Misplaced Pages

"It's a Shame"
Single by Kool G Rap
from the album 4,5,6
Released	August 15, 1995
Studio	Bearsville Studios (Bearsville, New York)
Genre	East Coast hip hop hardcore hip hop mafioso rap gangsta rap
Length	4:04
Label	Cold Chillin' Epic Street SME
Songwriter(s)	Joe Davis Milton Johnson James Van Leer Nathaniel Wilson
Producer(s)	Naughty Shorts
Kool G Rap singles chronology
"On the Run" (1992) "It's a Shame" (1995) "Fast Life" (1995)
Music video
"It's a Shame" on YouTube

"It's a Shame" is the debut solo single by American hip hop artist Kool G Rap, from his 1995 album 4,5,6.

Background

"It's a Shame" was recorded at Bearsville Studios in Bearsville, New York. In the song, Kool G Rap portrays himself as a heroin kingpin, boasting of his wealth, power and extravagant lifestyle. However, it is implied that he harbours a sense of remorse over his choice of trade, with the chorus (sung by an uncredited Sean Brown) stating:

Now it's a damn shame, what I gotta do just to make a dollar

Living in this game, sometimes it makes you wanna holler

Music video

The music video for "It's a Shame" shows Kool G Rap living a life of luxury as a wealthy and powerful gangster as well as shots of drug addicts and prostitutes, signifying the less glamorous side of the drug trade.

Critical reception

Hip Hop Album Reviews called the song "one of G Rap's premier ventures at storytelling, only weakened by the dime-a-dozen hook".

Samples

"It's a Shame" samples the following songs:

• "Love Is for Fools" by Southside Movement

Track listing

12"

A-side

1. "It's a Shame" (Original) (4:02)
2. "It's a Shame" (Acapella) (4:01)
3. "It's a Shame" (Instrumental) (3:54)

B-side

1. "It's a Shame" (Original) (4:03)
2. "It's a Shame" (Acapella) (4:01)
3. "It's a Shame" (Instrumental) (3:54)

CD

1. "It's a Shame" (Original) (3:54)
2. "It's a Shame" (Acapella) (3:54)
3. "It's a Shame" (Instrumental) (3:54)

References

1. Hip Hop album reviews
2. It's a Shame at Who Sampled

External links

• "It's a Shame" at Discogs

• 1995 singles
• Kool G Rap songs
• Songs written by Kool G Rap
• Hardcore hip-hop songs
• Songs about crime
• Songs about drugs
• 1995 songs
• Cold Chillin' Records singles
• Mafioso rap songs