Road to the Riches explained

Road to the Riches
Type:Album
Artist:Kool G Rap & DJ Polo
Cover:Roadtotheriches.jpg
Released:March 14, 1989
Genre:
Length:47:49
Producer:Marley Marl
Next Title:Wanted: Dead or Alive
Next Year:1990

Road to the Riches is the debut album by hip hop duo Kool G Rap & DJ Polo, which was released in 1989 on then-prominent hip hop label Cold Chillin' Records. The album is notable for being one of the blueprints for the mafioso rap trend with the title track "Road to the Riches," which received strong rotation on the TV show Yo! MTV Raps, and was later featured on the old-school hip hop radio station Playback FM from the game . Most of the songs, however, are not crime-related. Other popular songs included "It's a Demo" and "Poison." In 1998, Road to the Riches was selected as one of The Sources "100 Best Albums".[1]

Album information

Kool G Rap and DJ Polo were members of the legendary Juice Crew, led by producer Marley Marl. The duo first premiered on Mr. Magic's Rap Attack radio show on 107.5 in 1986 with its first single "It's A Demo." They spent the next few years releasing singles, and eventually wrote and recorded Road to the Riches in 1988, but wasn't released until early 1989. The album showcases G Rap's signature multisyllabic rhyme style with lyric topics ranging from crime, materialism, braggadocio, to love. The production was entirely handled by fellow juice Crew member Marley Marl, who provided a more hard-edged style of production than that of his previous work.

Road to the Riches is often cited as the beginning of the mafioso rap genre, laying the groundwork for future hip hop stars such as Scarface, Nas, Raekwon, Jay-Z, The Notorious B.I.G., and AZ, among others, however the bulk of the album features battle rap lyrics similar to Big Daddy Kane or Rakim without the explicit mafioso or gangsta rap subjects of the title track. G Rap would begin expanding his vivid storytelling and organized crime themes on his next album, Wanted: Dead or Alive and especially on 1992's Live and Let Die.

According to the liner notes in the Roots' Phrenology, "Men at Work" was the song that brought the group together during a lunch period at their high school.

Track listing

TitleSongwritersPerformer (s)Length
1"Road to the Riches"N. Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap4:48
2"It's a Demo" N. Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap4:27
3"Men at Work"N. Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap5:02
4"Truly Yours"N. Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap5:07
5"Cars"N. Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap3:07
6"Trilogy of Terror"N. Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap2:40
7"She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not"N. Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap5:21
8"Cold Cuts"N. Wilson, M. WilliamsDJ Polo3:52
9"Rhymes I Express"N. Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap3:47
10"Poison"N. Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap4:45
11"Butcher Shop" (CD version only)N. Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap3:44

2006 re-release track listing

Disc 1

TitleSongwritersPerformer(s)
1"Road to the Riches"N. Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap
2"It's a Demo"N. Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap
3"Men at Work"N. Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap
4"Truly Yours"N. Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap
5"Cars"N. Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap
6"Trilogy of Terror"N. Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap
7"She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not"N. Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap
8"Cold Cuts"N. Wilson, M. WilliamsDJ Polo
9"Rhymes I Express"N. Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap
10"Poison"N. Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap
11"Butcher Shop"N. Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap
12"Radio Album Introduction"N. Wilson
13"Radio Freestyle"N. Wilson, Craig MorganKool G Rap & Craig G
14"Radio Interview"
15"Riker's Island Radio Promo"N.Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap
16"Raw (Demo Version)"N. Wilson, Antonio HardyBig Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap

Disc 2

TitleSongwritersPerformer(s)
1"It's A Demo (Original 12" Version)"N. Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap
2"I'm Fly (Original 12" Version)"N. Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap
3"Riker's Island (Original 12" Version)"N. Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap
4"Rhyme Tyme (Original 12" Version)"N. Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap
5"Poison (Hip Hop Version)"N. Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap
6"Poison (Dub Version)"N. Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap
7"Poison (Remix)"N. Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap
8"Men At Work (Extended Version)"N. Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap
9"It's A Demo (Original 12" Version Instrumental)"N. Wilson, M. Williams
10"I'm Fly (Original 12" Version Instrumental)"N. Wilson, M. Williams
11"Riker's Island (Original 12" Version Instrumental)"N. Wilson, M. Williams
12"Men At Work (Extended Instrumental)"N. Wilson, M. Williams
13"She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not (Instrumental)"N. Wilson, M. Williams
14"Men At Work (Acapella)"N. Wilson, M. WilliamsKool G Rap

Later samples

Notes and References

  1. 100 Best Albums. The Source. 100. January 1998.