Maps of Music

It Takes a Thief (1994)

Where the lyrics of It Takes a Thief take you, and where it was really made.

Coolio's debut album rode a hip hop remake of Lakeside's 1980 song 'Fantastic Voyage' to its breakout moment.

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It Takes a Thief: debut studio album by American rapper Coolio
Released July 19, 1994 on Warner Bros. Records
Praised for a humorous, lighthearted take on gangsta rap's often violent and profane themes
Its breakout hit 'Fantastic Voyage' was a hip hop version of a song by the group Lakeside

Before this album, Coolio released two 1980s singles, 'Whatcha Gonna Do' and 'You're Gonna Miss Me', and neither was a hit
He then joined the gangsta rap band WC and the Maad Circle, which released two albums
The band had little national impact but was successful in California
Coolio released the single 'County Line' on the Tommy Boy label in 1993
Lakeside's original 'Fantastic Voyage' came out in 1980
The Coolio version brought the older song back to the charts

1	Fantastic Voyage (Timber mix)	5:34
2	County Line	2:58
3	Mama, I’m in Love Wit a Gangsta	4:10
4	Hand on My Nutsac	3:29
5	Ghetto Cartoon	3:13
6	Smokin' Stix	3:20
7	Can-O-Corn	3:41
8	U Know Hoo!	3:52
9	It Takes a Thief	5:07
10	Bring Back Somethin fo da Hood	3:13
11	N da Closet	3:52
12	On My Way to Harlem	3:14
13	Sticky Fingers	3:00
14	Thought You Knew	3:20
15	Ugly Bitches	4:07
16	I Remember	4:48

Born Artis Leon Ivey Jr. on August 1, 1963, in Monessen, Pennsylvania; moved to Compton, California, at age eight.
Began rapping as a teenager and earned the nickname Coolio Iglesias, later shortened to Coolio.
Worked for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and at Los Angeles International Airport security before becoming a rapper.

Recorded first single "Whatcha Gonna Do?" in 1987; joined WC and the Maad Circle in 1991.
Debut solo album It Takes a Thief (1994) was certified Platinum; lead single "Fantastic Voyage" peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.
"Gangsta's Paradise" (1995) topped the Billboard Hot 100 for three weeks and won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance.
Released nine albums in total; the first three achieved mainstream success. Sold 4.8 million albums in the U.S.
Appeared in numerous television shows, including Futurama, Charmed, and Celebrity Big Brother 6 (placed 3rd).

Los Angeles Times concluded the album may be one of the best hard-core Compton rap records since the first N.W.A. album
USA Today wrote that the album mixes hard-core themes with tongue-in-cheek attitude and funky, unflinching rhythms
Critics praised the album for a humorous, lighthearted perspective on the typically violent and profane themes of gangsta rap

Three songs, 'Smokin Stix', 'Can-o-Corn' and 'Sticky Fingers', first appeared in the film Poetic Justice
The Discogs sample index lists Lakeside's 'Fantastic Voyage' among the album's samples
The same index also lists Bar-Kays' 'Hit & Run' and Grandmaster Melle Mel & The Furious Five's 'The Message'
Coolio's samples also include Marvin Gaye's 'Inner City Blues' and Eddie Kendricks' 'Body Talk'
The Discogs release page notes a censored version of the album