Power (Ice-T album)

Power
Studio album by Ice-T
Released September 13, 1988 (1988-09-13)
Studio Syndicate Studios West, Los Angeles
Genre Hip hop, gangsta rap
Label Sire
Producer Ice-T, Afrika Islam
Ice-T chronology
Rhyme Pays
(1987)		 Power
(1988)		 The Iceberg/Freedom of Speech... Just Watch What You Say!
(1989)
Singles from Power
  1. "I'm Your Pusher"
    Released: August 23, 1988
  2. "High Rollers"
    Released: January 20, 1989

Power is the second studio album by American hip hop artist Tracy Marrow under the alias of Ice-T. The album was recorded at Syndicate Studios West in Los Angeles, a home studio of DJ Evil E where it was produced by Marrow and Afrika Islam. The Los Angeles Daily News described Power's themes relating to sex, gun violence and that Marrow "implicates everyone from radio programmers to the police as accomplices in the decline of western civilisation." The album also contained lyrics which began a feud between Marrow and rapper LL Cool J.

The album was released on September 13, 1988, by Sire Records. The album cover featured Marrow's girlfriend Darlene Oritz which described as "perpetuating stereotypes" by The Chicago Tribune and "violence-glorifying" by the Chicago Sun Times and The Sydney Morning Herald respectively. The album had two singles released: "I'm Your Pusher" and "High Rollers" and was certified as Platinum by 2006. Music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine commented that on its release, Power received "strong reviews" and continuted to receive positive retrospective reviews from music guides such as AllMusic, The Rolling Stone Album Guide and the Spin Alternative Record Guide.

Background and production

Following the success of Marrow's album Rhyme Pays which went Gold in the United States, Marrow was featured on the soundtrack to the film Colors (1988).[1] Marrow felt that by the time he got around to working on his next album Power that he "was aware that people were listening" and that he "had to be more serious, and that I had to get some points across."[1] The beats for the album were written by Afrika Islam at his apartment with his SP-1200 and a Roland 909 drum machine.[2] Tracks such as "Drama" had a 303 connected to a SP-1200.[3] Islam stated that he felt he was creating a different sound for hip hop with this track as 303 was usually only heard in techno music and that the 303 created a unique "shreiky sound".[3] Others such as "Girls L.G.B.N.A.F." were made through connecting two 909s together.[4]

Power was recorded in Los Angeles at DJ Evil E's home which was known as Syndicate Studios West.[1][2] Marrow described Syndicate Studios West was set-up with a board connected to a speakers to resemble a car stereo system so they could test how tapes would sound while a closet at the home was converted into a both to record his vocals.[1] Afrika Islam noted that recording at Islam's home as it gave the group no time constraints to record the album.[2] Marrow stated that recording the album did not take a long time, saying "The recording was fast" and that he recorded" every record he's made in "a matter of a month, maybe two at the most."[1] Power was mixed at Entourage Studios in Los Angeles by Mark Wolfson.[5] Some tracks on the record feature guest vocalist, such as Donald D and Hen-Gee on "The Syndicate".[3] Donald D was a DJing partner of Afrika Islam in the 1970s while Hen-Gee is DJ Evil-E's brother.[3] The vocals on "I'm Your Pusher" are credited to Pimpin' Rex, who Marrow mentioned was "one of my buddies, a real live pimp."[6]

The Chicago Tribune noted the controversy surrounding the album cover, stating that Ice-T had been charged with perpetuating stereotypes with an album cover featuring a scantily clad woman.[7] The Sydney Morning Herald described the cover as a "violence-glorifying, women-denigrating sleeve".[8] The woman on the cover was Darlene Ortiz, Ice-T's girlfriend at the time.[9] In 1989, The Los Angeles Daily News stated that "Darlene has become as much a part of Ice-T's image as gangs, guns and boom boxes."[10] Oritz had originally met Ice-T when she was 17, stating she was "totally smitten and ready to settle down" and that she "would've done whatever he asked."[9] On her appearance on the album cover, she explained that it was "like nothing" for her.[9] To prepare for the cover, Ortiz bought five different bathing suits and went to photo studio with Glen E. Friedman.[11] Oritz felt comfortable with the sawed-off shotgun, stating that she got her first gun when she was 11 years-old and that she thought "it would be a powerful statement to see a woman holding a gun."[11] Marrow chose the bathing suit and the red high heel pumps and earrings for the cover.[11] Clothing on the cover was shared between shots, such as Oritz and DJ Evil E both shared the gold bracelet for the photoshoot and Marrow and DJ Evil E wearing the same rolex.[11] Ortiz also appeared in music videos from Power, including "I'm Your Pusher" and "High Rollers".[9]

Music and lyrics

Ice-T (left) would develop a feud with LL Cool J (right) on Power by dissing him on the tracks "I'm Your Pusher" and "Girls L.G.B.N.A.F". LL Cool J later retaliated on his album Mama Said Knock You Out (1990).

