Born Gangstaz is the only studio album by American gangsta rapper Bo$$.[1] It was released on May 25, 1993, through Def Jam Recordings' West Coast-based sub-label DJ West. The recording sessions took place at Beat Street Studios, Mad Hatter Studios, M'Bila Studios and Westlake Audio in Los Angeles, at Rockin' Reel Recording Studios in Commack, at Chung King Studios in New York City, and at Ian London Studios in East Islip, New York. The album was produced by Def Jef, AMG, Erick Sermon, T-Ray, Chyskillz, Jam Master Jay, Mic Professah, Stone tha Lunatic, and Tracey Waples, who also served as executive producer together with Russell Simmons, and co-producers MC Serch, Courtney Branch and Tracy Kendrick. It features guest appearances from Def Jef, Onyx, AMG, Erick Sermon, dancehall performers Admiral D and Papa Juggy, as well as Bo$$'s parents, Lillie and Joe Laws.
| Born Gangstaz | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Studio album by | |
| Released | May 25, 1993 |
| Recorded | 1991–93 |
| Studio | Beat Street Studios (Hollywood, California) Rockin Reel Studios (Commack, New York) Mad Hatter Studios M'Bila Studios Westlake Studios (Los Angeles, California) Chung King Studios (New York City) Ian London Studios (East Islip, New York) |
| Genre | Gangsta rap |
| Length | 47:21 |
| Label | |
| Producer |
|
| Singles from Born Gangstaz | |
| |
The album debuted at number 22 on the Billboard 200 and number 3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums in the United States.
It features two the Billboard charted singles: "Deeper" and "Recipe of a Hoe". "I Don't Give a Fuck" b/w "Mai Sista Izza Bitch" and "Progress of Elimination" also were released as singles.
Despite the success of this album, Boss has yet to release another album. Born Gangstaz has sold around 500,000 copies.[2] The working title of the album was They Don't Have the Body Count.
The song "I Don't Give a Fuck" featured during the closing credits of the episode "Lesbian Request Denied" from Season 1 of the Netflix TV show Orange Is the New Black.
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Christgau's Consumer Guide |  [4] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A−[5] |
| Los Angeles Times | [6] |
| RapReviews | 7.5/10[7] |
| The Source | [8] |
USA Today said that Born Gangstaz "is so shockingly roughneck, it makes N.W.A sound like Sunday school teachers."[9] The Guardian wrote: "The lady explains, 'Here's a bitch that don't give a fuck'. Whether or not that's true—and one suspects that Boss is more of an actress than a gangsta—it's pretty sad that she wants to compete with men in this area."[10]
Retrospect
edit| Magazine | Country | Article | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spin | United States | "The 50 Best Rap Albums from 1993"[11] | 2013 | 17 |
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Intro: A Call from Mom" (featuring Lillie Laws) | Def Jef | 0:47 | |
| 2. | "Deeper" (featuring Papa Juggy and Def Jef) |
| Def Jef | 3:59 |
| 3. | "Comin' to Getcha" (featuring Erick Sermon) |
| Erick Sermon | 3:30 |
| 4. | "Mai Sista Izza Bitch" (featuring AMG) |
|
| 3:01 |
| 5. | "Thelma and Louise" |
| Def Jef | 0:57 |
| 6. | "Drive By" |
| Stone tha Lunatic | 4:01 |
| 7. | "Progress of Elimination" |
| Def Jef | 3:12 |
| 8. | "Livin' Loc'd" (featuring Onyx) | 3:37 | ||
| 9. | "Recipe of a Hoe" |
| Mic Professah | 4:29 |
| 10. | "A Blind Date with Boss" (featuring Onyx) |
| Tracey Waples | 1:00 |
| 11. | "Catch a Bad One" |
| Def Jef | 3:43 |
| 12. | "Born Gangsta" (featuring Admiral D) |
|
| 3:22 |
| 13. | "1-800-Body-Bags" |
| Def Jef | 0:35 |
| 14. | "Diary of a Mad Bitch" | 3:05 | ||
| 15. | "2 to da Head" |
| Erick Sermon | 3:39 |
| 16. | "I Don't Give a Fuck" |
|
| 3:53 |
| 17. | "Outro: A Call from Dad" (featuring Joe Laws) |
| Def Jef | 0:31 |
| Total length: | 47:21 | |||
Charts
edit| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[12] | 22 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[13] | 3 |
Singles
edit| Year | Song | Chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot 100[14] | R&B[15] | Rap[16] | Dance | |||
| 1993 | "Deeper" | 65 | 28 | 1 | 25 | |
| "Recipe of a Hoe" | 118[A] | 73 | 1 | 29 | ||
[A] Number 18 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.
References
edit- ^ Sprague, Deborah. "Bo$$". Trouser Press. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
- ^ Carter, Kevin L. (Oct 3, 1993). "Speaking Out About Rap Music's Crude Side". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. F1.
- ^ Kellman, Andy. "Boss - Born Gangstaz Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (2000-10-15). Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan Publishing. p. 34. ISBN 9780312245603.
- ^ Bernard, James (May 21, 1993). "Born Gangstaz". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
- ^ Hunt, Dennis (July 18, 1993). "In Brief". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
- ^ Wallace, Emanuel (January 12, 2010). "Boss :: Born Gangstaz :: Def Jam West". RapReviews. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
- ^ Harris, Carter (June 1993). "Record Report: Boss – Born Gangstaz". The Source. No. 45. New York. p. 72–73.
- ^ Jones IV, James T. (June 29, 1993). "Tough Talk". USA Today. p. 6D.
- ^ Sullivan, Caroline (Aug 6, 1993). "Boss: Born Gangstaz". Features. The Guardian.
- ^ "'Til Infinity: The 50 Best Rap Albums from 1993, Hip-Hop's Other Greatest Year (by SPIN Staff) (November 21, 2013)". spin.com. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
- ^ "The Billboard 200". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 24. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. June 12, 1993. p. 82. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
- ^ "Top R&B Albums". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 24. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. June 12, 1993. p. 24. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
- ^ "Hot 100 (Billboard)". billboard.com. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
- ^ "Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)". billboard.com. Retrieved 2019-05-24.
- ^ "Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)". billboard.com. Retrieved 2019-05-24.