Black Mafia Life was the third album by gangsta rap

Gangsta rap

Gangsta Rap is a subgenre of hip hop music that evolved from hardcore hip hop and purports to reflect urban crime and the violent lifestyles of inner-city youths. Lyrics in gangsta rap have varied from accurate reflections to fictionalized accounts. Gangsta is a non-rhotic pronunciation of the word...

 group Above the Law, released on February 2, 1992; being released some time after their popular debut Livin' Like Hustlers

Livin' Like Hustlers

Livin' Like Hustlers is the debut album by the rap group Above the Law, released in 1990. Dr. Dre produced two tracks, "Murder Rap" and "The Last Song"...

, Black Mafia Life proved a surprising success. Especially without the help of Dr. Dre

Dr. Dre

Andre Romelle Young , primarily known by his stage name Dr. Dre, is an American record producer, rapper, record executive, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is the founder and current CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and a former co-owner and artist of Death Row Records...

 (who produced two tracks and served as overall assistant producer on their debut album), the album was not widely expected to live up to expectations. Rolling Stone gave the album 4.5 stars.

Track listing

All tracks by Above the Law

1. "Black Triangle"
2. "Never Missin' a Beat"
3. "Why Must I Feel Like Dat?"
4. "Commin' Up"
5. "Pimpology 101"
6. "Call It What You Want" (featuring: 2Pac
   Tupac Shakur
   Tupac Amaru Shakur , known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor. Shakur has sold over 75 million albums worldwide as of 2007, making him one of the best-selling music artists in the world...
   
   , Money-B
   Money-B
   Ron Brooks better known by his stage name Money-B, is an American rapper, best known for being a member of the funk and rap group Digital Underground. He is a member of Raw Fusion with DJ Fuze whom they had two albums, Live From the Styleetron and Hoochified Funk.He had a solo album named Talkin'...
   
   )
7. "Harda U R tha Doppa U Faal"
8. "Game Wreck-Oniz-Iz Game" (featuring: Eazy-E
   Eazy-E
   Eric Lynn Wright , better known by his stage name Eazy-E, was an American rapper who performed solo and in the hip hop group N.W.A. Wright was born to Richard and Kathie Wright in Compton, California...
   
   , Kokane
   Kokane
   Kokane, also known as Jerry B. Long, Jr. , is a rapper from Pomona, California best known for his co-appearances on Dr. Dre's album 2001 and the work on G-funk album Funk Upon A Rhyme and his backup work with Snoop Dogg in Tha Last Meal album, who signed him to Dogghouse Records, bringing a renewed...
   
   )
9. "Pimp Clinic"
10. "V.S.O.P."
11. "Process of Elimination (Untouchakickamurdaqtion)" (featuring: MC Ren
    MC Ren
    Lorenzo Jerald Patterson , better known by his stage name MC Ren, is a rapper who formed part of the group N.W.A. His moniker is derived from his first name .-Early life:...
    
    )
12. "G's & Macoronies"
13. "G-Rupie's Best Friend"
14. "Mee vs. My Ego"
15. "Outro"

Chart positions

Billboard Music Charts album

• Billboard 200
  Billboard 200
  The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
  
   (#37)
• Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (#6)

Billboard Music Charts singles

• "V.S.O.P." (Hot Rap Singles) (#9)
• "V.S.O.P." Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks (#97)

Personnel

• Eazy-E
  Eazy-E
  Eric Lynn Wright , better known by his stage name Eazy-E, was an American rapper who performed solo and in the hip hop group N.W.A. Wright was born to Richard and Kathie Wright in Compton, California...
  
   — executive producer
• Digital Underground
  Digital Underground
  Digital Underground was an alternative hip hop group from Oakland, California. It could have been considered a music "family" rather than a group, as its personnel changed and rotated with each album and tour....
  
   — vocals
• Above the Law — producer
• Cartoon — artwork
• Brian Gardner — mastering
• Mark Paladino — engineer, mixing
• Mike Sims — guitar
• Mike Smooth — guitar
• Kokane
  Kokane
  Kokane, also known as Jerry B. Long, Jr. , is a rapper from Pomona, California best known for his co-appearances on Dr. Dre's album 2001 and the work on G-funk album Funk Upon A Rhyme and his backup work with Snoop Dogg in Tha Last Meal album, who signed him to Dogghouse Records, bringing a renewed...
  
  — arranger
• Cold 187 um — scratching, arranger, keyboards, producer
• Mary Ann Dibs — art direction, design
• Total K-Oss — scratching, arranger
• Julio Estrada — photography
• B-Laid Back Edwards — keyboards
• Go Mack — scratching