Word Power is the debut album by American rapper and producer Divine Styler.[1][2] It was released on October 23, 1989, on Ice-T's Rhyme $yndicate Records under Epic Records. The album peaked at No. 62 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[3] The Scheme Team, a hip hop collective of Divine Styler, made their introduction on the record.
| Word Power | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 23, 1989 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 53:59 | |||
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| Producer |
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| Divine Styler chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Word Power | ||||
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Divine rhymed about being proud of heritage (highlighted on "It's a Black Thing") and featured audio production handled by Bilal Bashir (who made later instrumentals for the likes of Everlast, Dr. Dre, and Ice Cube), who later re-released this album in instrumental form in 2005. The album produced the only lead single "Ain't Sayin' Nothin", featuring a scratch noise similar to the sound used in "Jump Around" and "Insane in the Brain". It peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart.
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Chicago Tribune |  [5] |
The Chicago Tribune called the album "exciting, and that isn't a word you can use to describe many recent rap releases."[5]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Introduction" | 0:46 |
| 2. | "Free Styler" | 5:17 |
| 3. | "Get Up on It" | 4:40 |
| 4. | "The Last Black House on the Left" | 6:45 |
| 5. | "It's a Black Thing" | 5:09 |
| 6. | "Play It for Divine" | 2:47 |
| 7. | "Koxistin U4ria" | 3:40 |
| 8. | "Ain't Sayin' Nothin'" | 4:16 |
| 9. | "Divinity Stylistics" | 4:11 |
| 10. | "Tongue of Labyrinth" | 5:23 |
| 11. | "In Divine Style" | 1:46 |
| 12. | "Rain" | 4:31 |
| 13. | "Word Power" | 4:48 |
| Total length: | 53:59 | |
Samples
- "Introduction" sampled "Long Hot Summer Night" by Jimi Hendrix (1968) and "Sign of the Times" by Bob James (1981)
- "Freestyler" sampled "Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing" by James Brown (1972) and "I Know You Got Soul" by Bobby Byrd (1971)
- "Get Up on It" sampled "Get Up, Get into It, Get Involved" by James Brown (1970), "Push It" by Salt-N-Pepa (1986) and "Soul Power 74" by Maceo Parker (1974)
- "The Last Black House on the Left" sampled "Shut Up" by Moonfou (1987)
- "It's a Black Thing" sampled "Pot Belly" by Lou Donaldson (1970), "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud" by James Brown (1968) and "Good Old Music" by Funkadelic (1970)
- "Play It for Divine" sampled "Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band" by Meco Monardo (1977), "Shorty Rides Again" by Eddie Harris & Les McCann (1971), "Scorpio" by Dennis Coffey & the Detroit Guitar Band (1971), "It's a New Day" by James Brown (1970) and "Get on the Good Foot" by James Brown (1972)
- "Koxistin U4ria" sampled "I Can't Stop" by John Davis and the Monster Orchestra (1976)
- "Ain't Sayin' Nothin" sampled "Shoot Your Shot" by Jr. Walker & the All Stars (1965), "Talkin' Loud and Sayin' Nothing" by James Brown (1972), "Shack Up" by Banbarra (1975), "If You Don't Get It the First Time, Back Up & Try It Again, Parrty" by Fred Wesley & the J.B.'s (1974) and "Nuthin'" by Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew (1986)
- "Divinity Stylistics" sampled "Superfly" by Curtis Mayfield (1972)
- "Tongue of Labyrinth" sampled "Din Daa Daa (Trommeltanz)" by George Kranz (1983) and "UFO" by ESG (1981)
- "Rain" sampled "Skylarking (Studio One Version)" by Horace Andy (1969) and "Ring the Alarm" by Tenor Saw (1985)
- "Word Power" sampled "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye (1971)
Personnel
edit- Bilal Bashir – producer, scratches
- Lawrence A. Duhart – co-producer, recording, mixing
- Glen E. Friedman – photography
- Tracy Lauren Marrow – executive producer
- Robert Joseph Pfeifer – executive producer
- Mark Richardson – main artist, producer
- Tony Sellari – design, art direction
- Otis Olivier Lyjasu Williams – featured artist (tracks 11-12)
References
edit- ^ Freeman, Phil, ed. (2007). Marooned: The Next Generation of Desert Island Discs. Da Capo Press. p. 71.
- ^ Tompkins, Dave (January 1999). "Reviews". Spin. Vol. 15, no. 1. p. 115.
- ^ "Divine Styler - Chart history | Billboard". www.billboard.com. 1990.
- ^ "Word Power Divine Styler". AllMusic.
- ^ a b Tanzilo, Robert (December 21, 1989). "Rave Recordings". Chicago Tribune. p. 15E.