Road to the Riches

1. Road to the Riches

2. It's a Demo

3. Men at Work

4. Truly Yours

5. Cars

6. Trilogy of Terror

7. She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not

8. Cold Cuts

9. Rhymes I Express

10. Poison

11. Butcher Shop

Road to the Riches,Kool G Rap & DJ Polo,Warner Bros / Wea,East Coast Rap,Golden Age,Hardcore Rap,R&B,Rap,Rap & Hip-Hop

Average customer rating: A Great Deluxe Treatment for a Classic Rap Album "A Re-Mastered Masterpiece!"

Road To The Riches Kool G Rap & DJ Polo Manufacturer: Traffic Entertainment/Cold Chillin' ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD East Coast | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music Gangsta & Hardcore | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music Pop Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music East Coast | Vinyl Records | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Long Live the Kane The Funky Technician Criminal Minded Breaking Atoms Where's The Party At? ASIN: B000JVSJGC Release Date: 2006-11-21

Tracks:

1. Road To The Riches
2. It's A Demo
3. Men At Work
4. Truly Yours
5. Cars
6. Trilogy Of Terror
7. She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not
8. Cold Cuts
9. Rhymes I Express
10. Poison
11. Butcher Shop
12. Radio Album Introduction
13. Radio Freestyle feat: Craig G.
14. Radio Interview
15. Riker's Island Radio Promo
16. Raw (Big Daddy Kane feat: Kool G)
17. It's A Demo (Original 12 Version)
18. I'm Fly (Original 12 Version)
19. Riker's Island (Original 12 Version)
20. Rhyme Tyme (Original 12 Version)
21. Poison (Hip Hop Version)
22. Poison (Dub Version)
23. Poison (Remix)
24. Men At Work (Extended Version)
25. It's A Demo (12" Instrumental)
26. I'm Fly (12" Instrumental)
27. Riker's Island (12" Instrumental)
28. Men At Work (Instrumental)
29. She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not
30. Men At Work (A Capella)

Product Description

Kool G Rap DJ Polo's "Road to the Riches" had been a long time coming when Cold Chillin' released it in 1989. It didn't disappoint. After some successful singles and G Rap's contributions to Marley Marl's Juice Crew, the duo arrived almost fully formed on its debut. Whether boasting (his greatest strength at this point) or spinning tales, G Rap's knife-edged rhymes -- delivered with the hardest-sounding lisp in hip-hop -- tear through Marley Marl's productions and DJ Polo's scratching with all the ferocity of a pit bull devouring a piece of meat. Though tracks like "Poison", "It s a Demo", and the title track won this record a lot of respect, there are several other moments that help make this a remarkable debut. On "Men at Work", lines like, "I drop rhymes on paper and then build a skyscraper/When I die scientists will preserve my brain/Donate it to science to answer the unexplained" whip by so fast that it s easy to overlook Marl and Polo's perfectly snarling, densely percussive backdrop. Marl's imaginative sampling gleans from all sorts of unexpected sources, like the harmonica from Area Code 615's "Stone Fox Chase", the odd phasings of Kraftwerk's "Trans-Europe Express" (no one used it like this), and the burbling synths from Gary Numan's "Cars" (remember, this was the late 80s). People throw the word classic around lightly. Kool G Rap and DJ Polo's debut album is a triumph in the Hip Hop world that has withstood the test of time, and will always be referred to as a cohesive project that demonstrates lyrical and production ability, as well as artistic chemistry. Cold Chillin' Records and Traffic proudly present Kool G Rap and DJ Polo's "Road To The Riches", available for the first time as a 2-disc set, including the original album, and a plethora of substantial bonus material, from artwork to audio. With all songs being digitally re-mastered, and all additional photography being supplied by George DuBose, and a deluxe digi-pak with a 24 page booklet including al

