The Unfortunate Understudy | Above the Law - Livin' Like Hustlers 1990

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Spearheaded by a prodigy who was developing into one of hip hop’s first two-way artists, Above the Law stood out in a growing gangsta rap realm with their blend of the hustler life with hard rhymes and beats. Signing a deal with Ruthless Records, the home of the emerging group N.W.A., was a major boost, and their debut, 1990’s LIVIN’ LIKE HUSTLERS, would successfully kick off the beginning of a critically impressive group. However, Above the Law would also have to contend with label politics and the comparatively overwhelming success of their like-minded label mates.

#abovethelaw #livinlikehustlers #cold187um #kmg #nwa #ruthlessrecords #drdre #icecube #eazye

00:00 Intro: The Hutchinson Family Pedigree
01:47 The Rap Game or the Crack Game
07:40 Dr. Dre as Cold 187um's Mentor
08:39 LIVIN' LIKE HUSTLERS Review
15:41 How "Gangsta" Can One Get?
18:57 Doomed to Circumstances
20:56 Outro: Understated and Underrated

SELECTED REFERENCES:
Adeniji, Ade. “The Full Story Behind the Forgotten First Song of G Funk.” Okayplayer. February 22, 2023.
https://www.okayplayer.com/originals/...
Gold, Jonathan. “Above the Law Is Happy to Take the Rap for ‘Murder’.” The Los Angeles Times. April 7, 1990.
https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-x...
Setaro, Shawn. “Dr. Dre Perfected G-Funk, But He Didn’t Invent It—Gregory Hutchinson Did.” Complex. July 11, 2017. https://www.complex.com/music/a/shawn...
SWAY’S UNIVERSE. “Untold West Coast Stories. The Creators of the G-FUNK Era Cold 187 & Lay Law on Sway in the Morning.” YouTube. Published October 11, 2016.    • Untold West Coast Stories: The Creato... 
Westhoff, Ben. Original Gangstas: Tupac Shakur, Dr. Dre, Eazy-E, Ice Cube, and the Birth of West Coast Rap. Hachette Book Group, Inc. 2017.
Unique Access Entertainment. “Cold 187um on Eazy-E’s Wacky Vibe & Why Above The Law’s ‘Murder Rap’ Video Got Banned.” YouTube. Published June 11, 2021.
   • Cold 187um on Eazy-E’s Wacky Vibe & W... 

SELECTED RESOURCES:
Billboard. https://www.billboard.com/
RIAA Gold & Platinum Database. https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/

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