Black Superman (Above the Law song)

"Black Superman" is a song by American hip hop group Above the Law, released on June 28, 1994[1] as the lead single from their third studio album Uncle Sam's Curse (1994). It was produced by Cold 187um, who wrote the song with KMG the Illustrator.

"Black Superman"
Single by Above the Law
from the album Uncle Sam's Curse
ReleasedJune 28, 1994
Genre
Length4:27
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Cold 187um
Above the Law singles chronology
"V.S.O.P"
(1992)		 "Black Superman"
(1994)		 "Kalifornia"
(1995)
Music video
"Black Superman'" on YouTube

Background

In a 2014 interview with the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Big Hutch (formerly known as Cold 187um) stated that rapper Eazy-E selected the song to be a single:

He comes in and the last song we play was "Black Superman". After it goes off, he says that's the single. He never picked any of our singles. He said the reason why "Black Superman" is the single is it explains what the whole album is going to be about.[2]

Composition

The song opens with dialogue from the 1994 film Against the Wall, and is built on a loop sampled from "Funky Worm" by Ohio Players. KMG the Illustrator performs the opening verse, after which an "ominous" answering machine message is heard.[3] Lyrically, Cold 187um recounts his life of selling drugs as an adolescent to support his mother ("Uh, you really wanna know why I sold scum? / Because my mama to me comes number one").[3][4]

Critical reception

Pete Tosiello of LA Weekly regarded the song to be the "greatest triumph" from Uncle Sam's Curse, "perhaps Above the Law's finest moment on wax and an essential piece of the West Coast rap canon."[3] Complex[4] and The Ringer[5] included the song in their respective lists of the 100 and 101 best L.A. rap songs.

The song was featured in the miniseries The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story.[3]

Charts
Chart (1994) Peak
position
US Hot R&B/Hip Hop Songs (Billboard)[6] 79
US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard)[7] 24

References
  1. "Black Superman [Single]". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  2. Woods III, Wes (August 8, 2014). "'Uncle Sam's Curse' didn't slow Pomona's Above the Law". Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  3. Tosiello, Pete (August 15, 2016). "Why Lost G-Funk Classic Uncle Sam's Curse Is More Relevant Than Ever". LA Weekly.
  4. "The 100 Best L.A. Rap Songs". Complex. March 1, 2018. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  5. "The Ringer's 101 Best L.A. Rap Songs". The Ringer. December 15, 2022. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  6. "Above the Law Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Archived from the original on October 30, 2019. Retrieved 14 July 2023.
  7. "Above the Law Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Hot Rap Songs. Archived from the original on August 27, 2018. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
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