''Silent Assassin'' is an album by the Jamaican musicians Sly and Robbie, released in 1989 via Island Records.

Production

The album was produced by KRS-One, at the suggestion of Island; it was KRS's desire to make a "commercial" rap album.

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album '' All Hail the Qu ...

and Young M.C., among others, make guest appearances on ''Silent Assassin''.

Critical reception

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' wrote that "the rhythm grooves on ''Silent Assassin'' are deeper, sexier and more melodic than those on almost any other rap record." ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' deemed the album "a tough, articulate, rhythmically powerful blend of modern reggae and rap and hip hop." The ''

St. Petersburg Times The ''Tampa Bay Times'', previously named the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It has won fourteen Pulitzer Prizes since 1964, and in 2009, won two in a single ...

'' considered "Dance Hall" "arguably the best rap track of 1989." ''

The State A state is a centralized political organization that imposes and enforces rules over a population within a territory. There is no undisputed definition of a state. One widely used definition comes from the German sociologist Max Weber: a "stat ...

'' called the album "a powerful melding of reggae, funk and hip hop, and thanks to contributions from rap stars ... it's credible as well as accessible." ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'' called it "an ambitious undertaking," writing that "Latifah rules the mic on 'Woman for the Job'." The '' Spin Alternative Record Guide'' thought that it "was scrupulously intelligent and involving, yet it was an '80s-style consolidation instead of a true fusion or '90s-style deconstruction."

Track listing

Personnel

* Sly Dunbar - drums *

Robbie Shakespeare Robert Warren Dale Shakespeare (27 September 1953 – 8 December 2021) was a Jamaican bass guitarist and record producer, best known as half of the reggae rhythm section and production duo Sly and Robbie, with drummer Sly Dunbar. Regarded as on ...

- bass * KRS-One - production, vocals *

- vocals * Young M.C. - vocals *Shah of Brooklyn - vocals

References

{{Authority control Sly and Robbie albums 1989 albums Island Records albums