This is a Random Album Generator.
One album a day.
From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

O.G. Original Gangster

Ice T

1991

O.G. Original Gangster
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.

Wikipedia

Rating

2.98

Votes

9963
Genres
Hip Hop

Reviews

Like a review? Give it a thumb up to help us display relevant reviews!
Sort by: Top Date
View Author
Thu Feb 24 2022
5

Upon 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

👍
View Author
Thu Mar 18 2021
4

Below is a list of the musical Ices in order of preference: 1. Ice Cube 2. Ice T 3. Vanilla Ice

👍
View Author
Sat Aug 07 2021
2

Stop recommending me rap albums. I don't like rap albums

👍
View Author
Sun Oct 17 2021
1

Two ICE T in a week. That's enough ICE T to make kombucha taste good.

👍
View Author
Mon Apr 11 2022
5

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.

👍
View Author
Thu Mar 24 2022
5

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

👍
View Author
Thu Jan 26 2023
1

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.

👍
View Author
Thu Aug 04 2022
1

This is why I have an aversion to hop hop and rap music

👍
View Author
Thu Jan 07 2021
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.

👍
View Author
Wed Feb 09 2022
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.

👍
View Author
Sat Mar 06 2021
4

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.

👍
View Author
Thu Apr 27 2023
4

Wow, was surprised that this showed up in the list and all I can think about is the blending of the OG Ice-T and his band Body Count had a lot to do with its placement here. Sure, there's a long history of rap artists collaborating with mainstream music to broaden their appeal -- Run DMC and Aerosmith (Walk This Way), Public Enemy and Anthrax (Bring Tha Noise, though I'm not sure Anthrax was ever considered mainstream), or The Fat Boys collaborating with The Beach Boys (Wipeout) all fall into this category. The difference here is that Ice-T was fronting Body Count. Body Count, for a minute, even eclipsed Ice-T's career as a rapper especially when the track Cop Killer was removed from future pressings of the self-titled release. Beyond that, It doesn't hurt that the hottest track on this album was the theme song from the much-hyped Mario Van Peebles film New Jack City. New Jack Hustler is the go-to track on the album and IMHO overshadows the real star of the album, Fly By. Nat the Cat drops some tongue-twisted lines in rapid succession that should not go unnoticed. Also worth mentioning is that somehow, the fact that Ice-T is / was a rapper has eluded contemporary culture as he's now known more for his SVU work (and also this great bit by John Mulaney) than as a rapper and musician ... https://youtu.be/F1sd4CRcaE0?t=75

👍
View Author
Thu Apr 22 2021
3

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.

👍
View Author
Thu Mar 18 2021
3

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.

👍
View Author
Mon Jul 19 2021
3

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.

👍
View Author
Mon Oct 23 2023
3

Nr. 15/1001 Home of the Bodybag 1/5 First Impression NR Ziplock 3/5 Mic Contract 3/5 Mind over Matter 4/5 New Jack Hustler 3/5 Ed 2/5 Bitches 2 3/5 Straight up N* 3/5 O.G. Original Gangster 4/5 The House 3/5 Evil E - What About Sex? NR Fly By 2/5 Midnight 2/5 Fried Chicken NR M.V.P.s 2/5 Lifestyles of the Rich and Infamous 3/5 Body Count 2/5 Prepared to Die NR Escape from the Killing Fields 3/5 Street Killer NR Pulse of the Rhyme 2/5 The Tower 2/5 Ya Shoulda Killed Me Last Year NR Average: 2,61 Couldn't really get behind this album. Also don't understand why he included one random rock song.

👍
View Author
Sun Jan 15 2023
2

Je propose que l'on oublie collectivement l'existence du gangsta rap, qui m'aime me suive

👍
View Author
Fri May 14 2021
5

Ice T is the g.o.a.t always will be.

👍
View Author
Sun May 23 2021
5

wow blown away by the variety and simultaneous depth of this album

👍
View Author
Mon Jul 26 2021
5

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.

👍
View Author
Fri Feb 11 2022
5

Muy bien . I love me some Ice T.

👍
View Author
Wed Feb 23 2022
5

Wow.. the flow of the album was amazing. Way better than I expected

👍
View Author
Fri May 20 2022
5

I was really surprised by how much I liked this album it was a bit long but overall really witty and selfaware

👍
View Author
Fri May 20 2022
5

Ice T knows what’s up in every way

👍
View Author
Thu Jun 09 2022
5

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.

👍
View Author
Thu Jul 14 2022
5

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

👍
View Author
Fri Jul 15 2022
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.

👍
View Author
Thu Aug 11 2022
5

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

👍
View Author
Wed Oct 12 2022
5

Ice T is a GOAT. His rapping is so hard-core, raw, and badass, and his metal shit is also top notch.

