By 1993, Sex, Pistols, Indo, Cash, Entertainment-One, better known to the world as the Oakland-based gangsta rapper, Spice 1 was one of the hottest artists in the game. Fresh off his gold-selling 1992 self-titled debut album, Spice 1 would score the biggest hit of his career in the summer of ‘93 with his single, “Nigga Gots No Heart,” from the Menace II Society Soundtrack. The record would help propel the Menace Soundtrack to number eleven on the Billboard Top 200, number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop charts, and along with MC Eiht’s “Streiht Up Menace,” would play a large part in the album earning a platinum plaque. Spice 1 would look to capitalize on the momentum of his Menace success by releasing his sophomore album, 187 He Wrote in the fall of ‘93.

For the few of you who may not know, “187” is the California penal code for murder. Spice 1 would call on some familiar names to musical back his violent tales, including Too-Short, Ant Banks, and E-A-Ski & CMT. He would also get production work from a few lesser-known producers, and the album would include cameos from a few of hip-hop’s heavy hitters. 187 He Wrote would receive favorable reviews, climb to numero uno on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop charts and number ten on the Billboard Top 200. It would also earn Spice 1 another plaque, becoming gold certified just sixty days after its release.

I bought 187 He Wrote on cassette when it came out back in ‘93. But like most of my tapes, it fell victim to my hungry cassette player or just got lost in the shuffle when I started converting to CDs in the mid-nineties. Nevertheless, nostalgia struck when I discovered and bought a used CD copy a few months ago. It’s been a minute since I’ve listened to the album, so let’s see how Spice 1’s murderous tales have held up these past thirty years.

I’m The Fuckin’ Murderer – After some heavy breathing and a few words from a way too often used demonically distorted voice, Spice 1 sets the tone for the evening with this opening song. Prodeje from South Central Cartel lays down a dark, slick, deep funk groove for our host to go on his verbal murder spree, spilling blood all over the track. Spice sounds great on the mic as he rides the beat like an elite equestrian, and he takes his performance to another level when he breaks out his stutter flow (that I first heard him use on “Money Gone” off his debut album) for the last two verses. The “High Powered” RBX vocal snippets embedded into the hook are the cherry on top of this fire record that’s sure to get your adrenaline or your shotgun pumpin’.

Dumpin ‘Em Ditches – This was the lead single from 187 He Wrote. E-A-Ski & CMT get their first of four production credits of the night, providing a solid synth mid-tempo bop for Spice to catch more bodies on, and he’s polite enough to give them all proper burials. I could be wrong, and the liner notes don’t support my theory, but I have a sneaking suspicion that MC Eiht wrote this one for Spice. Listen closely to Spice’s cadence and adlibs and let me know in the comments if you hear it too.

Gas Chamber – This one left me scratching my head. Per usual, Mr. 1 spends the entire song talking about his criminal past (question: how does one “pack” an AR 15?), but throughout the record, he subtly suggests that brothers find other means of making ends meet, as an early death or prison are the only rewards earned from the street life. He even ends his final verse by saying, “In ’93” the criminal lifestyle “ain’t for you and me.” Then he closes the song with his moral of the story: “When you shoot the next muthafucka, you goin’ to jail regardless of what muthafuckin’ color you got on, you know what I’m sayin’? You gonna get the gas chamber, regardless. So, why not do it for some cash, anyway?” If that soliloquy made sense to you, please explain to me what the hell he’s talking about in the comments. Regardless of Spice’s nonsensical utterings, I enjoyed Too Short’s low-key funky instrumental.

187 He Wrote – The title track finds Spice in his 2pac bag as he plays a paranoid gangster whose criminal history and surroundings have him looking over his shoulder awaiting a visit from the grim reaper: “I’m tryna keep my aces and my deuces all together/I’m thinking of self-murder, I know I won’t live forever/this chronic got me noid, I need to get a job/but instead I wanna sell dope, hang on a rope and steady mob/I’m waking up in the morning thinking of death/as I break out in a cold sweat/I’m havin’ dreams of a whole family put to rest/visions of a dead man, body bags/and all the youngstas gettin’ they cap cooked over colored rags.” Spice’s dark content is backed by silky smooth emotional instrumentation (credited to Mentally Blunted), and we get our first taste of his puny-sounding gunshot adlib (“Bloah!”).

Don’t Ring The Alarm (The Heist) – Boss flies in from Detroit to join the East Bay Gangsta for a bank robbery. Spice makes it clear to the listener and Boss what the mission is early on during his opening verse, when he hi-lariously instructs Boss to “Put this gat up in your panties, ‘cause we gon’ rob these muthafuckas for every nook and cranny.” They seem to have the perfect team, scheme, and theme music for the heist (Mentally Blunted’s sinister backdrop is extremely hard), but when the cops get involved their plan foils, and they literally fumble the bag (Wait…was Spice thinking about killing Boss before the cops showed up?). Regardless, it makes for a very intriguing listen.

Clip & The Trigga – Ant Banks maestro’s one of his signature animated rubbery funk grooves and helps with part of the hook for this ode to the clip and the trigger, or “trigga.” Spice continues his violence spree and sprinkles a little reggae seasoning on the record. No pun intended.

