''Guerillas in tha Mist'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop group

Da Lench Mob Da Lench Mob was an American hip hop group from Los Angeles, California, associated with Ice Cube. The group consisted of rappers Shorty, T-Bone, J-Dee, Maulkie, and Ice Cube. Their Islamic religious and social politically inspired-lyrics garn ...

, who originally appeared on

Ice Cube An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be produc ...

's debut solo album, ''

AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Ice Cube, released on May 16, 1990, by Priority Records. It was his first solo album, after an acrimonious split from his former group N.W.A. The album was primarily produc ...

''. The titular "Guerillas in tha Mist" was a hit at the release of the album. The album was produced by

, who is also featured throughout the album though uncredited. The album peaked at number 24 on the ''Billboard'' 200, number 4 on the

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...

, and was certified Gold by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

on December 18, 1992, indicating US sales of over 500,000 units. The single "Freedom Got an A.K." peaked at number 7 on the

Hot Rap Songs Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by '' Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stat ...

. The album title is a pun on the popular movie title ''

Gorillas in the Mist ''Gorillas in the Mist'' is a 1988 American drama film directed by Michael Apted and starring Sigourney Weaver as the naturalist Dian Fossey. It tells the story of her work in Rwanda with mountain gorillas and was nominated for five Academy Aw ...

'' and

guerrilla warfare Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which small groups of combatants, such as paramilitary personnel, armed civilians, or Irregular military, irregulars, use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, Raid (military), raids ...

. In the post- Los Angeles riot atmosphere of the album's release, the title was also perceived as a clever reference to a comment made by one of the police officers who had arrested

Rodney King Rodney Glen King (April 2, 1965June 17, 2012) was an African American man who was a victim of police brutality. On March 3, 1991, he was beaten by Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers during his arrest after a pursuit for driving whi ...

. Laurence Michael Powell, one of King's arresting officers, had described through radio message a domestic disturbance involving two blacks as something straight from ''Gorillas in the Mist''. Powell's comment was considered highly racist, comparing black people to gorillas, and was used against the officer during the Rodney King trial.

Critical reception

Track listing

Notes *Tracks 2, 4, 5, 6 and 9 featured uncredited vocals by

Personnel

* Terry "T-Bone" Gray – vocals, co-producer * Jerome "Shorty" Muhammad – vocals * DaSean "J-Dee" Cooper – vocals * O'Shea Jackson – vocals (tracks: 2, 4-6, 9), producer, executive producer * Louis Freese – vocals (track 8) * Derrick A. Baker – co-producer *James Rashad Coes – co-producer *Mister Woody – co-producer *Bob Morris – engineering *Mike Calderon – engineering * Brian Knapp Gardner – mastering *Ed Korengo – mixing *Kevin Hosmann – art direction *Mario Castellanos – photography

Charts

Certifications

References

External links

{{Authority control 1992 debut albums Atco Records albums Da Lench Mob albums East West Records albums Political music albums by American artists Race-related controversies in music