CD Review: Body Count - Murder 4 Hire
Published July 16, 2006
A lot of people don't know this, but Ice T basically invented the gangsta rap genre.
Oh sure, NWA gets most of the credit. Largely due to the Straight Outta Compton album and its most famous single, "Fuck Tha Police." But back in the day, when Dre, Cube, Eazy and company were still sporting the jeri curls and satin outfits they wore as The World Class Wreckin Cru, Ice T was earning his stripes as a hip hop soldier with the Zulu Kings alongside guys like Afrika Bambaataa and Afrika Islam.
By the time he released his first album as a full fledged rap artist in his own right, (the classic Rhyme Pays), Ice T made his claim on history with what is arguably the first bonafide gangsta rap track, "Six In The Mornin," which details an unwelcome visit to the rapper's front door by L.A.'s finest at that ungodly hour.
"Six In The Mornin," for all you hip hop historians out there, is widely credited as being the first West Coast gangsta rap single (though some will argue it was predated by the mid-West's Schooly D single "P.S.K. (What Does It Mean?).”
No matter.
The bottom line is Ice T's track came at least a year before NWA popularized the gangsta rap genre and turned thousands of suburban white boys into wannabes.
The other significant thing Ice T did was create one of the earliest examples of rap-metal fusion with another track from Rhyme Pays, "Our Most Requested Record."
Originally released as a single B-side (though now included on the CD version of Rhyme Pays), Ice T trades lyrical daggers on "Our Most Requested Record" with a gloriously scratched and otherwise dissected sample of Led Zeppelin's "Heartbreaker."
"Our Most Requested Record" was a sign of things to come.
Ice T next took the rap-metal fusion — combined with the gangsta politics — he had mined as a rapper to its fullest conclusion with the creation of the very first rap/metal band Body Count.
Body Count stirred up some significant shit with their very first single, the infamous "Cop Killer."
Released during an election year, the single made a star out of the otherwise mentally feeble Dan Quayle for one thing. Serving as the hit man for the first George Bush's re-election campaign, Quayle took his "family values" tirade to the national stage with a message that somehow wedded Ice T with Candice Bergen's popularity at the time with her Murphy Brown TV character.
What can I say other than that you had to be there?
I can remember to this day seeing Ice T and Body Count on the very first Lollapalozza tour at the height of the "Cop Killer" controversy. It was in Seattle, and I was a part of Sir Mix-A-Lot's organization at the time.
- CD Review: Body Count - Murder 4 Hire
- Published: July 16, 2006
- Type: Review
- Section: Music
- Filed Under: Music: Metal, Music: Rap
- Writer: Glen Boyd
- Glen Boyd's BC Writer page
- Glen Boyd's personal site
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Comments on this articleComments
Thanx for the props Mr. Guppus. And thanx to Tan The Man for getting this published.
-Glen
Superb review!! Nice to hear Body Count get some credit, they're the original and best!!
I was shocked to find out there was a new BC album out regardless of the shit they've been through. BC are a real metal band as far as I'm concerned, Ernie C really does the business.
Gav :)
UK
I wondered what became of Body Count. Like you, I remember them stealing the first LottaPoorLosers festival when it was actually a real event.
I still remember the impact of Ice-T leaving the stage after his "rap set" only to come back and say "I don't want to see a pit there and a pit here and a pit back there, I want to see one big mother f*cking Pit!" as the band came out and thrash metal was heard.
"The Tension Mounts...On With the Body Count"
musicaly its a prety nice album BUT! and this is realy a shame = to me personaly the sound of the cd is very bad; a lot of distorted sounds, drums are like a drumcomputer en sommetimes cracks en clips like a broken amp or speaker, the sound realy sucks
why do people don't have ears for this anymore? they used to make such good sounding cd's and now these day's a cd's is only LOUD PIECE OF JUNK WITH A DISTORTED BEAT
but hey maybe we will wake up from this nightmare someday??!!?
Hi there, I opened an enveloppe I was given dated august 9 02Ad. I was a cd made by Mic-T.address was Honolulu at the time.
The contents: Al Qaeda Killaz....anyhow I'm still on Queen Charlotte Islands..went to Montreal after I received this cd and played it on the bus ..only a few got to listen to it as no one was really interested at the time...
Well. I just wanted you to know how much I value this special gift to me. I suppose all you men are older and married and stuff...well...I love yah still.
Sure would like to hear some music for a change..kinda living like a hermit..no tv. no radio...and finally got this mr. compaq laptop going again after taking it all apart and all..dusting it..etc..
Yah..I'm getting older....57 now...luckily that's not my waist line ..LOL
I think of you often. I pray for you...and may the LORD bless u all every which way.
Amen
Betty from Canada
or ejones.
ps. It's the only cd I've ever owned..so ...it's kool
Man i just cannot continue to read this review. gangsta rap has to be "gang related" ice t was a pimp.
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Great Review.... Granted, I don't like the new Bodycount CD, I do give Ice-T credit for being one of the pioneers of Rap nevermind Rap/Metal. He is also one of the few people that have crossed over into Movies & TV with his integrity still intact. It's hard not to notice the talent that this guy has. I still would like to see him get with a real metal band to do some stuff because it adds the musicianship as well. Kinda like what Anthrax did with Public Enemy even though Anthrax released their own white boy rap in 1987, "I'm the man". And you gotta give credit to the Beastie Boys for having Kerry King from Slayer on their biggest hit...
Well, enough with my babbling. Again, Great Review!! F*cking Metal!!!