O.G. Original Gangster

Was enjoying the album, hovering around a 4/5, close to a 5. Then midnight came on and that song elevated this to a solid 5. The tower was a great song to end on as well

Delightful. 5

Goes so hard

After the Ice Cube records - which were way too much about his dick - I had low expectations. However I really enjoyed it - great old school beats that play a supporting role rather then dominate and great clear lyrical delivery by ICE T - so can really hear what he's saying. And yes whilst Ice T's dick does feature - its down in a funny way rather than the misogyny of Ice Cube. And for once the skits are actually funny and enhance the record.

pretty tired right now so I'll just say this. it's good. 5/5

I rather liked this - lots going on musically, lots to say, and it introduced me to the rather unhinged world of Body Count. Problematic in places? Definitely, but... tongue in cheek and a bit out there, so sure I can appreciate this! :)

This was pretty good. iceT even has a punk song on here. Great work from an OG.

Wow I was not prepared for how much I liked that. This might be my favorite hip hop album of the project so far. I was expecting it to feel bloated but I wouldn't cut any of the songs and I enjoyed the skits more than usual. Ice T fuses rock in a great way Rating: 4.8

Glad I listened - I never had and gave me a whole new perspective on Ice T!

Stone cold classic. I was absolutely obsessed with this album when it came out. Also the first introduction of Body Count.

Original and brutal nascent Gangsta Rap.

Surprising hit for me, gangsta rap is a genre that I have never listened to nor felt the need to listen to. The album is an interesting, deeply political take on black culture in the early 90s America whose themes and statements still remain as true today as they were then. Lyrically the strongest album thus far and very nice to listen to. Standouts: Straight Up Nigga, Escape from the Killing Fields and Bitches 2

Consistent and well executed. My favorite gangster rap.

An uncomfortable listen at times but in this list on merit.

Didn’t love the first song was a lot of layers that didn’t seem to blend well. But in context of the album I get why. First impression is fucking great. Love a bit. Ziplock, “you should have killed me last year” as an opener is so good. The rest is solid. Mic Contract, i loveee the back beat, no idea if it’s sampled or not but his flow over it is amazing. You can really tell he’s one of the original gangster rappers, that set a standard. Mind over Matter, “it’s not how much you say, it’s what you say.” he’s comfortable in this pocket of rapping and he knows how to use breaks, he fills them with a big sound/ samples of talking or singing. New Jack Hustler, is high energy, the tempo is so fast. Yet he’s rapping with the same amount of clarity. You can catch every word. He’s not fucking around, you will know he works hard and does it his way. I love this energy, he says “They’ll be another one after me” at the end, to me that shows he’s cool with opening doors for others. He also knows his influence. Ed, I could live without. Bitches 2, maybe he’s a feminist?? lol he’s basically saying it’s not just women that are bitches. He talks through men he’s known that “Went out like a bitch.” Love this story telling it’s top tier and the instrumentation is really complimentary. Can’t forget the chorus vocals either. Straight Up, is political, simple as that. It’s about knowing who he is down to his brown marrow and knowing how he was/is seen and treated. His flows all over it are switching up and done flawlessly. O.G., the title track, obviously doesn’t disappoint. “Rapping’ bout hard core topics, Over hard core drum beats.” He’s a self explanatory man. I admire him for it. He’s honest, he writes his experience and makes it very clear that even when he tries to fake it, the pen won’t let him. Evil E, asking where the raps are about sex is iconic, they are giggling they’re gossiping. And i love it. And im a woman. Fly By, he’s rapping so fast Spotify lyrics can’t keep up. Again he’s a legend, it’s very clear. Midnight, is terrifying because it’s such a scary story told very well. It kinda drags in tempo which makes the whole thing more intense. Fried chicken was needed after that and now i want some. M.V.P.s it’s a whole track of Ice just naming people that he has respect for, calling them players of the game. No one does this in 2025. Maybe no one else did this in 91. Respect is important to him, probably a big reason why he’s the O.G. Lifestyles, “I ain’t human no more, I’m a superman”. Talking back then about how difficult fame is, i fear not much has changed. Body Count, “Rock and Roll is black music” he didn’t sell out at all. He just loves music, and feels bad for anyone that doesn’t feel the same. Again ICON, this screamo track shows his versatility and open mind. This is punk. Prepared to Die, a spoken word track, no backing just his voice punching through. Escape, another political song, talking directly to his people. “You should have killed me last year” repeated again in this song. He knows his possible influence on people, and he knows the system doesn’t like that. Street Killer, the have the sound of jazz coming through on this one. Pulse, they tried to ban him, they tried to make him stop, he wasn’t done. I think this album is important to him and must have been really cathartic to make. He was just trusting his artistry. The Tower, “who has the power, the whites the blacks or just the gun tower.” Ya Shoulda, he says this album was completed JANUARY 15th 1991, I am listening to this album 33 years later to the day!!!! I am one of those people that believes in shit like that, like I was meant to hear it today and im really glad 1001 albums generated it for me today. He ends this album sending peace to everyone. And also a bigggg fuck you to the American systems. At the end of the day he’s a man that is a product of his environment and he has masses of talent. He took all he was and put it into his art. I may not listen to the album all the way through again but I will remember to show tracks to people and mention him when talking about legends. It may make me sad that he talks about murder and violence so casually but who am I to find it difficult to hear, he lived through it! I went from knowing nothing to admiring within one album that’s pretty powerful.

I'm not familiar with this album. I note that many reviews reference the anger and violence of the lyrics and give it a low rating. But context is everything, this album accurately reflects the anger and reality of racism, poverty and disenfranchisement for many black people in LA during that period. As Ice T himself admits in the, one of many stands out tracks, OG original gangster: "I try to write about fun and the good times But the pen yanks away and explodes and destroys the rhyme Maybe it's just cause of where I'm from L.A. (*bang!*) that was a shotgun.." I can remember the riots that followed the murder of Rodney King in 1992 and this album reflects the rising tensions due to police/LAPD attacks on the Black community of LA that led up to the events of '92. I think this album is brilliant and wish I had come to this sooner. 5 stars all the way!

I didnt kno Ice T was like that

Wicked

Simply one of the greatest hip hop records of all time. The beats, his voice and flow, and the NARRATIVES he writes - perfection

Man, I could write a whole essay about how good this album is. The rhymes, the beats, the lyrics. Besides another rapper named Ice and one called Hammer this was my introduction to proper rap music. Rented this from the library back when you had to actually buy music to hear it. Since purchased on vinyl which is unfortunately not the full album. May not be for everybody but this shit is my jam.

I genuinely liked this album and I'm shocked. It is definitely not meant for me a white boy from middle America, but at the same time it's directed to me? It's so interesting how much he can change the tone even within the same song. It's hilarious to see how he ended up, but taken as a snapshot, it's a great time capsule of 1991 and frightening how relevant it still is.

Damn near perfect album tbh

I was living in Long Beach when this came out. I listened to this a lot that year. Drove up to Hollywood to see Body Count play at the Cathouse. Good times. Solid gangsta rap.

a pretty great album that is sadly still relevant today. a lot of important subjects covered here. and ice-t's flow is great - sometimes it's hard to remember he was even a rapper and not just some fresh-mouthed actor. my only gripe here is that there are a handful of songs here that are not as energetic as the others and they aren't as fun. and the rock song is ... interesting. but as a whole, I enjoyed it!

FINALLY A RAP ALBUM 10/10 I LOVE FJJS ALBUM SO MUCH MY FAB SONG IS PREPARE TO DIE

this slaps, despite its length it never felt repetitive or sluggish and I audibly chuckled at several points. Ice T's mind is a wild place to be, A+

I think this era of hip hop is my favourite. This album was mostly rap but there was real variety with the odd funny interlude track, some spoken parts, and even a rock track (Body Count). He swings from extremely serious to funny interludes to places in between, which works, and the music is consistently good. The lyrics are often quite centred on gun violence but he explains many times throughout the album that this is his reality in the place he lives. Fave Track: Mind over Matter Rating: 5

Ice-T is both hilarious and poignant. Great old school hip hop with killer lines and a great message. The Body Count song is also fucking awesome, some much needed variety that kept the later half of the album sound more fresh

Literally (one of) the OG. Listening to Ice T’s lyricism, is very reminiscent of my boy Marshall Mathers. Guaranteed Ice had some (if not a lot) of influence on young Slim and other mc’s. Big fan! How many copy rights did this man buy for this album..?! Sheeeeeeesh

Sehr gut produziertes Hip Hop Rap Album. Ich bin eigentlich kein großer Fan dieser Musikrichtung. Aber wenn man inzwischen kapiert hat, dass Rap nicht gleich Rap ist, dann wird man einer. ICE T ist hier ein großes Werk gelungen

Man this tape didn't leave my tape player for close to a year. I still think it's fantastic! Fantasticly produced. Fantastic order. Great beats, great songs, great rhymes. Great message on all the songs. I'd love to hang out with T. OG aged well and I still enjoy listening/singing along to it. Sad that nothing has really changed in America. I was 16 when it came out and I'm 50 now and I see and hear the same problems. I had been a fan of Ice since the Breakin' days and I always will be.

