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''Grip It! On That Other Level'' is the second studio album by the Houston hip hop group, Geto Boys (then known as Ghetto Boys), released on March 12, 1989 on Rap-A-Lot Records. Following the disappointing results of the group's first album, Rap-A-Lot CEO James Prince replaced two of the group members with Scarface (then known as Akshen) and Willie D, who joined original members Bushwick Bill and DJ Ready Red. Recording for the album began in 1988, and finished in early 1989. The majority of the album's tracks were produced by DJ Ready Red, and much of the album's lyrical content deals with violent and misogynistic topics, which would later be credited for pioneering the horrorcore hip hop subgenre. Upon its 1989 release, ''Grip It! On That Other Level'' reached number 166 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, and number 19 on the Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums chart. The song "Do it Like a G.O." was the album's only single used for promotion. ''Grip It!'' was well received in the hip hop community, and was considered to be the group's breakout album, as it gave them national exposure and eventually sold 500,000 copies.〔Caesar, Syd. (Grip It on That Other Level ). geniusrap.com. Retrieved 2014-02-21.〕 A year after its release, super-producer Rick Rubin remixed 10 of its tracks for the 1990 remix album ''The Geto Boys''. In 1998, ''The Source'' magazine included ''Grip It! On That Other Level'' on their 100 Best Albums list, and in 2002, they gave it the perfect five mic' rating. == Background == In 1988, Rap-A-Lot Records founder James Prince decided to invest his full budget and attention towards the Ghetto Boys, as he saw them as the most promising music-act on his label.〔Rap-A-Lot Records: 25 year anniversary documentary. Rap-A-Lot Records. 2011. Retrieved 2014-02-21.〕 After the critical and commercial failure of the group's debut album ''Making Trouble'', J. Prince felt that the Ghetto Boys needed to go in a different direction, and that their line-up needed to change.〔 He opted to keep DJ Ready Red and their hype man Bushwick Bill, but dropped Sire Jukebox and Prince Johnny C, as he saw the latter two as copying several artists from New York.〔 Willie D, who had signed to Rap-A-Lot as a solo artist in 1988, was added to the group at James Prince's request as a favor.〔 Willie would later reveal that he was reluctant at first to join the fold, as he wanted to make a solo album.〔 However, his debut LP entitled ''Controversy'', would be released several months after ''Grip It! On That Other Level''. After hearing about a local rapper named Akshen who was gaining notoriety in the Houston hip hop community, J. Prince and his brother set up an audition at DJ Ready Red's house, with Akshen, or James' brother getting the final spot as a member of the Geto Boys.〔 As the two began to compete over DJ Ready Red's beats, James Prince was impressed by Akshen's lyrical abilities, as well as his serious subject matter, which was un-common in hip hop at that time.〔 Akshen, who would later change his stage name to Scarface, ended up getting the spot as the fourth and final member of the Geto Boys.〔 Recording for ''Grip It! On That Other Level'' began in 1988, and reached completion in early 1989. The album was well received in the Hip hop community, and gave the group exposure in the east coast and west coast, where southern hip hop was previously ignored.〔 James Prince later revealed that if ''Grip It! On That Other Level'' wasn't a success, he was going to shut down Rap-A-Lot Records, and quit the music industry.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Grip It! On That Other Level」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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