The Villain in Black

The Villain in Black is the second album by rapper MC Ren, released April 9, 1996, on Ruthless Records and distributed by Relativity Records.

The Villain in Black
Studio album by MC Ren
Released	April 9, 1996
Recorded	1994–1996
Genre	Gangsta rap, G-funk, Political hip hop
Length	45:09
Label	Ruthless Relativity
Producer	Executive producers Eazy-E Additional producers Big Jessie Cold 187um Dr. Jam Madness 4 Real
MC Ren chronology
Shock of the Hour (1993) The Villain in Black (1996) Ruthless for Life (1998)

Background

After the release and success of his critically acclaimed debut studio album Shock of the Hour in late 1993, MC Ren immediately began working on his sophomore album. The deaths of DJ Train and Eazy-E would however prove to be a huge setback and Ren stepped off the scene for a while. Meanwhile, he continued his work with the Nation of Islam, and visited Egypt in mid-1995. Following his return from Egypt, MC Ren continued to work on his album, this time however scrapping all the material he recorded with DJ Train. Enlisting Cold 187um and Dr. Jam to produce his album, Ren began recording new material.

Content

Lyrics

While making The Villain in Black, MC Ren was closely affiliated with the Nation of Islam, which had a large impact on the some parts of the album's content. Khalid Muhammad appeared in the track "Muhammad Speaks," where he spoke about the history of the rights of African-Americans. He also made an appearance on the closing track "Bring It On".

Production

The majority of the album's production was handled by Cold 187um of Above the Law and Dr. Jam. It also features production by Madness 4 Real and Big Jessie.

Album title

The album titles is a reference to MC Ren's nickname, The Villain.

Singles

Two singles were released from the album: "Mad Scientist" and "Keep It Real".

Release and reception

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Billboard	(favorable) [2]
Los Angeles Times	[3]
The Source	[4]
Vibe	(favorable) [5]

Commercial performance

The album debuted number 31 on Billboard 200, with the first-week sales of 31,000 copies.

Track listing

No.	Title	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Bitch Made Nigga Killa"	Cold 187um	4:02
2.	"Keep It Real"	Dr. Jam	4:52
3.	"It's Like That" (featuring Bigg Rocc)	Cold 187um	4:34
4.	"Mad Scientist"	Dr. Jam, Madness 4 Real (co.)	4:22
5.	"Live from Compton 'Saturday Night'" (featuring Cold 187um)	Cold 187um	5:56
6.	"Still the Same Nigga"	Jessie "Big Jessie" Willard	5:27
7.	"I Don't Give a Damn"	Dr. Jam, Madness 4 Real (co.)	3:56
8.	"Mind Blown" (featuring Bigg Rocc)	Cold 187um	4:42
9.	"Great Elephant"	Jessie "Big Jessie" Willard	3:45
10.	"Muhammed Speaks" (featuring Khalid Muhammad)	Cold 187um	1:31
11.	"Bring It On" (featuring Above the Law, Triggerman and Khalid Muhammad)	Cold 187um	4:42

Personnel

• Harold Moore Jr. - Spoken word
• Gregory Fernan Hutchinson - Production, lyrics, vocals
• Lorenzo Jerald Patterson - Primary artist, lyrics, vocals
• Big Rocc, KMG The Illustrator, Triggerman - Guest vocals
• Dr. Jam, Big Jessie Willard, Madness 4 Real - Additional production

Charts

Album Charts (1996) Peak position U.S. Billboard 200 31 U.S. Top R&B/Hip Hop Albums 7

Singles Year Single Peak chart positions U.S. Hot 100 U.S. R&B U.S. Rap 1996 "Mad Scientist" — — — "Keep It Real" — 106 43

References

1. Erlewine, Stephen. "The Villain in Black - MC Ren". AllMusic.
2. Helson, Havelock. Review: The Villain in Black.
3. Coker, Cheo Hodari. Review: The Villain in Black.
4. Gordon, Allen S. MC RenDa Villain in Black.
5. T-Love. Review: The Villain in Black.