Smoke Some Kill
Smoke Some Kill | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 1988 | |||
Recorded | 1988 | |||
Genre | ||||
Label | Jive Records | |||
Producer | Schoolly D | |||
Schoolly D chronology | ||||
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Smoke Some Kill is the third album by rapper Schoolly D. The album was released in 1988 for Jive Records and was produced by Schoolly D.
Release
[edit]Though the album was not as successful as Saturday Night! – The Album, it did manage to make it to #180 on the Billboard 200 and #50 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop album charts.[1]
"Signifying Rapper"
[edit]The song "Signifying Rapper" was based upon the "signifying monkey" character of African-American folklore. A version of this story was performed by Rudy Ray Moore. Schoolly D's adaptation of the story is recited over the rhythm guitar figure from Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir".[2] The song was featured in the film Bad Lieutenant, and inspired the title of (and is discussed in) the book Signifying Rappers: Rap and Race in the Urban Present.
"Signifying Rapper" was the target of several lawsuits following its use in the 1992 film Bad Lieutenant,[2] in multiple scenes.
In 1994, Live Home Video and distributor Aries Film Releasing were ordered to destroy any unsold copies of Bad Lieutenant as part of a copyright infringement ruling.[3][Request quotation on talk to verify] Director Abel Ferrara was angered by the incident, which he felt "ruined the movie":
"Signifying Rapper" was out for five years, and there wasn't a problem. Then the film had already been out for two years and they start bitching about it. [...] It cost Schoolly like $50,000. It was a nightmare. And meanwhile, "Signifying Rapper" is 50 million times better than "Kashmir" ever thought of being. [...] Why sue? You should be happy that somebody is paying homage to your work.
— Abel Ferrara, The A.V. Club interview[2]
Critical reception
[edit]Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Robert Christgau | B−[5] |
Los Angeles Daily News | B[6] |
Rolling Stone |
The album received generally mixed reviews from most music critics. The Los Angeles Daily News gave the album a B.[6] Rolling Stone reviewer Cary Carling panned the album, writing "With its images of gun-toting bluster, mushrooming genitals and rampant drug use – backed by thuddingly dull beats – Smoke Some Kill should be played for every prospective rapper so he'll know what not to do."[7] Allmusic reviewer Ron Wynn called the album "more chaotic than creative".[4] In his consumer guide for The Village Voice, critic Robert Christgau gave the album a B− rating,[5] calling Schoolly D "the white audience's paranoid-to-masochistic fantasy of a B-boy" and commending him for "realizing the fantasy so scarily, and for commanding his own tough-guy sound".[5]
Track listing
[edit]- "Smoke Some Kill" – 3:28
- "Here We Go Again" – 2:43
- "Mr.Big Dick" – 4:36
- "Gangster Boogie II" – 3:43
- "This Is It (Ain't Gonna Rain)" – 3:56
- "Another Poem" – 4:20
- "We Don't Rock, We Rap" – 3:17
- "Signifying Rapper" – 4:51
- "No More Rock N' Roll" – 3:52
- "Same White Bitch (Got You Strung Out On Cane)" – 4:19
- "Treacherous" – 4:27
- "Black Man" – 4:19
- "Coqui 900" – 3:30
- "Fat Gold Chain" – 3:01
Personnel
[edit]- Schoolly D – producer
- DJ Code Money – sampling, scratching
- Joe "The Butcher" Nicolo – engineer, mix on "Mr. Big Dick", "Gangster Boogie II", "This Is It (Ain't Gonna Rain)", "Another Poem", "Same White Bitch (Got You Strung Out On Cane)", "Treacherous", "Black Man"
- Nigel Green – mix on "Smoke Some Kill", "Here We Go Again", "We Don't Rock, We Rap", "Signifying Rapper", "No More Rock N' Roll", "Coqui 900", "Fat Gold Chain"
- Andy "Funky Drummer" Kravitz – drums on "Signifying Rapper" and "No More Rock N' Roll"
- Mike Tyler – guitar on "Signifying Rapper" and "No More Rock N' Roll"
- Doug Grigsby – bass on "Signifying Rapper" and "No More Rock N' Roll"
- Big Tim – bass on "Another Poem"
References
[edit]- ^ "Charts and awards for Smoke Some Kill". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-07-25.
- ^ a b c Tobias, Scott (2002-11-27). "Interview: Abel Ferrara". The A.V. Club. Onion.
- ^ Sandler, Adam (December 14, 1994). Live Must Destroy 'Bad' Vids Sez Judge. Variety
- ^ a b Wynn, Ron. "Review of Smoke Some Kill". Allmusic. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
- ^ a b c Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide: Smoke Some Kill". The Village Voice: December 27, 1988. Archived from the original on 2010-03-13.
- ^ a b Columnist. "Review: Smoke Some Kill". Los Angeles Daily News: September 2, 1988.
- ^ a b Darling, Cary (November 17, 1988). "Review of Smoke Some Kill". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 28, 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2010.
External links
[edit]- Emery, Andrew (1997). "Schoolly D - Original Gangsta". Global Darkness.
... I was sued by Led Zeppelin and that wasn't a pretty sight.
Passing mention.