe. "Streets of New York" laments all the different ways that life can go wrong in the big apple. It was a brief urban radio hit, with a (keyboard) saxophone riff that was ahead of its time. "Play it Again Polo" and "The Polo Club" experiment with house music and also showcase Polo's turntable skills. Other standout cuts were "Erase Racism" (with Biz Markie and Big Daddy Kane; Three Dog Night's "Black and White" is referenced in the hook) and infamous "Talk Like Sex". Most of the production on this album was handled by Large Professor, Eric B, and Kool G. himself.
The bonus disc includes several remixes and instrumentals of singles from the album, including the title cut (which is really enhanced), "Streets of New York", "Talk Like Sex", and more. Unfortunately, if there were any songs recorded for the album that didn't make the LP lineup, they aren't here. But that's the only downside; this is definitely worth picking up for any Golden-Age hip-hop enthusiast.
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The dopest kool g rap album
Kurupt | chicago | 02/21/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is the kool g rap I know. Gritty street rhymes over some dope beats. Kool g rap is one of the dopest emcees and he displays his lyrical powers to the pinnacle on this album. Guests appearances by Big daddy Kane, Biz Markie make the release that much better. I have the original release of this album so I am not familiar with the additional material that was added to the original."