Search - Kool G Rap & DJ Polo :: Road To The Riches

Road To The Riches
Kool G Rap & DJ Polo
Road To The Riches
Genres: Pop, Rap & Hip-Hop
 
  •  Track Listings (30) - Disc #1

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...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Kool G Rap & DJ Polo
Title: Road To The Riches
Members Wishing: 2
Total Copies: 0
Label: Traffic Entertainment/Cold Chillin'
Original Release Date: 1/1/2006
Re-Release Date: 11/21/2006
Album Type: Original recording remastered
Genres: Pop, Rap & Hip-Hop
Styles: East Coast, Gangsta & Hardcore, Pop Rap
Number of Discs: 2
SwapaCD Credits: 2
UPC: 829357750327

Synopsis

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

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CD Reviews

A Great Deluxe Treatment for a Classic Rap Album
Hype Currie | Detroit, Michigan United States | 02/27/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)

"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.

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"A Re-Mastered Masterpiece!"
"Old Skool" Ran-Dee | "Da' Bronx" | 02/11/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)

"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?"