O.G. Original Gangster
Ice T
1991
Album Summary
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, California. 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. O.G. Original Gangster was ranked at #25 in Melody Maker's list of the top 30 albums of 1991, and was featured in The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums and the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. The album was praised by many as his best.
WikipediaUpon initial contact with Ice-T's music, I had envisioned him to be an ill-mannered and psychologically unstable man with an extremely uneducated and barbaric frame of mind, whose raps displayed nothing but ridiculous jargon, shocking sexual audacity and repulsive images of the ghetto. However, after further analysis of his music I can deduce that he is the epitome of antidisestablishmentarianism who embodies the entire spectrum of the urban experience and struggle. But to make things more plain and simple to the layman, I find Ice-T to be the dopest, flyist, O.G. pimp hustler gangster player hardcore motherfucker living today. To be honest I'm totally and irrevocably on his dick
Below is a list of the musical Ices in order of preference: 1. Ice Cube 2. Ice T 3. Vanilla Ice
Bangers and the guy is really funny as well. I'm not a big fan of skits in albums, but "First Impression" made me exhale through my nose. Very long. "Body Count" is a straight up rock song, "The Tower" samples the Halloween theme song?! This album just goes everywhere at once.. in a good way. I always thought that ICE-T was garbage, probably because Vanilla Ice soiled every ice-based rapper for me by association. The best rap album I've had so far - 5/5.
Ah this is one of my favourite rap albums ever, maybe my actual fav. imo it's Ice's best outside the BC stuff. 5/5.
A great album. The songs are memorable and Ice T nails it. I really enjoyed it. This is a rap album so it does not have Ice T's must controversial song Cop Killer because that is by his heavy metal group. I am not sure if there will be more Ice T on the list. I hope so.
This album is hilarious -- the woman doing the critical analysis is great. I also like the music; I feel like my tastes in rap were formed in this era, so this stuff just sounds right to me. Body Count rules
Liekkö Law & Order pehmittänyt minun sydämen, mutta pidin tästä levystä. Ei edelleenkään minun musaa, mutta tykkään Ice-T:n tavasta räpätä. Sen verran rauhallisesti sylkee riimejä, että ainakin minulle toimii paremmin kuin nopeampi englanninkielinen räpäytys. Ja ehdottomasti Body Count tallentui soittolistalle.
Decent album. Music and lyrics were interesting, better than I was expecting. Clever wording and a mix of serious and funny. Sound got old quick though and album got boring. Could have been 1/2 an hour shorter.
Unfortunately, I tested positive for Covid 19 today, so I wasn't really concentrating on this. I remember it being a dope ass motherfucker of an album when I first heard it though.
Bien que mes parents aient été deux gangsters influents de la côte ouest des Etats-Unis, je n'ai à aucun moment retrouvé les sons ni les odeurs de mon enfance lors de l'écoute de ce projet.
Je propose que l'on oublie collectivement l'existence du gangsta rap, qui m'aime me suive
I was not excited to see O.G. Original Gangster come up in my recommendations. I have no interest in listening to someone else's anger, bragging, and chest-thumping. I'm sure "being tough" has probably worked out well for Ice T, but I don't need to hear about it. His acting carerr has given him a place to keep the tough-guy thing going. Ice T's rhymes are moderate, but even when he gets an interesting rhythm going the lyrics range between bleh and solidly landing in exactly what I don't want to listen to. The video for "New Jack Hustler (Nino's Theme)" is a concise example of why I don't like Ice-T: trying to impress by talking about money and cars, the surrounding people trying to create an atmosphere to impress, and a gold chain with gold gun on his neck. Both Ice T and I can admit that this record was not written for me. I was happy when this record was over.
I haven't listened to OG since around when it came out so it was really surprising just how brilliant it is. I was blown away by the lyricism and the consuming beats. Really dang good work.
I was really surprised by how much I liked this album it was a bit long but overall really witty and selfaware
Oof this is almost a skip album (the sex song was my least favorite). So many tracks are timeless. This is hard, musically adventurous, artistic… and that last track—incredible end. His voice and lyrics and attitude and intellect are five stars. Iconic album.