What a trip. For some reason I always ignored Ice-T's work, and I really shouldn't have. Intelligent lyrics, variety in beats and wonderfully politically engaged. Loved Midnight in particular.

**Review of "O.G. Original Gangster" by Ice-T** Released in 1991, "O.G. Original Gangster" is the fourth studio album by Ice-T, a prominent figure in the evolution of hip-hop. This album is notable for its raw depiction of street life, incisive social commentary, and innovative musical production. Ice-T's work here has left a lasting imprint on the genre. Below, we'll delve into the album's lyrics, music, production, themes, and influence, concluding with an analysis of its strengths and weaknesses. ### Lyrics Ice-T's lyrics in "O.G. Original Gangster" are sharp, unflinching, and reflective of the harsh realities of urban life. His storytelling prowess shines through tracks like "Midnight" and "New Jack Hustler (Nino's Theme)," where he paints vivid pictures of the violence, struggle, and desperation endemic to the streets. Ice-T's delivery is assertive and confident, commanding attention and driving his messages home with force. The album's title track, "O.G. Original Gangster," is a manifesto of Ice-T's journey and credibility in the rap game, juxtaposing his past life as a gang member with his present status as a successful rapper. The song "Body Count," featuring Ice-T's metal band of the same name, is a cross-genre experiment that addresses police brutality, a theme that resonates deeply in today's social climate. While many tracks focus on the gritty side of street life, Ice-T also delves into introspection and social criticism. "Escape from the Killing Fields" highlights the struggles of escaping the cycle of violence and poverty. "The Tower" addresses the penal system's failures and the cyclical nature of incarceration for African Americans. The lyrics across the album are a blend of aggression, reflection, and a call to awareness, making it a comprehensive narrative of Ice-T's worldview. ### Music Musically, "O.G. Original Gangster" is a rich tapestry of sounds, incorporating elements of funk, rock, and heavy metal, alongside traditional hip-hop beats. The production, handled by Ice-T and DJ Aladdin, is both innovative and eclectic, merging hard-hitting drum patterns with funky basslines and piercing guitar riffs. Tracks like "New Jack Hustler (Nino's Theme)" and "O.G. Original Gangster" exemplify the album's dynamic production. The former uses a haunting piano loop and a powerful bassline to create an ominous atmosphere, while the latter features a prominent funk influence with its catchy bass riffs and rhythm. "Body Count" stands out musically due to its fusion of rap and heavy metal, showcasing Ice-T's willingness to experiment and push genre boundaries. This track laid the groundwork for his subsequent venture into the metal genre with the band Body Count. The production quality is consistently high, with each track carefully crafted to complement Ice-T's lyrical content. The beats are varied and engaging, avoiding the monotony that can sometimes plague rap albums. DJ Aladdin's scratching and sampling add a layer of authenticity and respect for hip-hop's roots, while also pushing its creative boundaries. ### Production The production of "O.G. Original Gangster" is a testament to Ice-T's vision and DJ Aladdin's technical prowess. The album's soundscape is diverse yet cohesive, maintaining a balance between innovation and accessibility. The production techniques employed are advanced for their time, incorporating multi-layered samples and live instrumentation. One of the album's production highlights is its use of samples. For example, "Mic Contract" features a sample from "Synthetic Substitution" by Melvin Bliss, a popular break in hip-hop, which gives the track a classic yet fresh feel. "New Jack Hustler (Nino's Theme)" samples "Theme from Shaft" by Isaac Hayes, linking Ice-T's contemporary gangster narrative with the blaxploitation era's thematic elements. The mix and mastering of the album are polished, ensuring clarity and punch in the sound. The use of live instruments on certain tracks adds depth and a unique texture to the overall production. Ice-T's collaboration with DJ Aladdin and others resulted in a sound that was both groundbreaking and influential. ### Themes "O.G. Original Gangster" is rich with themes that explore various aspects of urban life, systemic issues, and personal identity. The album's primary theme revolves around the gangster lifestyle, with Ice-T providing a candid look at the allure and dangers of this world. This theme is explored not just in terms of glorification but also with a critical eye towards its consequences. Social commentary is another significant theme. Ice-T addresses police brutality, systemic racism, and the failings of the criminal justice system. Tracks like "The Tower" and "Body Count" are particularly poignant in their critique of how society marginalizes and oppresses African American communities. The theme of survival permeates the album, with Ice-T often reflecting on his own experiences and the broader struggles of those in his community. "Escape from the Killing Fields" and "Midnight" are narratives of perseverance and the quest for a better life despite overwhelming odds. Identity and authenticity are also crucial themes. Ice-T uses the album to assert his credibility and authenticity in the rap game and the streets. The title track "O.G. Original Gangster" serves as a declaration of his realness and a challenge to those who question it. ### Influence "O.G. Original Gangster" has had a profound impact on the hip-hop genre and beyond. Ice-T's fearless exploration of controversial and socially relevant topics set a precedent for future artists to use their platforms for advocacy and social commentary. The album's success helped to solidify gangsta rap as a dominant subgenre in the early 90s, influencing countless artists and shaping the direction of hip-hop. The fusion of rap and metal on "Body Count" was particularly influential, paving the way for the nu-metal movement that would emerge in the mid-to-late 90s with bands like Korn and Limp Bizkit. Ice-T's willingness to cross genre boundaries demonstrated that hip-hop could be versatile and expansive. The album also had a cultural impact, influencing discussions around censorship and freedom of expression. Ice-T's provocative content, especially on tracks like "Body Count," drew significant attention and controversy, contributing to the broader conversation about the role of art in society. ### Pros and Cons **Pros:** 1. **Lyrical Depth:** Ice-T's lyrics are vivid, insightful, and impactful, offering a raw and honest portrayal of street life and social issues. 2. **Musical Innovation:** The album's blend of funk, rock, and hip-hop, along with its pioneering use of live instrumentation and sampling, set it apart from contemporaries. 3. **Production Quality:** High production standards, with a clear, punchy mix and creative use of samples and live instruments. 4. **Thematic Richness:** Explores a wide range of themes with depth and nuance, from gangster life and survival to social justice and personal authenticity. 5. **Cultural Influence:** Played a significant role in shaping the direction of hip-hop and influencing future artists across genres. **Cons:** 1. **Controversial Content:** The album's explicit content and aggressive themes may not appeal to all listeners and have led to censorship and controversy. 2. **Niche Appeal:** While groundbreaking, the fusion of rap and metal on tracks like "Body Count" may not resonate with purists of either genre. 3. **Dark Tone:** The consistently dark and gritty tone of the album may be heavy for some listeners, lacking lighter, more uplifting tracks. 4. **Polarizing Style:** Ice-T's assertive and confrontational delivery might polarize listeners, attracting as much criticism as praise. ### Conclusion "O.G. Original Gangster" stands as a landmark album in Ice-T's career and in the history of hip-hop. Its lyrical brilliance, innovative production, and fearless exploration of controversial themes make it a powerful and enduring work. While its explicit content and dark tone might not be universally appealing, the album's influence on music and culture is undeniable. Ice-T's bold storytelling and willingness to push boundaries have cemented "O.G. Original Gangster" as a pivotal record that continues to inspire and challenge artists and listeners alike.

Insanely good

Outstanding

Classic rap album which I loved in my youth. Still a great listen!

I can’t believe I’m giving this album 5 stars but I fucking loved it. It’s like Straight Outta Compton but good! “Throw me in jail, I won't even try to make bail Put me in the gas chamber and watch me inhale” is a HARD line. Also I thought there were only 2 good rap album skits “Deez Nutz” and “Ken Kaniff”. But then I heard “Evil E-What about Sex?” and knew I had to amend my list. Nothing funnier than gangsters BEGGING to hear about a sexcapade and big titties

Oh yeah, OG!

Is this really the same Ice T from SVU? The one from Rick and Morty playing a literal Ice T? This goes pretty hard and I like Ice T's flow a lot, but the standout traits of this album to me are the beats and rhythms, along with the lyrics. It's often funny and clever, and has a steady identity throughout. My favorites here are O.G. Original Gangster, Straight Up N***a, Midnight, New Jack Hustler, and Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. An album that completely caught me off guard, and I love that.

Unexpectedly good, skits actually match with the song, different genres and even social commentary beyond gangster

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

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.

cool

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!

Fucking hell THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT

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

OK - OG. Not bad.

SO GOOD

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).

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

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.

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 😘

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.

Class. Syndicate, fool

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

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.

Great album.

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.

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

Gode greier!!

Et av de beste hip hop albumene jeg har hørt!

Social commentary at its best

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

Powerful record. Excellent from the start.

OG indeed

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

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

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.

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

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.

Ice T knows what’s up in every way

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

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

Muy bien . I love me some Ice T.

DA O.G. GANGSTA 1991

Fucking O.G.!

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.

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

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

grat gangsta rap album

Impressed with the variety here. Changes up the flows and beats regularly. Good lyrical content with some depth and texture and I even chuckled at a few of the skits.

Can you imagine if he did half the stuff he brags about?

Really good hip hop album. Some bangers on this. Didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did tbh.

It's definitely got CD bloat, but it's still some good 90's hip-hop, regardless. 3.5 bumped up to 4.

Listened to this quite a bit back in the day. Still cool.

