There comes a record once in a lifetime that defies all expectations. In my lifetime, it’s the Cop Killer album by Body Count. I bought this record at the tender age of 18 and I’ve never been the same person since. Back then for me, this was like St. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Wall, or Physical Graffiti from the ghetto.

I even remember watching on tv, the LAPD picketing outside the Warner Brother offices. The first reason they protested was that the image on the cover depicted a gang member with the “Cop Killer” tattoo on his chest, and the second because of the title track “Cop Killer”. Warner Brothers eventually decided to revise the CD with the tattoo cropped out from the cover, and the title track taken off the record completely. The controversy helped though, as the album still went on to sell half a million records

Body Count was basically birthed due to Ice-T wanting to create his own hardcore band on the side. What he didn’t know was how big the project would actually become. With Ernie C on guitar, Mooseman on bass, D-Roc on rhythm guitar, and Beatmaster V on drums, the band was perfected to send wrath on the heavy music world. The band ended up touring with band like Exodus, Suicidal Tendencies, and even got a spot on the main stage at the first Lollapalooza.

The songs you ask?! Well let me tell ya….they are all gems. Some of my faves are “Voodoo”, “KKK Bitch”, and “There Goes The Neighborhood”. F that. I love em’ all. I can still listen to this record without skipping on it once. It’s actually that complete. Half the fun of this record  is the humour, as the band don’t take themselves too seriously (just check out “Evil Dick” for proof!). Also have to mention the production. Man is this one of the most raw as f**k records I have heard on a major label ever!

The band released a few albums after this one, but none of them matched the raw intensity of Cop Killer. Unfortunately half of the line up is now dead (Mooseman, D-Roc, and Beatmaster V), with only Ice-T and Ernie C remaining from the original line up. Body Count will always live on with this monumental masterpiece.

Rating: 10/10