Ice-T’s ‘Rhyme Pays’ Turns 35

Today is a special day in Hip-Hop. On this day, thirty-five years ago, Ice-T released his debut album, Rhyme Pays. It is not only a collection of songs that introduced the world to “gangsta rap” before it was even a term but marked the arrival of one of Hip-Hop’s greatest storytellers.

West Coast Styles salutes Rhyme Pays and thanks all those involved with its creation for the trail it blazed and the standards it set, some of which very few other albums have matched even all these years later. Respect due.

Check out the tweets below where Ice-T and others provide some insights regarding this landmark recording, and the impact Ice has had on Hip-Hop in its entirety!

35 yrs ago today I dropped my 1st album.. And the Game has never been the same.. lol 💎 https://t.co/OpfMJYxROg

— ICE T (@FINALLEVEL) July 28, 2022

35yrs ago today. This is how it ALL started.. 💥💥💥💥💥 https://t.co/yEshFSwAkl

— ICE T (@FINALLEVEL) July 28, 2022

The very 1st LA Gang reference on a Hip Hop record. Both Crip and Blood sets…. People across the country had Zero knowledge of LA gangs at the time. Also an early reference to the AK47. ‘Squeeze The Trigger’ 35yrs ago 💎 https://t.co/Pn7BwBkLer

— ICE T (@FINALLEVEL) July 28, 2022

When your Peers shout you out….. I hits different.. RESPECT to @MrChuckD PublicEnemy #1 ✊🏽 https://t.co/V2HoKGMhAX

— ICE T (@FINALLEVEL) July 27, 2022

On this date: 35 years ago @FINALLEVEL dropped his game-changing debut album 💎 Read the first-person story of how Ice made #RhymePays—and gave birth to West Coast gangsta rap—in #SplitDecision 📚

📸 “Back then, album covers used to be nearly as important as the music itself.” pic.twitter.com/0tSQO55843

— Douglas Century (@DouglasCentury) July 28, 2022

Shad Reed

I grew up in Michigan, and graduated from high school in 2005. I then attended Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, where I majored in Music Business and received a Bachelor's of Business Administration Degree. During my time in school there, I began writing for Billboard magazine. And then, after contributing to a Nashville-based music site as a hip-hop correspondent, I was able to transition into a role as a features writer for AllHipHop.com. If Sidney Shaw from 'Brown Sugar' were to ask me, "When did you fall in love with hip-hop?", my answer would be Snoop Doggy Dogg and Coolio in the mid-90s. Therefore, I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to now be at West Coast Styles and be conducting interviews and creating think pieces about how the culture has affected people, politics, and society as a whole. Peace and blessings to all. @SouthpawWCS [Twitter]

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