''Live and Let Die'' is the third and final studio album by the American hip hop duo

Kool G Rap Nathaniel Thomas Wilson (born July 20, 1968), better known by his stage name Kool G Rap (or simply G Rap), is an American rapper from Queens, New York City. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and a ...

& DJ Polo. It was released on November 24, 1992, via

Cold Chillin' Records Cold Chillin' Records was a record label that released music during the golden age of hip hop from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. A producer-and-crew label founded by manager Tyrone Williams and run by Len Fichtelberg (d. November 4, 2010), ...

. The album features guest appearances from Big Daddy Kane,

Bushwick Bill Richard William Stephen Shaw (December 8, 1966 – June 9, 2019), better known by his stage name Bushwick Bill, was a Jamaican-American rapper. He was a member of the Texas hip hop group Geto Boys, a group he originally joined as a breakdancer ...

, Ice Cube and Scarface. The singles " Ill Street Blues" and "

On The Run On the Run may refer to: * "On the run", a phrase often used to describe a fugitive, a person fleeing custody Literature * ''On the Run'' (novel), by Nina Bawden * On the Run (novel series), by Gordon Korman * ''On the Run'', a novel in the S ...

" both received consistent airplay on

Yo! MTV Raps ''Yo! MTV Raps'' is an American two-hour television music video program, which first aired on MTV Europe from 1987 to mid-90s and on MTV US from August 1988 to August 1995. The American version of the program (created by Ted Demme and Peter Doug ...

, and

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los ...

Rap City ''Rap City'' is a music video television program block that originally aired on the Black Entertainment Television (BET) network from August 11, 1989, to November 8, 2008. The program was an exclusive showcase for hip hop music videos, and featu ...

upon the album's release.

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (formerly Warner Bros. Records Inc.) is an American record label. A subsidiary of the Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division of the ...

eventually refused to distribute ''Live and Let Die'' as part of its deal with

because of the album's lyrical content and cover art.Code of Silence: Kool G Rap interview in ''The Source''
by Reginald C. Dennis, January 1993. It is not known if a Warner Bros. catalogue number was ever assigned to the release. ''Live and Let Die'' remained out of print until it was re-released and remastered with various bonus material in August 2008 by Traffic Entertainment Group, the current owners of the Cold Chillin' catalog. Over the years, several music critics have hailed it as an underground classic, due to Kool G Rap's intricate lyricism, and

Sir Jinx Anthony Wheaton, professionally known by his stage name Sir Jinx, is an American hip hop producer and rapper from Los Angeles. He is a cousin of multi-platinum producer Dr. Dre. He began his career as a member of the C.I.A. in the mid-80s with ...

's production. Compared to the lyrical themes on the duo's previous albums, this album features an even greater focus on hardcore

gangsta Gangsta may refer to: Urban culture * Gangsta rap, a subgenre of hip hop music that evolved from hardcore hip hop and purports to reflect urban crime and the violent lifestyles of inner-city youths * Gangster, a member of a gang * Hip hop fashi ...

and

mafioso rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, emerged in the mid- to late 1980s as a controversial hip-hop subgenre whose lyrics assert the culture and values typical of American street gangs and street hustlers. Many gangsta rappe ...

lyrics. The violence and sexual content are much more graphic than on any previous Kool G Rap & DJ Polo album. Most of the songs feature vivid stories of some sort, many of them related to

organized crime Organized crime (or organised crime) is a category of transnational, national, or local groupings of highly centralized enterprises run by criminals to engage in illegal activity, most commonly for profit. While organized crime is generally th ...

(especially the singles "On the Run" and "Ill Street Blues") and violent

street crime Street crime is a loose term for any criminal offense in a public place. The difference between street crime and white-collar crime is that street crime is often violence that occurs in a public area whereas white-collar crime is non-violent crim ...

("Train Robbery", "Two to the Head"). There are also sex raps ("Operation CB", "Fuck U Man"),

horrorcore Horrorcore, also called horror hip hop, horror rap, death hip hop, or death rap, is a subgenre of hip hop music based on horror-themed and often darkly transgressive lyrical content and imagery. Its origins derived from certain hardcore hip h ...

stories ("Straight Jacket", "Edge of Sanity"), and even some socio-political commentary similar to

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...

and

Boogie Down Productions Boogie Down Productions (BDP) was an American hip hop group originally composed of KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. DJ Scott La Rock was murdered on August 27, 1987, five months after the release of BDP's debut album, '' Criminal Minde ...

("Crime Pays"). The songs "Home Sweet Home", "Fuck U Man" and "Still Wanted Dead or Alive" act as sequels, respectively, to the songs "Streets of New York", "Talk Like Sex" and "Wanted: Dead or Alive" from the previous album.

Conception

Background

After the release of ''Wanted: Dead or Alive'' tensions arouse between

and Eric B. Rather than using the same formula that he used on his two previous albums, Kool G Rap decided to give ''Live and Let Die'' a cinematic feel with each song telling a different story and providing backdrops for the respective scenes. He recruited several non-East Coast artists to assist him on the album, such as West Coast emcee Ice Cube and his cohort, producer

, and Southern emcees such as Scarface and

(from the Geto Boys). Although the album was originally intended to be released in 1991; its original release encountered several dilemmas due to record label issues, and the album's controversial content.