The Los Angeles Daily News described Power's themes as "Sex and guns are but two forms of power explored on Ice-T's Power album, a disc that implicates everyone from radio programmers to the police as accomplices in the decline of western civilization."[10] These tracks included "Radio Suckers", which Marrow wrote to say that he would not compromise his own music to get his music played on the radio and that his albums still sold well without radio support.[12][3] The final track on the album "Soul on Ice" was Marrow's tribute to Iceberg Slim whose books he read in high school.[13] Marrow described Slim as "fascinating" and that his books "made me wanna be a pimp."[13]

Some songs involved Marrow dissing fellow rapper LL Cool J. This is heard in tracks such as "I'm Your Pusher".[6] Marrow explained later that he felt that LL Cool J was "at that time on his "I'm the great rapper in the world" thing. Me being from L.A., I was trying to rep our entire city alone, so had to step to him".[2] Marrow also replied that he had no personal problem with him but just "thought I could beat him rapping anyways". Marrow stated that he recorded "Girls L.G.B.N.A.F." as a humorous response to LL Cool J's song "I Need Love".[10] Marrow stated that "Girls came to me and asked, `Ice, why don't you write a ballad?' Now can you imagine saying, `I need loooove?' That's a wimp. So I wrote ('Girls') as a joke."[10] LL Cool J later retaliated against Marrow by dissing him in his song "To da Break of Dawn" from his album Mama Said Knock You Out (1990).[6][14] Afrika Islam stated their fued ended when a group meeting involving Flavor Flav, DJ Red Alert, Mike Tyson and Afrika Bambaataa persuaded them to stop fighting.[6] Islam explained Tyson's role as that he was "down with hip-hop and the Zulus and I've always considered rappers like boxer anyway."[6] Marrow commented again on the feud in 2012, stating that "You need a nemesis in hip hop. It's part of what fuels good rap" and that "We had a little hip hop thing but it was never serious."[15]

Release

Power was released in the united States on September 13, 1988 through Sire on vinyl, compact disc, and cassette.[16][17][18][19] The album debuted on the Billboard 200 on October 1, 1988 at 102.[20] Power stayed on this chart for 33 weeks and peaked at 35 on November 12, 1988.[21] On touring for the Power, Marrow visited schools telling to educate students.[7] By January 1989, Power had sales of over 500,000 copies in the United States and went Gold.[7] The record was never released with a clean version with the profanities removed.[6] Marrow proclaimed that "N.W.A. did entire clean albums, but I thought that was selling out. C'mon, they can bleep that shit. N.W.A. amde more money because of it, but I had my integrity."[6]

The single for "I'm Your Pusher" was released on August 23, 1988 by Sire.[22] The follow-up single "High Rollers" was released on January 20, 1989.[23] In the United Kingdom, the single for "High Rollers" charted on the UK Singles chart for two weeks, peaking at 63rd on the chart.[24]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[25]
RapReviews.com[26]
Robert ChristgauB+[27]
Spin Alternative Record Guide8/10[28]
The New Rolling Stone Album Guide[29]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine commented that on its release, Power received "strong reviews".[30] In contemporary reviews, the New York Times described Power as "Constantly menacing, the album affords no breathing room." and that "Ice-T makes the claustrophobia work by spinning ever denser rhymes and more concrete images, remaining as intense as his subject. Power has the oppressive detail of a novel. Though Ice-T indulges in gallows humor [...] he allows no release. If this is the life of a gangster, it is also hell."[17] The review noted that along with Eazy-E's album Eazy-Duz-It, they come off as "unenlightened when it comes to women", that "Whatever their rough spots, Power and Eazy-Duz-It represent the makings of a brutal new music scene."[17] Robert Christgau, writing for the Village Voice, gave the album a B+ rating, noting that Ice-T had "his own sound--flat, clipped, quick-lipped. And when he sticks to his subject, his narrative style is as gripping and understated as Islam's samples."[27] The Sydney Morning Herald opined that Marrow's "odd attempts at making a moral point become lost amidst the nauseating imagery, though the music's malevolent power is impossible to deny."[8]

