It Takes a Thief (album)
It Takes a Thief | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | July 19, 1994 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 59:14 | |||
Label | Tommy Boy/Warner Bros. Records | |||
Producer | Paul Stewart, Dobbs The Wino, Rashad Coles, Billy Boy, Crazy Toones, CS Coleman | |||
Coolio chronology | ||||
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Singles from It Takes a Thief | ||||
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It Takes a Thief is the debut studio album by American rapper Coolio.[1] It was released on July 19, 1994, on Warner Bros. Records. The album received praise for bringing a humorous and lighthearted perspective to the often violent and profane themes of typical gangsta rap.
"Fantastic Voyage," a hit from the early 1980s, returned to the charts after Coolio released a song of the same name from this album. The song received regular airplay on MTV and became his breakout hit, peaking at No. 3 in the US. Songs "Smokin Stix," "Can-o-Corn," and "Sticky Fingers" first appeared in the film Poetic Justice.
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [2] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+[3] |
Robert Christgau | [4] |
Rolling Stone | [5] |
Track listing[]
All tracks are written by Artis Ivey, unless otherwise noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Fantastic Voyage (Timber mix)" | Artis Ivey; Brian Dobbs; Fred Alexander; Norman Beavers; Marvin Craig; Tiemeyer McCain; Thomas Shelby; Stephen Shockley; Otis Stokes; Mark Adam Woods | 5:32 |
2. | "County Line" | Artis Ivey; Brian Dobbs; Allen Jones; Charles Allen; Clifton Chase; Ed Fletcher; Frank Thompson; Harvey Henderson; James Alexander; Larry Dodson; Lloyd Smith; Mark Bynum; Melvin Glover; Michael Beard; Sherman Guy; Sylvia Robinson; Winston Stewart | 2:57 |
3. | "Mama, I'm in Love with a Gangsta" (featuring LeShaun) | Artis Ivey; Chris Jasper; Ernie Isley; Marvin Isley; O'Kelly Isley Jr.; Ronald Isley; Rudolph Isley; Roy Ayers | 4:09 |
4. | "Hand on My Nutsac" | 3:28 | |
5. | "Ghetto Cartoon" | Artis Ivey; Autry DeWalt; Freddie Perren; Willie Woods | 3:13 |
6. | "Smokin' Stix" | Artis Ivey; Allan Felder; Talmadge Conway | 3:20 |
7. | "Can-o-Corn" | 3:40 | |
8. | "U Know Hoo!" (featuring WC) | Artis Ivey; William Calhoun | 3:51 |
9. | "It Takes a Thief" | 5:06 | |
10. | "Bring Back Somethin' fo da Hood" | Artis Ivey; Ralph MacDonald | 3:11 |
11. | "N da Closet" | Artis Ivey; Frank Wilson; James Nyx Jr.; Kathy Wakefield; Marvin Gaye | 3:51 |
12. | "On My Way to Harlem" | 3:13 | |
13. | "Sticky Fingers" | Artis Ivey; Bryan Dobbs; Clifton "Jiggs" Chase; Ed Fletcher; Melvin Glover; Sylvia Robinson | 2:59 |
14. | "Thought You Knew" | 3:19 | |
15. | "Ugly Bitches" | Artis Ivey; Ken Gold; Michael Denne | 4:06 |
16. | "I Remember" (featuring J-Ro and Billy Boy) | Artis Ivey; Al Green; Kenneth Gamble; Leon Huff; Willie Mitchell | 4:47 |
Charts[]
Weekly charts[]
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Year-end charts[]
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Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United States (RIAA)[9] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
References[]
- ^ Considine, J. D. "Coolio gets personal, mixing meaning with his infectious groove". baltimoresun.com.
- ^ "It Takes a Thief - Coolio | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
- ^ "It Takes a Thief Review - Music Reviews and News - EW.com". EW.com. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: Coolio". Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ^ "Album Reviews, Ratings, and Best New Albums". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 6, 2008. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
- ^ "Coolio Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ "Coolio Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- ^ "American album certifications – Coolio – It Takes a Thief". Recording Industry Association of America.
External links[]
- It Takes a Thief at Discogs (list of releases)
Categories:
- 1994 debut albums
- Coolio albums
- Tommy Boy Records albums
- Gangsta rap albums by American artists
- G-funk albums
- 1990s hip hop album stubs