👍
View Author
Thu Feb 02 2023
5

Powerful record. Excellent from the start.

👍
View Author
Sat Feb 25 2023
5

Love the metal cross over - enjoy the sarcasm/humor/honesty/angst

👍
View Author
Thu Mar 02 2023
5

Social commentary at its best

👍
View Author
Thu Mar 30 2023
5

Et av de beste hip hop albumene jeg har hørt!

👍
View Author
Thu Mar 30 2023
5

Hustler, word, I pull the trigger long, Grit my teeth, spray till every nigga's gone. Got my block sewn, armored dope spots, Last thing I sweat's a sucka punk cop. Move like a king when I roll, hops, You try to flex, bang, another nigga drops. You gotta deal with this cause there's no way out, Why? Cash money ain't never gonna play out. I got nothin to lose, much to gain, In my brain, I got a capitalist migraine. I gotta get paid tonight, you muthafuckin right. [something] my grip, check my bitch, keep my game tight. So many hos on my jock, think I'm a movie star. Nineteen, I got a fifty thousand dollar car. Go to school, I ain't goin for it, Kiss my ass, bust the cap on the Moet. Cause I don't want to hear that crap, Why? I'd rather be a New Jack-----Hustler Brilliant. 5/5

👍
View Author
Fri Jun 02 2023
5

Was expecting to not like this, thinking it would be the start of gangster rap which kinda ruined the genre for 30 years, but this is actually cool as fuck. Mic Contract is essentially big beat a few years early. Without sounding dated like that whole scene does. As is New Jack Hustler. Well, as are loads of these. The jazz and soul samples and general groove going on here really work for me. Being a pasty white dude means I can't drive around blasting Straight Up N out the window without broadcasting what a bell end I am, but it's a great track. And obviously making me uncomfortable and fuck you I don't care, is the whole point. Then there's a radical change of direction Midnight is epic, whatever the lyrical content of the previous tracks, the music was party time, that party is definitively over now. Mixing Black Sabbath with Led Zep drums and a deeply disturbing story. Absolutely bangs. And then the party starts again. Ok that was weird. Kicking back off with a namecheck song. So look, everything is great. Escape from the Killing Fields in particular. Message. And we round off with a beat built around a Halloween John Carpenter sample, and Ice T telling us all personally how fucked off he is about everything. What's incredible here is an album 72 minutes long, and I didn't lose interest or get tired of it at any point. What a great record.

👍
View Author
Thu Jul 06 2023
5

Part of the golden age of hip-hop, perhaps one of the last masterpieces before the lull. Harsh, loud, violent and angry, justifiably in all cases. Absolute genius, with some metal guitar thrown in for good measure.

👍
View Author
Thu Aug 03 2023
5

The first Ice-T album I purchased and still a classic.

👍
View Author
Fri Sep 15 2023
5

Upon 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, flyest, O.G., pimp, hustler, gangster, player, hardcore motherfucker living today. To be honest, I'm totally and completely on his dick.

👍
View Author
Tue Oct 17 2023
5

Love this. The flow's great, T is clearly top of his game. And he isn't a giant kangaroo yet.

👍
View Author
Wed Nov 01 2023
5

Ooooh, so deep. Such a valuable manifestation of its time - I honestly knew nothing about Ice T, but this is so direct, visceral and on some topics - ahead of his time. Absolutely agree with everything he has to say and to put the words to music... I feel you, Ice T, I feel you 😘

👍
View Author
Wed Dec 13 2023
5

Ice T goes hard. Track for track I like Power better, but Ice and Islam get tighter and realer, while somehow keeping an undercurrent of irony.

👍
View Author
Wed Dec 13 2023
5

Can't believe I'd never listened to this before.

👍
View Author
Thu Dec 14 2023
5

Man this is just so awesome. Many tracks feature stereotypical old-school gangsta rap (in the best way), then switching nonchalantly to tracks with surprisingly thoughtful social commentary, to a track that’s just shouting people out to even a punk song. The album’s considerably long runtime is kept entertaining by Ice-T, whose writing is consistently funny and well delivered while also, as previously mentioned, being capable of unexpected poignancy. Ice-T is the Original Gangster and Robert is too for including this here (even if it got phased out in later editions).

👍
View Author
Sun Dec 31 2023
5

I have no idea how to rate rap artists, but I enjoyed this.

👍
View Author
Sun Jan 28 2024
5

Really enjoyed this to be honest. Body Count gave me Beastie Boys vibes in a good way, just hope it didn’t ruin Rock & Roll for El Grande now he won’t be able to relate to it. Only criticism is Prepared to Die: “[Mandela] is a hero, he needs a Nobel Prize. But that will never happen, so I'm gonna keep rappin'” He won one 2 years later which makes Ice T an idiot and a liar who then kept rapping. Generally really good album though!

