It Takes a Thief

by Coolio

Overview

Coolio's debut, It Takes a Thief, brought him immediate success, establishing his reputation as a hard-knock, gun-slinging gangster with a biting sense of humor. Maybe it was because of his appearance -- heavy eyelids and finger-in-a-light-socket hairstyle -- or maybe it was because of his laid-back vocal delivery, but he never seemed quite as menacing as other West Coast rappers spitting verses about the same thuggery. Instead of trying to incite fear in his raps, he complained that he didn't like having to live that way, and noted that there wasn't really a choice in the matter. Practically all the songs on It Takes a Thief are about one of two things: gang-banging and robbing in the ghettos while trying to make ends meet, or about hard times as a crack addict on the streets. Not exactly the most uplifting topics, but when the stories of strife are rapped smoothly over melodic funk anthems, people automatically shake their butts and overlook the darker subtext. In actuality, the content of the album is pretty similar to Marvin Gaye's What's Going On, if you can believe that, with Coolio wondering why society is so messed up and trying to find a way to make ends meet. Like Nas (who also came out with his debut in 1994), his lyrics are justifications and apologies for living the thug life in an era when most popular rappers glorified the hardcore lifestyle. Rather than hyping his toughness, he explains ghetto trials and tribulations. It's hard to imagine Snoop or 2Pac rapping about standing in the welfare line ("County Line"), or being impoverished and malnourished and eating out of a garbage can ("Can-O-Corn"), but Coolio tells these tales of woe matter-of-factly while candy-coated beats and playful melodies bounce along like P-Funk. With its infectious "Slide, slide, slippity slide" chorus, it went unnoticed that his breakthrough single, "Fantastic Voyage," was actually a song about escapism, and that "I Remember" was about the angst of getting shot by a gang member for unknowingly wearing the wrong colors, rather than a sentimental ditty about the good ol' days. Regardless of the commonly misinterpreted underlying meanings, the songs are undeniable party jams, and with future albums, the lyrics would focus more and more on the dancefloor aspect. The whole journey is a fantastic and underrated juxtaposition between good times and bad times, and ultimately, even though his second album, Gangsta's Paradise, sold more copies, this debut represents Coolio at his finest hour. ~ Jason Lymangrover

Product Details

Release Date:	04/23/2022
Label:	Tommy Boy
UPC:	0016998108307
Rank:	54210

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Coolio   Primary Artist,Vocals
Stan Jones   Bass,Guitar,Vocals,Guitar (Bass)
J-Ro   Featured Artist
G.A.T.   Vocals (Background)
WC   Featured Artist
Leshaun   Featured Artist
Billy Boy   Vocals,Featured Artist
Homies   Vocals (Background)
Clinton Sands   Bass
Joe Blow   Horn

Technical Credits

Allan Felder   Composer
T. Conway   Composer
Stephen Shockley   Composer
Sylvia Robinson   Composer
Ken Gold   Composer
Kenny Gamble   Composer
James Alexander   Composer
Frank Thompson   Composer
DJ Charlie Chase   Composer
Fred Alexander   Composer
Gil Goldstein   Composer
W. Woods   Composer
Ernie Isley   Composer
WC   Composer,Producer
Leshaun   Performer
Lloyd Smith   Composer
Mark Bynum   Composer
Ronald Isley   Composer
Junior P   Musician
Kathy Wakefield   Composer
Marvin Gaye   Composer
Mark Woods   Composer
Roy Ayers   Composer
Rudolph Isley   Composer
Marvin Craig   Composer
Marvin Isley   Composer
Norman Beavers   Composer
Melvin Glover   Composer
Billy Boy   Producer,Producer
Norman Berwers   Composer
Michael Beard   Composer
O'Kelly Isley   Composer
Otis Stokes   Composer
Artis Ivey, Jr.   Composer
Gordon Skene   Musician
A. Feldman   Composer
Willie Woods   Composer
Tiemeyer McCain   Composer
Al Green   Composer
Brian G.   Producer
Fred Alexander, Jr.   Composer
Winston Stewart   Composer
Willie Mitchell   Composer
Rashad Coles   Producer
Alla   Composer
Chris Jasper   Composer
Chris Stokes   Composer
Coolio   Producer
James Nyx   Composer
F. Terrem   Composer
Freddie Perren   Composer
Deene   Composer
Leon Huff   Composer
Smokey Robinson   Composer
Ralph MacDonald   Composer
A. Dewalt   Composer
Thomas Shelby   Composer
Brian Dobbs   Composer,Producer
Gold   Composer
T.G. Conway   Composer
Crazy Toones   Composer,Producer
M.J. Wood   Composer
R. Smith   Composer
F. Lewis   Composer
D. Thompson   Composer
Clifton Chase   Composer
Pat Shockly   Composer
Charles Allen   Composer
Michael Denne   Composer
Frederick Lewis   Composer
Dobbs the Wino   Composer,Producer
Joey Robinson, Jr.   Composer
Paul Stewart   Producer,Executive Producer
CS Coleman   Producer
Neil Mitchell   Composer
Mark Adam Wood, Jr.   Composer
Sherman Guy   Composer
Frank Wilson   Composer
Thomas Oliver Shelby   Composer
Shockley   Composer
James Nyx, Jr.   Composer
Edward Fletcher   Composer
R. MacDonald   Composer
Doug Rasheed   Musician,Producer
Larry Dodson   Composer
Harvey Henderson   Composer
Craig Coleman   Producer
William Calhoun, Jr.   Composer
Allen Jones   Composer
Autry Dewalt   Composer
Lamar Calhoun   Composer
Spoon   Producer