O.G. Original Gangster
1991 studio album by Ice-T
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O.G. Original Gangster is the fourth studio album by American rapper Ice-T, released May 14, 1991, by Sire Records. Recording took place from July 1990 to January 1991 in Los Angeles. Its production was handled by seven producers: Afrika Islam, Beatmaster V, Bilal Bashir, DJ Aladdin, Nat the Cat, SLJ and Ice-T himself, who also served as executive producer. It features guest appearances from Body Count, Prince Whipper Whip and various Rhyme Syndicate artists, such as Donald D, Evil E and Randy Mac.
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- Syndicate Studios West (Los Angeles)
- Widetracks (Los Angeles)
- Dodge City Sound (Los Angeles)
- Fox Run Studios (Los Angeles)
| O.G. Original Gangster | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | May 14, 1991 | |||
| Recorded | July 1990 – January 1991 | |||
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| Genre | Gangsta rap | |||
| Length | 72:17 | |||
| Label | Sire | |||
| Producer |
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| Ice-T chronology | ||||
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| Singles from O.G. Original Gangster | ||||
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The album peaked at number 15 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and number 9 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. On July 24, 1991, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, indicating U.S. sales of more than 500,000 units.[1] O.G. Original Gangster was ranked at #25 in Melody Maker's list of the top 30 albums of 1991,[2] and was featured in The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums[3] and the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[4] The album was praised by many as his best.[5][6]
Release
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [8] |
| Chicago Sun-Times |  [9] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [10] |
| Christgau's Consumer Guide | A[11] |
| Daily News | [12] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A[13] |
| NME | 9/10[7] |
| Rolling Stone | [14] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [15] |
| Select | 2/5[16] |
From contemporary reviews, NME critic Dele Fadele praised O.G. Original Gangster as 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."[7] Fadele found that the music "is always restlessly inventive in catering for your solar plexus (even on the hardcore/Heavy Metal crossover token track)" and "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'".[7]
In a negative review for Select, Adam Higginbotham wrote that only 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"; he concluded that the album "often functions better as manifesto than as music."[16]
Commercial performance
The album was certified gold on July 24, 1991, selling over 500,000 copies.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Tracy Marrow, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Featured artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Home of the Bodybag" | 2:12 | ||
| 2. | "First Impression" | 0:45 | ||
| 3. | "Ziplock" | 1:19 | ||
| 4. | "Mic Contract" | Donald D | 4:23 | |
| 5. | "Mind Over Matter" | 4:12 | ||
| 6. | "New Jack Hustler (Nino's Theme)" |
| DJ Aladdin | 4:43 |
| 7. | "Ed" | 1:10 | ||
| 8. | "Bitches 2" | Charlie Jam | 5:24 | |
| 9. | "Straight Up Nigga" |
| DJ Aladdin | 3:43 |
| 10. | "O.G. Original Gangster" | 4:43 | ||
| 11. | "The House" | 0:57 | ||
| 12. | "Evil E - What About Sex?" | Evil E | 0:45 | |
| 13. | "Fly By" |
| 3:28 | |
| 14. | "Midnight" | Randy Mac | 5:48 | |
| 15. | "Fried Chicken" | Prince Whipper Whip | 1:00 | |
| 16. | "M.V.P.s" | 4:19 | ||
| 17. | "Lifestyles of the Rich and Infamous" | Sean E. Sean | 3:51 | |
| 18. | "Body Count" | 6:07 | ||
| 19. | "Prepared to Die" | 0:38 | ||
| 20. | "Escape from the Killing Fields" | 2:35 | ||
| 21. | "Street Killer" | Special K | 0:41 | |
| 22. | "Pulse of the Rhyme" | 4:16 | ||
| 23. | "The Tower" |
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| 3:57 |
| 24. | "Ya Shoulda Killed Me Last Year" | 1:41 |
Notes
Sample Credits
- "Bitches 2" contains a sample from "Dr. Funkenstein", written by George Clinton, George Worrell and William Collins, as performed by Parliament.
- "Midnight" contains a sample from “Black Sabbath”, written by Ozzy Osbourne, Geezer Butler, Tony Iommi and Bill Ward, and performed by Black Sabbath.
Personnel
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[18]
- Tracy Lauren Marrow – main artist, producer (tracks: 1–13, 16–24), executive producer, arranging
- Alphonso Henderson – featured performer (tracks: 6, 9), producer (tracks: 1, 4–6, 8–11, 14–15, 21–22), project supervisor
- Donald Lamont – featured performer (tracks: 4, 13)
- Sean E. Sean – featured performer (tracks: 17, 23)
- Victor Ray Wilson – featured performer (track 18), producer (track 7)
- Nat the Cat – featured performer (track 13), producer (track 7)
- Lloyd "Mooseman" Roberts III – featured performer (track 18)
- Ernie Cunnigan – featured performer (track 18)
- Dennis Miles – featured performer (track 18)
- Charlie Jam – featured performer (track 8)
- Randy Mac – featured performer (track 14)
- James Whipper – featured performer (track 15)
- K. Alexander – featured performer (track 21)
- Eric Garcia – scratches
- Shafiq "SLJ" Husayn – producer (tracks: 1, 4, 8–10, 14, 15, 21)
- Charles Andre Glenn – producer (tracks: 3, 13, 16, 17, 20)
- Bilal Bashir – producer (track 23)
- Vachik Aghaniantz – recording & mixing
- Dennis "Def-Pea" Parker – recording
- Steve Battman – recording
- Tim Stedman – design
- Glen E. Friedman – photography
- "King James" Cassimus – photography
- Jorge Hinojosa – management
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[24] | Gold | 50,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[25] | Silver | 60,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[26] | Gold | 500,000^ |
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^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||