The Villain in Black

The Villain in Black
Studio album by MC Ren
Released April 9, 1996 (1996-04-09)
Recorded 1994-1996
Genre Gangsta rap, G-funk, Political hip hop
Length 45:09
Label
Producer

Executive producers

Additional producers

MC Ren chronology
Shock of the Hour
(1993)		 The Villain in Black
(1996)		 Ruthless for Life
(1998)
Singles from The Villain in Black
  1. "Mad Scientist"
    Released: 1996
  2. "Keep It Real"
    Released: August 20, 1996

The Villain in Black is the second album by rapper MC Ren, released April 9, 1996, on Ruthless Records and distributed by Relativity Records.

The album showcases MC Ren's first attempt at imitating the G-Funk sound that dominated the West Coast hip hop scene during that time, in particular Dr. Dre's debut 1992 album The Chronic. This was not well received by critics and fans, as the album was heavily criticized for what many saw as MC Ren's pandering to gangsta rap, and toning down of the socio-political content found on his earlier efforts. Despite the criticism, the album was moderately successful, charting at #31 on the Billboard 200.

Content

Production

The majority of the album's production was handled by Cold 187um of Above the Law and Dr. Jam. It also features production by Madness 4 Real and Big Jessie.

Album title

The album titles is a reference to MC Ren's nickname, The Villain.

Singles

Two singles were released from the album: "Mad Scientist" and "Keep It Real".

Release and reception

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic [1]
Los Angeles Times [2]
The Source

Commercial performance

The album debuted number 31 on Billboard 200, with the first-week sales of 31,000 copies. The following month the album sold 121,000 copies.

Track listing

No. TitleProducer(s) Length
1. "Bitch Made Nigga Killa"  Cold 187um 4:02
2. "Keep It Real"  Dr. Jam 4:52
3. "It's Like That" (featuring Bigg Rocc)Cold 187um 4:34
4. "Mad Scientist"  Dr. Jam, Madness 4 Real (co.) 4:22
5. "Live From Compton 'Saturday Night'" (featuring Cold 187um)Cold 187um 5:56
6. "Still The Same Nigga"  Jessie "Big Jessie" Willard 5:27
7. "I Don't Give A Damn"  Dr. Jam, Madness 4 Real (co.) 3:56
8. "Mind Blown" (featuring Bigg Rocc)Cold 187um 4:42
9. "Great Elephant"  Jessie "Big Jessie" Willard 3:45
10. "Muhammed Speaks" (featuring Khalid Muhammad)Cold 187um 1:31
11. "Bring It On" (featuring Above the Law, Triggerman and Khalid Muhammad)Cold 187um 4:42

Sample Credit

  • "Bitch Made Nigga Killa"
    • "If It Ain't Ruff" by N.W.A.
    • "Grand Verbalizer, What Time Is It?" by X-Clan
  • "Mad Scientist"
    • "Mayday On The Frontline" by MC Ren
    • "Final Frontier" by MC Ren
    • "All Bullshit Aside" by MC Ren
  • "I Don't Give a Damn"

Charts

Album

Charts (1996) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard 200 31
U.S. Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums 7

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions
U.S. Hot 100 U.S. R&B U.S. Rap
1996 "Mad Scientist" — — —
"Keep It Real" — 106 43

References

  1. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen. "The Villain in Black - MC Ren". Allmusic.
  2. ↑ Coker, Cheo Hodari. Review: The Villain in Black.
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