Album Description

People throw the word classic around lightly. Kool G Rap and DJ Polo's 1989 debut album is a triumph in the Hip Hop world that has withstood the test of time, and will always be referred to as a cohesive project that demonstrates lyrical and production ability, as well as artistic chemistry. Cold Chillin' Records and Traffic proudly present Kool G Rap and DJ Polo's Road To The Riches, available for the first time as a 2-disc set, including the original album, and a plethora of substantial bonus material, from artwork to audio. With all songs being digitally re-mastered, and all additional photography being supplied by George DuBose, and a deluxe digipak with a 24 page booklet including all the lyrics and liner notes written by Fly Ty, Mr. Magic, George DuBose and The Kool Genius of Rap himself, this project has been thought out, done right and handled with care and we sincerely hope you enjoy it.

Customer Reviews:

A Great Deluxe Treatment for a Classic Rap Album.......2007-02-28

Kool G Rap-- His lisp is still crisp-- Possessing one of the most distinctive voices in hip-hop, he blazed a trail for several rappers to follow, despite being relatively unknown by mainstream standards. He's kind of like Iggy Pop of the hip hop world-- he never sold a tremendous amount of records, but he maintains a cult following that won't quit, while scores of newcomers point to him as an influence.
The 2 disc collection starts off in the late-1980's, back when the Marley Marl-led "Juice Crew" was among the early hip-hop posses to achieve prominence, being signed to Prism Records, which eventually would become Cold Chillin'. Shortly afterwards, label head Ty Williams secured a distribution deal with Warner Bros.
"I'm Fly" and "It's a Demo" are sparse early tracks which makes listeners focus even more on Kool G's lyrics. At this time, he was somewhere between LL Cool J and Rakim, spouting whimsical braggadocio with occasional inflections of sober battle-ready aggression. His technique would be fine-tuned on his first album, "Road to the Riches", featuring the title cut, "Dope Car" (sampling Gary Numan), "Poison", and "Men at Work". Marley's 808-driven funk production is at it's best here. The first disc has the original album and a few bonus cuts including the early, non-album singles. The second disc has a great collection of rarities, including radio promos & interviews, as well as alternate takes, remixes & instrumentals which were previously only available on 12" maxi-singles during the original release of the album (the best of the bunch: an alternate take of Big Daddy Kane's "Raw" featuring Kool G. The collection has better than average liner notes, including commentaries from photographer George DuBose, Ty Williams and Kool G Rap himself. There are also lyrics printed for all the original songs.

"A Re-Mastered Masterpiece!".......2007-02-11

This is the ultimate and most definitive Kool G Rap & DJ Polo ollection EVER!! Superior sound quality and a bonus CD containing their early sigles from '86, radio freestyles and remixes. Their best collection yet! a must have CD! A re-mastered Hip-Hop masterpiece, what more can you ask for?

Average customer rating: Solid Compilation Ok... Ok... Follow The Purple Brick Road Hot Production, Okay lyrics ......it's aiight.......

Road to the Riches: The Best of the Purple City Mixtapes Purple City Manufacturer: Babygrande Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD East Coast | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music Gangsta & Hardcore | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music Southern Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music Pop Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music General | Rock | Styles | Music Similar Items: The Purple Album More Than Music, Vol. 1 Back Like Cooked Crack, Pts. 1 & 2 Born to the Purple Diplomatic Immunity, Vol. 2 ASIN: B0007KIG9A Release Date: 2005-03-22

Tracks:

