Kool G Rap and DJ Polo were members of the legendary
Juice Crew, led by producer
Marley Marl. The duo first premiered on
Mr. Magic's Rap Attack radio show on 107.5 in 1986 with its first single "It's A Demo." They spent the next few years releasing singles, and eventually wrote and recorded
Road to the Riches in 1988, but wasn't released until early 1989. The album showcases G Rap's signature multisyllabic rhyme style with lyric topics ranging from crime, materialism, braggadocio, to love. The production was entirely handled by fellow
juice Crew member
Marley Marl, who provided a more hard-edged style of production than that of his previous work.
Road to the Riches is often cited as the beginning of the
mafioso rap genre, laying the groundwork for future hip hop stars such as
Scarface,
Nas,
Raekwon,
Jay-Z,
The Notorious B.I.G., and
AZ, among others, however the bulk of the album features
battle rap lyrics similar to
Big Daddy Kane or
Rakim without the explicit mafioso or
gangsta rap subjects of the title track. G Rap would begin expanding his vivid storytelling and
organized crime themes on his next album,
Wanted: Dead or Alive and especially on 1992's
Live and Let Die. According to the liner notes in
the Roots'
Phrenology, "Men at Work" was the song that brought the group together during a lunch period at their high school. ==Track listing==