Lyrical Gangsta | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1995 | |||
Genre | Dancehall | |||
Label | East West [1] | |||
Producer | Philip Burrell | |||
Ini Kamoze chronology | ||||
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Lyrical Gangsta is an album by the Jamaican musician Ini Kamoze, released in 1995. [2] [3] "Listen Me Tic" was the first single. [4]
The album peaked at No. 6 on Billboard's Reggae Albums chart. [5] A compilation album, Here Comes the Hotstepper, was released right before Lyrical Gangsta, to the consternation of Kamoze and his label. [6] [4]
The album was produced by Philip Burrell. [7] It was influenced by American hip hop, although Kamoze continued to release purely dancehall singles in Jamaica during the same time. [8] Guru guested on "Who Goes There"; Nine also appears on Lyrical Gangsta. [9] [10]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ [14] |
MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Republican | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Tampa Tribune | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Toronto Sun dismissed the album as "a blatantly commercial brand of dancehall." [15] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution determined that "the second half of the album is a lesson in dance-hall crooning... The Hotstepper wafts his mellifluous tenor over hip swaying reggae beats sounding more natural and carrying more of an impact." [12]
Entertainment Weekly wrote that, "with his sweet, singsong tenor offsetting abrasive dancehall reggae backbeats, Ini Kamoze manages to straddle two worlds." [14] The Toronto Star considered the album "more American hip-hop than Jamaican reggae." [16] The Tampa Tribune concluded that "the beauty of his run-of-the-mill vocals is that he doesn't compete with the music, a product of great studio work." [10]
AllMusic wrote that the "duet performance with Guru (of Gang Starr fame) is a great juxtaposition of two very different rapping styles, and 'King Selassie' is a surprisingly sincere and sweetly melodic example of rootswise dancehall." [11]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Trust Me" | 0:33 |
2. | "Hole in Ya Head" (featuring Nine) | 4:06 |
3. | "Listen Me Tic" | 3:51 |
4. | "Don't Burn Ya Bridge" | 3:59 |
5. | "He Jus Jokin" | 0:39 |
6. | "Love Em Doe?" | 4:28 |
7. | "Who Goes There" (featuring Guru) | 3:30 |
8. | "Ballistic Affair" | 4:19 |
9. | "How U Livin" | 4:03 |
10. | "King Selassie" | 4:14 |
11. | "Hot Steppa" | 3:59 |
12. | "Imagine ... In Dub" | 4:30 |
13. | "Turn Me On" | 3:14 |
14. | "Kildatsounboy" | 3:40 |
15. | "Hotter This Year" (Hot Steppa Remix) | 4:54 |
Lyrical Gangsta | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1995 | |||
Genre | Dancehall | |||
Label | East West [1] | |||
Producer | Philip Burrell | |||
Ini Kamoze chronology | ||||
|
Lyrical Gangsta is an album by the Jamaican musician Ini Kamoze, released in 1995. [2] [3] "Listen Me Tic" was the first single. [4]
The album peaked at No. 6 on Billboard's Reggae Albums chart. [5] A compilation album, Here Comes the Hotstepper, was released right before Lyrical Gangsta, to the consternation of Kamoze and his label. [6] [4]
The album was produced by Philip Burrell. [7] It was influenced by American hip hop, although Kamoze continued to release purely dancehall singles in Jamaica during the same time. [8] Guru guested on "Who Goes There"; Nine also appears on Lyrical Gangsta. [9] [10]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ [14] |
MusicHound World: The Essential Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Republican | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Tampa Tribune | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Toronto Sun dismissed the album as "a blatantly commercial brand of dancehall." [15] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution determined that "the second half of the album is a lesson in dance-hall crooning... The Hotstepper wafts his mellifluous tenor over hip swaying reggae beats sounding more natural and carrying more of an impact." [12]
Entertainment Weekly wrote that, "with his sweet, singsong tenor offsetting abrasive dancehall reggae backbeats, Ini Kamoze manages to straddle two worlds." [14] The Toronto Star considered the album "more American hip-hop than Jamaican reggae." [16] The Tampa Tribune concluded that "the beauty of his run-of-the-mill vocals is that he doesn't compete with the music, a product of great studio work." [10]
AllMusic wrote that the "duet performance with Guru (of Gang Starr fame) is a great juxtaposition of two very different rapping styles, and 'King Selassie' is a surprisingly sincere and sweetly melodic example of rootswise dancehall." [11]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Trust Me" | 0:33 |
2. | "Hole in Ya Head" (featuring Nine) | 4:06 |
3. | "Listen Me Tic" | 3:51 |
4. | "Don't Burn Ya Bridge" | 3:59 |
5. | "He Jus Jokin" | 0:39 |
6. | "Love Em Doe?" | 4:28 |
7. | "Who Goes There" (featuring Guru) | 3:30 |
8. | "Ballistic Affair" | 4:19 |
9. | "How U Livin" | 4:03 |
10. | "King Selassie" | 4:14 |
11. | "Hot Steppa" | 3:59 |
12. | "Imagine ... In Dub" | 4:30 |
13. | "Turn Me On" | 3:14 |
14. | "Kildatsounboy" | 3:40 |
15. | "Hotter This Year" (Hot Steppa Remix) | 4:54 |