*LISTEN TO THE 1ST SINGLE* "Wise Guys" featuring Fame of M.O.P. + Freeway (produced by MoSS) cuts by Statik Selektah
Hip Hop’s golden era constituent, Queens’ native, the godfather of Mafioso rap, legendary and influential emcee, Kool G Rap, broke out in the late 80s and early 90s as one half of the duo with DJ Polo. Together, Kool G Rap and DJ Polo released three undisputed classic albums; beginning with their debut album, Road To The Riches (1989), Wanted: Dead or Alive (1990) and Live and Let Die (1992).
Simultaneously, G Rap and DJ Polo gained notoriety as members of the Juice Crew, whose noteworthy membership includes DJ Marley Marl, Big Daddy Kane, Masta Ace and Roxanne Shante At the height of hip-hop’s golden age, The Juice Crew was the definition of innovative and not only influenced the culture as a whole (style, lyricism, creativity), but also impressed the importance of style, substance and technique upon the next wave of ambassadors (Nas, Jay-Z, Big Pun, Ice Cube, 2Pac, Notorious B.I.G. etc).
After a successful run with DJ Polo and the Juice Crew, G Rap embarked on a solo-career, with his solo debut, 4, 5, 6, appearing in 1995, which was preceded by Roots of Evil (1998) and The Giancana Story (2002) which featured AZ, Nas, Joell Ortiz, Mobb Deep, and CNN. Six years later, G Rap released Half a Klip (2008), which included production from DJ Premier and DJ Marley Marl.
On 6-2-17, Kool G Rap will release his new solo album, Return Of The Don, which is entirely produced by MoSS and features a veritable who’s who list of new and familiar spitters; Freeway, Noreaga, Cormega, Raekwon, Sheek Louch, Saigon, Termanology, Fame, KXNG Crooked, Conway The Machine & Westside Gunn (the newest signees to Eminem’s Shady Records) and the late Sean Price. “Rest in peace to Sean Price who I was fortunate enough to record with” G Rap commented.
“What motivates me to get in the studio is really being in that creative zone that you cannot just enter on demand” G Rap stated. “It is more like an extremely powerful vibe that overcomes you. It’s triggered by hearing a particular track, or being inspired by another artist; or, a life experience that makes your mind and heart open up and lyrics just pour from your soul in the capacity of an avalanche. That’s what The Return Of The Don represents; an amalgamation of past, present and future and a tribute to some of my most favorite spitters worldwide; this is my salute to those artists."
Canadian born (and a Toronto resident), MoSS’ production credits are instantly recognizable and have resulted in over 2 million record sales worldwide. Ghostface Killah’s smash hit “Kilos”, Raekwon’s ”Have Mercy”, Obie Trice’s entire Special Reserve album and most recently his debut producer album, Marching To The Sound Of My Own Drum, which featured appearances from Joe Budden, DJ Premier, AZ, Joell Ortiz, Sean Price, Jon Connor, Skyzoo, Inspectah Deck, Havoc, Slum Village and others.
MoSS reflected on the creative journey that would become Return Of The Don. "G Rap and I have worked together a few times over the years and we reconnected and started recording songs that ended up being the foundation to The Return Of The Don. The album kind of took on a life of its own."
Kool G Rap "Return Of The Don" Tracklisting & Credits:
1.) “Return Of The Don”
2.) “Mack Lean” feat. Fred The Godson & AG Da Coroner
3.) “Criminal Outfit” feat. Noreaga
4.) “Wise Guys” feat. Fame (M.O.P.) & Freeway
5.) “Out For That Life” feat. Raekwon
6.) “Times Up”
7.) “Capitol Hill” feat. Manolo Rose, Sheek Louch & Cormega
8.) “Running” feat. Termanology & Saigon
9.) “World Is Mine” feat. KXNG Crooked, Willie The Kid & Pearl Gates
10.) “Popped Off” feat. Sean Price & Ransom
11.) “Rest In Peace” feat. Conway The Machine & Westside Gunn
*All Tracks Produced by MoSS
Kool G Rap “Return Of The Don World Tour” Dates:
May 12 Philadelphia, PA - Voltage Lounge
May 13 Manchester, NH - Shaskeen Pub
May 25 New York, NY - BB Kings
June 10 Rome, Italy - Villaggio Globale
June 13 Stockholm, Sweden – Kagelbanan
June 14 Copenhagen, Denmark - Pumpehuset
June 16 Dublin, Ireland - Sugar Club
June 19 Glasgow, UK O2 ABC2
June 20 Leeds, UK - Wardrobe
June 21 Manchester, UK - Sound Control
June 22 Bristol UK - O2 Academy Bristol
June 23 London UK - O2 Academy Islington
June 26 Norwich, UK - TBA
June 28 Leicester, UK - 2 Funky Cafe
July 6 Amsterdam, The Netherlands - Bitterzoet
July 8 Oslo, Norway - Blaa
July 9 Paris, France - Paris hiphop festival
August 18 Orpund, Switzerland - Royal Arena Festival
August 19 Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic - Hip Hop Kemp Festival
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