Some weekends you need to just cocoon
in your house, see no one, read a good book and relax. I love these weekends, but
that isn’t what’s happening this weekend. Right now I’m in the middle of a
crazy busy weekend full of social engagements – back from one and on to another
shortly. I love these weekends as well.
Disc 639 is….Power
Artist: Ice T
Year of Release: 1988
What’s up with the Cover? This looks like
three Halloween costumes. Ice T is dressed as an orderly, his pal on the right
is dressed as doctor and the woman on the left is dressed as…. Hmm, let’s just say I think her costume is
just fine, and I wouldn’t change a thing: not the white one-piece, not the thin
gold ankle chain and definitely not the pink pumps. Even the shotgun works.
How I Came To Know It: Maybe ten or fifteen years ago my
friend Chris put on an Ice T album when I was over at his place (I think it was
“Iceberg/Freedom of Speech”). I loved it, but it took me years to decide to buy
some of my own, and once I was hooked “Power” was just me digging through his
early albums.
How It Stacks Up: I have three Ice T albums. Of the three “Power” is the
second best.
Rating: 4 stars
A lot of my favourite rap artists
are smooth, jazz-influenced East Coast acts like Eric B. and Rakim and GangStarr. These guys flow from one rhyme to another like water. By contrast, Ice T
spits rhymes like a heavy machine gun emptying a belt of ammo into the
microphone.
“Power” is a classic example of Ice
T’s style. It is early rap (1988) and the stripped down production lets the combination
of Ice’s rhymes, the carefully chosen samples and the scratching and beats all
stand strong in the mix without anything ever feeling busy.
DJ Evil E is one of the best in
the business, and as I noted earlier, the production decisions (made by Afrika
Islam) are beautiful in their simplicity, but the star here is Ice T. Opinionated,
insightful and not afraid to make his point. In “Power” and “High Rollers”
he calls America on its obsession with wealth, while making it very clear he
has already played their game and won. He is clear about what he thinks rap
should be about and not afraid to say what he likes (Eric B. and Rakim) or
doesn’t (LL Cool J).
“Power” is a sparse album, and its
power comes principally from Ice T’s delivery. His rhymes tend to land hard on
the end of each measure in a way that always makes me think of West Coast style,
even though Ice himself is really a mix of East and West Coast styles.
Ice is masterful in the elastic
way he slows and speeds up his cadence, while all the while staying on the beat
perfectly. Even when the pace is at its most furious (which can get pretty
furious) Ice never loses his control, and every word is spoken with perfect
diction.
Ice T was a pioneer of what later
became gangsta rap, and in addition to my long-time favourites – the “I rap
better than you” themes – he also covers crime on “Drama” and “High Rollers”
and drugs on “I’m Your Pusher.”
Despite the fact that his raps
clearly point out the down side of crime (being arrested, being shot by rival
gangs etc.) and drugs (Ice raps about how music is a better drug than crack on “I’m Your Pusher”) he still came under
fire from censors (an awful gang in any decade).
His response – “Radio Suckers” – is a brilliant
indictment of radio stations afraid to play his songs because he was too hardcore:
“Clear as a gun scope, I speak the pure dope
Can the radio handle the truth? Nope!
Uncut, no edits, no censors.
You can get a plastic rapper from any ol’ dispenser.
A penny a yard, to make a record ain’t hard,
But to make it mean something, that’s a job!
But then we do it, they refuse it
So I tell them duck suckers to cold go screw it
We shouldn’t sell out, we should just yell out
And get them wack motherfuckers the hell out!”
We’ve come a long way on the
censorship front, and artists like Ice T taking a stand twenty-five years ago
are a big reason why, so thanks, Ice.
Despite this album being a quarter
century old now, it is still current. Sure there are references to buying LPs
and cassette tapes, and getting messages on your beeper, the raps remain fresh
because their basic truths are still as up-to-date as they ever were.
Like a lot of rap albums, “Power”
has an intro and an outro, which is basically a radio skit. I don’t love these
on any album, because they mostly get in the way of hearing the music. That
said, “Power’s” intro/outro is pretty funny. The intro features someone getting
shot when showing the new Ice T tape to a buddy, who then gets so excited to
listen to it that he forgets to call an ambulance. The outro is the guy
realizing he’s played the whole tape and his buddy is still bleeding out. He
commits to calling the ambulance…right after a second listen. Pretty funny on
the first few listens, although I don’t love hearing it over and over again.
The raps on “I’m Your Pusher” are excellent, but the re-imagined use of Curtis
Mayfield’s “The Pusher” is a bit too
large a sample, and causes the song to lose a bit of individuality. I’d prefer
to just listen to the Mayfield original at that point.
Like the Beastie Boys, Ice T brings
in hard rock samples to good effect – a trend that would later lead him to even
stronger metal/rap crossovers on later albums like “O.G. (Original Gangster)”
and his metal band “Body Count.” As a guy who grew up loving metal and hating
rap, this is a nice reminder that there is no reason to not enjoy both kinds of
music – and even at the same time, when done right.
“Power” is a great rap album that
helps advance the genre, while staying true to its core principles. If you only
know Ice T as an actor these days do yourself a favour and check out an album
that shows off his true calling.
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