Word...Life

Word...Life
Studio album by O.C.
Released	October 18, 1994
Recorded	1993-94
Genre	Hip hop
Length	53:36
Label	Wild Pitch Records
Producer	Buckwild Prestige Organized Konfusion DJ Ogee Lord Finesse
O.C. chronology
Word...Life (1994) Jewelz (1997)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
RapReviews	(9.5/10)[2]

Word...Life is the debut album from underground hip hop artist O.C., who came to prominence in hip hop because of the album. It was released on October 18, 1994 by Wild Pitch Records. It also helped establish his membership in the legendary hip hop crew D.I.T.C., which includes Lord Finesse, Showbiz & A.G., Diamond D, Fat Joe, Big L and Buckwild, who produced the majority of this album. The album is now out of print.

The album is most remembered because of the single "Time's Up". The instrumental to the track was used in the movie 8 Mile, starring rapper Eminem, in a rap battle scene.^[3] The song was a scathing accusation, pointed at thug-posturers who were flooding the hip hop scene at the time. Vocal clips from the song have been sampled in numerous hip hop tracks throughout the years; including Mos Def's song "Hip Hop" off of his 1999 album Black on Both Sides and Big L's song "The Enemy", which appears on his posthumous album The Big Picture.

Track listing

#	Title	Songwriters	Producer(s)	Performer (s)	Length
1	"Creative Control"	O. Credle, L. Baskerville, T. Jamerson	Organized Konfusion	O.C.	1:44
2	"Word...Life"	O. Credle, A. Best	Buckwild	O.C.	4:53
3	"O-Zone"	O. Credle, A. Best	Buckwild	O.C.	4:04
4	"Born 2 Live"	O. Credle, A. Best	Buckwild	O.C.	4:46
5	"Time's Up"	O. Credle, A. Best	Buckwild	O.C.	3:29
6	"Point O' Viewz"	O. Credle, D. Vanderpool, A. Best	Buckwild, Prestige	O.C.	4:14
7	"Constables"	O. Credle, L. Baskerville, T. Jamerson	Organized Konfusion	O.C.	4:04
8	"Ga Head"	O. Credle, R. Hall	Lord Finesse	O.C.	3:55
9	"No Main Topic"	O. Credle, G. Scott	DJ Ogee	O.C.	3:42
10	"Let It Slide"	O. Credle, A. Best	Buckwild	O.C.	4:23
11	"Ma Dukes"	O. Credle, A. Best	Buckwild	O.C.	3:58
12	"Story"	O. Credle, G. Scott	DJ Ogee	O.C.	3:03
13	"Outtro (Sabotage)"	O. Credle, A. Best	Buckwild	O.C.	2:51
14	"Born 2 Live (Remix)"	O. Credle, A. Best	Organized Konfusion	O.C.	3:45

Samples Used

• "Creative Control"
  • "Hey Jude" by Maynard Ferguson
• "Word...Life"
  • "Never Will I Marry" by Nancy Wilson
• "O-Zone"
  • "Shook Ones Pt. I" by Mobb Deep
• "Born 2 Live"
  • "Risin' to the Top" by Keni Burke
  • "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Isaac Hayes
  • "Ain't No Half Steppin'" by Heatwave
• "Time's Up"
  • "A Day In The Life" by Les DeMerle
  • "Hey Young World" by Slick Rick
• "Point O Viewz"
  • "Seeds of Love" by Little Boy Blues
  • "Searchin'" by Roy Ayers
• "Constables"
  • "War Drums" by War
  • "Hip-Hop Vs Rap" by KRS-One
• "Ga Head"
  • "Together Let's Find Love" by The 5th Dimension
• "Let It Slide"
  • "Dream Clock" by Weather Report
• "Ma Dukes"
  • "Back on Track" by Jimmy McGriff

2004 re-issue

Word...Life was re-issued in 2004, its tenth anniversary, with five bonus tracks. They are:

1. "Challenge Y'all"
2. "U Made Me"
3. "U-N-I"
4. "Half Good Half Sinner"
5. "Wordplay"

Album singles

Single information
"Born 2 Live" Released: 1994 B-Side: "Let It Slide"
"Time's Up" Released: 1994 B-Side: "Time's Up (Buckwild Remix)", "Time's Up (DJ Eclipse Remix)"

Chart positions

Album

Chart (1994)	Peak position
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[4]	34

Singles

Year	Song	Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales
1994	"Time's Up"	34
1994	"Born 2 Live"	41

References

1. Word...Life at AllMusic
2. RapReviews review
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHMF-bVxlkc
4. "O.C. – Chart history" Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums for O.C.. Retrieved April 28, 2016.

Sources

• discogs