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Kool G Rap

 
Artist: Kool G Rap
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Kool G Rap

Similar Artists:

M.O.P., Big L, Big Daddy Kane, Mobb Deep, Prodigy, Big Punisher, Fat Joe, Freddie Foxxx, Eric B. & Rakim, The Notorious B.I.G., Main Source, Craig G, AZ, Master Ace, EPMD

Followers:

The Notorious B.I.G., Mobb Deep, Papoose, Nino Bless, Little Vic, The Money Making Jam Boys, Fokis, Wisemen, Ransom, Rhymefest, Freeway, Journalist, Breez Evahflowin, Nas, Talib Kweli

Performed Songs By:

Anna Wheaton, M. Williams

Worked With:

Noreaga, Pete Rock

Formal Connection With:

Marley Marl, Large Professor, Talib Kweli, Kool G Rap & DJ Polo
  • Born: July 20, 1968, Elmhurst, NY
  • Active: '80s, '90s, 2000s
  • Genres: Rap
  • Instrument: Vocals, Producer
  • Representative Albums: "The Giancana Story," "Greatest Hits," "Roots of Evil"

Biography

As part of the golden-age MC-and-DJ tandem Kool G Rap & DJ Polo, the "Kool Genius of Rap" enjoyed a successful and, above all, influential run during the late '80s and early '90s before embarking on a fitful solo career. Born Nathaniel Wilson on July 20, 1968, in Queens, NY, Kool G Rap debuted in 1986 on Cold Chillin' Records with the It's a Demo/I'm Fly 12" single, produced by Marley Marl and billed to "DJ Polo & Kool G Rap" (the rapper's name would later come first, before the DJ's). A couple further singles followed -- Rikers Island/Rhyme Thyme (1987), Poison (1988) -- along with a Kool G Rap feature on Marley Marl's Juice Crew classic The Symphony (1988), before Kool G Rap & DJ Polo released their debut album, Road to the Riches (1989), on Cold Chillin'. Featuring each of their previously released singles, along with a couple new ones ("Road to the Riches," "Truly Yours"), Road to the Riches was a remarkable debut and proved highly influential. Two subsequent Kool G Rap & DJ Polo albums, Wanted: Dead or Alive (1990) and Live and Let Die (1991), proved similarly influential and, though they tend to be less celebrated than Road to the Riches, are widely considered classics of the genre and are arguably better albums than the duo's debut.

Kool G Rap embarked on a solo career at this point, releasing 4, 5, 6 (1995) on Cold Chillin'. He released his second solo album, Roots of Evil (1998), on Illstreet Records, for Cold Chillin' had ceased operations. The latter album was not well received, at least relative to Kool G Rap's albums on Cold Chillin', and the rapper took some time off to regroup. He returned in 2000 with a promising 12" EP for Rawkus, The Streets, and then another, My Life, in 2001. Rawkus planned to release a full-length album by Kool G Rap, The Giancana Story, in fall 2001; however, when the label was abruptly shuttered and sold to MCA Records, the album didn't get released until over a year later, in November 2002, on Koch Records. Following this unfortunate turn of events, Kool G Rap went the independent route, releasing a collaborative album, Click of Respect (2003), on Blaze the World Records. Few heard that album, which was the last release by Kool G Rap for several years. It wasn't the last heard of the rapper, though, as he popped up on guest features now and then, most memorably alongside Big Daddy Kane on both the Roots' "Boom!" (2004) and UGK's "Next Up" (2007). ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
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Wikipedia: Kool G Rap
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Kool G Rap

Performing in New York City, November 2004
Background information
Birth name Nathaniel Wilson
Also known as G Rap, Your Favorite Rapper's Favorite Rapper
Born July 20, 1968 (1968-07-20) (age 41)
Origin Queens, New York City, United States
Genres Mafioso Rap, Hip hop
Years active 1986–present
Labels Cold Chillin', Rawkus, Chinga Chang, E1, Epic, Warner Bros.
Associated acts DJ Polo, Juice Crew, Big Daddy Kane, Wu Tang Clan, Nas, Mobb Deep, Big L, Ice Cube, Canibus, Ras Kass, Jedi Mind Tricks

Nathaniel Wilson (born July 20, 1968[1]), better known by his stage name Kool G Rap, is an American rapper from the Corona section of Queens, New York[2]. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as a member of the Juice Crew. He is often cited as one of the most influential and skilled MCs of all time[3][4][5][6][1][7][8][9][10] as he is a pioneer and master of Mafioso Rap/street/hardcore content[5][10][11][12][13][14] and multisyllabic rhyming[15]. On his album The Giancana Story, he stated that the "G" in his name stands for "Giancana" (after the mobster Sam Giancana), but on other occasions he's stated that it stands for "Genius"[1][16].

