''The Devil Made Me Do It'' is the debut studio album by American rapper

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. It was released on October 9, 1990, on

Tommy Boy Records Tommy Boy Records is an American independent record label and multimedia brand founded in 1981 by Tom Silverman. The label is credited with helping and launching the music careers of Queen Latifah, Amber, Afrika Bambaataa, Stetsasonic, Digita ...

. Paris toured the US and Europe that year to promote the record. The album eventually sold over 300,000 copies according to the emcee.

Release

The title track was banned on

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

. Some record stores refused to carry a version of the album, due to a cover image of a police officer putting a Black boy in a chokehold.

Critical reception

"Menacing...the vocals intensify and get hyper, creating a heightened sense of anxiety...his lyrics are intense and he drops science while showing skills on the mic..." - ''

The Source The Source may refer to: Film and television * ''The Source'' (1918 film), 1918 American drama directed by George Melford * ''The Source'' (1999 film), a 1999 documentary film about the Beat generation * ''The Source'' (2002 film), a 2002 scienc ...

'' "Rap music reaches new heights of political invective on Paris' jolting debut recording...Paris boosts his message with unique, sleek music...adding a primal beast-on-the-hunt quality..." - ''People'' "Hard-hitting beats combined with razor-sharp lyrics...Listen to the rhymes flow, and you'll realize that Paris is a massive, militant talent..." - ''

Hip Hop Connection ''Hip Hop Connection'' (''HHC'') was the longest running monthly periodical devoted entirely to hip hop culture. It was described by rapper Chuck D as "the most important magazine in the world". History Under the editorship of Chris Hunt, the m ...

'' "Paris motivates with an authoritative voice that speaks to the underground rather than trying to pacify the masses." - ''

CMJ CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events, online media company and a distributor of up and coming music CDs, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music ...

'' "Easily the outstanding rap debut of 1990...a case study in how it should be done...this album profoundly understands the musical strategies of dissonance, atmosphere, space...Paris possesses one of those menacing voices that draws you into its husky world, via a timbre that carries the meaning within itself. In rap, the message is in the medium, and the medium is in the grain of the voice." - ''

Express Express, The Expresss or EXPRESS may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * ''Express: Aisle to Glory'', a 1998 comedy short film featuring Kal Penn * ''The Express: The Ernie Davis Story'', a 2008 film starring Dennis Quaid * The Expre ...

'' "More than just a rap album - it's a revolutionary handbook. Music for those who want mental stimulation with their dope beats." - '' Urb'' "An impressive debut with street smart, political, well-done raps...a strong, strong record." - ''Billboard'' "Paris is a force of gravity under which perpetrators melt of embarrassment...his musical genius is rhyme...Paris is a gun to your head, so listen up." - Vox ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who, Dave Schulps, and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference ...

'' praised the "diverse, imaginative and burningly intense self-produced tracks."

Track listing

# "Intro" – 0:40 # "Scarface Groove" – 4:35 # "This Is a Test" – 2:47 # "Panther Power" – 3:58 # "Break the Grip of Shame" 3:34 # "Warning" – 1:07 # "Ebony" – 3:56 # "Brutal" – 3:53 # "On the Prowl" – 1:10 # "The Devil Made Me Do It" – 4:12 # "The Hate That Hate Made" – 1:09 # "Mellow Madness" – 4:50 # "I Call Him Mad" – 4:17 # "Escape from Babylon" – 5:18 # "Wretched" – 3:32 # "Break the Grip of Shame (The Final Call)" (Bonus track) – 8:06 # "Devil Made Me Do It (Poach a Pig Mix)" (Bonus track) – 5:44

Samples

Break the Grip of Shame *"Hot Pants (Bonus Beats)" by

Bobby Byrd Bobby Howard Byrd (August 15, 1934 – September 12, 2007) was an American rhythm and blues, soul and funk singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, bandleader, and talent dedicated. He played a part in the development of soul and funk m ...

Brutal *"Uphill Peace of Mind" by Kid Dynamite Panther Power *"Timebomb" by

Public Enemy Public Enemy is an American Hip-hop, hip hop group formed in Roosevelt, New York, in 1985 by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such as Racism in the United States, American r ...

Scarface Groove *"

Synthetic Substitution "Synthetic Substitution" is a 1973 song by Melvin Bliss. Originally starting life as a throwaway B-side, with "Reward" as the A-Side, the song failed to chart anywhere on its initial release because of the collapse of Opal Productions, the parent c ...

" by

Melvin Bliss Melvin McClelland (June 1, 1945-July 26, 2010) was a rhythm and blues singer known for his 1973 song " Reward/Synthetic Substitution", the B-side of which was heavily sampled

The Devil Made Me Do It *"Funky Drummer" by

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

*"Hihache" by

Lafayette Afro Rock Band Lafayette Afro Rock Band was an American funk band formed in Roosevelt, Long Island, New York in 1970. Shortly after their formation, they relocated to France. Though little-known in their native United States during their recording period, they ...

Warning *"Chicken Yellow" by Miami I Call Him Mad *"Funky Drummer" by

Ebony *"Boogie Nights" by

Heatwave A heat wave or heatwave, sometimes described as extreme heat, is a period of abnormally hot weather generally considered to be at least ''five consecutive days''. A heat wave is usually measured relative to the usual climate in the area and ...

Mellow Madness *"Siempre Hay Esperanza" by

Sade Sade may refer to: People * Marquis de Sade (1740–1814), French aristocrat, writer, and libertine; namesake of the word ''sadism'' * Sade (singer) (born 1959, Helen Folasade Adu), British Nigerian musician and lead singer of the eponymous band * ...

Charts

Weekly charts

Singles

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Devil Made Me Do It Paris (rapper) albums 1990 albums Tommy Boy Records albums Race-related controversies in music