Livin' Like Hustlers by Above the Law - RYM/Sonemic (2024)

Nodima Jan 14 2009

Livin' Like Hustlers (Produced by Dr. Dre, Lay Law & Above the Law) [Ruthless Records 1990]

1|Murder Rap|4:14 4.75 - 5
2|Untouchable|3:45 4 - 4.5
I picture an Undercover Brother reinterpretation of The Departed.
3|Livin' Like Hustlers|5:45 4
4|Another Execution|4:21 4
5|Menace to Society|4:33 3.75 - 4
6|Just Kickin' Lyrics|4:22 3.75 - 4
7|Ballin'|4:19 4.25 - 5
"Witout the kick it ain't nuttin'." The more things change, the more they stay the same.
8|Freedom of Speech (feat. Lay Law)|4:20 5
9|Flow On (Move Me No Mountain)|3:57 4
10|The Last Song (feat. Eazy-E, Dr. Dre and MC Ren)|6:20 5

Overall: 43 - 44 4.35/5 86 - 88%: Exceptional; repeated listens demanded; BUY IT

It's stupid, Dr. Dre is just stupid.

This group does a really admirable job taking the urgency and awareness of Public Enemy and attempting to cope with it from a South Central point of view. The best bit about the album is how easily it goes in one ear and out the other. Each track plays out in such a way that very little time is allowed for "what was that?" or "why'd that happen?" It's just a lot of nodding your head and just feeling it. That's a credit to Dre, but let's recognize KMG and Cold 187um really sink into most of these beats and show a lot of potential. They would also become worthy producers in their own right pretty soon, as they worked closely with Dre on this release.

The highlights are easily the opening and closing tracks, but with a brief runtime each track is worth hearing. Especially when you consider it's place in g-funk's history as Dre and Cold187um began to refine and brighten the g-funk template.

Published

diction Jun 23 2007 ▼

Lyrics: 3.75
Beats: 4.25

Straight from the opening seconds of "Murder Rap" you know your in for some dope sh*t. Above the Law are one the west coast's finest groups and their debut is a classic in the "post-Straight Outta Compon/Pre-Chronic" era of gangsta rap. Fresh gangsta rhymes delivered over Dr. Dre's funky production, this album really works well. The main rapper Cold 187um is pretty dope, I love his voice and he's skilled. KMG is not so good but he only makes short appearences sort of like Flavor Flav. This whole sh*t is bangin from start to finish tho, Dr. Dre really dropped some dope ass beats on this one. He was in the zone from 1987 to 1993 every thing he produced was dope. 1990 was a year where gangsta rap was mad creative and amongst the best things hip hop was producing. You can cop this one new for less than 10$ there is no reason for a hip hop fan not to own this.

Published

2ndChildhood Sep 09 2023

Banging Dr. Dre production meets great gangsta rhymes. These N.W.A. affiliates put together one of the most fun and original west coast albums of the early 90's. That hard hitting opening track wastes no time letting you know that the rest of the album is gonna be some dope gutter sh*t; and the 9 tracks after are exactly that. The emcees of Above the Law, Cold 187um and KMG, are very entertaining to listen to. Their deliveries and mic presence remind me of a west coast version of Goodie Mob. They can spit lyrically as well, as their bars are a unique mix of conscious and gangsta. Their lyrics are insightful, as they do a great job informing the listener about the dramatic crime and violence in LA.

Dr. Dre does all the beats here, showcasing a cohesive sound that’s quite different from his usual style of production. The beats here kinda sound like Runaway Slave beats, except more wild and distinctive. His upbeat, funky sound is a perfect fit for the vigorous rapping. Very consistent album. Short but sweet at only 10 tracks, none of them being misses. Perhaps it lacks major highlights or exceptional moments, but still a very satisfying front to end listen.

Published

Tylerkermit Jul 21 2022

more so admirable than exceptional, but it is such a consistently solid listen that I really have to give it a 3.5. that doesn’t mean it’s as interesting as other hip hop albums I have a 3.5 like the first three De La albums, which I love much more. However I don’t base my ratings solely on taste, otherwise those would be a 4 at least. no, I’d say I like this in the same way I like ice cubes first album, where as it’s not entirely my style of hip hop, but I like every individual song enough, as well as the production, to say I do really like the album. some solid pen game as well, it definitely reminds me of early 90s PE and the aforementioned ice cube. Definitely makes me want to pick up their second album to see how they do without Dre.

Also on a side note I oddly enough find the most popular and recognizable song on the record, “murder rap”, to be my least favorite. sometimes it just be like that.

Published

Jespon Jun 11 2021 ▼

An interesting album from an N.W.A. affiliated group. It's not quite gangsta, as the members of the group have kind of an intelligent-gangsta persona. The two rappers in the group (Cold 187um and KMG) have a fresh rapping style and it works great with these legendary beats. Cold 187 has much more mic time than KMG and he is the better rapper, but KMG makes some nice appearances. The lyrical content is somewhat political with a street edge. The rapping is probably the best part of this album, but the production is just as good. Dr. Dre produces the whole album and the beats are upbeat and funky with that old school sound. However, they have that special Dr. Dre twist that sets them apart from most beats of the era. A very short record that stays quite consistent. I don't have a ton to say about it, but the posse cut with N.W.A. at the end is the highlight. Recommended for most old school hip-hop fans.

Published

isaac_barrow Jul 23 2020

Not much to say. Really simple production, great rhymes. Just a solid as hell album

Published

backin99 Jun 01 2020 ▼

Cold 187um leads the debut album of his group Above the Law (affiliated to N.W.A), fully realizing the production of the disc with a funky, tight and hard sound, helped by Lay Law and Dr. Dre, and with a solid but not excellent rapping, in which he mainly deals with braggadocio and criminal matters, describing the dramatic violence of the ghettos, in particular the raw situation in South Central LA. On a soundscape that occasionally makes use of jazzy variations and some g-funk touches, he reports his socio-political comments with an energetic, fluent and effortless hardcore delivery, with slightly higher lyrics than the gangsta standard that elevate this compact debut, one of the most slept on documents in the West Coast scene.

Highlights: "Murder Rap" (one of my favorite on Radio Los Santos), "Untouchable", "Ballin'", "Freedom of Speech", "Flow On (Move Me No Mountain)", "The Last Song" (Eazy-E, MC Ren & Dr. Dre kill the cut).

Rating: 8.3/10.

Published

breakwind Dec 03 2016

I was 12 years old.
Not from the hood.
Not a gangster.
Middle class.

…so when this sh*t came out it scared the hell outta me. That's why I loved it. It was intriguing and hard as f**k.
The kind of stuff you listened to when your parents weren't around.
The samples are pure Dr. Dre of that era. This young hip-hop era.
Basic beats with a few layers, and heavy bass, relying most everything upon the back of tunes the 70's had to offer.

So many years later, now at 39, this sh*t still hits hard, I blast it in the car, and confuse my children.
The lyrics boast machismo in delivery and content of course, but effective for nostalgia sake.
It's fun in an N.W.A. younger step-brother sort of way.

"It's not what you know, it's what you can prove"

9.1 A-

If you don't dig these tracks then don't bother:
Murder Rap, Untouchable

Published