| Wanted: Dead or Alive | |
|---|---|
 Studio album by Kool G Rap & DJ Polo | |
|
Released |
14 August 1990 |
|
Recorded |
Late 1989-1990 |
|
Genre |
|
|
Length |
58:37 |
|
Label |
Cold Chillin'/Warner Bros. |
|
Producer |
Anton, Biz Markie, Cool V, DJ Polo, Eric B., Kool G Rap, Large Professor, Marley Marl |
| Kool G Rap & DJ Polo chronology | |
|---|---|
|
Previous |
Road to the Riches (1989) |
|
Next |
Live and Let Die (1992) |
Wanted: Dead or Alive is the second album by American hip hop duo Kool G Rap & DJ Polo, released in 1990 on Cold Chillin' Records. Lyrically, the album shows a greater variety of themes than their debut, from battle rap braggadocio, to topics of crime, poverty, racism ("Erase Racism"), and raunchy sex rap ("Talk Like Sex"). Perhaps most significantly, there is greater emphasis on vivid descriptions of crime and urban squalor ("Streets of New York") and references to organised crime, gang violence, contract killing and Mafia films, which helped cement Kool G Rap's reputation as the founder of mafioso rap.
The duo, much like other members of the Juice Crew at the same time, broke off their association with past producer Marley Marl. The duo instead chose to have Eric B. produce most of the album, who then enlisted Large Professor, who ghost produced parts of the Eric B. & Rakim album Let the Rhythm Hit 'Em the same year, to produce large quantities of Wanted and let Eric take the credit.
The album received greater acclaim than most critics than their debut. The singles "Streets of New York" and "Erase Racism" received notable airplay on Yo! MTV Raps.
Track listing[edit | edit source]
| No. | Title | Performer(s) | Producer(s) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Streets of New York" | Kool G Rap | Kool G Rap, Large Professor, Anton | 4:18 |
| 2. | "Wanted: Dead or Alive" | Kool G Rap | Eric B., Kool G Rap (co.), Large Professor (co.) | 4:33 |
| 3. | "Money in the Bank" | Kool G Rap, Large Professor, Freddie Foxxx, Ant Live | Large Professor | 5:00 |
| 4. | "Bad to the Bone" | Kool G Rap | Eric B., Kool G Rap (co.), Large Professor (co.) | 5:23 |
| 5. | "Talk Like Sex" | Kool G Rap | Kool G Rap | 5:23 |
| 6. | "Play It Again, Polo" | Kool G Rap | Eric B., Kool G Rap (co.), Large Professor (co.) | 4:09 |
| 7. | "Erase Racism" | Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie | Biz Markie, Cool V (co.) | 4:30 |
| 8. | "Kool Is Back" | Kool G Rap | Eric B., Kool G Rap (co.), Large Professor (co.) | 3:25 |
| 9. | "Play It Kool" | Kool G Rap | Eric B., Kool G Rap (co.), Large Professor (co.) | 4:30 |
| 10. | "Death Wish" | Kool G Rap | Eric B., Kool G Rap (co.), Large Professor (co.) | 4:04 |
| 11. | "Jive Talk" | Kool G Rap | Anton, DJ Polo | 4:36 |
| 12. | "The Polo Club" | Kool G Rap | Anton, DJ Polo | 4:01 |
| 13. | "Rikers Island" | Kool G Rap | Marley Marl | 5:33 |
