Stone Cold Rhymin'
| Stone Cold Rhymin' | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 5, 1989 | |||
| Recorded | 1988−89 | |||
| Studio | Matt Dike's apartment (Santa Monica, California)[1] | |||
| Genre | Hip-hop | |||
| Length | 47:24 | |||
| Label | Delicious Vinyl | |||
| Producer | ||||
| Young MC chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Stone Cold Rhymin' | ||||
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Stone Cold Rhymin' is the debut album by the American rapper Young MC. It was released in 1989 on Delicious Vinyl and was later re-issued by Rhino Records. The album reached No. 9 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart.[2] The third track, "Bust a Move", was Young MC's biggest hit and is his best-known song, reaching No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100[3] and topping the charts in Australia.[4] His follow-up single, "Principal's Office", reached No. 33 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was also nominated for "Best Rap Video" at the 1990 MTV Video Music Awards.
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating | 
| AllMusic | |
| Chicago Tribune | |
| Los Angeles Times | |
| NME | 7/10[8] | 
| Q | |
| RapReviews | 6.5/10[10] | 
| Record Mirror | 4/5[11] | 
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | 3.5/5[13] | 
| The Village Voice | B+[14] | 
The Calgary Herald noted that Young MC possesses "perhaps the clearest enunciation in rap: every word comes through perfectly, and yet his delivery is more musical than most."[15]
Track listing
All tracks composed by Marvin Young, Matt Dike, and Michael Ross except where otherwise noted. All tracks published by PolyGram Music except "Just Say No" published by PolyGram/Warner Chappell.
- "I Come Off" (feat. N'Dea Davenport)
 - "Principal's Office"
 - "Bust a Move"
 - "Non Stop"
 - "Fastest Rhyme" (M. Young)
 - "My Name is Young" (M. Young/M. Dike)[a]
 - "Know How" (M. Young/John "King Gizmo" King/Michael "E.Z. Mike" Simpson)
 - "Roll with the Punches"
 - "I Let 'Em Know"
 - "Pick Up the Pace" (M. Young/M. Dike)
 - "Got More Rhymes" (M. Young/M. Dike/M. Ross/J. King)
 - "Stone Cold Buggin'" (M. Young/M. Dike)
 - "Just Say No" (M. Young/Quincy Jones Jr.)
 
- ^ There are two versions of "My Name is Young". The lyrics are the same but the music is distinct.
 
Personnel
- Young MC – vocals, songwriting
 - Matt Dike – production, arrangement, mixing (all tracks except 7 and 13)
 - Michael Ross – production, arrangement, mixing (all tracks except 7 and 13)
 - The Dust Brothers – production, arrangement, mixing (track 7), co-production (track 11)
 - Quincy Jones Jr. – production, arrangement, mixing (track 13)
 - Mario Caldato Jr. – engineering
 - Brian Foxworthy – additional engineering
 - Salomon – photography, art direction
 - EMC-0 – production coordinator
 - Crystal Blake – vocals (tracks 1, 3 and 11)
 - Flea – bass (tracks 2 and 3)
 - Kevin O'Neal – bass (tracks 7 and 8)
 - John Dexter Steward Jr. – drums (tracks 2 and 4)
 
Charts
| Chart (1990) | Peak position  | 
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[16] | 38 | 
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[17] | 7 | 
| US Billboard 200[18] | 9 | 
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[19] | 8 | 
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales | 
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[20] | Platinum | 100,000^ | 
| United States (RIAA)[21] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ | 
| 
 ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.  | ||
References
- ^ "About Marvin Young". Young MC. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
 - ^ "Billboard 200™". Billboard. December 9, 1989. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
 - ^ "Billboard Hot 100™". Billboard. October 14, 1989. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
 - ^ "Young M.C. - Bust a Move (song)". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
 - ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Stone Cold Rhymin' – Young MC". AllMusic. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
 - ^ Kot, Greg (October 19, 1989). "Young M.C.: Stone Cold Rhymin' (Delicious Vinyl)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
 - ^ Hilburn, Robert; Hunt, Dennis; Boehm, Mike; Cromelin, Richard; Gold, Jonathan; Hochman, Steve; Johnson, Connie; Lee, Craig; McKenna, Kristine; Lewis, Randy; Snowden, Don; Willman, Chris; Grein, Paul; Marlowe, Duff; Waller, Don (October 29, 1989). "The Record Industry's Big Push". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
 - ^ Fadele, Dele (December 9, 1989). "Young MC: Stone Cold Rhymin'". NME. p. 31.
 - ^ Mulholland, Garry (June 2004). "Young MC: Stone Cold Rhymin'". Q. No. 215.
 - ^ Juon, Steve "Flash" (November 9, 2021). "Young M.C. :: Stone Cold Rhymin'". RapReviews. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
 - ^ Smith, Robin (December 16, 1989). "Young MC: Stone Cold Rhymin'". Record Mirror. p. 15.
 - ^ Coleman, Mark (1992). "Young MC". In DeCurtis, Anthony; Henke, James; George-Warren, Holly (eds.). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. pp. 797–798. ISBN 0-679-73729-4.
 - ^ Holmes, Filmore Mescalito (April 23, 2009). "Young MC – Stone Cold Rhymin'". Tiny Mix Tapes. Archived from the original on April 24, 2009. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
 - ^ Christgau, Robert (May 29, 1990). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
 - ^ Mayes, Alison (October 26, 1989). "Discs". Calgary Herald. p. D3.
 - ^ "Australiancharts.com – Young MC – Stone Cold Rhymin'". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
 - ^ "Charts.nz – Young M.C. – Stone Cold Rhymin'". Hung Medien. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
 - ^ "Young MC Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
 - ^ "Young MC Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved October 29, 2022.
 - ^ "Canadian album certifications – Young MC – Stone Cold Rhymin'". Music Canada. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
 - ^ "American album certifications – Young M.C. – Stone Cold Rhymin". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved July 27, 2025.
 
