G Rap began working with DJ Polo in 1986, releasing several underground hit singles including "It's a Demo"/"I'm Fly." Two other singles, "Streets of New York" and "Road to the Riches," received heavy rotation on Yo! MTV Raps and cemented his reputation as one of New York's top lyrical auteurs. His talent for telling a compelling, hard-luck story in a single song was considered second to only that of Rakim. While G Rap grew in popularity, he never crossed over like Biz Markie or Big Daddy Kane, both also members of the Juice Crew.
G Rap began a solo career in the mid-1990s, released 4,5,6. This and subsequent LPs saw little attention from critics or consumers, and G Rap began collaborating with others. Signing to Rawkus Records, G Rap launched a comeback with 2002's The Giancana Story. "Giancana" also is said by Kool G Rap to be the "G" in his name in the song "Drama". The album was well-received without commercial success.
In 2008 he released Half a Klip on Chinga Chang Records, featuring production from DJ Premier and Marley Marl, among others. His 2011 album Riches, Royalty, Respect showcased his true to form style and lyricism.
Road To The Riches
Kool G Rap Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
At the end I will win lots of pots of gold
Never took a break, never made a mistake
Took time to create 'cause there's money to make
To be a billionaire takes hard work for years
Some nights I shed a tear while I said a prayer
Been through hard times, even worked part time
In a Key Food store sweeping floors sometimes
Breaking my back for a shack from headquarters
All my manpower for four bucks an hour
Took my time and wrote rhymes in the shower
Shoes are scuffed cause the road gets rough
But I'mma rock it cause my pockets ain't stuffed enough
All the freaks wouldn't speak cause my checks were weak
They would turn the other cheek so I started to seek
A way to get a play, and maybe one day
I'll be performing up a storm for a decent pay
No matter how it seems, I always kept the dream
All the girlies screamed and suckers get creamed
Dreamed about it for five years straight
Finally I got a break to cut my first plate
The road ain't yellow and it ain't no witches
My name is Kool G Rap, I'm on the road to the riches
I used to stand on the block selling cooked up rock
Money busting out my sock cos I really would clock
They were for kind of fiends bringing jackets and jeans
Magazines, anything, just to hustle for beans
The cash was coming fast, money grew like grass
People hungry for the blast that don't even last
Didn't want to be involved but the money will get ya
Gettin' richer and richer, the police took my picture
But I still supplied, some people I knew died
Murders and homicides for bottles of suicide
Money, jewelry, living like a star
And I wasn't too far from a Jaguar car
In a small-time casino, the town's Al Pacino
For all of the girls, the pretty boy Valentino
I shot up stores and I kicked down doors
Collected scars from little neighborhood wars
Many legs I broke, many necks I choked
And if provoked I let the pistol smoke
Loyal members in a crew now down with the game
Selling nickels and dimes in sunshine or rain
What I had was bad from my shoes to my pad
In the first time in my life loaning money to dad
Now the table's turned and my lifestyle switches
My name is Kool G Rap, I'm on the road to the riches
A thug will mug for drugs, he eventually bugs
Looking for crack on carpets and rugs
The squealers tells but the dealer still sells
Little spoiled kids inheriting oil wells
I was the type on the opposite side
Of smoking the pipe, in a beef I got hype
Cause rags to riches switches men to witches
Become stitches, body bags in ditches
Bloodshed, I painted the town red
People fled as I put a dread's head to bed
That means dead, in other words deceased
Face got erased, bullets got released
Bombs were planted and kids were kidnapped
In fact this was a way to get back
At enemies who tried to clock G's
On my block, now they forever knock Z's
Plans of rampages went for ages
Some got knocked and locked inside cages
Some bit the dust for crumbs and crusts
In God we trust, now rots to rust
Bust caps to cops, policeman drops
You blew off his top when the pistol went pop
Troopers, soldiers, rolling like boulders
Eyes of hate and their hearts get colder
Some young male put in jail
His lawyer so good his bail is on sale
Looking at the hourglass, how long can this power last
Longer than my song but he already fell
He likes to eat hearty, party
Be like John Gotti, and drive a Maserati
Rough in the ghetto, but in jail he's Jello
Mellow, yellow fellow, tell or hell, hello
One court date can turn an outlaw to an inmate
But just stay, ship him upstate by the Great Lakes
And than a-wait and wait and wait
Until he breaks, that's all it takes
So he fakes to be a man, but he can't stand
On his own two feet because now he's in a new land
Rules are different and so is life
When you think with a shank, talk with a knife
Not my lifestyle so I made a U-turn
More money I earn, more money to burn
Pushing all buttons, pulling all switches
My name is G Rap, I'm on the road to the riches
In the lyrics of Kool G Rap & DJ Polo's "Road to the Riches," the main character talks about his journey from poverty to wealth. He starts by explaining how at age five, he realized that there was a road he could take to reach his ultimate goal of obtaining lots of money. He speaks about how he never took breaks or made mistakes while creating in order to make money and become a billionaire. Despite the hard work required, he kept his dream alive and even worked part-time at a Key Food store sweeping floors to make ends meet.
The song then takes a darker turn when Kool G Rap talks about how he used to sell drugs on the block to make money. The fast cash was more than enough to cater to his every need, but it also drew the attention of the police, and some of the people he knew ended up dead. Despite the risks and consequences, he continued to supply and make money, eventually becoming involved with higher-level criminals and living like a star in a small-time casino. He boasts about the power he had, the people he had hurt, and the risks he's taken, until he realizes that this lifestyle isn't sustainable and he has to make a change. He decides to make a "U-turn" and use his talents to make music instead of selling drugs in order to enter the "road to the riches."