1. The Road To The Riches Intro
2. Piff Iz Da Answer feat. Shiest Bub The Emperor, Un Kasa & Agallah The Don Bishop
3. Winning feat. Un Kasa & Bathgate
4. Purple City Byrdgang feat. Shiest Bub The Emperor, Un Kasa & Jim Jones
5. Insight with Panchi--skit
6. Me & U feat. Shiest Bub The Emperor, Un Kasa & J.R. Writer
7. It Ain't Easy feat. Shiest Bub The Emperor & Agallah The Don Bishop
8. Broadway feat. Shiest Bub The Emperor, Agallah The Don Bishop & Alleyway
9. Will Not Lose feat. Un Kasa
10. Insight with Panchi II--skit
11. Copz Iz Coming feat. Un Kasa & Juelz Santana
12. Real Ni*%&z feat. Shiest Bub The Emperor, Un Kasa, Agallah The Don Bishop & D. Doubler
13. A Part of History introducing DK
14. Insight with Panchi III--skit
15. Roll It Up, Light It Up feat. Shiest Bub The Emperor, Un Kasa & Agallah The Don Bishop
16. America Show feat. Agallah The Don Bishop
17. A Star feat. Un Kasa & Kamika
18. The Accident--skit
19. Late Night feat. Un Kasa & Sebastian
20. Gun Go feat Un Kasa, Agallah The Don Bishop, Juelz Santana & Jim Jones
21. Come 2 Get Ya feat. Un Kasa & Agallah The Don Bishop

Customer Reviews:

Solid Compilation.......2006-07-08

Thought this 1 was pretty tight. I started gettin into Purple City after seein the video 4 "Purple City Byrdgang" and seein Un Kasa on DVDs. If u like Dipset or Purple City u will definatly like this one. 5 stars from me.

TOP TRACKS:
Piff Iz Da Answer
Purple City Byrdgang
Me & U
Copz Iz Coming
A Star

Ok... Ok..........2006-06-10

The Purple City movement is in full force. This is a crazy mixture of original beats, and nice flow and delivery. Being that Cam'Ron and the dips co-signed um' I expected this. I can't get enough of Un Kasa, and those Agallah beats are raw. I like Sheist Bubs style, he keep it real. I would have gave it 5 stars but its not really something you can put in and listen to without skipping a few tracks. But even with that being said, the album is still piff.

Follow The Purple Brick Road.......2005-12-03

Purple City members, Shiest Bub 'The Emperor', Un Kasa and Agallah 'The Don Bishop' are an extension of The Diplomats, but had their own identity and direction led by Shiest Bub, eight of the twenty-one tracks were produced by Agallah and Un Kasa held it down lyrically. "Purple City Byrdgang" featuring Jim Jones should have been the anthem but the hook wasn't strong enough to carry the song as Un Kasa states "...you better honor that sh*t..." "Piff Iz Da Answer" has crisp production a horn section where Purple City talks about what they smoke. The production and the hook was the highlight for "Me & U" featuring J.R. Writer with this laid back track that's amazingly a highlight for this LP. On to a more heavy metal, rock-hop, "It Ain't Easy" blended with the overall sound and identity. "Broadway" featuring Alleyway contains a Spanish horn section sample for the bridge/hook. "Will Not Lose" has a classic hip-hop track where Un Kasa spits solo lyrical attack "...blow your brains all over Thousand Islands, that's a salad dressing / from a silent weapon..." The title "Copz Iz Coming" featuring Juelz Santana have the drive of a party / club banger with its up-tempo shakers and production by Teflon. "A Part Of History" featuring DK deserves honorable mention with an epic instrumental. Something to get the crowd involved and hyped "Roll It Up, Light It Up" has the chants to start the movement. Agallah flows solo on "America Show" with lyrics "...f*ck y'all, yeah I'm trying to do me / ménage trios ma, I'm trying to do three / 106 & Park, I'm trying to do Free / settle for a model b*tch trying to do E..." "A Star" had the most commercial appeal with the sample taken. As the City takes us to the streets with shots from "Gun Go" featuring Juelz Santana & Jim Jones as the show was taken completely by Juelz. The Road To The Riches: The Best Of The Purple City Mixtapes is highlighted with production as some of the mediocre lyrics didn't seem to always fit with the unique style and sounds provided.