Contents

Biography

Early Years

Wilson grew up in the poverty-ridden streets of Corona Queens, New York with legendary producer Eric B.[17] In an interview with The Source he stated;

“ Growing up in Corona was like a little Harlem, it wasn't that hard for a nigga to be influenced by the street life type of mentality. I was like 15 years old, Ma dukes couldn't dress a nigga no more and at that age you want a little money in your pocket. That's what gets us all, material possessions. A nigga got caught up in that mentality. Nigga started selling drugs at a certain point, and all that shit, it's what was goin' on in the streets ... eventually all my friends got smoked. Everybody was droppin'. All my friends started packing burners everyday, we was wild shorties. ”

—Kool G Rap, The Source Magazine, issue 72, September, 1995.[18]

Around this time, Wilson was looking for a DJ, and through Eric B., he met DJ Polo, who was looking for an MC to colloberate with.[17]

Kool G Rap & DJ Polo

Juice Crew producer, and Mr. Magic DJ; Marley Marl knew Polo, and allowed him and G Rap to go to his studio to do a demo, which resulted in the song "It's a Demo." The song was written and recorded in one night, and had Marley so impressed, that he instantly embraced Kool G Rap and DJ Polo as Juice Crew members (it's worth noting that this was the first time G Rap had ever met Marley.)[19] In 1986 on Mr Magic's Rap Attack radio show on 107.5, the duo got their first exposure which created more buzz. They eventually released "It's a Demo" as a single with"I'm Fly", along with two more singles. Shortly after this, Kool G Rap appeared on the Juice Crew's classic posse cut 'The Symphony' before they released their debut album, Road to the Riches in 1989[20][21]. This album and their two later albums, Wanted: Dead or Alive (1990) and Live and Let Die (1992), are highly regarded and considered Hip-Hop classics[22][12][15][23][24][25]. Eventually in 1993, Kool G rap parted ways with DJ Polo in pursuit of a solo career.

Solo career

In 1995, G Rap started his solo career with the album 4,5,6, which featured production from Buckwild, and guest appearances from Nas and MF Grimm - it has been his most commercially successful record, reaching No.24 on the US Billboard 200 album chart[26]. This was followed by Roots of Evil in 1998[1]. He was then meant to release his next album, The Giancana Story in 2000, on Rawkus Records, but due to several complications with the label, the album was pushed back several times, and eventually released in 2002. In 2008 he released the EP Half A Klip on Chinga Chang Records, featuring production from Hip-Hop legends DJ Premier and Marley Marl[27].

Criticisms of Kool G Rap's solo albums usually focus on the production not being up to the standard of the rapping[28][29].

While Kool G Rap has always been popular and well respected in Hip-Hop circles for his lyrical skills[11][15], he never crossed over and saw the same level of commercial success as rappers such as Biz Markie and Big Daddy Kane, both also members of the Juice Crew[30][31]. He is known for consistently making records which are hardcore, dark, intelligent, and underground[6][11][12][32].

Legacy

Kool G Rap is regarded as a hugely influential golden age rapper[1]. Music journalist Peter Shapiro suggests that Kool G Rap "created the blueprint for Nas, Biggie and everyone who followed in their path"[33]. Kool G Rap is described by Kool Moe Dee as "the progenitor and prototype for Biggie, Jay-Z, Treach, Nore, Fat Joe, Big Pun, and about twenty-five more hard-core emcees"[3], and Kool Moe Dee also claims Kool G Rap is "the most lyrical" out of all of the artists mentioned[34]. MTV describes Kool G Rap as a "hip-hop godfather", adding that he paved the way for a lot of MCs who we would not have heard of otherwise[5]. Rolling Stone says, "G Rap excelled at the street narrative, a style that would come to define later Queens MCs like Nas (who was hugely influenced by G Rap on his early records) and Mobb Deep"[10]. Other artists who have named Kool G Rap as a major influence include Black Thought of The Roots[35], M.O.P.[36], Scarface[37], Raekwon[38], R.A. The Rugged Man[39], Bun B of UGK[7], Rah Digga[8], RZA[9], Lady Of Rage[40], Big Pun[2], O.C. of DITC[41], Twista[42][43], Andre Nickatina, and Cage.

He is also often very highly rated in terms of his technical ability[5][6][7][8][9][34][44] and is often ranked alongside other highly regarded golden age MCs, such as Big Daddy Kane, Rakim, and KRS-One[11][15]. In Jay-Z's track 'Encore', Jay-Z raps, "hearing me rap is like hearing G Rap in his prime"[45][46], comparing his skill level to that of Kool G Rap, and Allmusic calls him "one of the greatest rappers ever", "a master", and "a legend" [6][47]. A number of rappers put him in their Top 5 MCs lists[7][8][9][48], Kool Moe Dee ranks Kool G Rap at No.14 in his book There's A God On The Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs[34], and MTV gives him an 'Honorable Mention' in their Greatest MCs Of All Time list[5].

