"Colors" is a song by American rapper Ice-T, co-produced by Afrika Islam, featuring DJ Eric Garcia, or Evil E. It was issued as the title track for the soundtrack to the film of the same name. The song was released as a single in 1988.[2] In 2008, it was named the 19th-greatest hip hop song of all time by VH1.[3] [dead link] The song was Ice-T's first to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number 70.The song samples "Ain't We Funkin' Now" by The Brothers Johnson.
| "Colors" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Ice-T | ||||
| from the album Colors | ||||
| B-side | "Squeeze the Trigger"[1] | |||
| Released | 1988 | |||
| Recorded | 1987 | |||
| Genre | Gangsta rap | |||
| Length | 4:25 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Ice-T, Afrika Islam | |||
| Ice-T singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Ice-T himself re-recorded the song with his band Body Count in 2020 for the album, Carnivore.
In 2021, gang scholar and sociology professor Stefano Bloch, aka "Cisco," called "Colors" "the greatest sociological text ever written on gang activity and identity".[4]
Charts
edit| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[5] | 70 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles[5] | 77 |
Cover versions
edit- In 1996, the song was covered by Society Burning for the electro-industrial various artists compilation, Operation Beatbox.[6]
- The song was covered by the groove metal band Machine Head and released on the 1997 bonus disc version of their album, The More Things Change...
- C-Murder made a remake called "Cluckers" (featuring Fiend) on his debut album, Life or Death, in 1998.
References
edit- ^ Images for Ice-T – Colors. Discogs.com, Retrieved July 17, 2010.
- ^ Ice-T - Colors (Vinyl), Discogs.com, Retrieved July 17, 2010.
- ^ VH1's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs, Stereogum.com, Retrieved July 17, 2010.
- ^ Going All City: Struggle and Survival in LA's Graffiti Subculture. University of Chicago Press.
- ^ a b Colors - Ice-T, Billboard.com. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
- ^ Christian, Chris (August 1996). "Various Artists: Operation Beatbox". Sonic Boom. 4 (7). Retrieved November 17, 2016.
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