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{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox album
| name = Word...Life
| type = Album
| artist = [[O.C. (rapper)|O.C.]]
| cover = Wordlife.jpg
| alt =
| released = October 18, 1994
| recorded = 1993–1994
| venue =
| studio =
| genre = [[Hip hop music|Hip hop]]
| length = {{duration|m=53|s=36}}
| label = [[Wild Pitch Records]]
| producer = {{flatlist|
*[[Organized Konfusion]]
*[[Buckwild (music producer)|Buckwild]]
*[[Lord Finesse]]
*DJ Ogee
}}
| prev_title =
| prev_year =
| next_title = [[Jewelz]]
| next_year = 1997
| misc = {{Singles
| name = Word…Life
| type = studio
| single1 = Born 2 Live
| single1date = 1994
}}
}}
'''''Word...Life''''' is the debut album from [[Hip hop music|hip hop]] artist [[O.C. (rapper)|O.C.]] It was released on October 18, 1994 by [[Wild Pitch Records]]. It also helped establish his membership in the legendary hip hop crew [[D.I.T.C.]], which includes [[Lord Finesse]], [[Showbiz and A.G.]], [[Diamond D]], [[Fat Joe]], [[Big L]] and [[Buckwild (music producer)|Buckwild]], who produced the majority of this album.

The album is most remembered because of the single "Time's Up". The instrumental to the track was used in the movie ''[[8 Mile (film)|8 Mile]]'', starring rapper [[Eminem]], in a rap battle scene.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211210/DHMF-bVxlkc Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20111126091801/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHMF-bVxlkc&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite AV media| url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHMF-bVxlkc| title = 8 Mile (2002) - Rabbit Battles Lil' Tic Scene (1/10) {{!}} Movieclips | website=[[YouTube]]}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The song was a scathing accusation, pointed at thug-posturers who were flooding the hip hop scene at the time.

==Critical reception==
{{Music ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="AM">{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r206722|pure_url=yes}}|title=Word...Life - O.C.|last=DiBella|first=M.F.|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=January 7, 2012}}</ref>
| rev2 = ''RapReviews''
| rev2Score = 9.5/10<ref name="RR">{{cite web|url=http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/BTTL_wordlife.html|title=O.C. :: Word...Life :: Wild Pitch Records|last=Jost|first=Matt|website=RapReviews|date=June 7, 2005|access-date=January 7, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190114035335/http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/BTTL_wordlife.html|archive-date=January 14, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[The Source (magazine)|The Source]]''
| rev3Score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name="source">{{cite magazine |first=Jeff "Chairman" |last=Mao |title=O.C. – Word...Life |magazine=[[The Source (magazine)|The Source]] |issue=62 |date=November 1994}}</ref>
}}
[[AllMusic]] editor M.F. DiBella said that ''Word...Life'' signaled "the arrival of one of modern rap's more gifted storytelling lyricists", noting how O.C. delivers the "East Coast B-boyism" found in "Time's Up" but excels on "Born to Live" and the more "existential subject matter" on the record thanks to Organized Konfusion providing "thought-provoking intellectual diversity" throughout the record.<ref name="AM"/> In a retrospective review, Matt Jost of ''RapReviews'' praised O.C. for exercising his "creative control" on "straightforward, eloquent" tracks like "Ga Head" and "Let It Slide" and showcase "a more intricate, abstract side" on songs like "No Main Topic" and "O-Zone", concluding that: "While not always believable as a battle rapper, in terms of the rap game O.C. really had said all that needed to be said in "Time's Up." But it was on the album where he had to live up to his own words. Which he did, with some success. He helped introduce a new breed of MC's that left behind the playfulness of the [[Native Tongues]], the anger management of [[Public Enemy]], the controversial 'attitude' of [[N.W.A]], the pop sensibility of [[Heavy D]]."<ref name="RR"/>

