Colors (Ice-T song)
"Colors" is a song by American rapper Ice-T, issued as the title track for the soundtrack to the film of the same name. The song was released as a single in 1988.[2] In 2008, it was named the 19th-greatest hip hop song of all time by VH1.[3] The song was Ice-T's first to chart on the US Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number 70.
| "Colors" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Ice-T | ||||
| from the album Colors | ||||
| B-side | "Squeeze the Trigger"[1] | |||
| Released | 1988 | |||
| Recorded | 1987 | |||
| Genre | Gangsta rap | |||
| Length | 4:25 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Ice-T, Afrika Islam | |||
| Ice-T singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In 2021, gang scholar and sociology professor Stefano Bloch called Colors "the greatest sociological text ever written on gang activity and identity".[4]
Cover versions
In 1996, the song was covered by Society Burning for the electro-industrial various artists compilation Operation Beatbox.[5]
The song was covered by the groove metal band Machine Head and released on the 1997 bonus disc version of their album The More Things Change...
C-Murder made a remake called "Cluckers" (featuring Fiend) on his debut album Life or Death in 1998.
Ice-T himself re-recorded the song with his band Body Count in 2020 for the album Carnivore.
Charts
| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100[6] | 70 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Black Singles[6] | 77 |
References
- Images for Ice-T – Colors. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
- Ice-T - Colors (Vinyl) at Discogs. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
- VH1's 100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs – Stereogum. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
- https://twitter.com/StefanoBloch/status/1460437594215358466
- Christian, Chris (August 1996). "Various Artists: Operation Beatbox". Sonic Boom. 4 (7). Retrieved November 17, 2016.
- Colors - Ice-T | Billboard.com. Retrieved July 17, 2010.