4,5,6

Background and Recording

Following the critical acclaim of a three-album run with D.J Polo, Road to the Riches (1989), Wanted: Dead Or Alive (1990) and Live and Let Die (1992), Kool G Rap chose to concentrate his efforts in a more underground direction, in continuation with the sound on his albums with D.J. Polo. In early 1993 Kool G Rap separated from D.J. Polo in the aftermath of the media controversy surrounding the cover art of their previous album Live and Let Die. The cover which depicted two police officers being hanged followed the Cop Killer controversy involving Time Warner & Warner Bros. Records. Warner Bros. Records ultimately refused to distribute Live and Let Die resulting in the termination of its contract with Cold Chillin' Records. Live and Let Die was eventually released and distributed independently by Cold Chillin' in 1992. In 1995 Cold Chillin' signed a distribution deal with Epic of which 4,5,6 was the first to be released under the new deal. For the recording of 4,5,6 Kool G Rap retreated to the rural wilds of Bearsville, New York.

Content

In contrast to his previous albums with D.J. Polo, 4,5,6 has Kool G Rap returning to a mafioso theme of which he is credited as the originator. An example of the mafioso content on the album can be seen in the opening verse of It's a Shame:

And once again it's big G, running the number racketsWearing Pele jackets Fast loot tactics, I'm well up in the millionaire bracketThe boss of all bosses, I own racehorses and a fortressCorridors with Olympic torches and Mona Lisa portraitsJacuzzis and saunas and eating steak at Benihana'sBentley's, limousine, the front yard stream is full of piranhasI'm set, a private jet, I drink a lot of Beck'sGet a lot of sess, condo and duplex, diamond infested RolexDeliver a crown at the world units with silver chinaSipping on finer wine-r you see more shines than diamond minersThe Highness, kingpin of heroinI'm thorough when I have to bring the terror inHandle business in each and every borough inTown or city, I'm rolling like Frank Nitti, I'm rich and prettyBack up kiddies, I got crimies that's grimy and grittyA nigga that's spunky and likes to keep his pockets chunkyMaking most of my money, from all the dope fiends and junkiesI learned from the best the ones that's livingAnd the ones that's put to restSo I bless my chest with a vest and pack a Smith-N-WesAnd then I'm off to get the snaps, not the scrapsThe game is be a real mack, the name is Kool G Rap

The title track "4,5,6" depicts the urban street game of Cee-lo and how the game is played along with rhymes of a braggadocio nature and his success and skill at Cee-lo.The song starts with the notes from Mysterious Traveler by The Weather Report which are used throughout the entire song and give the song a very dark street sound. The second single "It's a Shame" contains a prime example of mafioso themes and self boasting. In the song, Kool G Rap portrays himself as a heroin kingpin from a first person prospective, boasting of his wealth, power and extravagant lifestyle. However, it is implied that he harbors a sense of remorse over his choice of trade, with the chorus (sung by an uncredited Sean Brown) stating:

"Now it's a damn shame, what I gotta do just to make a dollar Living in this game, sometimes it makes you wanna holler"

The song "For Da Brothaz" details the falling of his friends and the unforgiving struggle on the streets of New York. On the album's lead single "Fast Life", Kool G Rap and Nas (credited under the alias Nas Escobar) rap about their business ventures and mafioso lifestyle. The video for the single revolves around the construction of the mythical "Fast Life Hotel and Casino".