News on Kool G Rap, Erykah Badu/Common, Adema
Veteran hip-hop artist Kool G Rap will issue his eighth studio album, "The Giancana Story," Nov. 12 as his first release under a newly signed deal with Rawkus/Koch Entertainment. The set features guest appearances by Capone-N-Noreaga, Blackchild, Mobb Deep's Prodigy, LES, and R.E.M.'s Michael Stipe, among others.
"The Giancana Story" is said to be filled with the gritty street-life stories for which Kool G Rap has become known. "I think a lot of niggas is gonna be amazed," the artist said in a statement. "As far as putting a song together, they're gonna hear G Rap at his best."
The album will be Kool G Rap's first since 1998's "Roots of Evil" (Illstreet/Down Low), which reached No. 43 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Members of Marley Marl's Juice Crew, Kool G Rap and partner DJ Polo released their first album, the Warner Bros. set, "Road to Riches," in 1989. It reached No. 26 on the R&B/Hip-Hop tally.
-- Barry A. Jeckell, N.Y.