==Track listing==

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!align="center"|#
!align="center" |Title
!align="center" |Songwriters
!align="center" |Producer(s)
!align="center" |Performer (s)
!align="center" |Length
|-
|1
|"Creative Control"
|O. Credle, [[Prince Po|L. Baskerville]], [[Pharoahe Monch|T. Jamerson]]
|[[Organized Konfusion]]
|O.C.
|1:44
|-
|2
|"Word...Life"
|O. Credle, A. Best
|[[Buckwild (music producer)|Buckwild]]
|O.C.
|4:53
|-
|3
|"O-Zone"
|O. Credle, A. Best
|[[Buckwild (music producer)|Buckwild]]
|O.C.
|4:04
|-
|4
|"Born 2 Live"
|O. Credle, A. Best
|[[Buckwild (music producer)|Buckwild]]
|O.C.
|4:46
|-
|5
|"Time's Up"
|O. Credle, A. Best
|[[Buckwild (music producer)|Buckwild]]
|O.C.
|3:29
|-
|6
|"Point O Viewz"
|O. Credle, D. Vanderpool, A. Best
|[[Buckwild (music producer)|Buckwild]], [[Daven "Prestige" Vanderpool|Prestige]]
|O.C.
|4:14
|-
|7
|"Constables"
|O. Credle, L. Baskerville, T. Jamerson
|[[Organized Konfusion]]
|O.C.
|4:04
|-
|8
|"Ga Head"
|O. Credle, R. Hall
|[[Lord Finesse]]
|O.C.
|3:55
|-
|9
|"No Main Topic"
|O. Credle, G. Scott
|DJ Ogee
|O.C.
|3:42
|-
|10
|"Let It Slide"
|O. Credle, A. Best
|[[Buckwild (music producer)|Buckwild]]
|O.C., Pharoahe Monch
|4:23
|-
|11
|"Ma Dukes"
|O. Credle, A. Best
|[[Buckwild (music producer)|Buckwild]]
|O.C.
|3:58
|-
|12
|"Story"
|O. Credle, G. Scott
|DJ Ogee
|O.C.
|3:03
|-
|13
|"Outtro (Sabotage)"
|O. Credle, A. Best
|[[Buckwild (music producer)|Buckwild]]
|O.C.
|2:51
|-
|14
|"Born 2 Live (Remix)"
|O. Credle, A. Best
|[[Organized Konfusion]]
|O.C.
|3:45
|}

==2004 re-issue==
''Word...Life'' was re-issued in 2004, its tenth anniversary, with five bonus tracks. They are:
#"Challenge Y'all"
#"U Made Me"
#"U-N-I"
#"Half Good Half Sinner"
#"Wordplay"

==Album singles==
{| class="wikitable"
! Single information
|-
| '''''"Born 2 Live"'''''
*Released: 1994
*B-Side: "Let It Slide"
|-
| '''''"Time's Up"'''''
*Released: 1994
*B-Side: "Time's Up (Buckwild Remix)", "Time's Up (DJ Eclipse Remix)"
|}

==Chart positions==

===Album===
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1994)
! scope="col"| Peak<br /> position
|-
{{album chart|BillboardRandBHipHop|34|artist=O.C.|accessdate=April 28, 2016|rowheader=true}}
|}

===Singles===
{| class="wikitable"
! Year
! Song
! <small>[[Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales]]</small>
|-
| 1994
| "Time's Up"
| align=center|34
|-
| 1994
| "Born 2 Live"
| align=center|41
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== Sources ==
*[http://www.discogs.com/OC-WordLife/release/841679/ discogs]

{{O.C. (rapper)}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1994 debut albums]]
[[Category:O.C. (rapper) albums]]
[[Category:Wild Pitch Records albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Buckwild]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Lord Finesse]]

{{1990s-hiphop-album-stub}}

Word...Life - Revision history

imported>Ser Amantio di Nicolao: add {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2025}}