''Tha Streetz Iz a Mutha'' is the second studio album by the American rapper

Kurupt Ricardo Emmanuel Brown (born November 23, 1972), better known by his stage name Kurupt, is an American rapper and record producer. Born and raised in Philadelphia, he formed Tha Dogg Pound in 1992 along with Daz Dillinger; the rap duo has releas ...

. It was released in 1999 through Antra Records with distribution from

Artemis Records Artemis Records was a New York–based independent record label, founded in June 1999 by Danny Goldberg with Daniel Glass as president, and closed in April 2006. The label was acquired by E1 Entertainment. As of 2006, Artemis Records was owned b ...

. The album contains the single "Who Ride Wit Us". The track "Callin' Out Names" is a

diss track A diss track, diss record or diss song (an abbreviation of ''disrespect'' or ''disparage'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feu ...

directed toward rappers Foxy Brown and DMX. By January 2001, the album had sold 440,000 copies.

Recording

In an interview with ''

HipHopDX ''HipHopDX'' is an online magazine of Hip hop music, hip hop music criticism and news. ''HipHopDX'' has over 3.5M monthly readers, the website encompassing hip hop news, interviews, music, and reviews. The website's founder and CEO is Sharath C ...

'', Kurupt explained his mindset throughout the recording process of ''Tha Streetz Iz a Mutha'': "I was back to gangbangin' and I was back into a real solemn – a real low state, angry and upset and pissed". He tried to avoid it on his later albums. In October 1999, Kurupt and his entourage were attacked outside the studio Echo Sounds, where he was recording the album. Two armed men confronted them and opened fire. Kurupt's bodyguard Dwayne "Draws" Dupree was pronounced dead at the scene, while rappers Jevon "Tha Realest" Jones and Willard "Act Da Fool" Givers were hospitalized with gunshot wounds. Initial reports linked the attack to the

"Calling Out Names", which was released on ''Tha Streetz Iz a Mutha''. In the song, Kurupt verbally attacked DMX – who was rumored to have a relationship with Kurupt's ex-fiancée Foxy Brown – as well as their respective collectives Ruff Ryders and The Firm. In a later statement, Kurupt's label Antra refuted this theory, saying that their staff member was misquoted.

Critical reception

'' Vibe'' thought that Kurupt "destroys ... lesser lyricists ... while dipping and sliding around G-funk beats."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

wrote: "Unspectacular but solid, this was part of a late-1999 West Coast revival."

Track listing

Track listing and credits adapted from liner notes. ;Notes * signifies a co-producer. * signifies an additional producer. *"Who Ride wit Us" features additional vocals by Bad Azz, Blaqthoven and Dimen. *"Tequila" features backing vocals by

Nivea Nivea (, stylized as NIVEA) is a German personal care brand that specializes in skin and body care. It is owned by the Hamburg-based company Beiersdorf Global AG, who also makes the Eucerin brand. ''Nivea'' comes from the Latin adjective ''ni ...

. *"It Ain't About You" features additional vocals by Latoya Williams. *"Step Up" features scratches by

DJ Battlecat Kevin Gilliam (born April 20, 1968), better known by his stage name Battlecat, is an American hip hop record producer and DJ from South Los Angeles, California. Biography He started out as a battle DJ, notably competing in the 1988 New Music ...

. *"Ho's A Housewife" is also featured on Dr. Dre's album,"

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

" ;Sample credits *"Loose Cannons" contains samples of " Eazy-er Said Than Dunn" as performed by

Eazy-E Eric Lynn Wright (September 7, 1964 – March 26, 1995), known professionally as Eazy-E, was an American rapper who propelled West Coast rap and gangsta rap by leading the group N.W.A and its label, Ruthless Records. Eazy-E is often re ...

and "Quiet On tha Set" as performed by

N.W.A N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip-hop group formed in Compton, California in 1987. Among the earliest and most significant figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, the group is widely considered one of the great ...

. *"Represent Dat G.C." contains samples of "Kool Whip" as performed by the Fatback Band. *"Trylogy" contains samples of "Violin Concerto Movement III" as performed by

Johannes Brahms Johannes Brahms (; ; 7 May 1833 – 3 April 1897) was a German composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor of the mid-Romantic period (music), Romantic period. His music is noted for its rhythmic vitality and freer treatment of dissonance, oft ...

. *"Tha Streetz Iz a Mutha" contains samples of "Ike's Mood I" as performed by

Isaac Hayes Isaac Lee Hayes Jr. (August 20, 1942 – August 10, 2008) was an American singer, songwriter, composer, and actor. He was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records in the 1960s, serving as an in-house songwr ...

. *"It Ain't About You" contains samples of " Surface (song)" as performed by

Surface A surface, as the term is most generally used, is the outermost or uppermost layer of a physical object or space. It is the portion or region of the object that can first be perceived by an observer using the senses of sight and touch, and is ...

. *"Girls All Pause" contains samples of "Gangster Boogie" as performed by Chicago Gangsters and " The Men All Pause" as performed by Klymaxx. *"Step Up" contains samples of " Top Billin'" as performed by

Audio Two Audio Two was the Brooklyn, New York hip hop duo of rapping, emcee Kirk "Milk Dee" Robinson and DJ Nat "Gizmo" Robinson, best known for their first hit "Top Billin'". History The duo's debut single, "Make it Funky", was released in 1987, bu ...

. *"Calling Out Names" contains samples of "

Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang "Nuthin' but a 'G' Thang" is a song by American rapper Dr. Dre, featuring fellow American rapper Snoop Dogg, Snoop Doggy Dogg, on Dre's debut solo album, ''The Chronic'' (1992). Released in January 1993 by Death Row Records, Death Row, Interscope ...

" as performed by

Dr. Dre Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founder of ...

and "3 Card Molly" by

Xzibit Alvin Nathaniel Joiner (born September 18, 1974), better known by his stage name Xzibit (pronounced "''exhibit''), is an American rapper, actor, television presenter, radio personality, and record executive. He began his musical career in 1992, ...

Charts

Weekly charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Streetz Iz A Mutha Streetz Iz A Mutha, The Streetz Iz A Mutha, The Artemis Records albums Albums produced by Bink (record producer) Albums produced by Daz Dillinger Albums produced by Fredwreck Albums produced by Organized Noize Albums produced by Soopafly