CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD ABOVE THE LAW – LIVIN’ LIKE HUSTLERS

Coming up out of Pomona, California, and formed out of the NWA blueprint, Above The Law consisted of Cold187um, KMG The Illustrator, DJ K-Oss and shorter-lived member Go Mack. Kokane would later join the ATL fam, but was not present on Livin’ Like Hustlers.

The lyrics on Livin’ Like Hustlers aren’t anything to write home about. Whilst pretty good in their own right, there’s nothing on here that neither the East or West coast hadn’t already exhibited. The album’s strong point, however, is the amazing production, handled primarily by Above The Law themselves, Dr. Dre and Eazy E, managing to alternate between being live, hyped and scratchy as fuck (see “Murder Rap”, “Menace To Society”), to being effortlessly laid back, cool and breezy (see “Livin’ Like Hustlers”, “Another Execution”).

Everybody and his mother is familiar with “Murder Rap”, thanks to its inclusion on Grand Theft Auto, yet this album has much more to offer than this standout track. Entertaining and disturbing in equal measures, Above The Law offer traditional tales from the hood fare, delivered over the most relaxed of beats, exhibiting the ease with which they can address any subject, even the macabre.

Livin’ Like Hustlers was a minor commercial success, and attracted pretty solid reviews from critics, not least because of the chemistry between Cold 187um and KMG The Illustrator, who formed arguably one of the nicest hp-hop duos on the mic at one point, heavily reinforced by the goodness of Go Mack and DJ K-Oss, further backed up by involvement from heavy-hitters Dr. Dre and Eazy E. Samples from artists like James Brown, The Doors, Isaac Hayes and Quincy Jones provide the underlying layers to ATL’s overall pretty unique sound.

If you haven’t heard Livin’ Like Hustlers, you are missing out big time. The album has been re-issued over the years, and is currently easily available in re-issued CD format. You are strongly advised to buy a physical copy, and support the artists involved. However, the version I am sharing below is a rip of the 1990 original issue.

Enjoy:

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD ABOVE THE LAW – LIVIN’ LIKE HUSTLERS

Yo, what up to all the Parliament heads from the ATL site. It has taken me a while to get on here but here is my review of the Fresh Out The Pen album:

Intro – Sick opening, and a killa beat. Every ATL album has a great intro. This is what I have been waitin for for 5 years….’did ya miss me?’ hell yeah!
So Real – 187 in chilled voice mode, dope beat, loving the chicks in the background humming
Preach – This song is so good. Tony Touch did a great job with the track. Hutch still in chilled voice mode. Laid back chillin…
Turmoil in the Ghetto – Every ATL album has an opera track. Big massive sounds from every direction like ‘Promise Me’ or ‘Evil that Men Do’. This track is straight opera! Love it
Get Your Weight Up – No chilled Hutch on the one, just straight voodoo 187. Fire man. Agro, grimmy, ghetto, gangsta….sick with it. An anthem for pumping iron in the gym
Bizniz Never Personal – This reminds me of Eazy and Ren ….’this is a stick up, everybody get face down….’. The chorus took a while to grow on me though
Convict Love – deep
Fresh Out – for me the best track on the album. Incredible. Everybody who loves hip-hop should have the pleasure of owning this track. Vintage ATL
Gangstas in Stilletos – not really feeling this to be honest
Bitch – funny song man
Deep Throat – sampling your own record is pretty cool
Hollywood – again, not really into this
Hustlers Cry – reminds me of a PE track, which is no bad thing
Aklikaniga – this track is amazing, the beat is sick, sick and 187 in agro mode again. Love it
May the Force be wth you – All I can say about this is that when I first heard it on myspace before the album came out I was in total shock. How could the Imperial March from Star Wars (one of the great music scores of all time) be used in a hip-hop track? Still gives me shivers everytime I play it, 3 months later…Incredible. 20 years after Untouchabe and 187 still makes music that blows me away
187 reloaded – good track, hard to follow the previous one though
America X – I listened to this on a beach in Queensland, Australia last week in perfect sunshine and it felt just right. Every ATL album has a good ender and this is no exception. ‘Everybody hates America’…sad but true.

This is the first album to get me excited about hip-hop in a few years. I hope there is a full ATL album to follow!

ATL True.

nivag1
Brisbane, Australia (formerly from the mean streets of London)
Discuss this Review HERE

COLD187UM live in Basement!!! This Friday (5/16) at 10pm (PST) stream live on www.
927kkuu.com