Rhyme technique

Kool G Rap is known for using complex multisyllabic rhymes since his debut (in a similar way to other golden age MCs such as Big Daddy Kane and Rakim)[15], and this remains a hallmark of his style, along with his rapid-fire delivery and "superhuman breath control"[15]. Although many of today's MCs use multisyllabic rhymes extensively (such as Eminem, Pharoahe Monch, Nas, Papoose, and many others), Kool G Rap is known for taking the technique to its limits and packing in as many multisyllabic rhymes as possible[49][50], sometimes all in the same rhyme scheme for a whole verse, such as on Sway & King Tech's 'The Anthem'[50].

He has also been cited as one of Hip-Hop's greatest storytellers, alongside Slick Rick and Notorious BIG[51][52], with "laser-like visual descriptions"[12], and "vivid narratives"[15]. Rolling Stone states that, "Live and Let Die continued G Rap's reign as rap music's premier yarn-spinner"[10].

Mafioso/Street content

Kool G Rap is often credited as the first rapper to include mafioso content, as well as a lot of hardcore street content, into his lyrics[5][10][11][12][13][14][15]. This can be seen as early as 1989 in the song "Road to the Riches" where he makes a reference to Al Pacino (who plays mobster Tony Montana in the 1983 crime drama movie Scarface)[53] - this was long before albums such as Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… (1995) made such references popular[14].

Since his debut, he has used various references to mob movies in his lyrics, album covers, and titles[1]. For example, the first line of 'Bad to the Bone' from Wanted: Dead or Alive (1990) is, I'm bad to the bone / with a style like Al Capone[54], the album Live and Let Die (1992) uses samples from the film The Untouchables[55], the album cover of Roots of Evil (1998) uses elements from the The Godfather and Scarface theatrical posters[56], and The Giancana Story (2002) album title references Mafia boss Sam Giancana[57].

Rolling Stone says, "before Kool G Rap, New York didn't really have the street rap that could hold its own against what artists such as L.A.'s Ice-T and N.W.A were churning out"[10] and that "G Rap excelled at the street narrative"[10].

His take on crime, violence, and the mafioso lifestyle ranges from remorse and contemplation (eg. 'Streets of New York'[58], described by Rolling Stone as "a vivid look inside the misery of the hood"[10]), to glorification (eg. 'Fast Life' featuring Nas[59]).

Discography

With DJ Polo Year
Road To The Riches 1989
Wanted: Dead or Alive 1990
Live and Let Die 1992
Solo Albums Year
4,5,6 1995
Roots of Evil 1998
The Giancana Story 2002
Half a Klip 2007
Compilations Year
Killer Kuts 1994
Rated XXX 1996
The Best of Cold Chillin' 2000
Greatest Hits 2002
Collaborative Albums With Year
Click of Respect The 5 Family Click 2003
Legends Vol. 3 (digital album - Napster) J-love Enterprise 2009