Hot Production, Okay lyrics.......2005-10-23

Ok first thing you must know about this cd is that the lyrics really compare nothing to those of the Diplomats, however, with that saying, their production is just as hot. I dunno if it was the heatmakerz (some of the best producers in the biz) who did some of the beats but they sound dope as hell either way. If your gonna buy this cd then you should really only buy it if you just wanna hear some hot beats for influence or watever.

......it's aiight..............2005-10-22

I agree with the reviewer before me:

***This album should be purchased for the BEATS ONLY.***

Period. There's no lyrical gymnastics on this album, whatsoever, so if you're expected lyricism -- I'm warning you now -- this is NOT the album. The only one who holds the album together lyrically is Un Kasa, and Kasa isn't a jaw-dropping lyricist either, although he's definitely ahead of his other two group members. I'd say Kasa's a spit above average.

For heads that know, the self-proclaimed Don Bishop Agallah is the modern "reincarnation"/new moniker of the forgotten 8Off the Assassin (yeah, I slept on it too after seeing the video for "Ghetto Girl" back in '96... ...terrible). Let's just say that 8Off/Agallah took a hint when he finally gave some thought to what people were saying about his rap skills...he's an exceptional producer and that's where he should've been all along: behind the boards, although he still goes "in the booth" at times on the album.

Actually, I don't really know what to say about Agallah. You can literally trace him from 1996-Present. As 8Off, he was a quirky rapper (I don't even know what stilo the kid was on back then), then around 1999/2000, he went to the whole "indie/backpacker" thing when he did some work for Game Recordings, and now he's Agallah, the "Don Bishop" and Dipset Purple City Byrdgang member?!?! It's kind of like watching Mos Def becoming the thugged out type...I guess. Whatever the case is and all strangeness of Agallah's transformation(s) aside, he doesn't suck on the mic, but he's not good either.

Shiest Bub is ALL OVER this album and should be ashamed of himself. Lyrically, dude is straight ASS. And like Guru said, "...it's not all about the lyrics...you've gotta have the voice..." Shiest Bub has some weird undescribable voice and his toddler-elementary lyrics are so wack...man, dude makes me laugh out loud on some of the tracks. Shiest Bub SUCKS, period. And it's really disappointing that he didn't get behind the boards like he did for Jim Jone's new album (Bub produced the exquisite "Harlem" on 'Diary of A Summer').

While some beats aren't as good as others, the bangers stick out like a sore thumb. If you liked the Heatmakerz when they were hot about 3-4 years ago, you'll absolutely LOVE tracks like "Winning" (sounds like something off a movie soundtrack), "Me & U", and "Will Not Lose" (with the first two being produced by Agallah). Top quality.

FINAL NOTES: As the title of the album states, this is a "Best Of" collection of various songs featured on different Purple City mixtapes, which makes the album a mixtape in of itself. What does all that mean? Don't expect any continuity, fluidity, and expect to waddle through crap to get to the goods (just like on a mixtape). This is a good CD for the beats, though. If you can find this anywhere (I'm talking about a physical store, not online), you're going to be hard pressed to find this. Don't buy it at full price -- you'll be pissed. Instead, burn it, get it from a friend, or whatever. Peace.

Average customer rating: Arguably the dopest rapper with a lisp. Sorry E Double............. truly superb Definite must-have for hip hop purists when G.Rap strikes the mic, i recite the type of hype that you like, that make the people unite... MUSTHAVE!

