Background and career
Nathaniel Thomas Wilson (born July 20, 1968), better known by his stage name Kool G Rap (or simply G Rap), is an American rapper. He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as a member of the Juice Crew. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential and skilled MCs of all time, and a pioneer of mafioso rap/street/hardcore content and multisyllabic rhyming. On his album The Giancana Story, he stated that the "G" in his name stands for "Giancana" (after the mobster Sam Giancana), but on other occasions he has stated that it stands for "Genius". He has also been cited as a major influence on some of hip-hop's most critically acclaimed figures, such as the Notorious B.I.G., Nas, Eminem and Jay-Z, as well as many underground rappers.
Wilson grew up in the poverty-ridden streets of Corona, Queens, New York City, with legendary producer Eric B. In an interview with The Source he stated;
Growing up in Corona was like a little Harlem, it wasn't that hard for a nigga to be influenced by the street life type of mentality. I was like 15 years old, Ma dukes couldn't dress a nigga no more and at that age you want a little money in your pocket. That's what gets us all, material possessions. A nigga got caught up in that mentality. Nigga started selling drugs at a certain point, and all that shit, it's what was goin' on in the streets ... eventually all my friends got smoked. Everybody was droppin'. All my friends started packing burners everyday, we was wild shorties. Around this time, Wilson was looking for a DJ, and through Eric B., he met DJ Polo, who was looking for an MC to collaborate with.
Juice Crew producer Mr. Magic and DJ Marley Marl allowed Polo and Kool G Rap to go to their studio to record a demo, which resulted in the song "It's a Demo". The song was written and recorded in one night, and had Marley so impressed, that he instantly embraced Kool G Rap and DJ Polo as Juice Crew members. In 1986, the duo appeared on Mr. Magic's Rap Attack radio show on 107.5. They eventually released "It's a Demo" as a single with "I'm Fly", along with two more singles. Shortly after this, Kool G Rap appeared on the Juice Crew's classic posse cut "The Symphony" before they released their debut album, Road to the Riches in 1989. This album and their two later albums, Wanted: Dead or Alive (1990) and Live and Let Die (1992), are highly regarded and considered hip-hop classics. Eventually, in 1993, Kool G Rap parted ways with DJ Polo to pursue a solo career. In the 2019 autobiographic RPM Series by Ben Merlis, Goin’ Off: The Story of the Juice Crew & Cold Chillin’ Records, Kool G Rap further elaborated on the split with DJ Polo:
Me and Polo parted ways because I felt it was my time to separate. Polo had brought me in the game, so I gave Polo three albums and seven years of my life. For it to not be a group where we’re contributing to the group evenly – 50%/50%, then I felt like it was time for us to eat off our own plates.
In 1995, Wilson started his solo career with the album 4, 5, 6, which featured production from Buckwild, and guest appearances from Nas, MF Grimm and B-1. It has been his most commercially successful record, reaching No. 24 on the U.S. Billboard 200 album chart. This was followed by Roots of Evil in 1998. In 1997, G Rap was featured on Frankie Cutlass' Politics & Bullshit album, on a track entitled "Know Da Game" which also featured Mobb Deep. In addition, Kool G featured on the Big Pun track "Wishful Thinking" and on Cuban Link's posse cut "Men of Business" which also featured N.O.R.E., Lord Tariq, and M.O.P. He then planned to release his next album, The Giancana Story, on Rawkus Records in 2000. Due to several complications with the record label, the album release date was pushed back several times, and the album was eventually released in 2002. "My Life", the single from the album, featuring Talk Box legend G-Wise, reached No. 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100 Rap singles charts. Kool G Rap and his group 5 Family Click then released a joint album, Click of Respect, on Kool G Rap's own Igloo Ent. record label in 2003, to mild success. There were rumors of Kool G Rap's signing to both Rocafella and G-Unit Records, and at one point Maybach Music Group. In 2007, he released Half a Klip on Chinga Chang Records, featuring production from, among others, DJ Premier and Marley Marl. A full LP was released in 2011, Riches, Royalty, Respect showcasing his true to form style and lyricism. The promise and prospects of collaboration albums were announced later the next year on his own, newly formed label FullMettle. The first of these new projects came in 2018 with the album Son of G Rap with Rochester, New York based rapper 38 Spesh.
