O.G. Original Gangster

O.G. Original Gangster
Studio album by Ice-T
Released	May 14, 1991
Recorded	Syndicate Studios West, Widetracks, Dodge City and Fox Studios L.A. 1990-Mid January 1991
Length	72:17
Label	Sire, Warner Bros. Records
Producer	Ice-T, DJ Aladdin, Afrika Islam, DJ SLJ, Bilal Bashir
Ice-T chronology
The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech... Just Watch What You Say! (1989) O.G. Original Gangster (1991) Home Invasion (1993) Singles from O.G. Original Gangster "O.G. Original Gangster" Released: 1991

O.G. Original Gangster is the fourth studio album by American rapper Ice-T. The album was released on May 14, 1991, by Sire Records and Warner Bros. Records. The album was praised by many as the artist's best.^[1][2]

Release

O.G. Original Gangster peaked at #9 on Billboard magazine's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and at #15 on the Billboard 200.^[3] On the albums release, the vinyl version only contained 16 of the compact discs 24 tracks.^[4] The NME stated to "forget the format's limitations" and promoted the compact disc version with 24 tracks over the vinyl.^[4]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[5]
Chicago Tribune	[6]
Entertainment Weekly	A[7]
NME	9/10[4]
Rolling Stone	[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[9]
Select	2/5[10]
The Village Voice	A[11]

The album was ranked at #25 in Melody Maker's list of the top 30 albums of 1991,^[12] and was featured in The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums ^[13] and the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.^[14]

From contemporary reviews, the NME stated that the album was Ice-T's "best shot yet; riotous vignettes from a decaying America full of devious humour and striking pathos – all those things NWA profess to be but clearly aren't."^[4] The review commented on the album's production stating Afrika Islam production as "slamming" noting that "the music is always restlessly inventive in catering for your solar plexus (even on the hardcore/Heavy Metal crossover token track) – complements highlights like the sad, droning 'The Tower', the optimistic 'Escape From The Killing Fields' (a scathing re-write of Public Enemy's 'Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos' that explains the original metaphor) and the out-of-character bad-tempered 'Lifestyles Of The Rich And Infamous'"^[4]

Select gave the album a negative review, stating that three tracks "Mind Over Matter", "The Tower" and "The House" are outstanding while "much of the rest relies on a well-tested recipe of looped breakbeats and linear drums." and that the albums themes "functions better as manifesto than as music"}^[10]

Track listing

No.	Title	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Home of the Bodybag"	DJ Aladdin, SLJ, Ice-T	2:12
2.	"First Impression"		0:45
3.	"Ziplock"	Afrika Islam, Ice-T	1:20
4.	"Mic Contract" (featuring Donald D)	SLJ, DJ Aladdin, Ice-T	4:24
5.	"Mind Over Matter"	DJ Aladdin, Ice-T	4:12
6.	"New Jack Hustler (Nino's Theme)" (featuring DJ Aladdin)	Ice-T, DJ Aladdin	4:43
7.	"Ed"	Beatmaster V, Nat the Cat, Ice-T	1:10
8.	"Bitches 2" (featuring Charlie Jam)	DJ Aladdin, SLJ, Ice-T	5:24
9.	"Straight Up Nigga" (featuring DJ Aladdin)	SLJ, DJ Aladdin, Ice-T	3:43
10.	"O.G. Original Gangster" (featuring G³)	DJ Aladdin, SLJ, Ice-T	4:13
11.	"The House"	DJ Aladdin, Ice-T	0:57
12.	"Evil E-What About Sex?" (featuring Evil E)	Ice-T	0:46
13.	"Fly By" (featuring Nat the Cat & Donald D)	Afrika Islam, Ice-T	3:29
14.	"Midnight" (featuring Randy Mac)	DJ Aladdin, SLJ	5:49
15.	"Fried Chicken" (featuring Prince Whipper Whip)	DJ Aladdin, SLJ	1:00
16.	"M.V.P.S."	Afrika Islam	4:20
17.	"Lifestyles of the Rich and Infamous" (featuring Sean E Mac)	Afrika Islam, Ice-T	3:51
18.	"Body Count" (featuring Ernie C, Beatmaster V, Moose Man & D Rock)	Ice-T	6:07
19.	"Prepared to Die"	Ice-T	0:39
20.	"Escape from the Killing Fields"	Afrika Islam, Ice-T	2:36
21.	"Street Killer" (featuring Special K)	DJ Aladdin, SLJ, Ice-T	0:41
22.	"Pulse of the Rhyme"	DJ Aladdin, Ice-T	4:17
23.	"The Tower" (featuring Sean E Sean, Al Patrome & Mello)	Bilal Bashir, Ice-T	3:58
24.	"Ya Shoulda Killed Me Last Year"	Ice-T	1:41

Charts

Chart (1991)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[15]	15
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[16]	9

References

1. Gates, Henry Louis; Appiah, KwameAnthony (2005). Africana: An A-To-Z Reference of Writers, Musicians, and Artists of the African American Experience. Running Press. p. 297. ISBN 0-7624-2042-1.
2. Taylor, Steve (2004). The A to X of Alternative Music. Continuum International Publishing Group. pp. 126–127. ISBN 0-8264-8217-1. line feed character in |publisher= at position 24 (help)
3. "Charts and Awards for Ice-T". Allmusic. Retrieved 2007-11-03.
4. Fadele, Dele (May 25, 1991). "Ice-T: O.G. Original Gangster (Sire)". NME. Retrieved August 23, 2009. (subscription required (help)).
5. Huey, Steve. "O.G. Original Gangster – Ice-T". AllMusic. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
6. Kot, Greg (May 23, 1991). "Ice-T: O.G. Original Gangster (Sire)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
7. Benard, James (May 24, 1991). "O.G. Original Gangster". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
8. Coleman, Mark (June 13, 1991). "Ice-T: O.G. Original Gangster". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved July 30, 2015.
9. Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian, eds. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. p. 401. ISBN 0-743-20169-8.
10. Higginbotham, Adam (July 1991). "Ice-T: O.G.". Select (13): 68–69.
11. Christgau, Robert (June 4, 1991). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved August 23, 2009.
12. "The Top 30 Albums of 1991". Melody Maker. December 1, 1991.
13. "100 Best Rap Albums". The Source #100. January 1998. Retrieved 2007-10-10.
14. Dimery, Robert, ed. (2006). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Universe. ISBN 0-7893-1371-5.
15. "Ice-T – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Ice-T. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
16. "Ice-T – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Ice-T. Retrieved October 23, 2014.