Road to the Riches/Wanted: Dead or Alive Kool G Rap & DJ Polo Manufacturer: Landscape Germany ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD East Coast | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music Gangsta & Hardcore | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music Pop Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Indie Music | Stores | Music Rap & Hip-Hop | Imports | Stores | Music Similar Items: Long Live the Kane Roots of Evil Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em Don't Sweat the Technique Unfinished Business ASIN: B00005LMO3 Release Date: 2001-06-26

Tracks:

1. Road To The Riches
2. It's A Demo
3. Men At Work
4. Truly Yours
5. Cars
6. Trilogy Of Terror
7. She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not
8. Cold Cuts
9. Rhymes I Express
10. Poison
11. Butcher Shop

Tracks:

1. Streets Of New York
2. Wanted Dead Or Alive
3. Money In The Bank
4. Bad To The Bone
5. Talk Like Sex
6. Play It Again Polo
7. Erase Racism
8. Kool Is Back
9. Play It Kool
10. Death Wish
11. Jive Talk
12. The Polo Club
13. Rikers Island

Customer Reviews:

Arguably the dopest rapper with a lisp. Sorry E Double....................2006-12-30

Kool G Rap to me vocally is a mix of Big Daddy Kane and Erick Sermon's lisp. He had some good joints but at his best he was a B List rapper, when compared to Kane and Rakim.

Top Joints:
Road to Riches
Truly Yours
Streets of NY (Classic)
Talk Like Sex
Death Wish
Erase Racism
Play It Again Polo
Rikers Island

truly superb.......2006-07-03

simply the best you can get by Kool G Rap & Dj Polo and almost the best you can get from Hip-Hop.

ROAD TO THE RICHES (produced by Marley Marl)
Road to the riches: brilliant beat and lyrics that will suck you into their world (5 stars)
It's a demo: G Rap & Polo's first single, but this is not the original version, which unfortunately is far better (4 stars)
Men at work: true hardcore (5 stars)
Truly yours: mocking and a bit arrogant (5 stars)
Cars: brilliant sample and rap (5 stars)
Trilogy of terror: very good but a bit short maybe (4,5 stars)
She loves me, she loves me not: G rap demonstrates he's not afraid of speaking about his weaknesses, too. a very frank cut (5 stars)
Cold cuts: some room to let Polo display his great turn-table's skills (5 stars)
Rhymes I express: the only average cut (4 stars)
Poison: ferocious rhymes and great scratches on the hook (5 stars)
Butcher shop: incredible bass line!! (5 stars)

WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE (produced by G Rap, Eric B, Dj Polo, Large Pro and Marl on the last cut)
Streets of new york: real and raw street narrative (5 stars)
Wanted dead or alive: ferocious rap once again (5 stars)
Money in the bank: ft\ Large pro, anton & freddie foxxx, but the hook is a bit repetitive (4 stars)
Bad to the bone: classic eric B's beat, the bassline is amazingly fat! (5 stars)
Talk like sex: funny, tough, noisy. (5 stars)
Play it again polo: not that something (3 stars)
Erase racism: ft\ Biz Markie & Big Daddy Kane nuff said (5 stars)
Kool is back: G rap's shows a superhuman breath-control and Polo scratches with fury(5 stars)
Play it kool: the same brilliant Kool G Rap's flow, but this time the hook is very weak (3 stars)
Death wish: g rap's voice turns raucous on this, which is cool, too bad the beat is not very original (3 stars)
Jive talk: g rap drops a freestyle (4 stars)
The polo club: the worst track of the album (2 stars)
Rikers island: a bit repetitive, and what happened to G rap's voice?

the last 3 tracks are not as good as the rest but this double album is indeed worth owning. you won't be disappointed

Definite must-have for hip hop purists.......2006-06-15

If you feelin' artists like Kane, Rakim, Nas, Jay-Z, Scarface,(some TuPac & Biggie), AZ, Common and Mos Def, you gotta have this LP to complete your collection.

Kool G. Rap is the OG in hip hop for all-time!

Highly recommended purchase!

when G.Rap strikes the mic, i recite the type of hype that you like, that make the people unite..........2005-09-08

KOOL G. RAP displays one the greatest rhymes performances on record, only a close 2nd to RAKIM's Follow the Leader LP, on "WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE." On the "ROAD TO THE RICHES" LP "Men @ Work" may be the greatest 30 bar rhyme segment ever recorded. The only dude that was better was RAKIM. PEACE.