It's weird I know more about Ice-T as an actor or his work in Body Count than his actual rap music. I don't think I could name a single one of his songs before this. Anyways this album is all around good, but not great. Good rapping, good production, good beats, but not much I would consider great. This album is also too long. I appreciate you calling out your friends, but did it need to be 4 1/2 minutes in an already bloated album. This is right on the edge of a 3 and 4 for me, so I guess I'll round up. Low 4.

Not the rapper I think about most often. A real icon though, even though he sold out to Iced Tea Lipton commercials. This one had quite a few bops on it. Especially towards the end it had a lot of nice Rock infused and politically charged songs on it. Probably don't need to listen to the entire thing again, but there's a bunch of worthwile stuff here.

deep album

Its definitely 1991, the skits yikes. The real tracks are good, better rhymes and rhythms, and gets better as it goes. Even the short tracks become bearable. 3.5 rounded up Heard before? No Owned: No. 82/320 (25%) Will I get: No

Midnight Lifestyles of the Rich and Infamous Body Count Escape From The Killing Field The Tower

Classic gangsta rap from a classic gangsta rapper. "Body Count" has some serious lyrics about the real hardships that he and many from his background face on a daily basis. It's so punk.

АйсТи весь альбом читает такой типичный классический гэнста-рэп 90-х: пушки, девки, тачки, политикал щит, йоу йоу. А потом в середине вставка из интервью, где он говорит "кстати, мы тут с парнями еще метал делаем и ваще я люблю рок" и дальше играет мощный такой кроссовер-трэш трек, а потом опять гэнста-рэп. Хороший альбом.

"First Impression" kinda writes the review for me. This must've frightened the hell out of some people in the early 90's. He's so blunt in his depiction of things, like the little police scanner section on "Mic Contract". "Midnight" is SO heavy, so sludgy and mean. Classic Levee Breaks drum sample and a totally graphic, hectic story. Chilling and surprisingly timeless production. I am wowed. "M.V.P.s" is a nice personal touch, I love a shoutout record when it's done with love and admiration. Very thoughtful, very well-rounded approach to these songs. ICE-T dips into the life of a gangbanger on one song, then delivers a clever, silly interlude on the next track. "Body Count" being a genuine punk rock anthem is beautiful. He's co-opting the counterculture of white people, reclaiming it's black origin, and bringing said white listeners into the horrors of poor, predominantly black, underserved communities. This level of subversion is totally original for it's time and genre. It's a 4/5. I don't think I'll go back to this one much because it's sound was iterated on in the years after, but this was really well done

Wasn't expecting to like it, but it's pretty cool

Uuu, some new old rap! (Oziroma, TIL, da je Ice-T mel heavy metal band?!) Kul začetek s sireno ("Home of the Bodybag"). (My dude, 24 komadov? Čez 70 minut? Ok.) Anyway, všeč mi je prvi. The era of the skits. <3 ("First Impression" je prou kjut.) "Mic Contract" je fakin hud. (Lol, se mi je zdel, da uzad slišim Flavor Flava - dva Public Enemy komada sta kle samplana.) Prelivanje komadov, to sm zmer fan. "O.G. Original Gangster" je hud. O, Led Zeppelin so samplani v "Midnight". Ok, "M.V.P.s" so samo shout-outi drugim rapperjem in rapperkam. Kakšen, km je dons unfortunate (npr. Afrika Bambaataa (ok, nism vedla, tud je umrl, prejšnji mesec), kakšen upsetting (Scott La Rock). O waw, še MC Hammer dobi shout-out na konc. "Body Count", k je s tem njegovim bandom, je zanimiv. Zakaj je sicer to edini non rap komad? "The Tower" sampla theme song od Carpenterjevega filma Halloween, ha. Album se pa zaključi z govorom, kjer med drugim omeni datum in da se je glih vojna verjetno začela - in ma prav, tko dva dni kasneje je bil Operation Desert Storm. Pa lepo zaključi s "fuck you" ljudem of the time, k so si zaslužili. Ej. Vesela sem, da mam zj v mojem poslušalnem repertoarju še en kul hip hop album iz obdobja, k mi je všeč.

Балл за хэллоуин

First time listening to this album. I’ve always loved New Jack Hustler but have always listened to it on the movie soundtrack. This album was pretty good though.

After listening to home of the body bag, I definitely felt like this album was gonna turn into a slog to listen. But pretty much right after first impression I was hooked. This album was catchy as hell.

Nostalgic 90s rap

This was quite good, I Ice-T's rapping and lyrics, he keeps up a strong level of intensity throughout and touches on a lot of themes from the gangster world. There's a nice variety of beats as well. Not 5*, it's a bit long and my interest waned a little, but a good 4

More lyrical than musical but really enjoyed this. Seems a proper rapper. 4

This is roughly my tenth hip hop album from this era, and I’ve been mixed to poor on the reviews. Everything so far has been corny, crude, misogynistic and dated. This one is refreshing in a lot of ways, it’s fast, clever, subversive, challenging, and despite its length holds up throughout. Never heard this before verrry good!

amazing

Pleasantly surprised by this. Aware of Ice T of course from Law and Order and also his song Cop Killer, but never spent time with his hip hop. Really enjoyed the fresh blend of fast paced lyrics over some rockish backing. A little long for my liking but he packed it with a lot of interesting songs, riffs, and themes.

Pleasant surprise. Thought it was going to be one of those awfully dated gangsta-rap albums, but it does feel sincere. Most songs are great. An underrated gem.

I bought this CD when it came out, in a longbox, I'm an OG.

Not a big fan of 80s rap (i know this is 91 but it's def 80s coded) but Ice-T kinda won me back with the creative lyrics and funny punchlines. This is one of those dope occurrences where the rapper outshines the instrumental. Love how he mixed genres and stayed true to what he knew. I'd give this a 3.6-3.7 but I'm just gonna round up. Highlights: Straight Up Nigga, Escape The Killing Fields, The Tower

Was ready to hate this, but it turned out to be pretty funky for a rap album.

Not really my genre at all, but this was rather fun to listen to. A bit long and it certainly started to feel like that after a while, but Mr T has enough style going on to save the album from a low grade

This exceeded all of my expectations. I mostly know Ice-T as Odafin Tutuola (SVU obviously) and didn’t know his music well. This is awesome. So fast, so clever, so lyrically dense.

Excellent 90s rap. This album is a treasure trove of great beats. The music is similar to the aggressive style of Public Enemy, but less maximalist and chaotic. There are still nice details in the beats, but there’s enough space to allow you to hear everything and appreciate it. Fantastic production. Ice-T switches between conscious rap and gangsta rap, and… I want to say pop rap. There’s nothing particularly ‘pop’ about this album, but there’s something about the way he crafts his persona that reminds me of a pop star. He creates this larger-than-life personality in his songs that later artists like Eminem, Kanye, and Kendrick have all done their own version of. I’m thinking specifically of the songs where he says things like, “I know I’m not supposed to say this but…” The lyrics are in-your-face and his delivery is very clear. The spotlight is definitely on him and his rapping. He wants you to catch every word. Overall, it’s a little dated and there are some silly skits between tracks. But there’s lots to appreciate and enjoy. And he was clearly very influential.

Ice T gets a low 4 from me, the lyrics are hit and miss for me but i really enjoy everything about the instrumental production, sounds like some of the best boom bap i’ve heard

Hip hop très sympa

po achei bem bom o ice T tava 100% em dia nesse álbum com o tema

pedradaça, hein só flowzão violento, letra pedrada e beats bão demais com uma pegada de metal e hardcore. bacana demais, mto bem feito. body count eh fortíssima!!

Absolute RELIC

I had never heard Ice T's music outside of a Body Count album, but I was surprised with how coherent and in your face this record is. It's very easy to imagine his music and Ice Cube's being in conversation with each other. It's brash and loud and not all of the lyrics have aged particularly well, but it's definitely a compelling listen.

it really grows on you

Classic rap album. Aged pretty well compared to a lot of rap albums from that era.

like it

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. At first I kind of felt like it was cheesy (and it for sure is at times) but its also pretty freaking cool. The beats are really good, I really like the way he uses the turntables. Lyrics are good (and problematic at times). This is a really solid rap album though. Body Count is super sick. I love that he went all in Black Sabbath style rock music.

For an album made in 1991 this was about as 80s rap as it gets. Filled with boombastic west coast beats and a straight forward rhyming style. But while it sounded a little dated the content was not. Interesting how Ice was ahead of the curb with how women are portrayed in gangsta rap by praising them VS degrading them. He also tackled various political and societal themes that came off informed and strong. Lastly, it was cool for him to have a Bodycount song towards the end. A little weird that he had to explain what the hell he was doing but the commentary and the song got into an album that also had classics like New Jack Hustler, Bitches 2 and the title track.

Loved the production, beats and bassline. Good grief, so smooth and funky. Didn't love the lyrics. Not necessarily the subject matter; it's hard-hitting and conscious, far more meaningful than a lot of gangsta rap but it's hard to get through some of these tracks, and absolutely essential to skip the tiresome skits that also help to bloat this album out to a whopping and unnecessary 72 minutes. Trim it down to 40-50 mins of highlights and it's a masterpiece.