Featured appearances

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:k9frxqygld6e~T1
  2. ^ a b http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/features/id.1051/title./p.all
  3. ^ a b Kool Moe Dee, 2003, There's A God On The Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs, Thunder's Mouth Press, p.225, 228.
  4. ^ Shapiro, Peter, 2005, The Rough Guide To Hip-Hop, 2nd Edition, Penguin, p. 213-214.
  5. ^ a b c d e f http://www.mtv.com/bands/h/hip_hop_week/2006/emcees/index12.jhtml
  6. ^ a b c d http://www.allmusicguide.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:yauw6j5371t0
  7. ^ a b c d http://allhiphop.com/stories/reviewsmusic/archive/2009/03/16/21108470.aspx
  8. ^ a b c d http://allhiphop.com/stories/reviewsmusic/archive/2009/01/28/20816964.aspx
  9. ^ a b c d http://allhiphop.com/stories/reviewsmusic/archive/2009/01/22/20803725.aspx
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/koolgrap/biography online excerpt from 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide.
  11. ^ a b c d e Cobb, William Jelani, 2007, To The Break Of Dawn: A Freestyle On The Hip Hop Aesthetic, NYU Press, p. 59.
  12. ^ a b c d e Hess, Mickey, 2007, Icons Of Hip Hop, Greenwood Publishing Group, p.57.
  13. ^ a b Kool Moe Dee, 2003, There's A God On The Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs, Thunder's Mouth Press, p.228.
  14. ^ a b c http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:g9fqxquhldae
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h Shapiro, Peter, 2005, The Rough Guide To Hip-Hop, 2nd Edition, Penguin, p. 213.
  16. ^ http://halftimeonline.com/hip-hop-icon-series/kool-g-rap/2/
  17. ^ a b Kool G Rap, Will C., 2008, Road to the Riches Remaster Liner Notes, p. 4.
  18. ^ Kool G Rap, The Source, 1995, issue # 72
  19. ^ Kool G Rap, Will C., 2008, Road to the Riches Remaster Liner Notes, p. 3.
  20. ^ allmusic ((( Kool G Rap > Biography )))
  21. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:3pfuxqu5ld6e
  22. ^ allmusic ((( Kool G Rap > Biography )))
  23. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:h9fyxql5ldhe
  24. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:3pfqxqu5ld6e
  25. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:kbfpxqrgldfe
  26. ^ http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.chartFormatGroupName=Albums&model.vnuArtistId=97142&model.vnuAlbumId=1078035
  27. ^ http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/reviews/id.911/title.kool-g-rap-half-a-klip
  28. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:anfuxqljldte
  29. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:0pftxqehld6e
  30. ^ Kool Moe Dee, 2003, There's A God On The Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs, Thunder's Mouth Press, p.226-228.
  31. ^ http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/reviews/id.911/title.kool-g-rap-half-a-klip
  32. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:kbfpxqrgldfe
  33. ^ Shapiro, Peter, 2005, The Rough Guide To Hip-Hop, 2nd Edition, Penguin, p. 214.
  34. ^ a b c Kool Moe Dee, 2003, There's A God On The Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs, Thunder's Mouth Press, p.225.
  35. ^ http://www.blackpower.com/entertainment/the-thinking-man%E2%80%99s-rapper/
  36. ^ Coleman, Brian, 2007, Check The Technique: Liner Notes For Hip-Hop Junkies, Villard, Random House, p. 285.
  37. ^ http://www.allhiphop.com/stories/reviewsmusic/archive/2009/07/14/21794546.aspx
  38. ^ Raekwon, in The Source: Issue 233, August 2009, pg. 87, article - Jessica Bennett, "The Takeover".
  39. ^ http://www.myspace.com/ratheruggedman
  40. ^ http://www.myspace.com/officialladyofrage
  41. ^ http://halftimeonline.com/hip-hop-icon-series/oc/4/
  42. ^ http://www.dubcnn.com/interviews/twista09/
  43. ^ http://www.allhiphop.com/stories/reviewsmusic/archive/2009/10/15/21980532.aspx
  44. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:kbfpxqrgldfe
  45. ^ Jay-Z, 2003, 'Encore', The Black Album, Roc-A-Fella/Island Def Jam.
  46. ^ http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/reviews/id.911/title.kool-g-rap-half-a-klip
  47. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:kbfpxqrgldfe
  48. ^ http://halftimeonline.com/hip-hop-icon-series/big-daddy-kane/4/
  49. ^ Kool Moe Dee, 2003, There's A God On The Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs, Thunder's Mouth Press, p.225-228.
  50. ^ a b Sway & King Tech, 1999, 'The Anthem', This Or That, Interscope Records.
  51. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:h9fyxql5ldhe
  52. ^ Kool Moe Dee, 2003, There's A God On The Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs, Thunder's Mouth Press, p.225, 227.
  53. ^ Kool G Rap, 1989, 'Road to the Riches', Road to the Riches, Cold Chillin'.
  54. ^ Kool G Rap, 1990, 'Bad to the Bone', Wanted: Dead or Alive, Cold Chillin'.
  55. ^ Kool G Rap, 1992, Live and Let Die, Cold Chillin'.
  56. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:anfuxqljldte
  57. ^ http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:k9frxqygld6e~T2
  58. ^ Kool G Rap, 1990, 'Streets of New York', Wanted: Dead or Alive, Cold Chillin'.
  59. ^ Kool G Rap, 1995, 'Fast Life', 4, 5, 6, Cold Chillin'.

Further reading

  • Kool Moe Dee, 2003, There's A God On The Mic: The True 50 Greatest MCs, Thunder's Mouth Press.
  • Brian Coleman, 2007, Check The Technique: Liner Notes For Hip-Hop Junkies, Villard, Random House.
  • Peter Shapiro, 2005, The Rough Guide To Hip-Hop, 2nd Edition, Penguin.
  • William Jelani Cobb, 2007, To The Break Of Dawn: A Freestyle On The Hip Hop Aesthetic, NYU Press.
  • Mickey Hess, 2007, Icons Of Hip Hop, Greenwood Publishing Group.

External links

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