The Chinaman is the first studio album by American rapper Fresh Kid Ice (Christopher Wong Won) of the 2 Live Crew.[2] It was released on July 15, 1992, by Effect Records.
| The Chinaman | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 15, 1992 | |||
| Studio | Luke Recording Studio (Liberty City, FL) | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Producer | Fresh Kid Ice Fat Daddy Eddie Miller Shake G DJ MadMan | |||
| Fresh Kid Ice chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
Wong Won started to work on the album in 1992, because he was troubled with the direction 2 Live Crew member Luther Campbell was taking and wanted to stay away.
It reached number 38 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart and No. 56 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The album was the first American hip hop album to embrace having an Asian heritage.
Production
editWong Won said he took on the project in 1992, because he wanted to distanced himself from 2 Live Crew member Luther Campbell, who at the time had a beef with Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. He felt it was awkward and out of place since all previous interaction with them had been friendly, hence he suggested a solo project to his label, and started it without a budget. He also said, without taking an advance, all beats were programmed in his garage with friends and artists he produced, they went into the company's studio and recorded it and that it sold over 200,000 copies with very limited promotion. The singles were"Dick 'Em Down," "I'll Be There," and "Freak 'Em Down" (the clean version of "Dick 'Em Down").[3]
Charts
editOn the Billboard charts, the album peaked at No. 38 and stayed two weeks on the Heatseekers Albums chart. The Chinaman was also on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart for ten weeks, peaking at No. 56.[4][5]
Legacy
editThe Chinaman is the first American hip hop album to embrace an Asian heritage. It inverts the stereotypes into prideful declarations of self-identity.[6]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dick 'Em Down" | 3:07 |
| 2. | "Pussy Ain't Shit" | 3:00 |
| 3. | "Dance To The Rhythm" | 3:40 |
| 4. | "From The Botton To Da Top" | 3:57 |
| 5. | "Long Dick Chinese" | 2:42 |
| 6. | "Miami Da Bottom" | 4:20 |
| 7. | "I'll Be Here" | 3:45 |
| 8. | "Kid Ice Groove" | 3:20 |
| 9. | "Splak It Like You Like It" | 2:48 |
| 10. | "Bad Boys Move In Silence" | 5:25 |
| 11. | "Roll Call" | 3:29 |
| 12. | "Demon" | 3:40 |
| 13. | "Freestyle" | 3:18 |
| 14. | "Madd-Mix" | 5:00 |
| 15. | "Shot-Outs (Holla' At Me)" | 3:17 |
Personnel
edit- Executive producer: Luther Campbell
- Produced By: Fat Daddy and Fresh Kid Ice for Ice Cold Productions except "Demon" and "I'll Be Here" produced by Eddie Miller for Lecture On Nothing Production, "Roll Call" produced by Shake G, Fat Daddy and Fresh Kid Ice for Ice Cold Productions, "Kid Ice Groove" produced by DJ MadMan for Ice Cold Productions, and "Long Dick Chinese" produced by Shake G for Ice Cold Productions.
- All scratches by DJ MadMan and DJ Domain
- Additional vocals: "Roll Call" by Shake G and Fat Daddy, "Bad Boys Move In Silence" by Tesfa and Fat Daddy, "From The Botton To Da Top" by Fat Daddy, and "I'll Be Here" by GAME.
- Engineered and mixed by Eddie Miller at Luke Recording Studios, Liberty City, Fl.
- Mastered at Fullersounds Miami, Fl.
- Graphics by Milton Mizell
- Photography by Byron E. Small
Charts
edit| Chart (1992) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[7] | 38 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[8] | 56 |
References
edit- ^ "The Chinaman Fresh Kid Ice". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
- ^ Bynoe, Yvonne (2006). Encyclopedia of Rap and Hip Hop Culture. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 392.
- ^ Wong Won, Christopher "Fresh Kid Ice" (July 20, 2015). "28. The Chinaman (1992)". "My Rise 2 Fame": The Tell All Autobiography of a Hip Hop Legend. Iconic Three Media Group, LLC. pp. 2712–2744. ASIN B010NY9W06.
- ^ "Heatseekers Albums Fresh Kid Ice Is The Chinaman". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 11, 2022.
- ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Fresh Kid Ice The Chinaman". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 10, 2022.
- ^ Schwartz, Zachary (2015). "A brief history of Asians in hip-hop, from 2 Live Crew to "It G Ma"". Playboy. Archived from the original on December 3, 2015. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
- ^ "Fresh Kid Ice Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ "Fresh Kid Ice Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.
External links
edit- The Chinaman at Discogs (list of releases)