When I think of hip hop this is about what it sounds like. 3.6/5

A pretty cool album!

A disturbing depiction of life in South Central LA delivered with more thought and perspective than I expected. Might have benefited from being truncated a bit, but a compelling and interesting listen.

This album was so much better than expected. Really enjoyed it, have a lot more respect for Ice T now

Dang, what a baller album

great

This ruled; I didn't expect that I would like it as much as I did. A lot of old school rap sounds primitive or even corny at times, and while this doesn't escape some of the sounds of the time, included several places where one set of words are always rhymed with the same set of words, it mostly goes really hard the whole way through. In a way this is a bridge album between the 80's style and the about-to-happen table flipping brought on by Tupac, Biggie, Nas, etc. I would consider this to be the real apex of that old school style. I also can't ignore that there's a Body Count song on here. It isn't as good as the full Body Count album, but it's great to see a punk song on otherwise completely rap album. Ice-T even realizes that as he takes a bit to explain what he's doing in the spoken intro. I really appreciate that. There's even a hint it's coming with the beat in Midnight that samples Black Sabbath's self title song. The only things keeping this from a 5 are that the songs are mostly all about how tough Ice-T is, with a couple of good stories (Midnight, Lifestyles of the Rich and Infamous, Body Count, etc). A bit more variety would've been good, but otherwise it's stellar. And how sad is it that nearly ever word of the last track is still applicable, minus the specific year and named political figures. What a shit state of affairs.

My favorite NYPD Blue rebel cop

Was on the fence between 3 and 4 stars. Bonus star for that last message. Still true today.

Cool

Interesting. The first half is a decent representation of early 90s rap - Public Enemy style 'wall of noise' production and relatively simple raps, but by the end you have the hardcore punk of Body Count, samples of Black Sabbath and Zeppelin, and the use of the Halloween theme predating horrorcore by several years. As a listen it's pretty good, but when you add the historic relevance and the fact he combines political rap with standard braggadocio makes it much more interesting than a lot of work from that era. Kinda hoping I get a body count lp later! 4*

I love the self conciusness of the album bit it gets a little reppetitive with its long run time

Överraskande roligt album! Varierande musikaliskt och med texter faktiskt värda att lyssna på.

Ah yeah

Classic rap by one of the OGs! 4/5

Played this on repeat when it came out. It holds up so well.

the Original Gangster is wel koole knul maar toch 4 sterren

War schon unterhaltsam, aber auch zu lang.

Krankt leider etwas an der damaligen Strategie, die Laufzeit einer CD komplett auszunutzen, weshalb hier einige unnötige Skits, Interludes und teilweise auch Songs zu finden sind. Auch die Beats sind eher zweckmäßig und stechen nicht wirklich hervor. Aber lyrisch ist das hier großartig und verbindet typische Elemente des Gangsta-Rap a la N.W.A. mit sozialkritischen Texten als logische Weiterführung von Public Enemy. Hab mich mit seinen Solo-Sachen nie beschäftigt und war richtig überrascht, was für stabile Positionen er schon damals vertreten hat (sogar Lines gegen Homophobie waren dabei). Auch die Storyteller haben hier richtig gut funktioniert ("The Tower" war super fesselnd) und der Body Count-Teaser zeigt, dass er damals das Genre schon weitergedacht hat. Stabile Platte, die ich bislang zu Unrecht missachtet habe.

This is a great record !

Solid West Coast 90s hip-hop album with good beats, interesting storylines. A pleasure to listen to.

I really enjoyed this. It would be better if it was a little shorter. Regardless, it’s leaps and bounds ahead of The Black Album.

really good, defo enjoyed

Day 176 One of the most surprising albums I’ve had so far, really really enjoyed this, wasn’t really what I was expecting, funnier than I thought it would be. Not quite full marks but pretty close. Mind over Matter may be one of my favourite discoveries on the whole list Highlights Mind over matter New jack hustler The tower

Endlich wieder einmal ein klassischer Rapper. Gefällt gut!

I have appreciated Ice T and this was an enjoyable listen.

A different take on early 90s hip hop. It's mostly socially conscious, largely progressive, and occasionally very juvenile. Ice-T's attempt to subvert the misogyny of his peers by defining some men as "bitches" isn't exactly the feminist message that he thinks it is, but I guess it was noteworthy for the era. Some great beats here though!

Great album. The punk song body count rules.

I has been a long time since I sat down and listened to Ice-T. It holds up for me, I'll wager a younger listener will think differently. T had some good lines, it's a different flow than we have now. Interesting look back at hip hop history, especially when you toss in the Body Count track. He got a lot of heat for Body Count, but I think two songs from this were on a soundtrack.... Now he is a cop on TV and been married to Coco for over 20 years.

*1991. *Listened to this a couple times - it's a fun listen with catchy upbeat tunes, but also excellent lyrics/commentary. *I've enjoyed the rap/hip-hop selections on this list so far - glad to get some exposure to albums I probably wouldn't have stumbled across otherwise. RATING - 7/10

didn’t know acclaimed 2000s actor ice t was a musician too!

This album was fantastic! I loved the political commentary. Also really enjoyed the genre switch up in Body Count and anti war message at the end. Appreciate that Ice-T wasn’t homophobic, gotta love that!

Love the beats on this. Also, I would never fuck with Ice-T

I bought this record at some point in my late teens and enjoyed it, but I haven't heard it in forever, so I suspect it'll be fun to revisit. I wasn't super into hip hop at the time I bought this, so I think of this as one of the records that helped get me into the genre. So, it does hold a sort of special place in my heart. It is pretty funny. Ice-T has a decent sense of humor on him. The record doesn't stack up to the all-time classics for me, but it is solid work, if not a little dated at this point. But I still like it a good deal and I'm enjoying myself. 3.8/5

Surprised I've never heard this. Very catchy in places, especially Breakout. A bit inconsistent though.

This is one of the first rap albums I ever heard.

7/10… gangster rap / o.s hip hop / *1991

Enjoyed this a surprising amount. Makes sense he went into act as all of this feels very performative, but entertaining if you don’t take it seriously. Enjoyed the hardcore crossover and am now listening to Body Count

Overall: 7/10 I like that Ice T basically did whatever he wanted. A lot of these songs are politically charged, but there's also a lot of humour to be found. Plus, he added a Body Count song to this one, showing off his love of rock music. I know he gets the sellout label and he can be a bit of a cornball at times, but this album shows that Ice T really did have a lot of talent. Fav Song: The Tower

Solid 90's rap with some good storytelling/ commentary 7/10

Another album whose biggest knock against it is that it overstays it's welcome. I do feel like Ice-T has a pretty singular voice, moving effortlessly from smooth to sinister to almost silly within a line or two.

I feel like Ice T might have been old news by the time I got into hip hop as a teen, and so I went into this with low expectations that might be affecting the score. Because while there's definitely some dated stuff on here (Straight Up N*gga especially), there was also a fair amount of catchy songs with beats, horns, and samples that feel nearly contemporary (Mic Contract, Mind Over Matter, and Midnight made me think of the Beastie Boys.) Some of the inbetween skits/dialogue tracks were actually funny. So maybe a high 3, low 4 kind of scenario, but going with a 4 for how far this leaped over my low expectations.

I quite enjoyed this, though I couldn't song along because white people shouldn't say that word so many times.

"You got to kill people to have respect for people...You gotta kill some people anyway, you can't kill everybody otherwise you wouldn't have anybody left to respect if you did."

Du bon rap de og, ça tombe bien c'est le nom de l'album ! Son flow m'a vraiment fait penser à celui de MC Solaar En plus y'a des samples de Mr. Browstone trop bien, et les interludes sont super. Par contre un peu long sur la fin dommage :/

Great, but SOO long, the beats are good, the rapping is great, reminds me of Ice Cube a lot in some places, and I think they were probably connected around this time, so I guess that makes sense. As always with this era of rap, I like the faster beats a lot more than the slower ones, which can sometimes feel very aimless. I feel like perhaps some of the lyrical themes haven't aged so well, but there's loads of more progressive viewpoints, which I'm pretty sure he has stuck with to this day (unlike Ice Cube). Favourite songs: most (not really the skits though). Overall around 7/10

A timeless classic

The album can something that keeps the listener posted. Not the best rap forms in my opinion, but the overall essence is good. Also much better than many of the listening experiences for this list.

Never really listened to Ice T. This one surprised me. Seeing 24 tracks I thought I was in for a slog. I turned it on and started doing some chores. These songs got my attention, in a good way. Really kind of cinematic (not just New-Jack Hustler). Telling stories and painting pictures with words. Frequently troubling and disturbing, but that's the point.

I only knew his hits.....but the rest is way better than I thought. You can hear all of his rhymes, its novel.

Although I much prefer Ice T in Body Count, this is probably his best album that isn't a rock/ hip-hop blend. Four stars.

i was about 4 songs in and about to give this album a 2 like i did for ice cube because early 90s rap has insanely dated production and rudimentary bars that just don't hold up in our modern era...but then the most insane thing happened...this album became insanely woke...it's obvious that ice-t was thoughtful when putting this record together because this album contends with race relations and class consciousness beyond the typical 'giving an insight into life in the hood' explanation sometimes given by his peers in the era as cover for what was just an invitation for voyeurism for the consumer. the album ended on a condemnation of the gulf war contrasting it to america's own war on crime and drugs in the inner cities bro come on...the beats are still very repetitive and at times it drags but listening to a west coast album that contends with this subject matter in the way that it did showed ice-t had a vision and executed it and we have to give him his tens for that, we stan a woke king

This is so good. So much cool stuff.

