| Road to the Riches | |
|---|---|
 Studio album by Kool G Rap & DJ Polo | |
|
Released |
14 March 1989 |
|
Recorded |
1988 |
|
Genre |
|
|
Length |
46:40 |
|
Label |
Cold Chillin'/Warner Bros. |
|
Producer |
|
| Kool G Rap & DJ Polo chronology | |
|---|---|
|
Next |
Wanted: Dead or Alive (1990) |
Road to the Riches is the debut album by American hip hop duo Kool G Rap & DJ Polo, released in 1989 on Cold Chillin' Records. The album showcases Kool G Rap's signature multisyllabic rhyme style with lyrics topics ranging from crime, materialism, 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.
The album is notable in that it is often cited as the originator of the mafioso rap subgenre. However, the bulk of the album features braggadocio lyrics without the explicit mafioso or gangsta rap subjects of the title track. G Rap would begin expanding his vivid storytelling and organised crime themes on the duo's next albums: Wanted: Dead or Alive in 1990 and Live and Let Die in 1992.
The album peaked at #78 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Its title track also acheived success, peaking at #16 on the Hot Rap Singles chart.
Track listing[]
All songs produced by Marley Marl. All songs performed by Kool G Rap, except for "Cold Cuts", scratches performed by DJ Polo. All songs written by Wilson and Williams.
| No. | Title | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Road to the Riches" | 4:48 |
| 2. | "It's a Demo (Remix)" | 4:27 |
| 3. | "Men at Work" | 5:02 |
| 4. | "Truly Yours" | 5:07 |
| 5. | "Cars" | 3:07 |
| 6. | "Trilogy of Terror" | 2:40 |
| 7. | "She Loves Me, She Loves Me Not" | 5:21 |
| 8. | "Cold Cuts" | 3:52 |
| 9. | "Rhymes I Express" | 3:47 |
| 10. | "Poison" | 4:45 |
| 11. | "Butcher Shop" | 3:44 |