Ice T's debut album 'Rhyme Pays' was released in the summer of 1987, the lead single 'Make it Funky' had been released a month or so earlier to give a taste of what was to come. The 'Intro' is absolutely fantastic and to this day is still my favourite intro to any album, Dave Storrs uses 'Tubular Bells' to great effect layering it over the top of some epic music, it sounds like a score from a horror film whilst Ice T introduces himself with a poem about his rise from young boy to young gangsta on the tough streets of Los Angeles, truly epic. The intro bleeds into the title track which shows Ice T fire his slick machine gun raps over a raw beat whilst Evil E cuts up a guitar riff from Black Sabbaths 'War Pigs', a great start to the album. The next track is a remix of '6 in the Morning' which has become a west coast classic, not only is this a remix with heavier beats than the Techno Hop original but there are a few extra verses of rap. 'Make it Funky' is a fast paced drum machine banger that samples James Brown, again Ice hits us with his fast paced delivery, interestingly the track breaks down in the middle giving shout outs to the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Uptown, although Ice is from L.A. he recorded this album in NYC whilst staying with Afrika Islam hence the connection. Pimpin Ain't Easy is heavy on the beats whilst Ice brags about his luxurious lifestyle, this was before Big Daddy Kane had a track of the same name. 409 is a great little track with Afrika Islam using various breaks in the production. 'I love the Ladies' has a very catchy beat and Ice is in great form rapping about the ladies, there is one verse where he tells a great story of when he meets a young lady who takes him home and blows his mind, a very funny and well delivered rap. 'Sex' was the flip of the first single over an 808 beat. For me the song 'Pain' is a slept on gem, it's a gritty tale of life on the street, although it's a gangsta tale is feels more gritty and real because it doesn't go over the top like later gangsta raps, a real favourite of mine. 'Squeeze the Trigger' is another track that has gone on to be a classic, a brutal look at the reality of urban life in the 1980's, the song has a catchy baseline and some very clever use of samples, lyrically this is probably the strongest track on the album. This album is a west coast classic, an introduction to gangsta rap for many and for me still one of my favourite albums of all time. Even the cover is dope, check out the tasty graff piece on the back, whilst Ice counts his cash wearing his B Boy leather goose jacket, oh yeah and the gorgeous Darlene on the front. The album had all the lyrics printed on the inner sleeve.

First album for hip hop music to be hit with 'Parental Advisory' warning on cover.