Love the voice and swagger of Ice-T. Really captivating storytelling gangstarap.

I was a hip-hop head in the late 80's / early 90's but was a bit scared off by early gangsta rap (until NWA Straight outta Compton) so I originally missed this. It's great! Everyone reviewing it saying it hasn't aged well are totally off mark, this is old school hip-hop not Kendrick Lamar and the beats are superb and there is such a mix of stuff here, always interesting and colourful. Shame like most rap artists of his era his solo work seemed to fall off a cliff soon after (apart from Body Coun stuff!).

4.0 72:17 (long albums, a lot of gangsta skits run up track count) 24 tracks Great album but by 1991 I'm not sure we needed another album from Ice (Tracy) to define the West Coast hardcore sound. Power and Rhyme Pays are better albums for this list. A few things I liked: 1.) He gives MC Hammer the street cred he could never get on his own - this was well played 2.) Body Count is a much better heavy metal band than most people give Ice-T credit for 3.) He finally fixed Flav's stupid ass Cold Lampin' (leaning against a lamp post while working the streets) to Cold Lounging which is a big improvement 4.) Still gave it a 4 - a few tracks (Midnight looking at you) are filler and added nothing but other tracks were cuttin'. I disliked the use of the Asian bitch voice. If you don't agree with me, you can suck my dick

I’m really not into the gangsta rap of this period so I expected this to be a 2 star album, but this was great. I thought the hour plus run time would be a chore but I breezed through it. There’s an incredible range of stuff here and you forget Ice T is actually a great rapper. Even the skits weren’t dreadful! A real surprise this one.

Not my favorite, but actually fun cause i forgot he wasn’t just the law and order guy

Tracks vary in quality but some of the classics make up for this. Prefer this album to his 80s stuff. What ICE-T lacks in talent is covered by his ego/id as the "OG".

I enjoyed it way more than I expected I would.. MVPs made my day

Already listened to this one. Good album…. favorite from Ice-T. Rating: 8.5/10 Best Songs: O.G. Original Gangster, New Jack Hustler, Pulse of the Rhyme, Lifestyles of the Rich and Infamous, Fly By

Mislim je da je ovo zastarilo u svakom mogućem smislu ali je meni fora, pogotovo storytelling dio.

Excellent album

Long before he became a staple of Law and Order: SVU, Ice-T was revolutionising rap music at the turn of the 1990s, popularising the smooth-talking rap style that Snoop Dogg would eventually appropriate. But on O.G. Original Gangster, Ice-T was also introducing listeners to his appreciation for heavy metal. While rock/metal wasn't new in rap; Beastie Boys, Run D.M.C. and Public Enemy had already incorporated guitars into their material; Ice-T was the first rapper to truly honour his appreciation for heavy metal on the song 'Body Count', which would soon be the name of the rap metal outfit he'd unleash upon the world. The straight rap songs on O.G. also slap though. The sequence of 'Mic Contract', 'Mind Over Matter' and 'New Jack Hustler' is as raucous as it is smooth, and Ice-T seamlessly transitions between fury and hilarity, as if respects rap's ability to be both socially conscious and darkly humourous. O.G. is a long album: 24 tracks across 72 minutes: but Ice-T's razor-sharp focus and ability to craft memorable raps make this album seem a lot shorter than it actually is. It's essential for 'Body Count' alone, as Ice-T was a pivotal influence on the nü metal and rap metal movements that would emerge later in the 90s, but Ice-T also stands alongside N.W.A. alumni Ice Cube, Dr Dre and Eazy-E as a key player in putting West Coast hip hop on the map. Best songs: Mic Contract, Mind Over Matter, New Jack Hustler (Nino's Theme), O.G. Original Gangster, Body Count

Oh man, I’m an Ice-T fan from way back! I have kind of been lying to you all, saying I was a metalhead in my younger years and that any other music was lame to me. Well….There was the gangster rap phase from my middle school years into high school years. It's weird to say, but I was introduced to NWA and 2 Live Crew through church. Told you it was weird. It wasn’t in church, but on a trip with our church youth group. Several of us were in the car of a high schooler who had their license and NWA and 2 Live Crew blasting. Above everything, we thought it was funny. We’d never heard these kinds of words said in music. Most of us had only ever heard Run DMC. We didn't even realize we were listening to two genres of rap, NWA being gangsta rap and with 2 Live Crew that Miami bass sound. I must have bought Ice T’s album called Power by that time, and I remember loving it. Ice T’s voice sounded cool. Even back then, for me, if the “vocals” sounded cool, I was in. None of us country white boys understood what the rappers were talking about. Didn’t have any clue that some, or all, of the stuff they were talking about was real. It was almost like they were war reporters in Vietnam or the Iragi’s skirmishes. After just listening to the Beastie Boys’ License To Ill a few days ago, O.G. is leaps and bounds above it when it comes to rapping and the music. Plus, where the Beastie Boys were just making up stories, Ice-T is rapping about his life in gangs, his influences, people he knows, censorship, how being a famous rapper aint' all it's cracked up to be. The rapping is tight, the lyrics are compelling and the beats for the time are killer. The album is basically Ice T’s bonafides as being the first gangster rapper and if he isn’t, he’s at least the first one to make it big. As a special treat, he even includes a song from his metal band Body Count on this album. Body Count rocks hard. I remember buying their debut album with the Cop Killer song on it that caused all the controversy. Body Count is pretty underrated as a metal band and they still put music out. If you’re a rap fan and have never heard Ice-T and think he’s just an actor, you need to hear this album. It brings back memories of a simpler time, really. Ice-T really does prove he's the Original Gangster with this record.

Great energy, creative beats and mix of genres

Never watched CSI or whatever weekly procedural show he is on, so I kind of think of Ice T mostly as a rapper. Great album that's aged remarkably well, even if at the time, he was actually on the older side compared to other rappers coming up around this time.

Long before he was a reality TV star and even longer before he was arresting pedos on Law and Order: SVU, Ice-T was making albums that go hard AF. I’m sure many will be turned off by the blunt delivery of his rhymes, but the lyricism is so good you’ll have to overlook that. Not the smoothest flow in the 90s rap game, but there’s a lot to like on this album if you’re a fan of the genre like myself. I actually thought his best track on here was ‘Body Count’, backed by his heavy metal band of the same name that he would later go on to make many records with as their front man. This won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but I enjoyed the raw emotion and surprisingly good production. Low-end 4/5 for me

What I’ve learned from this list is I really like Ice T. Meaningful lyrics, sick loops, and skits that aren’t just about having sex or making drug deals. “Body Count” and “Midnight” go fucking hard man.

one of the most striking and weird careers imaginable and this is probably his best work

Apologies in advance, because I'm going to derail an Ice T album to talk about Taylor Swift for a minute. Swift just release "The Life of a Showgirl" and has, for once, been facing a lot of critique even from longtime fans. I'm a longtime listener, and I do think she has shown a good ability to write about things in an evocative way, but there's also been a years-long commentary from fans that she's this generation's Shakespeare, a poet, a master lyricist...and for a while, here and there, I'd see comments encouraging these people to go listen to Leonard Cohen or Sufjan Stevens. As much as I enjoy Swift's work, the fans making those claims do usually consider "elogies" a "get your thesaurus and look it up" sort of word, and I think this response is fair. Recently more and more of those comments have cropped up and we've pushed beyond the Joni Mitchell comparisons into Kendrick Lamar (an easy one since he featured on "Bad Blood") into something very interesting....music fans encouraging Swift fans to look to rap music if they're interested in wordplay, songwriting, and academic approaches to writing lyrics. I was unfamiliar with Ice T as a musician, so I was very intrigued to start listening this today and realize that I was being served a timely example for those comments. "Mind Over Matter" is where I really started to tune in, because it occurred to me that we're in such a valley of anti-intellectualism that it's hard to believe someone could release this track today and not just get clowned on. If anything, you might be able to take the "power of positive thinking" angle and flip it into an MLM or something, but there's more to the track than that portion and it follows up with "Ed" who had a short temper and ended up dead. "Straight Up N***a" does a lot more critical analysis of a term and the institutional politics of the world than I've heard in some leftist organizing meetings, and in a much shorter time frame, "Prepare to Die" continues this later. And I guess now he's on Law & Order?

