Kool G Rap

Early years

Wilson was born in the Corona district of New York and lived on the same street as future producer Eric B. ^[16] In an interview with The Source magazine, the rapper said that he had a difficult youth, about the poverty in which he grew up, about the addiction to narcotic substances since childhood ^[17] . After meeting Eric B. Kool, G Rap met DJ Polo , who was looking for an MC to work together ^[16] .

Kool G Rap & DJ Polo

Produced by Juice Crew Mr. Magic and Marley Marl , familiar with DJ Polo, offered the duet to record a song that was called “It's a Demo”. The track was recorded in just one night, and Marley was so impressed with the skills of the young performers that he offered them to become members of the Juice Crew ^[18] . Soon after, the duo performed on the radio (with the help of Mr. Magic), and later remade the track “It's a Demo” into the single “I'm Fly”. The duo recorded with other members of Juice Crew, he then released his debut album Road to the Riches ^{[19] [20]} , which is now recognized as a classic of hip-hop, like the following releases - Wanted: Dead or Alive and Live and Let Die ^{[9] [12] [19] [21] [22] [23]} . In 1993, the duo fell apart.

Solo career

In 1995, Kool G Rap released the debut solo album 4,5,6 , where Nas and MF Grimm were present as guests; the album ranked 24th on the Billboard 200 chart ^[24] . In 1998, the album Roots of Evil . The rapper announced that his next work - The Giancana Story - will be released in 2000 on Rawkus Records , but the release of the release was delayed by 2 years due to problems with the label . The single from this album - “My Life” - took the 5th line in the US Billboard Hot 100. In 2008, G Rap released EP Half a Klip , which was produced by DJ Premier and Marley Marl ^[25] .

The latest works of the rapper are criticized mainly for the departure from the norms of traditional hip-hop ^{[26] [27]} .

Although Kool G Rap was always respected in the hip-hop community because of his performance abilities, ^{[8] [12]} he did not become a mainstream artist, unlike Biz Markie or Big Daddy Kane , his fellow Juice Crew ^{[25] [28]} and stayed in the underground .

Assessment of creativity

Kool G Rap is one of the brightest representatives of the hip-hop Golden Era . Journalist Peter Shapiro writes that G Rap is the forerunner of such rappers as Nas , Biggie Smalls and many others ^[29] . Rapper Kool Moe Dee calls Wilson the forerunner of such artists as The Notorious BIG , Jay-Z , Treach , NORE , Fat Joe , Big Pun and many other hardcore rap artists ^[1] , and also recognizes him as one of the best MCs of his time ^{[ 30]} . MTV calls Wilson the “hip hop godfather” ^[3] , and Rolling Stone the founder of Queensbridge hip hop, where he was the forerunner of Nas and Mobb Deep .

Wilson's influence as an MC was recognized by many rappers, including: The Notorious BIG ^[31] , Eminem , ^[14] Jay-Z , ^[32] Vinnie Paz from Jedi Mind Tricks , ^[33] Havoc from Mobb Deep , ^[34] Black Thought from Roots , ^[35] MOP , ^[36] Bun B from UGK , ^[5] RZA ^[7] and Raekwon ^[37] from Wu-Tang Clan , Kurupt , ^[38] Pharoahe Monch ^[39] and Twista , ^{[40 ] [41]} , as well as many others.

Also appreciated the lyrical abilities of the rapper; ^{[3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [23] [30]} he is often put on a par with KRS-One and Big Daddy Kane as the brightest representatives of the “golden era”. ^{[8] [12]} On the “Encore” track, Jay-Z reads “Gap in his prime,” ^{[25] [42]} comparing his level as MC with the Wilson level. Allmusic called him a "legend" and a "master" ^{[4] [23]} . Some rappers ( Ice Cube , Rakim , Big Daddy Kane , Lloyd Banks , Nas ) include him as their favorite performers. ^[43] On his list of the top 50 MCs of all time, Kool Moe Dee put Genius at 14th place, ^[30] and MTV included him on the Greatest MCs Of All Time list. ^[3]

Recitative Technique

Kool G Rap, along with Rakim, is called the first rapper who used new, complex forms of recitative in his tracks, ^[12] since he practically did not breathe during the performance of the verse. ^[12] This form of recitative was borrowed by many modern rappers - Eminem , Nas , Papoose, and others. ^[44]

Along with Slick Rick and Notorious BIG, he is called the best storyteller. ^{[21] [45]} Rolling Stone claims that the album Live or Let Die largely predetermined the history of the development of hip-hop .

Kool G Rap, MC , a book called How to Rap: The Art & Science of the Hip-Hop, published in 2009, wrote the preface as one of the rap artists ^{[46] [47]} .

Track Content

Kool G Rap is the founder of the mafia-rap genre ^{[3] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]} . On the track “Road to the Riches” (1989), he refers to the character Al-Pacino in the movie “ The Scarface ” ^[48] . Later, the genre developed in the works of rappers Raekwon and Jay-Z ^[11] .

In all rapper albums there are tracks where he describes crime bosses - from fictional ones like Tony Montana to real ones like Sam Giancana ^[49] .

Many of Wilson's songs described the grim setting on the streets and ghettos; in many respects it influenced the work of rapper Nas ^[50] .

Wilson is married to Carryn Steffans, they have a son, although the rapper has children from other women ^[51] .

With DJ Polo

• Road to the Riches (1989)
• Wanted: Dead or Alive (1990)
• Live and Let Die (1992)

Solo Albums

• 4,5,6 (1995)
• Roots of Evil (1998)
• The Giancana Story (2005)
• Half a Klip (2008);
• Riches, Royalty, Respect (2011) ^[52]

Compilations

• Killer Kuts (1994)
• Rated XXX (1996)
• The Best of Cold Chillin ' (2000)
• Greatest Hits (2002)
• Kool G Rap & Twinn Loco Present - I Live Hip Hop - The Mixtape (2010)

Collaborative Albums

• Click of Respect with The Five Family Click (2003)
• Legends Vol. 3 together with J-love Enterprise (2004)
• The Godfathers with Necro (2012)
• TBA ^[53] with The Alchemist (2012)

• The official Kool G Rap page on Myspace
• Kool G Rap interview on March 5, 2008 - an interview with HipHopDX
• Kool G Rap interview 2003 - interview with MVRemix
• Conspiracy Worldwide Radio September 2010 Uncensored Interview
• Interview with Platform8470 2011-09-19

• Paul Edwards, Foreword by Kool G Rap, 2009, Hip-Hop MC . Chicago Review Press.
• Kool Moe Dee, 2003, 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.