👍
View Author
Wed Feb 14 2024
5

"I heard on Kotaku it was better than Civ 5 with the Brave New World expansion pack" - Ice-T, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

👍
View Author
Mon Feb 26 2024
5

This is a long album but wow, is it good. A lot of usual rap posturing, but also a lot of social and racial commentary. The album opened strong with Home of the Bodybag. New Jack Hustler is another standout, although I could do with all the repetition at the end of the track. Ed’s Dead was just a funny little song. I thought I would hate Bitches 2, but it was hysterical. Damn, Ice-T can tell a funny story! The title track is another phenomenal song. Fly By showed some amazing lyrical skills by Ice and the guest rappers. Body Count was a nice surprise; wasn’t expecting the hard rock song here. I knew Ice had a rock band but haven’t heard any of it. Loved it! The Tower and its sampling of the Halloween soundtrack was another pleasant surprise for me. The rest of the tracks were good, the above were the standouts for me. MVPs was my least favorite. Like a lot of rap albums, this one had skits. The skits were a mix of talking and short songs. I normally hate skits but these were pretty funny. This album is a clear 5.

👍
View Author
Thu Mar 07 2024
5

Ice T is the flyist, dopest, muthafucka and I am totally on his dick

👍
View Author
Wed May 05 2021
4

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

👍
View Author
Mon Feb 01 2021
4

The music made me angry and the final not made me angrier. Reflects an entire way of life that I’m painfully ignorant to.

👍
View Author
Fri May 28 2021
4

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.

👍
View Author
Sat Jan 23 2021
4

classic gangsta rap very well done

👍
View Author
Mon Feb 01 2021
4

Savage rhymes, hilarious and energising.

👍
View Author
Tue Feb 02 2021
4

of its time but some good songs with some donkeys

👍
View Author
Wed Mar 31 2021
4

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.

👍
View Author
Wed Mar 03 2021
4

I liked it more toward the end. I was shocked by the heavy metal song.

👍
View Author
Fri Jan 22 2021
4

love that old school rap. good beats and doesn't get too indulgent with the skits.

👍
View Author
Tue Jul 06 2021
4

Great one, very diverse although it is a bit long.

👍
View Author
Sat Mar 06 2021
4

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!

👍
View Author
Thu Mar 04 2021
4

Not really my genre, but Ice T is great.

👍
View Author
Thu Mar 11 2021
4

I love this album - listened to it repeatedly as a teen

👍
View Author
Thu Mar 11 2021
4

I enjoyed this, there was a lot of swearing! I'd listen again.

👍
View Author
Thu Jul 22 2021
4

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.

👍
View Author
Tue Jun 01 2021
4

Ice T at his best. Lyrics and music that are powerful and strong.

👍
View Author
Wed May 12 2021
4

Great album, would not have listened if it wasnt for this. New found appreciation for ice t.

👍
View Author
Fri Jun 25 2021
4

shit smacks, dude has the best skits, lots of amazing rhymes

👍
View Author
Thu Aug 26 2021
4

Gutes Album, sozialkritische Texte.

👍
View Author
Sat Aug 28 2021
4

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.

👍
View Author
Thu Sep 09 2021
4

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

👍
View Author
Wed Sep 22 2021
4

I respect Ice T more after listening to the album. It kept my attention. 3.5

👍
View Author
Fri Oct 01 2021
4

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.

👍
View Author
Wed Oct 13 2021
4

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.

👍
View Author
Fri Oct 15 2021
4

It's good, but again nobody needs well over an hour of it

👍
View Author
Fri Nov 05 2021
4

Picked up as it went along. Before my time, but He had a lot to say and said it well.

👍
View Author
Mon Nov 15 2021
4

7/10 pretty formulaic but good for a 1991 rap album

👍
View Author
Wed Nov 17 2021
4

Al principio me costó, pero es muy buen disco

👍
View Author
Fri Dec 24 2021
4

Fucking great. Despite variable production, this holds up well 30 years later, some skits aside.

👍
View Author
Wed Jan 05 2022
4

actually very enjoyable and flowed nicely

👍
View Author
Wed Jan 19 2022
4

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).

👍
View Author
Fri Jan 21 2022
4

4/5. Actually pretty swag, got some attitude, pretty aight

👍
View Author
Sun Feb 13 2022
4

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🌟

👍
View Author
Mon Feb 21 2022
4

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.

👍
View Author
Thu Feb 24 2022
4

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.

👍
View Author
Thu Mar 03 2022
4

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

👍
View Author
Wed Mar 16 2022
4

Amazingly progressive and political. Fun Zeppelin sample on one of the tracks.

👍
Load more reviews