1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
something to ride to, September 7, 2000
By A Customer
This review is from: It Takes a Thief (Audio CD)
Coolio starts you on a ride with a remake of Lakeside's "Fantastic Voyage," complete with smooth gangsta lyrics and a catchy chorus. It works wonders on a boomin sound system. Besides that the rest of the tracks, most of them anyways, are worth a listen, specifically U Know Hoo with W.C. and Ghetto Cartoon. But Fantastic Voyage is the best of the album......all I gotta say is "slide, slide, slippity slide......"
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4.0 out of 5 stars
An Album That Exceeded My Expectations (Rating: 8 out of 10- -4.0 stars), April 22, 2009
This review is from: It Takes a Thief (Audio CD)
After getting his major debut in the group The Madd Circle, with west coast rapper, WC, Coolio came out with his solo debut It Takes A Thief back in 1994. His debut was able to blend in with the popular west coast rap scene around that time. Here Coolio takes you through a tale of stories before he became a recording artist. The album's concept is interesting, but at the same time, gets kind of repetitive. But the overall product is highly enjoyable for one fan to like.
With the lead single "Fantastic Voyage", Coolio creates a track for one to bounce to. "County Line", and "Mama I'm In Love With A Gangsta", he rhymes about being broke and being locked away for some time. The latter track features up and coming rapper Leshaun (you might recognize her from LL Cool J's "Doin' It") who drops an okay verse. Further down the album are tracks like "Can-O-Corn", and "Sticky Fingers" where he reminisces over times he used to shoplift to get by in life. The album's title track is one of the biggest highlights on the album as Coolio tells stories on how he used to rob people for their goods. "N Da Closet" is another standout, as he explains about the effects of his drug habit. The end of the album "I Remember" is another great track that features J-Ro from the Alkaholiks, and Billy Boy.
Given that this is an excellent album, Coolio missteps on such songs like "Ghetto Cartoon", and "On My Way To Harlem". Both tracks are one of the few that failed to standout in my opinion.
Overall Coolio's debut was a great album. Coolio sounds very motivated and hungry as he strives to keep his lyrical content above the average. I enjoyed the content that he placed here on this album, and it will keep a listener interested. Given that this is out of print, and only sells for a penny, this is one purchase I would recommend, especially those who are new to Coolio and are on the fence about his material. Peace.
Lyrics: B+
Production: B+
Guest Appearances: B+
Musical Vibes: A-
Top 5 Tracks:
1. It Takes A Thief
2. I Remember (featuring J-Ro and Billy Boy)
3. N Da Closet
4. Fantastic Voyage
5. County Line
Honorable Mention:
1. Mama I'm In Love With A Gangsta (featuring LeShaun)
2. U Know Hoo! (featuring W.C.)
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Back in the day when I was young..., March 20, 2009
I personally think this is one of the best things that came out from west coast rap thru the whole "Deathrow, Ruthless" era. You gotta be really about your neighborhood and about your friends and family to understand this album since this album is kinda like Coolio's diary on how he came up from gettin high and being broke to puttin out an extremely good album. You can take the radio edit songs to see its worthy enough like Fantastic Voyage but you wont get the whole experience until you feel "n da closet" "I remember" "Can-o-Corn" "sticky fingerz" I feel really sorry for anybody from my generation who hasn't appraised to this album yet and if you can, smoke some....
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