Once Upon a Time in America (album)

Once Upon a Time in America is the debut studio album by American rapper Smoothe da Hustler. It was released on March 19, 1996, via Profile Records. It was produced by New York City-based producer DR Period, with the exception of the song "Glocks on Cock", which was produced by Kenny Gee. It features guest appearances from Trigga tha Gambler, Kovon and DV Alias Khrist.

Once Upon a Time in America
Studio album by Smoothe da Hustler
Released	March 19, 1996 (1996-03-19)
Recorded	1994–1995
Studio	Nexx Level Studios
Genre	Hip hop
Length	55:36
Label	Profile
Producer	Ill Will Fulton (exec.) DR Period Kenny Gee
Smoothe da Hustler chronology
Once Upon a Time in America (1996) Violenttimes Day (2008)
Singles from Once Upon a Time in America
"Broken Language / Hustlin'" Released: December 12, 1995 "Dollar Bill / My Brother My Ace" Released: 1996 "Hustler's Theme / Murdafest" Released: March 5, 1996

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Muzik	[2]
The Source	[3]

The album was met with positive reviews, but failed to sell well, only making it to 93 on the Billboard 200, while faring better on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, peaking at 11. The album produced three singles: "Broken Language" b/w "Hustlin'", "Dollar Bill" b/w "My Brother My Ace" and "Hustler's Theme" b/w "Murdafest". "Broken Language" was alleged to be the inspiration behind Heather Headley's 2002 song "He Is". In a 2006 Vibe interview with Bobbito Garcia, Headley noticed the similarities between the two songs.^[4] In a 2006 interview, Smoothe da Hustler confirmed that the song's writer and producer asked him for permission to use the cadence for "Broken Language" and there was a remix of "He Is" with Headley, but the song was never officially released.^[5]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Once upon a Time"	Damon Smith Darryl Pittman	1:38
2.	"Fuck Whatcha Heard" (featuring Trigga tha Gambler)	D. Smith Tawan Smith Pittman	5:13
3.	"Dollar Bill" (featuring D.V. Alias Khrist)	D. Smith Kenneth Scranton Pittman	5:00
4.	"Glocks on Cock"	D. Smith Kenny Glanton	3:54
5.	"Broken Language" (featuring Trigga tha Gambler)	D. Smith T. Smith Pittman	3:53
6.	"Speak My Peace"	D. Smith Pittman	0:50
7.	"Neva Die Alone"	D. Smith Pittman	4:52
8.	"Food for Thoughts"	D. Smith Pittman	3:37
9.	"Family Conflicts"	D. Smith Pittman	1:06
10.	"Only Human" (featuring Kovon)	D. Smith Pittman	4:29
11.	"Hustler's Theme" (featuring Kovon)	D. Smith Pittman Curtis Mayfield	5:10
12.	"Murdafest" (featuring Trigga tha Gambler and D.V. Alias Khrist)	D. Smith Scranton Pittman	3:57
13.	"Hustlin'"	D. Smith Pittman	4:24
14.	"My Brother My Ace" (featuring Trigga tha Gambler)	D. Smith T. Smith Pittman	3:20
15.	"Dedication" (featuring Kovon)	D. Smith Pittman John Harris Terry Lewis	4:13
Total length:			55:36

Sample credits

• Track 11 contains samples from "Freddie's Dead" by Curtis Mayfield
• Track 15 contains samples from "No One's Gonna Love You" by The S.O.S. Band

Personnel

• Damon Smith – main artist
• Tawan Smith – featured artist (tracks: 2, 5, 12, 14)
• Kenneth "D.V. Alias Khrist" Scranton – featured artist (tracks: 3, 12)
• Dawn Tallman – additional vocals (track 7)
• Kovon – featured artist (tracks: 10, 11, 15)
• Darryl Pittman – producer (tracks: 1-3, 5-15), arranger, mixing, engineering
• Kenny Glanton – producer (track 4)
• William Broady – executive producer
• Randy Battiste – mixing
• D. Noize – engineering
• Low Mid – engineering
• Tony Dawsey – mastering
• Hope Carr – sample clearance
• Carla Leighton – art direction, design
• Daniel Hastings – photography
• Will Montanez – stylist

Charts

Chart (1996)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[6]	93