Gangland is the twenty-first studio album by the band Kool & the Gang, released in 2001 following a five-year gap between albums. The album was a compilation of rappers backed by Kool and the Gang remaking some of the band's songs.
Contents
Critical reception
With a 2.5 out of 4 star rating, Steve Jones of USA Today wrote "Years before Kool rode vocalist James 'J.T.' Taylor's voice to pop success with songs such as Celebration, Cherish and Fresh, they were Hollywood-swinging with such street-oriented anthems as Jungle Boogie and Let the Music Take Your Mind. It's a freshened-up version of the latter funk-fueled jams that propel this new, hard-grooving set. The fusion of rap, jazz and R&B finds the band -- led by founding brothers Robert "Kool" Bell on bass and saxophonist Khalis Bayyan (Ronald Bell) -- joining an engaging pool of young talents."
Personnel
Production
Kool & the Gang – executive producers
Steven K. Brown – A&R
Hakim Bell – producer, mixing
Bill Irving – producer, mixing
Khalis Bayyan – producer, mixing
George "Funky" Brown – producer
Rick Iantosca – producer
Andrzej Ramotowski – engineer
Don Tittle – engineer
Kendal Stubbs – mixing
Duncan Stanbury – mastering at Frankford/Wayne Mastering Labs (New York City, New York)
Kent Jeffrey – art direction, graphic design
Mukbil Aktan – art direction, graphic design
Ronnie Wright – photography