Retro Video of the Week: "O.G. Original Gangster" by Ice-T

This Friday marks the 30th anniversary of the release of Ice-T's fourth studio album, O.G. Original Gangster.  Before he was Odafin Tutuola from Law & Order: SVU (which he has portrayed since 2000), Ice-T was one of the stars of the gangsta rap genre.

O.G. Original Gangster is considered one of his best albums and one of the iconic albums of the gangsta rap genre.  The album was Ice-T's highest-charting album to that point on the Billboard album chart, reaching #15.  It also went to #7 on the Billboard R&B album chart.

The album produced two hits for Ice-T.  "New Jack Hustler (Nino's Theme)," which was also featured on the New Jack City soundtrack, went to #3 on the Billboard R&B singles chart and #67 on the Billboard Hot 100.  The title track went to #7 on the Billboard singles chart, and it's the song that I most associate with Ice-T, so I'm going with that.  It's an autobiographical song about Ice-T's pre-rap life.  Among other songs, it samples Thin Lizzy's "Johnny The Fox" and the ever-sampled "Funky Drummer" by James Brown.