Time Will Reveal
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Album Summary
Above The Law came back around in 1996 with 'Time Will Reveal,' a record that found the Pomona, California crew staying true to their West Coast roots during a period when the gangsta rap landscape was shifting fast. Released on Pump Records, the album kept the group anchored in that hard-edged, funk-drenched G-funk and street rap sound they had long been building their name on. Cold 187um, the group's creative cornerstone and in-house production force, held things down behind the boards, shaping a record that felt like a statement of survival and longevity from a crew that had been grinding since the early days of West Coast hip-hop's rise to national dominance.
Reception
- The album landed in a crowded 1996 West Coast rap market and did not break through to mainstream chart visibility in a significant or well-documented way.
- Among dedicated West Coast hip-hop heads, the record was received as a solid, authentic entry from a group respected for consistency and regional credibility.
- Mainstream critical coverage of the album was sparse, reflecting the broader industry challenge independent and legacy West Coast acts faced during the mid-to-late 1990s rap boom.
Significance
- Above The Law's continued output during this era helped sustain a lineage of Pomona and Southern California street rap that predated and ran parallel to Death Row's commercial dominance, and 'Time Will Reveal' stands as part of that enduring regional legacy.
- The album represents the resilience of West Coast veterans who refused to fade as the industry cycled through trends, keeping an uncompromising, street-level sound alive when commercial pressures were pushing rap toward flash over substance.
- Cold 187um's production aesthetic on the record helped preserve a brand of slow-rolling, funk-rooted West Coast production that would continue to influence underground and independent California rap for years to come.
Tracklist
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A1 Encore 81
5:01
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A2 Evil That Men Do 91
5:06
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A3 Gorillapimpin' 90
5:31
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A4 1996 93
4:37
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A5 Killaz In The Park 82
5:44
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A6 100 Spokes 89
3:59
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B1 Clinic 2000 88
4:52
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B2 My World 82
4:54
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B3 Endonesia 94
5:08
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B4 Playaz & Gangstas 90
4:37
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B5 City Of Angels (Remix) 89
4:59
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B6 Apocalypse Now 98
4:09
Artist Details
Above The Law formed out of Pomona, California in the late 1980s, built around the production genius of Cold 187um and the rhyme chemistry of KMG the Illustrator, launching their career through Eazy-E's Ruthless Records with their 1990 debut 'Livin' Like Hustlers.' Their sound was a trunk-rattling fusion of Parliament-Funkadelic funk, hard West Coast street narratives, and bass-heavy production that helped lay the foundation for what the world would come to call G-funk before Dr. Dre made it a household name. They remain one of the most criminally underrated crews in West Coast hip-hop history, pioneers who built the blueprint while others got the glory.