Overall, "Road to the Riches" is a cautionary tale of the dangers that come with the pursuit of money and power. Kool G Rap's lyrics showcase the consequences of greed, pride, and a desire for instant gratification. The song also emphasizes the importance of hard work and perseverance when trying to reach one's goals.
Lyrics © CAK MUSIC PUBLISHING, INC
Written by: Marlon Lu'ree Williams, Nathaniel Thomas Wilson
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@allysonestrada4495
When I was five years old I realized there was a road
At the end I will win lots of pots of gold
Never took a break, never made a mistake
Took time to create 'cause there's money to make
To be a billionaire takes hard work for years
Some nights I shed a tear while I said a prayer
Been through hard times, even worked part time
In a Key Food store sweeping floors sometimes
I was sort of a porter taking the next man's orders
Breaking my back for a shack from headquarters
All my manpower for four bucks an hour
Took my time and wrote rhymes in the shower
Shoes are scuffed cause the road gets rough
But I'mma rock it cause my pockets ain't stuffed enough
All the freaks wouldn't speak cause my checks were weak
They would turn the other cheek so I started to seek
A way to get a play, and maybe one day
I'll be performing up a storm for a decent pay
No matter how it seems, I always kept the dream
All the girlies screamed and suckers get creamed
Dreamed about it for five years straight
Finally I got a break to cut my first plate
The road ain't yellow and it ain't no witches
My name is Kool G Rap, I'm on the road to the riches
I used to stand on the block selling cooked up rock
Money busting out my sock cos I really would clock
They were for kind of fiends bringing jackets and jeans
Magazines, anything, just to hustle for beans
The cash was coming fast, money grew like grass
People hungry for the blast that don't even last
Didn't want to be involved but the money will get ya
Gettin' richer and richer, the police took my picture
But I still supplied, some people I knew died
Murders and homicides for bottles of suicide
Money, jewelry, living like a star
And I wasn't too far from a Jaguar car
In a small-time casino, the town's Al Pacino
For all of the girls, the pretty boy Valentino
I shot up stores and I kicked down doors
Collected scars from little neighborhood wars
Many legs I broke, many necks I choked
And if provoked I let the pistol smoke
Loyal members in a crew now down with the game
Selling nickels and dimes in sunshine or rain
What I had was bad from my shoes to my pad
In the first time in my life loaning money to dad
Now the table's turned and my lifestyle switches
My name is Kool G Rap, I'm on the road to the riches
A thug will mug for drugs, he eventually bugs
Looking for crack on carpets and rugs
The squealers tells but the dealer still sells
Little spoiled kids inheriting oil wells
I was the type on the opposite side
Of smoking the pipe, in a beef I got hype
Cause rags to riches switches men to witches
Become stitches, body bags in ditches
Bloodshed, I painted the town red
People fled as I put a dread's head to bed
That means dead, in other words deceased
Face got erased, bullets got released
Bombs were planted and kids were kidnapped
In fact this was a way to get back
At enemies who tried to clock G's
On my block, now they forever knock Z's
Plans of rampages went for ages
Some got knocked and locked inside cages
Some bit the dust for crumbs and crusts
In God we trust, now rots to rust
Bust caps to cops, policeman drops
You blew off his top when the pistol went pop
Troopers, soldiers, rolling like boulders
Eyes of hate and their hearts get colder
Some young male put in jail
His lawyer so good his bail is on sale
Looking at the hourglass, how long can this power last
Longer than my song but he already fell
He likes to eat hearty, party
Be like John Gotti, and drive a Maserati
Rough in the ghetto, but in jail he's Jello
Mellow, yellow fellow, tell or hell, hello
One court date can turn an outlaw to an inmate
But just stay, ship him upstate by the Great Lakes
And than a-wait and wait and wait
Until he breaks, that's all it takes
So he fakes to be a man, but he can't stand
On his own two feet because now he's in a new land
Rules are different and so is life
When you think with a shank, talk with a knife
Not my lifestyle so I made a U-turn
More money I earn, more money to burn
Pushing all buttons, pulling all switches
My name is G Rap, I'm on the road to the riches
@fizi247
When it came down to the narrative views from a hardcore ghetto perspective infused by articulated word play on wax, no one did it better than Kool G Rap! A lot of his songs could've been used for soundtracks. You can listen to his songs and paint a picture in your head of what the scene will look like.
The difference between his rap and rappers today, is;
1) The money 💰
2) Most rappers today with all due respect lack the lyrical content
3) Most successful rapper's today would've just been the Hype man on the mic for ppl like Kool G Rap
This track is a Rapclassics.com
@duvalpowell1476
This is lyrical excellence
He definitely set the bar high
@rashawnbanks148
Yes
@deepnthought0089
Don't forget about Rakim. And back then, we had a whole arsenal of people that went in on the mic
@daviddix3558
Absolutely!! Glad you pointed that out my G! That's why I'll always be an old school fan!!
@kevinsingleton9004
@@rashawnbanks148 9999
@anthonypenn4122
True story
@roberthughes5880
He rapped so fast and smooth you had to rewind to hear the lyrics. G. Rap is one of the TITANS of the old school.
@ITISOKIUNDERSTAND37
Kool g G rap big L big daddy Kane big pun nas and many more
@lowmoneymillionaire9852
U mean of all time
@oscarholley891
Where do you hear him rap so fast you can't understand him? Just asking don't get offended I'm with you just asking brother