Smoke ‘Em Like A Blunt – The reggae seasoning Spice 1 sprinkled on the previous track turns into a full-fledged reggae lathering on this one. Mr. Sex & Pistols chants about smoking some random dudes and cops like blunts over a solid reggae riddim (surprisingly, credited to Too Short) that’s bound to put you in a trance as you put something in the air. We also get a heapin’ helpin’ of his mega corny gunshot adlib (smh). He has to be firing off a pink twenty-two.

The Murda Show – Now, this is a collab that makes perfect sense. Spice 1 and MC Eiht were both coming off the success of hit records on the Menace II Society Soundtrack, released in the summer of ‘93. Add the fact they both love to shoot people on wax, and this aptly titled record is a match made in gangsta heaven. Eiht’s credited for the passable instrumental, and both emcees do a solid job sticking to the script.

380 On That Ass – I always found it interesting that there were two different hip-hop groups with a Havoc and a Prodigy in the mid-nineties. On the East Coast you had Havoc and Prodigy of Mobb Deep, and the West Coast had South Central Cartel, which had Prodigy (Spelled “Prodeje”) and two Havoc’s (Havoc Da Mouthpiece and Havikk The Rhyme Son). All three of them join Spice 1 on this record. The song begins with Havoc Da Mouthpiece and our host in the middle of a smoke session reminiscing about Spice 1’s ode to his 9mm from his debut album (“Peace To My Nine”). Then Spice informs Havoc that his weapon of choice has changed to something more sleek and easier to conceal. Spice and Havikk proceed to rap praises to their .380s, while Prodeje spends most of his verse bragging about the damage his nine can do. Then at the tail end of his verse, he gets back in line with the song’s subject. Prodeje is also credited for the hard instrumental, so I’m willing to show him grace for conceptually missing the mark.

Mo’ Mail – More drug and murder talk from Spice 1, as his Bay area comrade E-40 stops by to splash the track with adlibs in the form of his signature gibberish, I mean, slang. I’ve never been a fan of E-40, so I was very happy that he didn’t rap on this record. But even with 40 restraining from rhyming, I didn’t care much for this one.

Runnin’ Out Da Crackhouse – A shootout with crackheads at a crackhouse, quickly turns into a scuffle with police, a wrestling match with Rin Tin Tin, and jail time for our host. Spice’s storyline is all over the place, but the soulful instrumental makes his theatrics a little more enjoyable.

Trigga Gots No Heart – This was the hit single from the Menace II Society Soundtrack that I mentioned earlier (it’s actually the edited version of “Nigga Gots No Heart,” as both versions appear on the soundtrack). Spice comes from the perspective of a drug dealer who feels trapped in the hood and his hopelessness has him living recklessly as a self-proclaimed “madman killer”: “Release the trigga as I hurt off the liquor/nina put a cease on his Timex ticker/and uh, Prez, he can’t give me no love/‘cause I’m stuck on the corner in the ghetto slangin’ dub sacks.” The song ends on a sad note as karma finally catches up to our host. E-A-Ski & CMT are responsible for the layered melancholic and callous backdrop that’s sure to tug at your heartstrings.

Trigga Happy – Our host tries to recapture the magic he created with his debut single, “187 Proof.” Instead of bringing different alcoholic beverages to life for his storyline, fittingly, he turns different types of guns into people for this hood tale. The song doesn’t hold a candle to “187 Proof,” but it does bring some levity to what has been a dark and violent listen to this point.

RIP – E-A-Ski & CMT build this glossy somber backdrop around the same Gwen McCrae loop used for Boss’ “Deeper,” as Spice reflects and reminisces about some of the homies he’s lost to the streets. Spice continues to diversify his flow portfolio, delivering his rhymes with a restrained saddened baritone flow (reminiscent of Scarface) that completely cooperates with the solemn vibes of the music.

All He Wrote – Our host ends the album giving shoutouts with another uncredited gentleman, over silky wah-wah guitar licks and a drumbeat that even a rapper with Spice 1’s versatile flow could only give shoutouts over. And that’s…all he wrote.

In a genre where most of its artists and acts follow trends and make formulaic records to gain commercial success, it’s always nice to see a rapper who knows his lane, stands firm on his square, and sticks to his guns. There might not be a rapper who has stuck closer to his guns throughout his career, both literally and figuratively, than Spice 1.

From beginning to end, 187 He Wrote finds our host blooding each track with violent tales, never wasting time on contrived love/lust songs intended to win over a female fanbase or bothering with making a forced club banger to make you feel good and dance. Spice 1 gives no fucks about love, your feelings, or expanding his fanbase. He’s more concerned with feeding the listener a constant and consistent diet of murder, drugs, guns, and more murder while showcasing the versatility in his flow. Spice’s rhymes are backed by a nice mixture of West Coast bangers and soulfully cinematic grooves that help keep his redundant content interesting. The handful of cameos are scattered proportionately throughout 187 He Wrote, so it still feels like a Spice 1 solo album; and even while in the room with some prominent names, Spice 1 not only holds his own but shines the brightest. There are a couple of songs that could have been left off the final product, and the “bloah” adlib that Spice saturates 187 He Wrote with is one of the worst in hip-hop history, but overall, 187 He Wrote is a darkly entertaining listen that lives up to its title.

-Deedub

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