The Villain in Black

The Villain in Black
Studio album by
MC Ren
ReleasedApril 9, 1996 (1996-04-09)
Recorded1994–1996
Studio
Genre
LabelRuthless
Producer
MC Ren chronology
Shock of the Hour
(1993) 		The Villain in Black
(1996) 		Ruthless for Life
(1998)
Singles from The Villain in Black
  1. "Mad Scientist"
    Released: 1996
  2. "Keep It Real"
    Released: 1996
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStar[1]
Billboard(favorable)[2]
Los Angeles TimesStarStar[3]
RapReviews5.5/10[4]
The SourceStarStarStar[5]

The Villain in Black is the second full-length solo studio album by American rapper MC Ren. It was released April 9, 1996, through Ruthless Records. The recording sessions took place at the Edge Recording Studios in Inglewood, Audio Achievements in Torrance and Cherokee Recording Studio in Los Angeles. The album was produced by Cold 187um, Dr. Jam,"Big%20Jess"%20Willard Jess"Big Jess" Willard , and Madness 4 Real. It features guest appearances from Above the Law, J-Rocc, Triggaman, and Khalid Abdul Muhammad.

The album debuted at number 31 on the Billboard 200 and number 7 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts, with first-week sales of 31,000 copies. Its lead single, "Mad Scientist", did not make it to the charts. However, the second and final album's single, "Keep It Real", reached number 43 on the Hot Rap Songs chart.

Background

After the release and success of his critically acclaimed debut studio album Shock of the Hour in late 1993, M.C. Ren immediately began working on his sophomore album. The deaths of D.J. Train and Eazy-E would however prove to be a huge setback and Ren stepped off the scene for a while.

Meanwhile, he continued his work with the Nation of Islam and visited Egypt in mid-1995. Following his return from Egypt, M.C. Ren continued to work on his album, this time however scrapping all the material he recorded with DJ Train. Enlisting Cold 187um and Dr. Jam to produce his album, Ren began recording new material.

While making The Villain in Black, M.C. Ren was closely affiliated with the Nation of Islam, which had a large impact on the some parts of the album's content. Black nationalist Khalid Muhammad appeared in the track "Muhammad Speaks", where he spoke about the history of the rights of African Americans. He also made a cameo appearance on the closing track "Bring It On".

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Bitch Made Nigga Killa"
Cold 187um 
2."Keep It Real"
  • Patterson
  • Henrik Milling Rasmussen
Dr. Jam 
3."It's Like That" (featuring J. Rocc)
  • Patterson
  • Jerry Brown
  • Hutchinson
Cold 187um 
4."Mad Scientist"
  • Patterson
  • Rasmussen
  • Lasse Bavngaard
  • Rasmus Berg
  • Jesper Dahl
  • Peter Nicholas Secher Kvaran
  • Madness 4 Real
  • Dr. Jam
 
5."Live from Compton 'Saturday Night'"
  • Patterson
  • Hutchinson
Cold 187um 
6."Still the Same Nigga"
  • Patterson
  • Jess Willard
"Big%20Jess"%20Willard Jess"Big Jess" Willard 
7."I Don't Give a Damn"
  • Patterson
  • Rasmussen
  • Bavngaard
  • Berg
  • Dahl
  • Kvaran
  • Madness 4 Real
  • Dr. Jam
 
8."Mind Blown"
  • Patterson
  • Brown
  • Hutchinson
Cold 187um 
9."Great Elephant"
  • Patterson
  • Willard
"Big%20Jess"%20Willard Jess "Big Jess" Willard 
10."Muhummad Speaks" (featuring Khalid Muhammad)HutchinsonCold 187um 
11."Bring It On" (featuring Above the Law and Triggerman)
Cold 187um 
Sample credits
  • Track 1 contains a sample from "If It Ain't Ruff" written by Lorenzo Patterson and Andre Young as recorded by N.W.A.

Personnel

  • Lorenzo "MC Ren" Patterson – vocals
  • Gregory "Cold 187um" Hutchinson – vocals, producer, recording, mixing, arranging
  • Jerry "J-Rocc" Brown – vocals
  • Kevin "KM.G" Gulley – vocals
  • Kervin "Triggaman" Paul – vocals
  • Harold "Khalid Abdul Muhammad" Moore Jr. – voice
  • Tamara "Tski" Rasmussen – additional background vocals
  • Mike "Crazy Neck" Sims – guitar
  • Henrik "Doctor Jam" Milling – producer
  • Jess"Big Jess" Willard – producer, programming
  • Lasse Bavngaard – producer
  • Rasmus Ødum Berg – producer
  • Jesper "Jokeren" Dahl – producer
  • Nicholas "Coldhands" Kvaran – producer
  • Mark "The Don" Paladino – recording, mixing
  • Donovan "The Dirt Biker" Smith – recording, mixing
  • Eric "Eazy-E" Wright – executive producer
  • Don Cunningham – art direction, design
  • Peter Dokus – photography
  • Giulio Costanzo – design, layout
  • Madeleine Smith – sample clearance

Charts

Chart (1996) Peak
position
US Billboard 200[6] 31
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[7] 7

References

  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Da Villain in Black MC Ren". AllMusic. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  2. ^ Helson, Havelock (March 23, 1996). "MC Ren Shows He's 'Da Villain'". Billboard. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  3. ^ Coker, Cheo Hodari (April 27, 1996). "1/2 MC Ren, "The Villain in Black," Ruthless/Relativity (**)". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  4. ^ Juon, Steve 'Flash' (January 25, 2022). "MC Ren The Villain in Black". RapReviews. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  5. ^ Allen S., Gordon (May 1996). "Record Report". The Source. No. 80. p. 72. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  6. ^ "The Billboard 200". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 17. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. April 27, 1996. p. 96. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
  7. ^ "Top R&B Albums". Billboard. Vol. 108, no. 17. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. April 27, 1996. p. 24. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved September 11, 2025.
allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keep_It_Real_(MC_Ren_song)