I write because I suffer, Inc.

MUSTHAVE!.......2004-06-09

Simply put: If you are a hip-hop connoisseur, and you do not have this in your collection, you are a fool, and you need to step your game up real quick! Road to the Riches and Wanted and Dead or Alive in the same package? These classics are from hip-hop's golden era that introduces you to the Large Professor and Freddie Foxxx (Money in the Bank) and the slept-on Erase Racism (BDK and BizMarkie) to name a few. For all the WHBI heads out there, you know that Riker's Island was the jumpoff. Absolutely a MUSTH HAVE!

Average customer rating:

Road to the Riches Kool G Rap & DJ Polo Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | R&B | Styles | Music East Coast | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music Gangsta & Hardcore | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Taste of Chocolate Wanted: Dead or Alive ASIN: B00000DRUP Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

1. Road to the Riches
2. It's a Demo
3. Men at Work
4. Truly Yours
5. Cars
6. Trilogy of Terror
7. She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not
8. Cold Cuts
9. Rhymes I Express
10. Poison
11. Butcher Shop

Average customer rating:

Road to the Riches: The Best of the Purple City Mixtapes Purple City Manufacturer: Babygrande Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music East Coast | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music Gangsta & Hardcore | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music Southern Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music Pop Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music ASIN: B0007WQGRM Release Date: 2005-03-22

Tracks:

1. The Road To Riches Intro
2. Piff Iz Da Answer
3. Winning
4. Purple City Byrdgang
5. Insight With Panchi (Skit)
6. Me & U
7. It Ain't Easy
8. Broadway
9. Will Not Lose
10. Insight With Panchi II (Skit)
11. Copz Iz Coming
12. Real *%#@!$
13. A Part Of History
14. Insight With Panchi III (Skit)
15. Roll It Up, Light It Up
16. America Show
17. A Star
18. The Accident (Skit)
19. Late Night
20. Gun Go
21. Come 2 Get Ya

Average customer rating: Here We Go, Let's Go with the Flow. The first of MANY lyrical gems from the Don G. Rap One OF the Greatest DAMN NEAR 5 STAR RECORD An on-point album from a pure hip-hop artist

Road to the Riches Kool G Rap & DJ Polo Manufacturer: Cold Chillin Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Soul | R&B | Styles | Music East Coast | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music Gangsta & Hardcore | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music Pop Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music Similar Items: Live and Let Die Wanted: Dead or Alive Runaway Slave Killer Kuts ASIN: B0000010EC Release Date: 1995-10-17

Tracks:

1. Road To The Riches
2. It's A Demo
3. Men At Work
4. Truly Yours
5. Cars
6. Trilogy Of Terror
7. She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not
8. Cold Cuts
9. Rhymes I Express
10. Poison
11. Butcher Shop

Customer Reviews:

Here We Go, Let's Go with the Flow........2005-04-24

All biases aside, G Rap is one of the top five greatest emcees of all time. He brought to hip-hop a style so Kool (if I may) that everyone wanted to be him. The only problem was that he was way too ahead of his time for the mainstream exposure in 1988. He was real. The Kool Genius of Rap painted a perfect picture of the struggle, whether it be crime, love, politics, or money, and did it sounding like a true veteran with untouchable street smarts and an ever loquacious personality. The vocabulary he used was articulate, but not pretentious, and was always putting together crazy tales of life on the other side of town. He ORIGINATED the Costa Nostra Mafioso style in hip-hop, and to this day he did it better than anyone.
G Rap's legacy starts with "Road to the Riches", and it sets the tone for the next two classics that follow. Through each album, his skills improve immensely and he flawlessly masters being a true gangsta documentarian. Each installment to this classic trilogy builds on concepts, style, inventive production, and Kool straight up ripping the mic in half and giving it a new name. "Road to the Riches", his debut has that classic 88 sound, Marley Marl's timeless production mastery, and G Rap hungry as hell to make a name for himself. There is just a feeling on this album that trumps his two proceeding efforts. He does perfect his lispy delivery and content with time, but the truths and vibes that "Road to the Riches" passes off is a sound that is never revisited during his career (the fact that Marl produced all 47 minutes of it is probably why). But, in all aspects (even Cars) this album is a beautiful thing.
It's a shame how slept-on G Rap was and is by the masses, it seems he never gets mentioned along with the upper-echelon of the greatest emcees of all time. He not only pioneered a sub-culture so replicated (never duplicated) in hip-hop, he also was a personality of unique and legendary proportions. Kool never went Gold, never had big transcending fame, but the true students of the game all know that The Kool Genius of Rap could not be stopped in his prime. If you don't know, buy his catalog immediately, and realize how influential and magnetizing this guy really is.

