|
Kool G Rap Information
|
|
'Kool G Rap' (born 'Nathaniel Wilson' July 20, 1968) is an American hardcore rapper from Queens, New York. He began his career with the Juice Crew in the 1980s but achieved little commercial success.
G Rap began working with DJ Polo in 1986, releasing several underground hit singles including "It's a Demo"/"I'm Fly." Two other singles, "Streets of New York" and "Road to the Riches," received heavy rotation on Yo! MTV Raps and cemented his reputation as one of New York's top lyrical auteurs. His talent for telling a compelling, hard-luck story in a single song was considered second to only that of Rakim. While G Rap grew in popularity, he never crossed over like Biz Markie or Big Daddy Kane, both also members of the Juice Crew.
G Rap began a solo career in the mid-1990s, released . This and subsequent LPs saw little attention from critics or consumers, and G Rap began collaborating with others. Signing to Rawkus Records, G Rap launched a comeback with 2002's The Giancana Story. The album was well-received.
Trademarks
Lyrical Dexterity
Early in his career, Kool G. Rap's hallmark was his rapid-fire, highly intricate delivery. Following in the footsteps of New School rappers such as Rakim and Big Daddy Kane, G. Rap combined the abstract nature of the former, and the punchline-oriented battle rap style of the latter to create a unique voice in Golden Age of rap. This style is mostly apparent on the 1990 album Wanted: Dead or Alive, on such songs as "Play It Again, Polo," "Jive Talk," and "Kool is Back."
Gangsta Rap
Starting with his third album -- Live and Let Die -- and thereafter, Kool G. Rap became more known for Mafioso rap, sacrificing his complex rhyme style for stories of murder, violence, and a pseudo-Mafia persona. He had hinted at this inclination on his second album with the song "Streets of New York," but that song had been a moralistic, cautionary tale of the perils of drugs and violence in the inner-city.
His later albums straddle the line between glorification and remorse in relation to the gangster lifestyle. He laments the violent lifestyle he (or his 'Kool G. Rap' persona) has adopted on songs like "On the Run," yet seems to relish it on songs such as "Fast Life" (featuring Nas).
He made a guest appearance on Hot97 confronting Karrine Steffans about her book. They both have a child together.
Furthermore, Kool G. Rap has adopted the motifs of the Mafia and classic organized crime-related films and references:
*The first line of "Bad to the Bone" states: I'm bad to the bone / with a style like Al Capone
*The album "Live and Let Die" uses many samples from the film The Untouchables.
*The cover of his 5th album, Roots of Evil, is an obvious reference to the popular poster for the film Scarface
*His 6th album is named The Giancana Story, referencing well-known Mafia boss Sam Giancana
Albums
as Kool G Rap and DJ Polo
*Road to the Riches (1989)
*Wanted: Dead or Alive (1990)
*Live and Let Die (1992)
Greatest Hits and Compilations
*Killer Kuts (1994)
*Rated XXX' (1996)
*Best of Cold Chillin' (Greatest Hits) (2000)
*Greatest Hits (solo) (2002)
Solo Albums
*4,5,6 (1995)
*Roots of Evil (1998)
*The Giancana Story (2002)
*Click of Respect'' (featuring Five Family Click) (2003)
Notable Songs
*"Road to the Riches" (1989)
*"Poison" (1989)
*"Streets of New York" (1990)
*"Talk Like Sex" (1990)
*"Ill Street Blues" (1992)
*"On the Run" (Al Capone remix) (1992)
*"Fast Life" featuring Nas (1996)
|
|