From retrospective reviews, the Spin Alternative Record Guide compared Power to Marrow's previous album Rhyme Pays stating it was "richer, and much more clearly didactic".[28] The review highlighted "I'm Your Pusher", opining that it "might still be Ice-T's most unforgettable song".[28] AllMusic described the release as "outstanding", and noted that "in the next few years, gangsta rap would degenerate into nothing more than cheap exploitation and empty clichés, but in Ice's hands, it was as informative as it was captivating."[25]

Track listing

All songs are composed and produced by Ice-T and Afrika Islam except where noted.[31][32]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Intro"   1:11
2."Power"   4:25
3."Drama"   4:15
4."Heartbeat"   4:08
5."The Syndicate"   3:32
6."Radio Suckers"   4:24
7."I'm Your Pusher"  Ice-T, Afrika Islam, Curtis Mayfield5:35
8."Personal"   3:43
9."Girls L.G.B.N.A.F."   3:00
10."High Rollers"   4:36
11."Grand Larceny"   3:51
12."Soul on Ice"   4:42
13."Outro"   0:39

Charts and certifications

Chart (1988) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[33] 35
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[34] 6
Chart (1989) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[35] 65

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Canada (Music Canada)[36] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[37] Platinum 1,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Credits

Credits are adapted from the sleeve, sticker and back cover of Power.[5][31]

References

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Coleman 2009, p. 240.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Coleman 2009, p. 241.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Coleman 2009, p. 244.
  4. ↑ Coleman 2009, p. 247.
  5. 1 2 Power [back cover] (Media notes). Ice-T. Sire Records. 92 57651.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Coleman 2009, p. 246.
  7. 1 2 3 Darling, Cary (January 12, 1989). "Ex-hustler Ice-t Turns Rap Into Gold". Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  8. 1 2 Barber, Lynden (November 29, 1988). "Chill on Quasimodo's Shoulder". The Sydney Morning Herald.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Thompson, Bonsu (September 2008). "Miss Thing". Vibe. Vol. 16 no. 9. Vibe Media Group. ISSN 1070-4701.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Power Trip". Calgary Herald. December 22, 1988. p. G1. ISSN 0828-1815.
  11. 1 2 3 4 Oritz 2015, p. 68.
  12. ↑ Coleman 2009, p. 245.
  13. 1 2 Coleman 2009, p. 248.
  14. ↑ Huey, Steve. "Mama Said Knock You Out". AllMusic. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Ice-T: Rivalry is Good For Rap". Belfast Telegraph. August 19, 2012. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  16. ↑ Henderson, Alex. "Power - Ice-T: Release Info". AllMusic. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  17. 1 2 3 Leland, John (March 12, 1989). "Rap as Public Forum on Matters of Life and Death: West Coast hip-hop has seized upon the persona of the gang member as a way to address black-on-black violence". New York Times. p. H29. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  18. ↑ O'Dair, Barbara (August 1988). "Flash". Spin. Vol. 4 no. 5. SPIN Media LLC. p. 18. ISSN 0886-3032. Ice-T's new Sire LP is due soon, and he has his gang are planning some live shows.
  19. ↑ "Power / [performed by] Ice-T.". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  20. ↑ "Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Ice-T". Billboard. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  22. ↑ "I'm your pusher / Ice-T, Afrika Islam, Curtis Mayfield.". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  23. ↑ "High rollers / [performed by] Ice-T.". United States Copyright Office. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  24. ↑ "High Rollers". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  25. 1 2 Henderson, Alex. "Power - Ice-T | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  26. ↑ "Ice-T :: Power :: Sire/Warner Bros". Rapreviews.com. 2002-07-20. Retrieved 2015-07-29.
  27. 1 2 Christgau, Robert (April 25, 1989). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". Village Voice. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  28. 1 2 3 Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig, eds. (October 1995). Spin Alternative Record Guide (1 ed.). Vintage Books. pp. 190–191. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
  29. ↑ Brackett, Nathan, ed. (2004). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon and Schuster. p. 401. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  30. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Ice-T". AllMusic. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  31. 1 2 Power [inside sleeve] (Media notes). Ice-T. Sire Records. 92 57651.
  32. ↑ Power [vinyl sticker] (Media notes). Ice-T. Sire Records. 92 57651.
  33. ↑ "Ice-T – Chart history" Billboard 200 for Ice-T. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  34. ↑ "Ice-T – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for Ice-T. Retrieved October 23, 2014.
  35. ↑ "Chartifacts – Week Ending" 23 June 1991 (from The ARIA Report Issue No. 74)". Imgur.com (original document published by ARIA). Retrieved October 22, 2016.
  36. ↑ "Canadian album certifications – Ice-T – Power". Music Canada.
  37. ↑ "American album certifications – Ice-T – Power". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH

Sources

See also

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/23/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.