Wanted: Dead or Alive (Kool G Rap & DJ Polo album)
| Wanted: Dead or Alive | ||||
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| Studio album by Kool G Rap & DJ Polo | ||||
| Released | August 14, 1990 | |||
| Recorded | 1987–1990 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop, hardcore hip-hop, Mafioso rap, Horrorcore | |||
| Length | 58:37 | |||
| Label |
Cold Chillin'/Warner Bros. Records 26165 |
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| Producer | Eric B., Large Professor, Kool G Rap, DJ Polo, Marley Marl, Anton, Biz Markie, Cool V | |||
| Kool G Rap & DJ Polo chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   |
| Robert Christgau |  |
| Rolling Stone | |
| The Source |  |
| Sputnikmusic | 4.5/5 |
| Trouser Press | Favorable |
| "Rikers Island" | ||||
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| Single by Kool G Rap & DJ Polo | ||||
| from the album Wanted: Dead or Alive | ||||
| A-side | Rikers Island | |||
| B-side | Rhyme Time | |||
| Released | 1987 1991 (re-release) |
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| Format | 12-inch single | |||
| Recorded | 1987 | |||
| Genre | East coast hip hop, golden age hip hop, hardcore hip hop | |||
| Length | 5:33 | |||
| Label | Cold Chillin'/Warner Bros. | |||
| Writer(s) | Marlon Williams, Nathaniel Wilson | |||
| Producer(s) | Marley Marl | |||
| Kool G Rap & DJ Polo singles chronology | ||||
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Wanted: Dead or Alive is the second album by the hip hop duo Kool G Rap & DJ Polo. The album was released a year after the duo's debut, Road to the Riches, and received greater acclaim from most music critics. The singles "Streets of New York" and "Erase Racism" received notable airplay on Yo! MTV Raps and the former is credited by Nas as being influential on his song "N.Y. State of Mind" from his critically acclaimed album Illmatic.
Lyrically, the album shows a greater variety of themes, from the battle rap braggadocio that dominated Road to the Riches, to topics of crime, poverty, racism ("Erase Racism"), and raunchy sex rap ("Talk Like Sex"). Perhaps most significantly, there is greater emphasis on vivid descriptions of crime and urban squalor ("Streets of New York") and references to organized crime, gang violence, contract killing, and Mafia films (the title track, "Money in the Bank", "Death Wish"), which helped cement Kool G Rap's reputation as the founder of mafioso rap.
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo appeared on the New York hip hop scene in 1986, releasing "It's a Demo" (produced by Marley Marl) and becoming recognized members of the Juice Crew. More singles followed until G Rap's appearance on "The Symphony", a Juice Crew posse cut that also featured Big Daddy Kane. After this, the Queens bred duo went into the studio with Marley Marl to cut their first full length, Road to the Riches. Although the title track laid the foundation for much of New York's gangsta rap for the next decade, the album was mostly composed of battle rap based material, in line with other rappers like Rakim and Big Daddy Kane.
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Wikipedia