Power

by Ice-T

Overview

As riveting as Rhyme Pays was, Ice-T did hold back a little and avoided being too consistently sociopolitical. But with the outstanding Power, the gloves came all the way off, and Ice didn't hesitate to speak his mind about the harsh realities of inner-city life. On "Drama," "Soul on Ice" (an homage to his idol Iceberg Slim), "High Rollers," and other gangsta rap gems, Ice embraces a first-person format and raps with brutal honesty about the lives of gang members, players, and hustlers. Ice's detractors took the songs out of context, arguing that he was glorifying crime. But he countered that, in fact, he was sending out an anti-crime message in a subliminal fashion and stressed that the criminals he portrayed ended up dead or behind bars. Another track that some misconstrued was "I'm Your Pusher," an interpretation of Curtis Mayfield's "Pusherman" that doesn't promote the use of drugs, but uses double entendres to make an anti-drug statement. (Ice has always been vehemently outspoken in his opposition to drugs.) In the next few years, gangsta rap would degenerate into nothing more than cheap exploitation and empty cliches, but in Ice's hands, it was as informative as it was captivating. ~ Alex Henderson

Product Details

Release Date:	11/17/2023
Label:	Rhino / Warner Records
UPC:	0603497833788
Rank:	21279

Tracks

1. Intro
2. Power
3. Drama
4. Heartbeat
5. The Syndicate
6. Radio Suckers
7. I'm Your Pusher / Pusherman
8. Personal
9. Girls L.G.B.N.A.F.
10. High Rollers
11. Grand Larceny
12. Soul on Ice
13. Outro

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ice-T   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Mark Wolfson   Engineer,Mixing,Mixing Engineer
Ice-T   Executive Producer,Producer,Arranger,Composer
Curtis Mayfield   Composer
Afrika Islam   Composer,Producer,Programming
Glen E. Friedman   Photography
Kav DeLuxe   Design