BOOM! I put off listening to this until my kids were out of earshot which was a sensible move. But moving beyond the explicit lyrics, this album is absolutely banging! The beats are raw and gripping and Ice-T's raps are on point. I can overlook my unease as a non-black person listening to an album laden with references to a certain word beginning with n, have a 5/5
Compelling. Though the content is clearly violent and dark, it doesn't take a naive or dumb approach even when it is being boastful. It is intelligently written and covers so much ground; does an amazing job of portraying a time and place.
Pretty good, there’s a lot to like here favorite song was probably Midnight, it had a pretty nice, industrial beat even when parts of the album got corny, I was still able to appreciate it it’s a 9/10 for me
Ice T is a GOAT. His rapping is so hard-core, raw, and badass, and his metal shit is also top notch.
5/23 Ice-T was NICE, new found respect for him. Standout tracks: Mic Contract, Mind Over Matter, New Jack Hustler (Nino's Theme), Bitches 2, O.G. Original Gangster, Midnight, Lifestyles of the Rich and Infamous, Ya Shoulda Killed Me Last Year
The music made me angry and the final not made me angrier. Reflects an entire way of life that I’m painfully ignorant to.
Really good. Very dense lyrically and 72mins is a lot of work. Never listened much as dismissed as west coast gangster bull shit but Ice T has a lot to say, on par with public enemy.
Oh man, this album. i remember listening to this with my uncle Baldi outside during cookouts, or just hanging out when he was over at my grandma's. much like with NWA, i listened to it again later in life to understand it, and this is another album that was speaking more than just rap. the fact that it uses his own rock band in it, and is brilliantly composed, it's an instant include in any playlist.
I liked it more toward the end. I was shocked by the heavy metal song.
love that old school rap. good beats and doesn't get too indulgent with the skits.
Kunnon O.G. menoa. Tuli kerralla selväksi millainen gangsteri Ice T on ja minkälaista elämää hän ja hänen lähipiirinsä viettävät. Oli sen verran selkeää artikulaatiota ja leppoisa flow, että maalaushommien taustalla pystyi kuuntelemaan mitä miekkosella on sanottavaa. Ja olihan sinne sekaan rokkibiisikin mahtunut, pääsi yllättämään!
First introduction to gangsta rap, and honestly went in with a bad attitude. However, this is not bad and I enjoyed it but can't compare it to anything else in this genre. Black Sabbath being sampled in Midnight was fun. Body Count slaps and throws it over the top for me. 4.2/5.0.
Great album, would not have listened if it wasnt for this. New found appreciation for ice t.
this was great, even if i got a little tired of it by the end. the amount of cultural change t represented, and helped bring about, is hard to comprehend - but it was real, and that legacy is important. i got to see him w/bodycount in 1992 or so, and although i didn't care much one way or the other back then, i'm glad i got to be there for it.
I don't usually listen to rap, but when I do it is these OGs like Ice-T. This early stuff is raw and powerful, like the beginnings of punk. Really good album
I respect Ice T more after listening to the album. It kept my attention. 3.5
Old school gangsta rap. Definitely not my thing, just talking about how hard he is, how much sex he has, how much money and guns he has. It's produced well but just not my bag. I am giving it a higher rating because my opinion is based on my life experience and that I just don't enjoy the gangsta mentality or glorification, but I respect that this was impactful for black culture. Also the last track is the best part of the album, that was worth an extra point on itself too.
A shade below the absolute best rap albums of the era and a touch too long at 72 minutes in length, but still pretty solid and worthy overall.
Picked up as it went along. Before my time, but He had a lot to say and said it well.
Fucking great. Despite variable production, this holds up well 30 years later, some skits aside.
The fact that Ice-T just threw in a rock song in this album is so cool. The rest of the album is very good too, always liked the 90's rap more than any other era of rap (yes I'm looking at you, mumble rap).
The best thing about this exercise is the great hip hop albums I've been introduced to. ICE Ts album Power was the first rap album I ever purchased back 35ish years ago. This album is wonderful. Intelligent, compelling, musically diverse and just fucking good. 4.5🌟
Ice T is not afraid to go beyond genre and reclaim rock and rolls black roots. This attitude and openness elevate this album and makes it stand out among early 90s gangster rap. He raps clearly and though he’s not the most acrobatic rapper, everything fits together well.
A little bloated, a little samey, but damn, Ice-T got more flow than I was expecting. I never gave him much credit; guess that's gonna change.
