Word...Life
Word...Life | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by O.C. | ||||
Released | October 18, 1994 | |||
Recorded | 1993-94 | |||
Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length | 53:36 | |||
Label | Wild Pitch Records | |||
Producer |
Organized Konfusion Buckwild Lord Finesse DJ Ogee | |||
O.C. chronology | ||||
|
Professional ratings | |
---|---|
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
RapReviews | (9.5/10)[2] |
Word...Life is the debut album from underground hip hop artist O.C., who came to prominence in hip hop because of the album. It was released on October 18, 1994 by Wild Pitch Records. It also helped establish his membership in the legendary hip hop crew D.I.T.C., which includes Lord Finesse, Showbiz & A.G., Diamond D, Fat Joe, Big L and Buckwild, who produced the majority of this album. The album is now out of print.
The album is most remembered because of the single "Time's Up". The instrumental to the track was used in the movie 8 Mile, starring rapper Eminem, in a rap battle scene.[3] The song was a scathing accusation, pointed at thug-posturers who were flooding the hip hop scene at the time. Vocal clips from the song have been sampled in numerous hip hop tracks throughout the years; including Mos Def's song "Hip Hop" off of his 1999 album Black on Both Sides and Big L's song "The Enemy", which appears on his posthumous album The Big Picture.
Track listing
# | Title | Songwriters | Producer(s) | Performer (s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Creative Control" | O. Credle, L. Baskerville, T. Jamerson | Organized Konfusion | O.C. | 1:44 |
2 | "Word...Life" | O. Credle, A. Best | Buckwild | O.C. | 4:53 |
3 | "O-Zone" | O. Credle, A. Best | Buckwild | O.C. | 4:04 |
4 | "Born 2 Live" | O. Credle, A. Best | Buckwild | O.C. | 4:46 |
5 | "Time's Up" | O. Credle, A. Best | Buckwild | O.C. | 3:29 |
6 | "Point O' Viewz" | O. Credle, D. Vanderpool, A. Best | Buckwild, Prestige | O.C. | 4:14 |
7 | "Constables" | O. Credle, L. Baskerville, T. Jamerson | Organized Konfusion | O.C. | 4:04 |
8 | "Ga Head" | O. Credle, R. Hall | Lord Finesse | O.C. | 3:55 |
9 | "No Main Topic" | O. Credle, G. Scott | DJ Ogee | O.C. | 3:42 |
10 | "Let It Slide" | O. Credle, A. Best | Buckwild | O.C. | 4:23 |
11 | "Ma Dukes" | O. Credle, A. Best | Buckwild | O.C. | 3:58 |
12 | "Story" | O. Credle, G. Scott | DJ Ogee | O.C. | 3:03 |
13 | "Outtro (Sabotage)" | O. Credle, A. Best | Buckwild | O.C. | 2:51 |
14 | "Born 2 Live (Remix)" | O. Credle, A. Best | Organized Konfusion | O.C. | 3:45 |
Samples
Creative Control
- "Hey Jude" by Maynard Ferguson
Word...Life
- "Never Will I Marry" by Nancy Wilson & Cannonball Adderley
O-Zone
- "Leaves" by Pete Jolly
- "Spoonin' Rap" by Spoonie Gee
- "The Sorcerer of Isis" by Power of Zeus
- "Shook Ones Pt. I" by Mobb Deep
Born 2 Live
- "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Isaac Hayes
- "Risin' to the Top" by Keni Burke
- "Outside Love" by Brethren
Time's Up
- "A Day in the Life" by Les DeMerle
- "Hey Young World" by Slick Rick
Point O Viewz
- "Seeds of Love" by Little Boy Blues
- "Searchin' (Live)" by Roy Ayers
Constables
- "Hip-Hop vs. Rap" by KRS-One
- "I Got It Made" by Special Ed (interpolation of the drumset)
Ga Head
- "Hey Jude" by O.C. Smith
- "Together Let's Find Love" by The 5th Dimension
No Main Topic
- "Fresh Is the Word" by Mantronix
- "Gong" by Duke Ellington
Let It Slide
- "Dream Clock" by Weather Report
- "Outside Love" by Brethren
Ma Dukes
- "Come Dancing" by Jeff Beck
- "Back on the Track" by Jimmy McGriff
Outtro (Sabotage)
- "Riding High" by Faze-O
2004 re-issue
Word...Life was re-issued in 2004, its tenth anniversary, with five bonus tracks. They are:
- "Challenge Y'all"
- "U Made Me"
- "U-N-I"
- "Half Good Half Sinner"
- "Wordplay"
Album singles
Single information |
---|
"Born 2 Live"
|
"Time's Up"
|
Chart positions
Album
Chart (1994) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[4] | 34 |
Singles
Year | Song | Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales |
---|---|---|
1994 | "Time's Up" | 34 |
1994 | "Born 2 Live" | 41 |
References
- ↑ Word...Life at AllMusic
- ↑ RapReviews review
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHMF-bVxlkc
- ↑ "O.C. – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for O.C.. Retrieved April 28, 2016.