Once Upon a Time in America is the debut album by rapper Smoothe da Hustler

Smoothe da Hustler

Damon Smith, better known as Smoothe da Hustler is an American rapper who was signed to Profile Records in the mid-90s.Smoothe came to prominence in 1995 with his debut single "Broken Language", a duet with his little brother Trigger tha Gambler...

. It was released on March 19, 1996 through Profile Records

Profile Records

Profile Records was a record label that specialized in many types of urban-oriented music, such as hip hop, active until 1996..- History :In 1980, at 23 years old, after working briefly for MCA, Cory Robbins was looking to start a record label. He invited his songwriter friend Steve Plotnicki to be...

 and was entirely produced by famed New York City-based producer DR Period. The album was met with positive reviews, but failed to sell well, only making in to 93 on the Billboard 200

Billboard 200

The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

, while fairing better on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...

, peaking at 11. The album produced two semi-successful singles, "Hustler's Theme" and "Broken Language".

Track listing

1. "Once Upon a Time"- 1:38
2. "Fuck Whatcha Heard"- 5:13
3. "Dollar Bill"- 5:00
4. "Glocks on Cock"- 3:54
5. "Broken Language"- 3:53
6. "Speak My Peace"- :50
7. "Neva Die Alone"- 4:52
8. "Food for Thoughts"- 3:37
9. "Family Conflicts"- 1:06
10. "Only Human"- 4:29
11. "Hustler's Theme"- 5:10
12. "Murdafest"- 3:57
13. "Hustlin'"- 4:24
14. "My Brother My Ace"- 3:20
15. "Dedication"- 4:13

Samples

• "Hustler's Theme"
  • "Freddie's Dead" by Curtis Mayfield
    Curtis Mayfield
    Curtis Lee Mayfield was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer.He is best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Super Fly, Mayfield is highly...
    
    
• "Dedication"
  • "No One's Gonna Love You" by S.O.S. Band
• "Food For Thoughts"
  • "I Am Love" by The Jackson 5
    The Jackson 5
    The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...
    
    
• "Fuck Whatcha Heard"
  • "Lover Man" by Grover Washington Jr.
• "Broken Language"
  • "Build Me Up Buttercup" by The Foundations
    The Foundations
    The Foundations were a British soul band, active from 1967 to 1970. The group, made up of West Indians, White British, and a Sri Lankan, are best known for their two biggest hits, "Baby Now That I've Found You" , written by Tony Macaulay and John MacLeod; and "Build Me Up Buttercup" The Foundations...
    
    
• "Hustlin'"
  • "You're The One I Need" by Barry White
    Barry White
    Barry White, born Barry Eugene Carter , was an American composer and singer-songwriter.A five-time Grammy Award-winner known for his distinctive bass voice and romantic image, White's greatest success came in the 1970s as a solo singer and with the Love Unlimited Orchestra, crafting many enduring...