Young Black Teenagers (album)
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| Young Black Teenagers | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1991 | |||
| Recorded | 1990 | |||
| Genre | Rap | |||
| Length | 45:40 | |||
| Label | S.O.U.L. | |||
| Producer | The Bomb Squad | |||
| Young Black Teenagers chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Young Black Teenagers | ||||
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Young Black Teenagers is the debut album by the American rap group Young Black Teenagers, released in 1991.[1] "Loud & Hard to Hit" peaked at No. 25 on the Hot Rap Singles chart. The album cover art is modeled after the Beatles' With the Beatles.[2] After a negative radio response to the track "Proud to Be Black", MCA Records chose not to use its logo on the packaging.[3] The group supported the album by touring with Public Enemy.[4]
The album was produced by Hank Shocklee and the Bomb Squad and released through Shocklee's S.O.U.L Records label; YBT's Kamron grew up in the same neighborhood as some of the production group's members.[5][6] "To My Donna" is an answer song directed to Madonna's "Justify My Love", which used a backing rhythm track taken by Lenny Kravitz from a Public Enemy instrumental produced by the Bomb Squad.[7] "Daddy Kalled Me Niga Cause I Likeded to Rhyme" is about dealing with racist parents.[8] "Nobody Knows Kelli" is an ode to Married... with Children's Kelly Bundy.[9]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [10] |
| Calgary Herald | B[11] |
| Robert Christgau |  [12] |
| Q | [6] |
| St. Petersburg Times | [13] |
Q said that "YBT have a enough power, but their songs edge towards monotony."[6] Entertainment Weekly wrote that YBT "rise to the challenge presented by the high-quality production, and rhyme with conviction".[14] Newsday labeled the album "mall rap".[9] The Calgary Herald opined that "the tunes are tighter and tougher than most rap fare".[11] The St. Petersburg Times concluded that YBT "get past racial barriers, smack dab into a clever, creative form of rap that knows neither limits nor boundaries of color."[13]
Track listing
- "Punks, Lies & Video Tape"- 4:11
- "Korner Groove"- 3:57
- "Traci"- 2:37
- "First Stage of a Rampage Called the Rap Rage"- 3:51
- "Nobody Knows Kelli"- 3:27
- "Daddy Kalled Me Niga Cause I Likeded to Rhyme"- 2:59
- "Chillin' wit Me Posse"- 2:05
- "Mack Daddy Don of the Underworld"- 3:48
- "Loud and Hard to Hit"- 3:35
- "My TV Went Black and White on Me"- 3:32
- "Proud to Be Black"- 4:42
- "To My Donna"- 3:22
- "My Color TV"- 3:34
