Biography
Emerging from South Central Los Angeles during the late 1980s, Gregory Hutchinson—known alternatively as Cold 187um and Big Hutch—stands among numerous gangsta rappers originating from that region. The rapper and producer has never relied on subtlety in his lyrics; instead, many of Hutch's verses deliver graphic, violent, and unsettling depictions of thug life within L.A.'s inner-city neighborhoods. This Southern Californian gained his greatest recognition through ties to Above the Law, one of South Central L.A.'s most prominent—or notorious—gangsta rap outfits. Shaped heavily by N.W.A. and the foundational work of Ice-T, Hutch assembled Above the Law in 1989 alongside fellow L.A. residents Go Mack (Authur Goodman), KMG the Illustrator (Kevin Dulley), and Total K-oss (Anthony Stewart). That same year the group drew the interest of the late N.W.A. member Eazy-E (Eric Wright), who placed ATL on his Ruthless label. At the time Ruthless operated through varying distributors; Priority handled releases for N.W.A. and Eazy, Atlantic managed those for the D.O.C. and J.J. Fad, while Epic distributed ATL's output. Crafted in collaboration with N.W.A.'s Dr. Dre, the group's debut album Livin' Like Hustlers appeared on Ruthless/Epic in early 1990. The pronounced influence of N.W.A. and Ice-T surfaced throughout the record, as Hutch and his bandmates rapped in the first person, offering unfiltered accounts of the violent and perilous conditions on the ghetto streets of South Central L.A. Hutch, Ice-T, N.W.A., Houston's Geto Boys, Philadelphia's Schoolly D, and other gangsta rappers who surfaced in the 1980s were not the first to address thug life and inner-city social issues through rap. Yet by adopting the first-person perspective and immersing listeners within the mindset of thugs, felons, gang members, drug dealers, pimps, players, and hustlers, these artists rendered gangsta rap more unsettling than the third-person message raps that had emanated from New York since the early 1980s. When Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, Run-D.M.C., the Fat Boys, and additional New York MCs tackled inner-city problems, they remained in the third person and avoided embodying the figures they described; Hutch and fellow gangsta rappers, by contrast, supplied listeners with an insider's vantage point from the thug's side. Like many peers in the genre, Hutch has faced accusations of glorifying and promoting black-on-black crime, though he has routinely responded that his work merely spotlights the inner city's difficulties rather than endorsing them. Livin' Like Hustlers achieved commercial success, leading to the 1993 release of ATL's second album, Black Mafia Life, on Warner Bros. Following the delivery of a third album, Uncle Sam's Curse, for Ruthless in 1993, ATL moved to Tommy Boy in 1996 and completed two projects for the New York imprint: Time Will Reveal in 1996 and Legends in 1998. The group then shifted to Street Solid in 1999, the hip-hop/urban arm of producer James Warsinske's L.A.-based Solid Entertainment (previously AVC Entertainment). At Street Solid, Hutch maintained dual paths, continuing as an ATL member while initiating a solo career. ATL's Forever Rich Thugs surfaced on Street Solid in 1999, the same year Warsinske's label issued Hutch's debut solo effort, Executive Decisions. Throughout this period Hutch also handled substantial production work; the artists he produced during the 1990s or early 2000s include Snoop Doggy Dogg, Eazy-E, MC Ren (formerly of N.W.A.), South Gate, Kokane, and E-40. Although the majority of those Hutch produced have been West Coast gangsta rappers, he has additionally collaborated with the female group H.W.A., whose X-rated, sexually explicit lyrics align more closely with Lil' Kim or Luther Campbell and 2 Live Crew than with gangsta rap.
Singles