I heard the ‘rock that shit homie’ sample then got sucked into listening to JSRF soundtrack. This was really good tho! Better than I expected
Amazingly progressive and political. Fun Zeppelin sample on one of the tracks.
I liked this much more than I expected to. Witty & angry at the same time.
It's interesting listening to this with the knowledge that he ended up on Law & Order SVU.
Still stands up, very fond memories of this as a teenager - was lent it from a friend and it felt genuinely dangerous to listen to.
“Oh boy,” I thought as I looked at 73 minutes of 1991 rap. It isn’t my preferred genre. When I put this on and didn’t mind the first track. Then “First Impression” - not really a musical track but a monologue - took me by surprise and made me really laugh. Maybe there will be enough here to carry me through to the end… There is a lot of variety on these songs. Yes, there is a lot of guns and drugs. These lyrics aren’t for family listening. Still I was surprised how far between my pearl-clutching moments were. Ice T throws in some moments of humor and empathy and social messaging that made this feel better than a lot of rap I’ve heard. The self-reflection and a willingness to examine and play with the tropes of the genre I find very refreshing. Still not something I will probably listen to while relaxing and chilling, but I like it and respect its place on this list.
I certainly know Ice-T as a rapper, but I am much more familiar with him as Tutuola. I know very little of his rap repertoire, but as far as a rap album goes, I thought that this one was quite a good one. I like Ice-T’s rap-style and rhymes. The music was also highly engaging for me. I can see calling up this album when I am in a mood for some rap of the 90s…which is certainly not on the daily, but…
So this is the affable, older gentleman from the insurance and cereal commercials. Oh, Gee! It's hard to keep me hooked for over an hour, but this album sounded pretty good from start to finish. I was moving along the whole time. I was dreading the rap-metal track, but I really liked it. After having been expanding my hip hop/rap horizons, this album seems so much more self-aware and analytical than previous works. Not just "here were are," but "why we are here." I gained some understanding, insight, and appreciation from this album. That said, I completely missed the logic in "Bitches 2." So, "ladies," it's not so bad to be called a bitch because... now wait, what? And again so many references to women's body parts without ever really referring to a sentient human being attached to those parts...but...sigh. But aside from that general complaint about most hip hop, I enjoyed this album.
This is really good. Hard-hitting and great beats. Long. Great shift to rock on Body count. Like the narrative interrmissions.
i was surprised at how much i liked this. the production is largely simple but good, and T has some real lyricism here.
An accessible and engaging hip hop album, this stands the test of time and does not sound at all dated, 30+ years after it's release. Apparently considered an early "gangsta rap" record, the themes of street life are viscerally conveyed with pathos and regret rather than glorification. It seems Ice T was decades ahead of his time. Not my genre, but one of my favourites of the genre. Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: New Jack Hustler (Nino's Theme) Date listened: 01/06/22
I remember hearing Body Count for the first time in my teens, blew my mind! Digging the Black Sabbath and Halloween samples, brings in elements of psychological horror. OG is a great album, but it's way longer than it should be. Maybe if it focused more on the hard hitting themes and less on appeasing the pimps, it could be a classic.
Doesn't this have to be on the list simply for the irony of Ice-T portraying a cop that has become longest running male TV character in history. One of the first, if not the first (Schoolly D) mainstream gangsta rap releases. Gets points for presenting and both glorifying and critiquing a lifestyle nor previously represented in music. The music is unrefined and the pivot to Body Count is only hinted at, but the overall effect is authentic and powerful.
The trio of Mic Contract, Mind Over Matter, and New Jack Hustler is pretty great. Some of the rhymes are very of their time and sound a little ridiculous now, but this is a great album overall.
Why is Ice-T dressed like Mike Reno in the New Jack Hustler video? Good classic album.
Old school gangsta rap isn’t really my thing so I was expecting this to be a 2 or 3 star listen, but Ice-T’s rock inclinations and a couple of cool samples elevated this to a four! Fave track - “Midnight”, “Body Count” and “The Tower”. Awww yeah.
• I listened to this album while doing other things but, unlike other albums I’ve listened to while doing this, this album never fell into the background. • Ice T’s voice is great • The spoken interludes between songs were a very nice change of pace • The topics covered in the songs are meaningful and still relevant today. Favourite song: Body Count
Pretty much west coast rap as I expect. Really enjoyed the Body Count's rap hew. But still for me, east > west I think... 4.5