Sunday, July 15, 2012

It Takes a Thief (Tommy Boy, 1994) by Coolio


Coolio's debut album is a very interesting one.  West Coast hip hop was very gangsta at the time, and Coolio's subject matter covered some of the same topics.  Yet, he spoke about these things with a sense of humor, vulnerability, and humility that a lot of hardcore rap didn't.  "County Line" discussed standing in the welfare line and "I Remember" is about getting shot by a gang member for unknowingly wearing the wrong colors.  Gangsta's Paradise is a great album too, has a great deal of sentimental value to me and was very successful.  Perhaps though, the only downside to its achievements is that it overshadowed Coolio's great piece of work from a year earlier.

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