The first of MANY lyrical gems from the Don G. Rap.......2004-04-16

Many say that Kool G. Rap was ahead of his time. I SLIGHTLY agree with that, but aside from Slick Rick, in 88, this MC possessed something that others didn't have at the time: a knack for storytelling, and just like Slick Rick, G. Rap did it with supreme innovation and style. His first album, Road To The Riches, is the very beginning of this great. Basically pioneering the "Don" element in hip hop, this album set off G.Rap in the world of hip hop, and he immediately set precedence with this album. Here's the review:

Album Highlights: Road To The Riches, Men At Work, Trilogy of Terror, Butcher Shop, It's A Demo, Poison, and Truly Yours.

Production: Thumbs up. Handled marvelously by Marley Marl.

Lyrics and Subject Matter: Thumbs way way up. This man comes NICE with his flow.

Originality: Thumbs up.

The Last Word: While this album does have some filler(Cars, She Loves Me...., etc), I can't in good conscience give this album 5 stars. But on the strength of the highlights of the album, it's enough for just 4 stars. Kool G. Rap would prove he can get better as the years went on, and he certainly did. Overall, I strongly recommend this album.

One OF the Greatest.......2002-06-21

This album will make real hip hop heads smile for days. G Rap's vocals are amazing, Marley's beats are dope! This album was obviously made back when skills still mattered and rap wasn't all about image and marketing. Pick up this, Ultramag's Critical Beatdown, The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, and Criminal Minded by BDP, and give yourself an education in how great hip hop can be. This album is required listening for real hip hop heads!

DAMN NEAR 5 STAR RECORD.......2000-03-21

BY FAR THE BEST RECORD TURNED OUT BY G RAP AND POLO, THIS ALBUM FALLS JUST SHORT OF FIVE STARS. KOOL G RAP HAS CLEAR, CONCISE, VERBALLY INTACT RHYMES THAT FLOW ON AND ON AND POLO RIPS IT UP ON THE WHEELS OF STEEL. "SHE LOVE'S ME" IS THE ONLY REAL BLEMISH ON THIS ALBUM. AFTER THIS ALBUM, IT GETS QUESTIONABLE FOR G RAP AND POLO. IF YOU'D TUSSLE AROUND WITH PAMELA ANDERSON EVEN THOUGH SHE HAD A LITTLE BLEMISH ON HER RUMP (SHE LOVE'S ME...SHE LOVE'S ME NOT), YOU NEED TO CHECK THIS RECORD OUT. IT'S PRACTICALLY A CLASSIC!

An on-point album from a pure hip-hop artist.......1999-05-31

This was G Rap's first album, and it's good.Marly Marl's production is good, and very original. Kool G Rap rips it on several tracks, the rest a little slower. The main problem is that some of the "slower" tracks are too boring. "She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not" is an example of the type of track that fails to keep your attention. All in all, it could be better, but many of the tracks are great.

