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It Takes a Thief (album)

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It Takes a Thief
Studio album by
Coolio
ReleasedJuly 19, 1994
Genre
Length59:14
LabelTommy Boy
ProducerPaul Stewart, Bryan Wino Dobbs, Rashad Coles, Billy Boy, Crazy Toones, CS Coleman
Coolio chronology
It Takes a Thief
(1994) 		Gangsta's Paradise
(1995)
Singles from It Takes a Thief
  1. "County Line"
    Released: October 5, 1993
  2. "I Remember"
    Released: 1994
  3. "Fantastic Voyage"
    Released: March 1994
  4. "Mama I'm in Love Wit' a Gangsta"
    Released: 1994

It Takes a Thief is the debut studio album by American rapper Coolio.[1] It was released on July 19, 1994, on Warner Bros. Records. The album received praise for bringing a humorous and lighthearted perspective to the often violent and profane themes of typical gangsta rap.

"Fantastic Voyage," a hit from the early 1980s, returned to the charts after Coolio released a song of the same name from this album. The song received regular airplay on MTV and became his breakout hit, peaking at No. 3 in the US. Songs "Smokin Stix," "Can-o-Corn," and "Sticky Fingers" first appeared in the film Poetic Justice.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
Robert Christgau(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)(3-star Honorable Mention)[3]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[4]
Los Angeles Times[5]
NME8/10[6]
Rolling Stone[7]

The Los Angeles Times concluded that It Takes a Thief "may be one of the best hard-core Compton rap records since the first N.W.A. album."[5] USA Today wrote that the album "mixes hard-core themes with tongue-in-cheek attitude and funky, unflinching rhythms."[8]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Artis Ivey, unless otherwise noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Fantastic Voyage"Artis Ivey; Bryan Wino Dobbs; Fred Alexander; Norman Beavers; Marvin Craig; Tiemeyer McCain; Thomas Shelby; Stephen Shockley; Otis Stokes; Mark Adam Woods4:03
2."County Line"Artis Ivey; Bryan Wino Dobbs; Allen Jones; Charles Allen; Clifton Chase; Ed Fletcher; Frank Thompson; Harvey Henderson; James Alexander; Larry Dodson; Lloyd Smith; Mark Bynum; Melvin Glover; Michael Beard; Sherman Guy; Sylvia Robinson; Winston Stewart2:57
3."Mama, I'm in Love with a Gangsta" (featuring LeShaun)Artis Ivey; Chris Jasper; Ernie Isley; Marvin Isley; O'Kelly Isley Jr.; Ronald Isley; Rudolph Isley; Roy Ayers4:09
4."Hand on My Nutsac" 3:28
5."Ghetto Cartoon"Artis Ivey; Autry DeWalt; Freddie Perren; Willie Woods3:13
6."Smokin' Stix"Artis Ivey; Allan Felder; Talmadge Conway3:20
7."Can-o-Corn" 3:40
8."U Know Hoo!" (featuring WC)Artis Ivey; William Calhoun3:51
9."It Takes a Thief" 5:06
10."Bring Back Somethin' fo da Hood"Artis Ivey; Ralph MacDonald3:11
11."N da Closet"Artis Ivey; Frank Wilson; James Nyx Jr.; Kathy Wakefield; Marvin Gaye3:51
12."On My Way to Harlem" 3:13
13."Sticky Fingers"Artis Ivey; Bryan Wino Dobbs; Clifton "Jiggs" Chase; Ed Fletcher; Melvin Glover; Sylvia Robinson2:59
14."Thought You Knew" 3:19
15."Ugly Bitches"Artis Ivey; Ken Gold; Michael Denne4:06
16."I Remember" (featuring J-Ro and Billy Boy)Artis Ivey; Al Green; Kenneth Gamble; Leon Huff; Willie Mitchell4:47

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[12] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[13] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ Considine, J. D. "Coolio gets personal, mixing meaning with his infectious groove". The Baltimore Sun.
  2. ^ "It Takes a Thief Coolio". AllMusic.
  3. ^ "Coolio". Robert Christgau. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  4. ^ "It Takes a Thief". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  5. ^ a b Gold, Jonathan (24 July 1994). "Coolio 'It Takes a Thief'". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 65.
  6. ^ McCann, Ian (15 October 1994). "Long Play". NME. p. 54. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  7. ^ "Album Reviews, Ratings, and Best New Albums". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 6 December 2008. Retrieved 28 September 2014.
  8. ^ Jones IV, James T. (19 Sep 1994). "Two rappers outside the gangsta scene". USA Today. p. 4D.
  9. ^ "Coolio Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  10. ^ "Coolio Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  11. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1994". Billboard. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
  12. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Coolio – It Takes a Thief". Music Canada.
  13. ^ "American album certifications – Coolio – It Takes a Thief". Recording Industry Association of America.
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