Biography
Hailing from Queens, Kool G Rap & DJ Polo forged one of rap’s most formidable bodies of work. Although Kool G Rap’s development as an MC between the duo’s debut single in 1986 and their last album in 1992 proved striking, the pair burst onto the scene at full speed and maintained that momentum without pause. While they never attained the broad visibility that other members of Marley Marl’s extended circle—Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, and Roxanne Shanté among them—enjoyed, their reverberations continue to echo across the East Coast, shaping everyone from the Notorious B.I.G. and Nas to Wu-Tang Clan and the underground.
Their opening 1986 single, “I’m Fly”/“It’s a Demo,” arrived on Cold Chillin’ with G Rap already displaying formidable mic command and a knack for boastful delivery. Over time, however, he became best recognized for narrative-driven rhymes as well as some of the most explicit verses in hip-hop. Across the years, production support arrived from Marley Marl, Large Professor, and Sir Jinx. After the duo’s formative “I’m Fly”/“It’s a Demo” appeared, G Rap—born Nathaniel Wilson—gained wider notice on the Juice Crew’s legendary Marley Marl–produced posse cut “The Symphony,” which also featured Masta Ace, Craig G., and Big Daddy Kane. Once anticipation had mounted for the first Kool G Rap & DJ Polo LP, Road to the Riches surfaced in 1989. Issued on Marley Marl’s Cold Chillin’ imprint and largely produced by him, the album delivered several enduring highlights while hinting at even greater promise ahead.
That promise materialized the next year on Wanted: Dead or Alive. Marley Marl again contributed to the sonic framework, joined this time by Main Source’s Large Professor and Eric B. On this release G Rap ascended to elite status as an MC, broadening his range with masterful storytelling on cuts such as “Streets of New York,” which reached number three on the rap singles chart, and the title track “Wanted: Dead or Alive.” When Live and Let Die arrived in 1992, the duo encountered controversy: its cover art, showing the pair offering meat to rabid dogs before two bound white men, drew considerable press scrutiny. The resulting attention propelled the album into the Top 20 of the R&B/hip-hop albums chart, yet the spotlight proved fleeting. Matching or even surpassing the caliber of Wanted: Dead or Alive, the project benefited from Sir Jinx and Trakmasterz behind the boards and pushed G Rap’s increasingly profane and visceral narratives to new extremes.
Shortly afterward, G Rap and Polo parted ways. Between the mid-’90s and early ’00s, G Rap issued three solo albums while Polo recorded a lone single alongside Ice-T and Ron Jeremy. Landspeed sustained the duo’s legacy with understated reissues: in 2000 and 2001 the label separately paired the first two albums and compiled their complete joint output.
Their opening 1986 single, “I’m Fly”/“It’s a Demo,” arrived on Cold Chillin’ with G Rap already displaying formidable mic command and a knack for boastful delivery. Over time, however, he became best recognized for narrative-driven rhymes as well as some of the most explicit verses in hip-hop. Across the years, production support arrived from Marley Marl, Large Professor, and Sir Jinx. After the duo’s formative “I’m Fly”/“It’s a Demo” appeared, G Rap—born Nathaniel Wilson—gained wider notice on the Juice Crew’s legendary Marley Marl–produced posse cut “The Symphony,” which also featured Masta Ace, Craig G., and Big Daddy Kane. Once anticipation had mounted for the first Kool G Rap & DJ Polo LP, Road to the Riches surfaced in 1989. Issued on Marley Marl’s Cold Chillin’ imprint and largely produced by him, the album delivered several enduring highlights while hinting at even greater promise ahead.
That promise materialized the next year on Wanted: Dead or Alive. Marley Marl again contributed to the sonic framework, joined this time by Main Source’s Large Professor and Eric B. On this release G Rap ascended to elite status as an MC, broadening his range with masterful storytelling on cuts such as “Streets of New York,” which reached number three on the rap singles chart, and the title track “Wanted: Dead or Alive.” When Live and Let Die arrived in 1992, the duo encountered controversy: its cover art, showing the pair offering meat to rabid dogs before two bound white men, drew considerable press scrutiny. The resulting attention propelled the album into the Top 20 of the R&B/hip-hop albums chart, yet the spotlight proved fleeting. Matching or even surpassing the caliber of Wanted: Dead or Alive, the project benefited from Sir Jinx and Trakmasterz behind the boards and pushed G Rap’s increasingly profane and visceral narratives to new extremes.
Shortly afterward, G Rap and Polo parted ways. Between the mid-’90s and early ’00s, G Rap issued three solo albums while Polo recorded a lone single alongside Ice-T and Ron Jeremy. Landspeed sustained the duo’s legacy with understated reissues: in 2000 and 2001 the label separately paired the first two albums and compiled their complete joint output.