Before this, I mostly knew Ice-T from his Body Count days, but his rap hits just as hard. O.G. Original Gangster shows how sharp and versatile he really is, blending street storytelling with killer beats and a ton of confidence. “New Jack Hustler” stands out as one of the best tracks here, with Ice-T at his most focused and intense. I also loved the samples in “Body Count,” especially the guitar riff from Black Sabbath’s self-titled song and John Bonham’s drums from “When the Levee Breaks.” Those touches gave it a gritty, rock-infused edge that tied perfectly to his crossover with Body Count. The Halloween theme sample in “The Tower” was another awesome surprise that fit the dark tone perfectly. Favorite song: Body Count

I owned this album, so it was very familiar to me. I was into Public Enemy at the time, fresh out of college, and shared the anger of my generation at how screwed up the world had become, so I certainly understood the anger that permeated most of Ice-T’s tracks, even if I had little understanding of the gang violence and drug culture of South Central and Compton (NWA and Ice Cube were also hitting it big at the time). I shared Ice-T’s frustration with the powers-that-be and, like him, wanted nothing to do with the emerging Gulf War. The lyrics are profane, but the samples and tunes are solid.

man this is classic and still solid to listen to

ACAB

A little ironic, self-reflective, funny and above all else fun to listen to.

A revelation

I enjoyed going back to listen to this record. It's easy to forget how Ice T started, as we are all used to seeing him on the thousands of episodes of SVU, and he never was a close to as successful as a rapper as he has been acting. But back in the day, he was one of the pioneers of gangsta rap, and a great one at that. I remember New Jack Hustler coming out in the early 90s and though that was an excellent song, so it was cool to go back and revisit this. The rest of the record wasn't quite as great as this, but it was still very good. Especially liked Midnight, including Ice T sampling Black Sabbath! A blast from the past. Happy this was on here.

Lowkey gritty.

Loved how it brought me back to the times of gangster rap. I miss that boom bap rhyme style and didn’t know how raunchy ice-t was.

This one surprised me. I never gave much thought to Ice T, but his flows are good and the lyrical content of his songs are great. There was quite a but if variety in styles throughout. The only detractor is the length. 4/5

He loves that riff from the song Black Sabbath - sampled two albums in a row. Taste. I always liked how Ice-T connected to the funk.

Really enjoyed this. Favorite was “Bitches 2”

Okay, this was better than I expected. But it’s embarrassing to make so many references to 6 ‘n the mornin’, seems like he’s still riding on that high. Anyway can’t believe this guy’s acting and making silly geico commercials now.

That Black Sabbath sample goes so hard

We got violence, we got guns, we got money, we got skits, we got misogyny, that's right, it's a 90s rap album! Don't think I've listened to Ice T before though. He can rap and a good voice for it. I suppose he was doing the above before it was absolutely everywhere in the mid to late 90s, so that's something. Was confused as it sounds very west coast, but he was born in new Jersey, he did move to LA though which makes sense. Still prefer the east coast sound. So ice t has ice t and evil E, NWA has ice cube and eazy E..... I think I was harsh with my initial impressions. It's better than I was giving it credit for, my favourites were: New jack hustler Straight up nigga OG Prepared to die Pulse of the rhyme Body count was interesting, cypress hill did similar things with the rap and rock. 4

The actor???!! Quality album if not a bit long. I’ve-T’s flow is as smooth as ever and the writing is on point. A few tracks don’t quite hold up but lots to enjoy.

A very solid early rap album. Some really catchy tunes in there.

8/10

Хороший приклад хіп-хопу із золотої ери. Ice T має непоганий швидкий флоу і на піснях з аптемпо бітами звучить він дуже яскраво. Десь місцями просідає трохи, але загальне враження хороше. Один з кращих gangsta альбомі на заході до g-funk ери

Я дуже люблю хіп-хоп 80х і 90х, тут якраз альбом на стику декад. Конкретно щодо айс ті я ніколи не був фанатом, тексти (як і в багатьох тогочасних реперів) постарішали поганенько, але все одно мене легко купити тогочасним хіп-хопом.

Bom ver o antecessor direto do body count e ter essa noção da evolução do Ice t em novas sonoridades

Good album, rhythmic, very enjoyable. Really loved Bitches 2.

Wasn’t feeling up for this when it came up today, but actually thoroughly got into it. It’s insightful, it’s funny, Though it would be dumb gangsta lines but it’s clever, really good flow, interesting samples, will definitely check out more 4 Star

I love this album. Ice-Ts lyrics are so intelligent and thought provoking. And his music is so sophisticated and refreshing. I didn’t know he also does heavy metal. “Body Count” is amazing! His brilliant quote, “I feel sorry for anyone who only listens to one form of music“ is so true. I have to constantly remind myself that every kind of music has meaning and connects with someone. And if I don’t like it, tough shit. If it connects with someone, it’s wonderful and worthwhile music.

Wow. Marvellous album.

Ice t was never my thing

It does seem just about the most OG of all the OG claimants. As strong as this (and its strength is in its directness), it's got all the seeds of hip-hop's rather less successful baroque era.

Great album but it was a little too long and the skits are unnecessary, but tolerable compared to other 90s hip hop albums. Loved the Black Sabbath sample on Midnight.

7/10

Body count deserves a spot on Tony hawk's pro skater 3 and 4.

i’d never heard an Ice T album before and i was so pleasantly surprised. fiercely political, experimental, lots of fun.

really enjoyable but entirely too long

Classic album

Pretty classic, though not my usual jams.

Ice-T is a cool guy. From what I know. It’s in saying that I’ll be inundated with headlines like “ICE-T PUNTS GOATS TO HEAR THEM SCREAM IN PAIN.” For now, I like the fella. Body Count has some pretty sick songs that address some heavy topics directly, and Mr. T - ugh wait that’s taken. Uhhhhh The Ice Man FUCK, that’s taken by that mobster hitman guy. I’ll come back to it. Of all the things he’s famous for, Ice-T’s rapping always seemed like his weakest point to me. Who knows.As far as the album cover, Ice-T shows the true duality of a G. Whether you’re jacked and pensive, or ready as FUCK for a sick prom night, you always gotta keep it real. Time to spin the block. Home of the BodyBag - This is an ad for a fast-food restaurant. We take a taco shell and fill it entirely with eggs. Then we grate six blocks of cheese into the grease disposal behind our restaurant. We summon a hunchback to stir that mixture and shape it into a block. We combine the shell full of eggs and the grease block and shove it into a garbage bag. If you eat it and survive? First Impression - on the second song. Classic T. Oh it’s an interlude. I’ve been duped. Ziplock - Whoa. Rare mention of the evil version of Eazy-E AND the new cell phone data speed 500G?? This guy was ahead of his time. Hell of a song. Very funny lyrics, and whilst not intentional, it had some hard moments too. Way to go. Mic Contract - This is Ice-T on behalf of Blue Yeti microphones. When I sang “Colors” I imagined the sleek brushed steel blue of the new PodJerk 600. Now I refuse to enter the stu’ unless I’ve got my blu. Yeah this one isn’t bad, I guess. Very of its time. Sounding ancient. The beat is fun though. Mind over Matter - Yeah, I feel like this review is going to be super boring. This song actually sucks. Ice-T sounds like he’s tired. For a 72 minute album. We could’ve got that down to 68. My brain is a hand grenade, catch…Hit you with an overload of bottomless thought. Alright it’s pretty good. New Jack Hustler (Nino’s Theme) - I don’t know who Nino is, but I know that New Jack would probably jump off some shit while this played. I like how the background repeated sample is just Ice-T again. I’m surprised how well he can rap. From my memory he was lethargic and horrible. Way to go. The lyrics are suspect, but very entertaining. This one is so funny, it’s a highlight. NEW NEW NEW NEW NEW JACK NEW JACK HUSTLA. Ed - I LOVE shoutouts. I could never hope to be half as funny as a rapper saying a seemingly random selection of words at the start of a song. Yo yo yo shoutout DJ Ham Sandwich, Big Ups to Pete Sandals, hey I see you Big Shitty Doug. We out here. Garbage posse, let’s go. Bitches 2 - They came out with a sequel to bitches? Uh oh, am I right fellas?? Huh? *clown horn honks.* This beat honestly goes hard as hell, and Ice-T pretending to be a woman at the start of the song is hilarious. AND, this song is a feminist slay as T-Dawg says “men can be bitches too.” Icon. Straight Up Ni**a - Yeah I’ll be that guy. I have to censor it, but the song has a message about the word itself. This was an odd one. It was fine, but man that was a lot of repetition of one word. O.G. Original Gangster - Nobody says “gangster” anymore. Also, “everybody has hand grenades”?? Damn. It is tough down there. I love the bad gun sound effect where Ice-T has to say “that was a shotgun.” It’s like a kid over-explaining that his pool noodle is actually a horse and it can fly. The House - Damn Evil E - What About Sex? - Hey Ice-T, please sing about sex for the boys. Pretty please. What the hell is this? I thought this was going to be a “your changing body” PSA delivered by Evil E, but instead, we got an interlude where I am further mystified why people want to listen to songs that explicitly detail sex Fly By - Whoever is featured on this track reminds me that Ice-T is pretty god damn good. Donald D? The duck? No more of him please. Midnight - Ice-T LOVES writing songs about specific times. Oh my sweet lord. Sampling the first metal song ever? One of the greatest? Hell yeah. This rules. Even if it is an odd MIDI interpretation of Black Sabbath. What a crossover. Sinister, violent, and aggressive. Perfect old school gangster rap track. Fried Chicken - Well this is a change of pace. Basically an interlude, but it is a showcase of the fact that the beats are actually pretty good on this record. M.V.P.s - What a positive guy. Just saying a bunch of names that are imlortant to him. Lifestyles of the Rich and Infamous - Big L is listening. And you know how hard it is to get that guy to stop snatchin’ purses and bombing churches. This beat is uhh interesting? I’m not sure what that muppet noise is and I don’t love it. Body Count - He said it. Hell yeah. A complete crossover? This might be fake. I think I’ve been duped. Oh wait no it’s real. This rules. What a ballsy move. His rock vocal delivery is so god damn good. Except we should ban guns, but anyway, he’s coming at it from a different perspective. One where cops randomly kill your friends. I feel like that’s different. Anyway, Body Count rules. The guitar production could’ve been better, but the vocals and general feel is all there. Prepared to Die - A freestyle that’s pretty cool. I was very wrong about his rapping ability. Escape From the Killing Fields - This is a very Public Enemy song. I’m going to say it, Ice-T is incredibly based. Controversial statement. Mostly due to the lame internet nature of the statement. Street Killer - I got the stupidest motha fuckin posse in the whole god damn city. That will live forever. Pulse of the Rhyme - Funky as all hell. Too many quotables to transcribe here. So fun. I mean it’s insane, but it’s a blast. Give me the gas chamber and watch me inhale. The Tower - The Halloween opener. This song is kinda slow. Ya Shoulda Killed Me Last Year - Oh my god. He’s the best. I’d like to add, Fuck the Gulf War and most importantly Fuck The United States of America. Then, Now, Forever. This guy gets it. And by it, I mean the elements of hip hop I enjoy the most. This album was a lot of fun. The lyrics ranged from meaningful to hilarious, and all the way back to violent poems that exaggerate but also detail street life. The poetry is outstanding, the sinister atmosphere is tremendous and I had a great time with this record. I can’t believe o enjoyed a West Cost album to this degree, but as Ice-T alluded to, it just doesn’t sound right when he writes about partying. It’s all about the violence rap, and Ice-T delivered like his ZIP code was uhh whatever the ZIP code is in New York City. I guess he is from there. This has unravelled. Look. I had a good time, and this album was a breath of fresh air. 3.5-4 HIGHLIGHTS: Ziplock, New Jack Hustler (Nino’s Theme), Bitches 2, Midnight, Body Count