, which was Kool G Rap and DJ Polo's main record label, was caught up in a legal battle with fellow Cold Chillin' artist

Biz Markie Marcel Theo Hall (April 8, 1964 – July 16, 2021), known professionally as Biz Markie, was an American rapper, singer, songwriter, DJ, and record producer. Markie was best known for his 1989 single "Just a Friend", which became a Top 40 hit in ...

over sampling rights, and

, which was its distributor, was involved in the Ice-T "Cop Killer" controversy. Due to ''Live and Let Die's'' cover art and song content, both labels were reluctant to give the album a release, as they didn't want to get themselves into any more legal troubles.Kool G Rap, with Will C., 2008, ''Live and Let Die Remaster Liner Notes'', p. 2. While the project was on hold, Kool G Rap spent almost one year re-writing and recording until the LP was finally released in late 1992.

Recording

The recording and writing process began in 1991 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

, and continued into 1992. The album is considered by many to be the East Coast ''

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 ...

'', being that it takes the same approach that Ice Cube took with writing, recording, and collaborating with, and in a coast that he didn't reside; (''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'' was recorded in New York, and features several non-West coast artists, namely

and its production team

the Bomb Squad The Bomb Squad were an American hip hop production team known for its work with hip hop group Public Enemy. The Bomb Squad is noted for its dense, distinct, innovative production style, often utilizing dozens of samples on just one track. T ...

, though Ice Cube was a

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

native and resident—''Live and Let Die'' was recorded in California and features several non-East Coast artists, by G Rap, a New Yorker).

Cover art

The original cover was to display Kool G Rap and DJ Polo robbing a bank, with the photo being in black and white through a surveillance camera's perspective. This concept was eventually dismissed, as every bank said that they would not allow them to take such a graphic photo in their buildings. The second option was to have a photo of Kool G Rap and DJ Polo hopping inside a van with sacks of money and guns. Although this idea was more promising, being that this photo would cost less, and they could easily do it inside a photo studio, there was a new policy that record labels were taking at that time, which didn't allow weapons on album covers. The third and final option was thought of by photographer George Dubose.Kool G Rap, with George DuBose, 2008, ''"I Speak Music...Hip Hop'', p. -. The cover depicts Kool G Rap and DJ Polo in a warehouse dangling raw meat in front of a pair of

rottweiler The Rottweiler (, ) is a breed of domestic dog, regarded as medium-to-large or large. The dogs were known in German as , meaning Rottweil butchers' dogs, because their main use was to herd livestock and pull carts laden with butchered mea ...

s, whose leashes are tied to the legs of a pair of chairs, on top of which are two Tactical Narcotics Taskforce agents in nooses. It insinuates that as Kool G Rap and DJ Polo tease the dogs with the food, they run, pulling out the chairs and strangling the two under covers. The album was eventually shelved because of this, and remained out of print until it was re-released in August 2008.

Reception

Critical response

Although ''Live and Let Die'' didn't receive the same amount of commercial success and attention as some of Kool G Rap's other releases, it is widely favored among fans and critics alike. Andy Kellman of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

gave the album 4 ½ out of 5 stars, and stated; "A strong case could be made for Live and Let Die as Kool G Rap & DJ Polo's crowning achievement". He also went on to say that "The album is one story after another that draws you in without fail, and they come at you from several angles. Whether pulling off a train heist, venting sexual frustration, analyzing his psychosis, or lording over the streets, G Rap is a pro at holding a captive audience. All die-hard East Coast rap fans, especially followers of

the Notorious B.I.G. Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), better known by his stage names the Notorious B.I.G., Biggie Smalls, or simply Biggie, was an American rapper. Rooted in East Coast hip hop and particularly gangsta ...

, owe it to themselves to get real familiar with this album". Jeff Chang from ''

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 ...

'' gave the album a favorable review and complimented the chemistry between Kool G Rap and producer Sir Jinx, as well as the album's overall lyricism and production.

Track listing

Personnel

*Nathaniel "

" Wilson – main artist, producer (tracks: 1-8, 11-14, 16-17) *Thomas " DJ Polo" Pough – main artist *Antonio " Big Daddy Kane" Hardy – featured artist (track 7) *O'Shea " Ice Cube" Jackson – featured artist (track 17) *Brad " Scarface" Jordan – featured artist (track 17) *Richard "

" Shaw – featured artist (track 17) *Anthony "

" Wheaton – producer (tracks: 1-8, 11-14, 16-17) *

Trackmasters The Trackmasters are an American hip hop production duo composed of music producers Poke (Jean-Claude Olivier) and Tone (Samuel Barnes), best known for their commercial hit records in the mid-late 1990s and early 2000s. Frank "Nitty" Pimentel joi ...

– producers (tracks: 9, 10, 15) *George DuBose – photography

Charts

References

External links

''Live and Let Die''
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Live And Let Die (Album) 1992 albums Kool G Rap albums Mafioso rap albums Cold Chillin' Records albums Gangsta rap albums by American artists Albums recorded at Westlake Recording Studios Albums produced by Trackmasters