"Ballad of a Menace" is a single by American

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

group Capital Punishment Organization, released in 1990 as the

lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...

from their debut studio album '' To Hell and Black'', by

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

. The song later appeared in the ''

Grand Theft Auto V ''Grand Theft Auto V'' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It is the seventh main entry in the Grand Theft Auto, ''Grand Theft Auto'' series, following 2008's ''Grand Theft Auto IV'', and ...

'' in-game radio station '' West Coast Classics''. The song was written by CPO's rapper Vince ' Lil' Nation' Edwards and

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 ...

's rapper Lorenzo '

MC Ren Lorenzo Jerald Patterson (born June 16, 1969), known professionally by his stage name MC Ren, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer from Compton, California. He is the founder and owner of the independent record label Villain ...

' Patterson, whom also produced the song along with CPO's producer Daron 'Young D' Sapp. It was mixed at Audio Achievements by Donovan "The Dirt Biker" Smith, and

mastered Mastering is a form of audio post production which is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device called a master recording, the source from which all copies will be ...

Bernie Grundman Bernie Grundman (born 16 December 1943, Minneapolis) is an American audio engineer. He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chr ...

Mastering by Brian "Big Bass" Gardner, to propelled the group to mainstream popularity. The song has its radio edit version shortened from the original 4 minutes 33 seconds to 4 minutes 16 seconds, and an official remix version titled "Ballad Of A Menace (Homicidal Theme Remix)" with its length of 6 minutes 57 seconds.

Track listing

Adapted from

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

Samples

There were three songs sampled in the original track: * "Joy" as written and 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 ...

from his 1973 album ''Joy'' (

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

samples) * "Kool Is Back" as written and performed by Funk, Inc. from their debut 1971 self-titled album ''Funk, Inc.'' (various samples) * "I Ain't Tha 1" as written and performed by

Ice Cube O'Shea Jackson Sr. (born June 15, 1969), known professionally as Ice Cube, is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, and film producer. His lyrics on N.W.A's 1989 album '' Straight Outta Compton'' contributed to gangsta rap's widespread popu ...

from N.W.A.'s 3× Platinum 1988 album ''

Straight Outta Compton ''Straight Outta Compton'' is the debut studio album by American hip-hop group N.W.A, released on January 25, 1989, through Priority Records, Priority and Ruthless Records. It was Record producer, produced by N.W.A members Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, a ...

'' (vocal and lyrical samples) "Ballad Of A Menace (Homicidal Theme Remix)" contains samples from the songs: * "

I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby "I'm Gonna Love You Just a Little More Baby" is a song written, produced and recorded by Barry White. Released in the spring of 1973 as the first Single (music), single from his 1973 debut album ''I've Got So Much to Give (album), I've Got So Muc ...

" as performed by

Barry White Barry Eugene White (né Carter; September 12, 1944 – July 4, 2003) was an American singer and songwriter. A two-time Grammy Award winner known for his bass voice and romantic image, his greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and ...

from his debut studio album ''I've Got So Much to Give'', 1973 (hooks and riffs samples) * " The Champ" as performed by The Mohawks in 1968 (vocal and lyrical samples) * "Cramp Your Style" as performed by All the People and Robert Moore in 1972 (hooks and riffs samples) * "Hook and Sling - Part I" as performed by

Eddie Bo Edwin Joseph Bocage (September 20, 1930 – March 18, 2009), known as Eddie Bo, was an American singer and pianist from New Orleans. Schooled in jazz, he was known for his blues, soul and funk recordings, compositions, productions and arrang ...

in 1969 (vocal and lyrical samples) * "Bouncy Lady" as written by Donald Hepburn and performed by

Pleasure Pleasure is experience that feels good, that involves the enjoyment of something. It contrasts with pain or suffering, which are forms of feeling bad. It is closely related to value, desire and action: humans and other conscious animals find ...

from their debut album ''

Dust Yourself Off ''Dust Yourself Off'' is the debut album by Portland, Oregon-based R&B group Pleasure, released in 1975 and produced by Wayne Henderson of The Crusaders. It also includes a funked-up cover of Maria Muldaur's hit "Midnight at the Oasis". The ...

'', 1975 (hooks and riffs sample) The song was sampled in the 1994 song "Bad Mutha Fucka" as performed by Mike D Chill

References

{{authority control 1990 songs Gangsta rap songs Songs written by MC Ren Capitol Records singles