Enjoyable rap album. Actually liked the skits on this one, prolly cause they weren’t randomly freaky and weird or trying too hard to be funny

This was great. Funny, self aware, earnest. Great album flow too, never got old.

Ice T!

Only had a cursory listen but this is legit gangsta rap of the 90s

You go Ice T. He’s so tough and a great detective

Great Album. Not better than his previous 2 albums power and his masterpiece freedom of speech although this was a better commercial success backed by the being featured in the movie New Jack City a cult classic. OG and Mew Jacl Hustler are the top songs amd they are some of his best songs and most known. Ice T still has not gotten the credit he deserves for what he has done for rap. He is never in the best MC conversation and he should be asa rapper and as a writer and this Album is a continuation of his work. Better tracks with more marked jazz and funk samples.

Great album! Learned T formed a metal group, ‘Body Count’

Ah, memories. Had this one on cassette back in the day. Was scandalous at the time. So were Da Lench Mob and NWA and the Geto Boyz. But Ice-T was head and shoulders above 'em all. Amazed that I still remember the words as an old man...

Almost 5 big booms

Liked this more than I thought I would

How can I be down?!?

Lyrically, this album is amazing. Ice has plenty to say and won't let anyone stop him. His takes on life in the US in the early 90's rang true then and still ring true today. Musically there is a little lacking, but the lyrics make up for it. Great album, probably his best.

Ice T was only 31 when he created this masterpiece. Why does he sound like a 50 year old man? Because the streets are hard.

I had only heard a couple of these tracks, but I really like the way he puts together the presentation of the songs--it makes sense that he went to acting. I enjoyed most of the album and would probably go 3.5 personally, but bumping for presentation.

Bloated. But Ice-T is goated. Top gangsta rap, does what you'd expect.

As goofy as Ice T is as a guy outside of music his music itself is undeniably great

Very good

The first true gangsta rap album and his beef was with the US Government, its fucking awesome. Ice was angry and made a great record from it.

Ice T made gangsta rap classy.

en ole homo, harrastan vain seksiä miesten kanssa... hei, se tarkoittaa että olet homo. BOOM! miten nämä mustaihoiset voi kaikki olla sairaimpia? unohtuiko mitä superlatiivit tarkoittaa? noh ei varmaan niitä kouluja pahemmin käyty ei mitää ei midist.. tunnollinen ja älykäs yhteiskunnallisia rakenteisiin pureva hiphop-artisti.. tämän takia tajuton väkivaltaisuus ja seksismi kulttuuria heh pitää niitä levyjä kuitenkin myydä heh.. mites nämä todelliset nekut reagoisi kun tapaa kunnon puukkojunkkarin perkele heh.. yhtäkkiä kräkkiaddiktin tärisevä pistooli ei pysäytäkään rehtiä piripäätä ja mowgli makaa maassa karmiininpunaisena heh... jalallalallalai... new jack hustler

Sampling the Halloween theme in The Tower? I'm here for it. First Impression is hilarious. Hell of an ending track too. A true mic drop.

Wow surprised how much I liked this. Really strong and a LOT of songs

I have fond memories of this album from high school. It still holds up for the most part. I liked the sneak-peak of Body Count; this song seemed like a prototype version of Killing in the Name Of which was released a year later. It's a pretty long album but it's for sure something I'll want to revisit from time to time. 3.5/5

The OG of OGs. The originator OG. For some background, this album came out in 1991 when gangster rap had begun to pick up real steam for the past few years with groups like NWA, the Geto Boyz and others. But Ice T, along with Schooly D on the East Coast, were probably the the first two gangster rappers--the former with 6 in the Morning that was released in 1986. So half a decade later, this is Ice T declaring that he has always owned this shit. It's been a minute since I heard this album, but the stand out tracks are New Jack Hustler and the classic title song. But it stays consistent all the way through. Mind Over Matter, Mic Contact... classic. It's also probably the predecessor of metal rap, with the Body Count track. 4/5

Fierce, and smart

Some dope rhymes and hard rhythms. Solid stuff albeit too long. Still, a noteworthy album from one of the masters of gansta rap.

Well it’s a little more intellectual than other gangster records of the era - and Ice T seems to be more of a bridge builder than a feud maker - clearly he loves making music and he nods to others he respects - the music is at times awesome - at times not as great as some contemporaries but I love how he slots in Body Count on this album. Of course there’s always the dratted misogyny but otherwise this is as classic a hip hop record as it gets.

Intelligent and rough

Genuinely really good, sorry Ice-T I see you as the guy from Law & Order: SVU and didn't expect this to age so well

Some of the tracks on here aren't go great anymore. but there's still lots on here that was fun to revisit. BODYCOUNT!!!!

This was honestly a really great album that in my opinion has two flaws: there is way too much filler, and it takes too long to get into the best parts of the album. The track list could have been cut in half to make an absolutely incredible gangsta rap album with smart lyrics, killer beats and a pointed overall message. Those are all still there, but it's harder to get to the meat of this album under all the fluff. Top tracks: Bitches 2, Midnight, Body Count, The Tower

Ice-T is the most gangsta rapper ever to be able to communicate with this white guy. It might be the dimples?

Ha, this is pretty fun, and doesn't even have the cop killer song. I like the body count rock, and his attitude and fourth wall breaking. Shoulda killed him last year, Amerikkka.

I have a new appreciation for gangsta rap as I get older

I will forever find it amusing how Ice T went from this to the most mainstream of TV cop procedurals and an endorser of Cheerios. Still haven’t figured out what that says about America, though.

It lacked absolute bangers, but was a generally solid full of good flows. After all of the old school stuff that I've listened to on this list, it was a breath of fresh air. I was surprised by Ice T's Spotify numbers; I wonder if they're artificially low for some reason.

Fully vintage old-school hip hop that's muscular, straightforward and mostly entertaining. The Zeppelin and James Brown samples make sense and add punch. Besides a few obvious jokes, the braggacio seems mostly credible and less performative than many of his OG-adjacent peers. The heavy metal track is also credible, if not exactly to one's tastes. One also digs the shorter, more fragmented cuts later in the record. "LIfestyles" is among the top tracks. His shout-outs to the MVP are interesting in retrospect, pre-warfare between the coasts. Also, this record offers evidence of why OG hiphop gained a following, but also pointed toward its corruption and future sillinesses, which were legion of course.

I didn't think Ice T threw down gangster rap like this. Home Of The Bodybag sounds like a Dre beat. I'm already bought in. Not going to do an in-depth breakdown but here were songs I enjoyed on my first run through: Mind Over Matter, New Jack Hustler, Bitches 2, O.G. Original Gangster, Midnight. Ice T, I was not familiar with your game. Obviously everyone knows him now from SVU but for some reason I wasn't expecting him to goes this hard. He and Ice Cube are on the same level to me now and I probably wouldn't have said that before listening to this album. I think this is solidly a 4. It features a lot of strong songs, but does go on too long, especially after Midnight.

Dated? Yes. Still one of the all time classics.

Much better than I thought it would be. Solid 4 stars.

