''Tricks of the Shade'' is the debut album by American hip hop group

the Goats The Goats were an American alternative hip hop trio from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. History The group (whose name, according to Swayzack, was chosen to join the word "scapegoats" and the saying "Don't get my goat," concluding that they felt t ...

. It was released on November 3, 1992 though Columbia Records sub-label,

Ruffhouse Records Ruffhouse Records is an American record label founded in 1989 by Chris Schwartz and Joe Nicolo as a joint venture with Columbia Records. In 1999, Schwartz and Nicolo closed the label, and Schwartz and Kevon Glickman continued with RuffNation ...

and was produced by OaTie Kato and Joe "The Butcher" Nicolo.

Release

''Tricks of the Shade'' was released on November 3, 1992 by

. The artwork was done by Oatie's brother and former Goats member, Vinnie Angel. Two singles were released from the album, "¿Do The Digs Dug?" and "Typical American", the latter of which appeared on Ruffhouse Records' final release in 1999, the greatest hits compilation ''Ruffhouse Records Greatest Hits''. "¿Do the Digs Dug?" was included on the 1992 Columbia Records '' Zebrahead'' soundtrack.

Content

Although largely touted as a theme album with a backstory following the two characters Chicken Little and Hangerhead as they make their way through Uncle Scam’s Federally Funded Welfare & Freakshow to find their mother who was jailed for attempting an illegal abortion, ''Tricks of the Shade'' features politically charged lyrics. It takes aim at such figures as then-

US President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States ...

George H. W. Bush,

Christopher Columbus Christopher Columbus * lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo * es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón * pt, Cristóvão Colombo * ca, Cristòfor (or ) * la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...

, and

Daryl Gates Daryl Gates (born Darrel Francis Gates; August 30, 1926 – April 16, 2010) was the Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) from 1978 to 1992. His length of tenure in this position was second only to that of William H. Parker. As Chief ...

. Criticism and observations were made upon topics such as

militarism Militarism is the belief or the desire of a government or a people that a state should maintain a strong military capability and to use it aggressively to expand national interests and/or values. It may also imply the glorification of the mili ...

, police brutality, patriotism,

classism Class discrimination, also known as classism, is prejudice or discrimination on the basis of social class. It includes individual attitudes, behaviors, systems of policies and practices that are set up to benefit the upper class at the expense ...

, and

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonis ...

. Other persons mentioned in songs include Nelson Mandela,

Willie Horton William R. Horton (born August 12, 1951), commonly referred to as "Willie Horton", is an American convicted felon who became notorious for committing violent crimes while on furlough from prison, where he was serving a life sentence without the ...

, Yusef Hawkins, Minnesota Fats and

Leonard Peltier Leonard Peltier (born September 12, 1944) is a Native American activist and militant member of the American Indian Movement (AIM) who, following a controversial trial, was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of two Fe ...

Critical reception

''Tricks of the Shade'' earned some critical acclaim, including 4 of 5 stars in its review by ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

,'' and an A from Robert Christgau in ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...

''. In 2016, ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' named it the 12th best album of 1993.

Track listing

# "We Got Freaks" – 1:00 # "Typical American" – 4:36 # "Hangerhead Is Born" – 1:24 # "Whatcha Got Is Whatcha Gettin'" – 4:13 # "Columbus' Boat Ride" – 1:17 # "Ru Down wit da Goats" – 4:21 # "Cumin' in Ya Ear" – 3:51 # "Noriega's Coke Stand" – 1:30 # "Got Kinda Hi" – 3:23 # "Unodostresquattro" – 1:21 # "Georgie Bush Kids" – 1:17 # "Wrong Pot 2 Piss In" – 3:42 # "Hip-Hopola" – 4:42 # "Leonard Peltier in a Cage" – 1:24 # "¿Do the Digs Dug?" – 4:31 # "Carnival Cops" – 1:46 # "TV Cops" – 4:23 # "Tattooed Lady" – 1:36 # "Tricks of the Shade" – 4:19 # "Not Not Bad" – 3:29 # "Rovie Wade, the Sword Swallower" – 1:09 # "Aaah D Yaaa" – 3:26 # "Drive-By Bumper Cars" – 1:48 # "Burn the Flag" – 3:53 # "Uncle Scam's Shooting Gallery" – 2:46

References

1992 debut albums Ruffhouse Records albums {{1990s-hiphop-album-stub