It's a Shame (Kool G Rap song)
"It's a Shame" | ||||
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Single by Kool G Rap | ||||
from the album 4,5,6 | ||||
Released | August 15, 1995 | |||
Studio | Bearsville Studios (Bearsville, New York) | |||
Genre | East coast hip hop, hardcore hip hop, Mafioso rap, Gangsta rap | |||
Length | 4:04 | |||
Label | Cold Chillin', Epic Street, SME | |||
Songwriter(s) | Joe Davis, Milton Johnson, James Van Leer, Nathaniel Wilson | |||
Producer(s) | ||||
Kool G Rap singles chronology | ||||
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"It's a Shame" is the debut solo single from American hip hop artist Kool G Rap, from his 1995 album 4,5,6.
Background[]
"It's a Shame" was recorded at Bearsville Studios in Bearsville, New York. In the song, Kool G Rap portrays himself as a heroin kingpin, boasting of his wealth, power and extravagant lifestyle. However, it is implied that he harbours a sense of remorse over his choice of trade, with the chorus (sung by an uncredited Sean Brown) stating:
- Now it's a damn shame, what I gotta do just to make a dollar
- Living in this game, sometimes it makes you wanna holler
A particularly memorable part of the song is G Rap's description of his mistress Tammy in verse two:
- I got a fly ho up under the wing, a swinger that does her thing
- And if you step inside my ring, she'll bang it out and make your brains hang
- She sits at restaurant tables with mink foxes and sables
- Drinkin' Cherenade brand label, she'll rock a sucker's cradle
- And yeah, honey is more bounce to the ounce
- She walks around with Lucci in large amounts
- Millions inside Swiss bank accounts
- Her name is Tammy, got a beach house in Miami
- Rides around with a small jammy in her silk and satin panties
- A down ho, a Foxy Brown ho, standin her ground ho
- And if you clown yo, she'll turn into a bust a round ho
- Fly as a Heaven's Angel, got sapphires in her bangles
- Diamond earrings hang n' dangle, gettin' money from all angles
- She's pretty under the New York City bright lights
- And real late, way after midnight, I hit it cause the slit's tight
Music video[]
The music video for "It's a Shame" shows Kool G Rap living a life of luxury as a wealthy and powerful gangster as well as shots of drug addicts and prostitutes, signifying the less glamorous side of the drug trade.
Critical reception[]
Hip Hop Album Reviews called the song "one of G Rap's premier ventures at storytelling, only weakened by the dime-a-dozen hook".[1]
Samples[]
"It's a Shame" samples the following songs:[2]
- "Love Is for Fools" by Southside Movement
Track listing[]
12"[]
- A-side
- "It's a Shame" (Original) (4:02)
- "It's a Shame" (Acapella) (4:01)
- "It's a Shame" (Instrumental) (3:54)
- B-side
- "It's a Shame" (Original) (4:03)
- "It's a Shame" (Acapella) (4:01)
- "It's a Shame" (Instrumental) (3:54)
CD[]
- "It's a Shame" (Original) (3:54)
- "It's a Shame" (Acapella) (3:54)
- "It's a Shame" (Instrumental) (3:54)
References[]
External links[]
- 1995 singles
- Kool G Rap songs
- Songs written by Kool G Rap
- Gangsta rap songs
- Hardcore hip hop songs
- Songs about crime
- Songs about drugs
- 1995 songs
- Cold Chillin' Records singles
- Mafioso rap songs