O.G. Original Gangster is the fourth studio album by American rapper Ice-T, released May 14, 1991 by Sire Records. Recording took place from July 1990 to January 1991 in Los Angeles, California. Its production was handled by seven producers: Afrika Islam, Beatmaster V, Bilal Bashir, DJ Aladdin, Nat The Cat, SLJ and Ice-T himself, who also served as executive producer. It features guest appearances from Body Count, Prince Whipper Whip and various Rhyme Syndicate artists, such as Donald D, Evil E and Randy Mac.

O.G. Original Gangster
Studio album by Ice-T
Released	May 14, 1991 (1991-05-14)
Recorded	July 1990 – January 1991
Studio	Syndicate Studios West (Los Angeles, CA) Widetracks (Los Angeles, CA) Dodge City Sound (Los Angeles, CA) Fox Run Studios (Los Angeles, CA)
Genre	Gangsta rap
Length	72:17
Label	Sire
Producer	Ice-T (also exec.) DJ Aladdin Afrika Islam Slej Tha Ruffedge Bilal Bashir Beatmaster V Nat The Cat
Ice-T chronology
The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech... Just Watch What You Say! (1989) O.G. Original Gangster (1991) Home Invasion (1993)
Singles from O.G. Original Gangster
"O.G. Original Gangster" Released: 1991 "New Jack Hustler (Nino's Theme)" Released: 1991

The album peaked at number 15 on the U.S. Billboard 200 and number 9 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. On July 24, 1991, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America, indicating U.S. sales of more than 500,000 units.[1] O.G. Original Gangster was ranked at #25 in Melody Maker's list of the top 30 albums of 1991,[2] and was featured in The Source's 100 Best Rap Albums[3] and the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[4] The album was praised by many as his best.[5][6]

Release

On the album's release, the vinyl version only contained 16 of the compact disc's 24 tracks.[7] The NME stated to "forget the format's limitations" and promoted the compact disc version with 24 tracks over the lp.[7]

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[8]
Chicago Sun-Times	[9]
Chicago Tribune	[10]
Christgau's Consumer Guide	A[11]
Daily News	[12]
Entertainment Weekly	A[13]
NME	9/10[7]
Rolling Stone	[14]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[15]
Select	2/5[16]

From contemporary reviews, NME critic Dele Fadele praised O.G. Original Gangster as Ice-T's "best shot yet; riotous vignettes from a decaying America full of devious humour and striking pathos – all those things NWA profess to be but clearly aren't."[7] Fadele found that the music "is always restlessly inventive in catering for your solar plexus (even on the hardcore/Heavy Metal crossover token track)" and "complements highlights like the sad, droning 'The Tower', the optimistic 'Escape from the Killing Fields' (a scathing re-write of Public Enemy's 'Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos' that explains the original metaphor) and the out-of-character bad-tempered 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Infamous'".[7]

In a negative review for Select, Adam Higginbotham wrote that only three tracks – "Mind Over Matter", "The Tower" and "The House" – are "outstanding", while "much of the rest relies on a well-tested recipe of looped breakbeats and linear drums"; he concluded that the album "often functions better as manifesto than as music."[16]

Track listing

Notes

• ^{^[a]} signifies a songwriter that is only listed on music streaming services.[17]

Sample Credits

• "Bitches 2" contains a sample from "Dr. Funkenstein", written by George Clinton, George Worrell and William Collins, as performed by Parliament.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.[18]

Charts

Certifications

References

External links

O.G. Original Gangster at Discogs (list of releases)