Sick

When I visited America in the early nineties you could still buy bootleg cassettes on the street. I got this and the second NWA album for not very much. Not listened to it all, and providing you don't really listen to it as music and think of it as an audiobook with beats it's still got a lot to give. His flow, though without much in the way of poetry, is alway engaging.

Ice-T мені ніколи не подобався, але це тому, що я чув більш піздні його альбоми, що м'яко кажучи, далекі від ідеалу. Але цей альбом, справді, став для мене "прихований діамантом". І хоча лірично цей альбом не відчувається як щось особливо, то "технічно" - це чистий "естетичний кайф". Він сповнений просто блискучими семплами. Такими, за які я і обожнюю олдскульний хіпхоп, адже зараз не часто зустрінеш такий прискіпливий підхід до продакшену. Тут ми чуємо винахідливі скретчі, використання звуків з "живих" джазових композицій, качаючі фанкові біти, та навіть семпли Black Sabbath у треку "Midnight". Тобто, як ви вже зрозуміли, альбом вийшов неймовірно "еклектичним", адже тут, Ice-T, взагалі, не притримувався ніяких жанрових обмежень. А на треку BodyCount - ми можемо почути, тих самих Body Count) Та і загалом, треки дуже гарно запам'ятовуються і весь альбом не відчувається затягнутим. Та що казати, якщо навіть "скіти" тут зроблені винахідливо і не відчуваються як філери. І якщо ви завжди думали, що "хіп-хоп це не моє" - вам, однозначно, варто послухати цей альбом.

"O.G. Original Gangster" is the fourth studio album by American rapper Ice-T. Gangsta rap. Yes, sir. Seven producers were used including Afrika Islam, Beastmaster V, Bilal Bashir. DJ Aladdin, Nat the Cat, SLJ and Ice-T. Guest appearances were made by Body Count (Ice-T's heavy metal band), Prince Whipper Whip, Donald D, Evil E and Randy Mac. The album reached #15 on the US Billboard 200 and critically was praised with some stating it as his best. The album starts out with Ice-T describing himself and LA being the home of the bodybag in "Home of the Bodybag." Gun shots. Sirens. "Pimpin' ain't easy." The album really gets going on the fourth song "Mic Contract" with hard beats. It's funky and groovy. The melody is a sample of a Dyke & the Blazers' song and the drum betas from the 5th Dimension. Ice-T tells the story of a mic contract like a gangsta drug deal. They slow it down on "Mind Over Matter." Ice-T getting after people who doubted him. There's faster beats and rappin' on "New Jack Hustler (Nino's Theme)." He'd rather be a new jack hustler keeping money in garbage bags from his drug deals. "O.G. Original Ganster" gets a groove going from James Brown's "Funky Drummer." Ice-T is the O.G. but now you need to bring guns not a knife to fight. "Midnight" famously samples "Black Sabbath" by Black Sabbath as there's a gansta fight with cars and cops. "Escape from the Killing Fields" also takes shots at cops. There sirens and scratching. Ice-T pleading to get out the hood (fields) right damn now. "The Tower" might ne the most musically innovative song on the album as it samples the piano from the movie "Halloween." It's creepy as Ice-T whisper raps about who was the power in prison, the whites, blacks or the gun tower. There's a lot to take in on the album. Ice-T straddles the line of idolizing the gansta life while also criticizing the life and inner city. He covers a lot of ground - his LA neighborhood, the gansta life, the rapper life and social commentary on prisons, cops, the government, Iraq War, Tipper Gore, CIA, FBI and George Bush. Most of the songs do work with clever sampling, funky and changing beats and Ice-T varying his rap delivery. I thought the Body Count song sounded like a sped-up version of the Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz." Take as you may. Overall, it's a very good album and definitely captures the time and place of the early 90's in LA.

It's just some great gangsta rap, if that's your thing then this will be your thing. And this is definitely my thing.

I only know Ice T from Law and Order SVU. So this is where it all started... Classic 90s west coast beats right out of the gate on Home of the Bodybag. Interesting, I never realized that Pusha T didn't coin the "I'm your pusha" line. This changes everything... Gotta say, this is less a song and more a spoken word poem, but the beat and various elements are pretty dope. Mind over Matter is a low-key solid lazy rapped jam. His vocals here are almost uncomfortably forward and clean. New Jack Hustler is also a great. high energy runner. I love the production work here -- simple, but so goddamned effective. The drums are propulsive; the shimmering effect in the background gives additional motion/surveillance vibes; and the interleaved elements (piano flourishes, vocal samples) are fantastic. Bitches 2 features yet another great instrumental. Love the drunk trumpet wandering in and out woven with smooth bassy segments. Straight Up Nigga is surprisingly modern in his voiced opinions about living ones own life: "She want to be lez he want to be gay, but that's your business I'm straight, so nigga have it your way." Oh fuck, Midnight samples Black Sabbath. Did not have that on my BINGO card, but it is hella dope. This is surprisingly dark - bordering on horrorcore in the way it is composed -- especially with the chopped & screwed elements. Worth it just for this lol. Kind of weird that he did a posse cut before the last track. But as far as shout outs go, I actually really liked M.V.P. The instrumental is cool and the way he used echo, etc. to punctuate was actually fun. The Tower sounds straight up like 21 Savage in the deadpan delivery. The Psycho sample is pretty wild. This was an unexpectedly pleasant surprise. Having been introduced to Ice T by way of Law & Order SVU, I (for some reason) assumed that his musical career was not to be taken seriously. This album puts that assumption into serious question... While this runs extremely long, it is surprisingly coherent and quality start to finish. Ice T demonstrates not only a wide range of lyricism and dynamicism to his vocal delivery, he also clearly shows detail in beat selection and production. This album does well on the quality of its instrumentals alone; the fact that the rapping is also good is a bonus. Standouts to me were all those I mentioned previously. One thing I forgot to touch on was his foray into hardcore with Body Count. Far from the first time the two worlds collided, but this is done so earnestly here that it is impressive. I enjoyed the song and found it to have a very Sabbath infused mid/back-section. This was a fun ride and were it a bit better curated I think this would easily be a 5. With the additional "fluff" I'm at a very high 4 (9.3).

Really enjoying the bouncy, clean production in the beats that really nail that 90's hip-hop sound. I also really like Ice-T's flow and annunciation. The interludes with the girl interviewing/presenting a report is pretty funny. Bitches 2 was a standout for the story it told and the beat had me dancing while making coffee. Easy 4, thought about a 5 but it was a bit long and fell into the background until that rock song came on. Very enjoyable album and one of my favorite gangster rap albums we have listened to on this list.

Never really listened to Ice T, mostly just saw him on TV, but always a sukka for some gangsta rap. Mic Contract reminds me of Ice Cube. Tried listening to the lyrics as much as I could in this while working and there were some gems. Midnight goes hard. Just want to shoutout James, Jackson, Brandon, and Tim. Y'all are true PLAYERS. Body Count takes a wildly different turn holy hell. Definitely a bit too long, but super enjoyable and different. Not having heard anything from Ice T and just knowing his background on TV I didn't expect much, but this goes hard af.

Hype as hell, but it’s a bit too long and there are some weak points. Wish it was a bit more tight.

I was surprised how much I liked this album. Almost every song was a banger. The only downside I have is it could have been shorter. It felt a little long once I got to Body Count. Still, the first half of the album is full of some great rap. Thid album is so close to a 5

Vinyl turntable and cassette deck, y’all are players.

original gangster original gangster? seems a bit redundant i.t. ice t

Ice-T doesn’t really rank in my favorite hip-hop artists, but I was glad to listen to this. I think I unfairly overlook him - this album is an important link between the progenitive rap of the 80s and where things were heading. Really good.

Favorite Track: Body Count

From memory a 5 star album, but turned out to be a bit too juvenile for me. There are some great tracks though (OK, no I'm Your Pusher, but OG contains of course a fair share of Ice T classics).

Great album.

Great beats, too much language for my taste

★★★★½

Tiukkaa sanaa ja funkkaavat beatit! Old school! 4/5

This was awesome, ziplock is great

big ass slay man

Classic rap album. More artistic than I would have guessed

Dope record! I played the shit out of this when it came out! Holds up okay, lyrics are always a question but overall it's still full of bangers!

Very enjoyable

Nice classic album. Loved the story about Body Count.

I really like the classic rock samples

This was really great, though overlong. Damn, Ice T is really really good at this, wonder if he’ll ever come back to rap.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I would. Waaaaaaaay too long, though. Body Count was cool. The whole thing was cool. The track where he just talks about other rappers and how much he likes and respects them is an interesting contrast to today’s rap landscape. Overall, I don’t think this being shorter would’ve helped it or the length hurt it. It’s just a solid four, and I’m surprised because we’ve gotten this era of rap album before and they haven’t been this good and I was not initially excited about it. Also, he predicts that he will never win a Grammy and that Mandela will never win a Nobel prize. Both these things were wrong, and I think within in the next year or two. Did Ice use reverse psychology?

Like it far better than I expected going in. Surprised this one never hit my radar given the timing should have worked better for me as a youngin. 4/5

Some classic beats and flows, but I wouldn't say it aged super well. Definitely comes off a bit corny at times but still a good album overall.

This album is honestly incredible.