Once Upon a Crime (album)
2013 studio album by the Godfathers
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Once Upon a Crime is the debut studio album by American New York-based hip-hop duo the Godfathers. It was released on November 19, 2013, through Psycho+Logical-Records. Production was handled by member Necro with one song, "Unsub", co-produced by member Kool G Rap. It features the lone guest appearance from Mr. Hyde. Songs "Heart Attack" and "Wolf Eyes" were released as singles.
| Once Upon a Crime | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 19, 2013 | |||
| Recorded | 2011–2013 | |||
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| Length | 55:13 | |||
| Label | Psycho+Logical | |||
| Producers |
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| Kool G Rap chronology | ||||
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| Necro chronology | ||||
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Background
Necro and Kool G Rap first announced their Godfathers project and collaboration in 2011 and released two mix CDs consisting of fifty previously released songs from the pair, The Pre-Kill Volume I in November 2011 and then The Pre-Kill Volume II in July 2012. They had initially announced that their first official album would be released in the first half of 2012, but Once Upon a Crime would not launch until November 2013.[1] Domingo is credited as an Executive producer but Necro did all of the production on the album except "Unsub" which was produced by both Necro and Kool G Rap.[2]
Critical reception
Once Upon a Crime received generally mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Mark Bozzer of Exclaim!gave the album 7 out of 10, praising the duo's synergy.[3] Jay Balfour of HipHopDX noted, "the casual fan or those keeping up with G Rap's late career output might find a handful of songs worth mining, but without a previous investment in the over-the-top style, listening through is a test of endurance".[4] Matt Jost of RapReviews concluded: "yet despite some fundamental flaws Once Upon a Crime is a record hip-hop can be proud of, one that represents the part of the family with ties to the underworld (and sometimes the afterworld) with aplomb".[5]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Teflon Dons" | Necro | 2:35 |
| 2. | "The City" | Necro | 2:47 |
| 3. | "High Tension" | Necro | 3:07 |
| 4. | "Punched Dead in the Face (Skit)" | Necro | 0:17 |
| 5. | "Black Medicine" | Necro | 2:40 |
| 6. | "Omerta" | Necro | 3:00 |
| 7. | "The Pain" | Necro | 3:44 |
| 8. | "Hustler" | Necro | 3:19 |
| 9. | "We'll Kill You" | Necro | 2:53 |
| 10. | "Crook Catastrophe & the Gunblast Kid" | Necro | 3:46 |
| 11. | "Unsub" |
| 4:40 |
| 12. | "I Hate You (Skit)" | Necro | 0:11 |
| 13. | "Gangsta" | Necro | 4:16 |
| 14. | "Trigga 4 Hire" | Necro | 3:16 |
| 15. | "American Sickos" | Necro | 2:36 |
| 16. | "Wolf Eyes" (featuring Mr. Hyde) | Necro | 4:15 |
| 17. | "Heart Attack" | Necro | 3:24 |
| 18. | "Once Upon a Crime" | Necro | 4:27 |
| Total length: | 55:13 | ||
Personnel
- Ron "Necro" Braunstein – vocals, producer, executive producer
- Nathaniel "Kool G Rap" Wilson – vocals, co-producer (track 11)
- Christopher "Mr. Hyde" Catenacci – vocals (track 16)
- Domingo Padilla – executive producer (credit only)[6]