| It Takes a Thief | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Coolio |
| Cover: | It Takes a Thief (album).jpg |
| Released: | July 19, 1994 |
| Length: | 59:14 |
| Label: | Tommy Boy |
| Producer: | Paul Stewart, Bryan Wino Dobbs, Rashad Coles, Billy Boy, Crazy Toones, CS Coleman |
| Next Title: | Gangsta's Paradise |
| Next Year: | 1995 |
It Takes a Thief is the debut studio album by American rapper Coolio.[1] It was released on July 19, 1994, on Warner Bros. Records. The album received praise for bringing a humorous and lighthearted perspective to the often violent and profane themes of typical gangsta rap.
"Fantastic Voyage," a hit from the early 1980s, returned to the charts after Coolio released a song of the same name from this album. The song received regular airplay on MTV and became his breakout hit, peaking at No. 3 in the US. Songs "Smokin Stix," "Can-o-Corn," and "Sticky Fingers" first appeared in the film Poetic Justice.
The Los Angeles Times concluded that It Takes a Thief "may be one of the best hard-core Compton rap records since the first N.W.A. album." USA Today wrote that the album "mixes hard-core themes with tongue-in-cheek attitude and funky, unflinching rhythms."[2]