Average customer rating:

Road to Riches Suga Bear Manufacturer: Big L ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music Pop Rap | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Indie Music | Stores | Music ASIN: B00004RDKL Release Date: 2000-02-15

Tracks:

1. Intro Big Block Family
2. Neck Of Tha Woods
3. Thought It Was Safe
4. Ten 4 One
5. Evil Ass Intentions
6. Boys Lost
7. Road To Riches
8. Comin Out Tha Cuts
9. Break Bread
10. Million 2 A Billion
11. Suspects
12. Grave Yard Shift
13. Stop Slangin & Bangin
14. Outro

Average customer rating:

Road to the Riches ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Dance & DJ | Styles | Music General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music ASIN: B000HXE2BI Release Date: 2007-01-16

Average customer rating:

Road to Riches Manufacturer: Get Rich ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music ASIN: B000CA7BT6 Release Date: 2005-03-08

Average customer rating:

Road to the Riches/Wanted Dead Kool G. Rap , and DJ Polo Manufacturer: Landspeed Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music ASIN: B00005J71G Release Date: 2001-06-26

Tracks:

1. Road To The Riches
2. It's A Demo
3. Men At Work
4. Truly Yours
5. Cars
6. Trilogy Of Terror
7. She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not
8. Cold Cuts
9. Rhymes I Express
10. Poison
11. Butcher Shop

Tracks:

1. Streets Of New York
2. Wanted Dead Or Alive
3. Money In The Bank
4. Bad To The Bone
5. Talk Like Sex
6. Play It Again Polo
7. Erase Racism
8. Kool Is Back
9. Play It Kool
10. Death Wish
11. Jive Talk
12. The Polo Club
13. Rikers Island

Amazon.com

Continuing its series of essential re-releases from the Cold Chillin' catalog, Landspeed Records has issued two of Kool G. Rap and DJ Polo's best albums in a double-CD package. For those who don't know, world-famous Juice Crew member Kool G. Rap ruled the East Coast hard-rock roost during the late '80s. He can be considered a godfather of Biggie, Nas, and other young rappers who've since become hooked on Mafia-inflected mobphonics. Road to the Riches, first released in 1989, contains 11 adrenalized tracks, five of which are must-have joints. "It's a Demo," "Men at Work," and "Poison" were big-time New York club hits when the record first dropped. "Truly Yours" is a classic dis record and "Road to the Riches" is the song that Biggie reworked into a three-part ode to Cali beats. Wanted Dead or Alive contains more filler than thriller, but the hits spawned off of this album were brilliant. "Streets of New York" is a gritty tale of urban realism, "Rikers Island" breaks it down for the jail cats, and the nasty and naughty "Talk Like Sex" is the song that Chris Rock reworked and performed in the movie CB4. --Rebecca Levine

Dance Music:

1. Sabotage [CD-single]
2. Screwed Out
3. Slam [Explicit Lyrics] [Soundtrack]
4. Slam: The Soundtrack [Explicit Lyrics] [Soundtrack]
5. Soul Food [Explicit Lyrics]
6. Southbound [Explicit Lyrics]
7. Sports Weekend: As Clean as They Wanna Be, Pt. 2
8. Sports Weekend: As Nasty as They Wanna Be, Pt. 2 [Explicit Lyrics]
9. Step into the A.M.
10. Stereo MC's [EP]

Dance Music

dance music

Dance Music

Fugazi

Locklair: Choral Music - Portland Chorale (Windswept the Trees)

Meridiana [Import]

Complete Studio Recordings [Original recording remastered] [Import]

Australian Idol Final 10 Cast Album [Import]

Mood [Import]

Li'l Abner (1956 Original Broadway Cast) [Original recording remastered]

Music From Prague, Vol.1

Living Room [Import]

Martinu: Piano Concertos Nos. 2, 3 & 4 [Import]

Mania Vol. 2 [Import]

Lift

Latin Club Remixes

A Christian Christmas: Angels We Have Heard On High

Louis and Keely!