11 Songs, 34 Minutes
Return of the Don 
Kool G Rap
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- Hip-Hop/Rap
Listen On:
| TITLE | TIME | |
|---|---|---|
|
Return of the Don
|
1:57 |
|
Mack Lean (feat. Fred the Godson & AG Da Coroner)
|
4:06 |
|
Criminal Outfit (feat. N.O.R.E.)
|
2:34 |
|
Wise Guys (feat. Lil Fame & Freeway)
|
3:59 |
|
Times Up
|
2:51 |
|
Capitol Hill (feat. Manolo Rose, Sheek Louch & Cormega)
|
4:34 |
|
Running (feat. Termanology & Saigon)
|
4:42 |
|
World Is Mine (feat. Crooked I, Willie the Kid & Pearl Gates)
|
4:19 |
|
Popped Off (feat. Sean Price & Ransom)
|
3:29 |
|
Rest in Peace (feat. Conway the Machine & Westside Gunn)
|
2:22 |
About Kool G Rap
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, New
York, 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!"
and UGK's "Next Up." He became more active on the album and mixtape
front, releasing Dead or Alive (2006), Half a Klip (2007), The Veteran
(2008), and Riches, Royalty & Respect (2011). ~ Jason Birchmeier
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