Guerillas in Tha Mist

Guerillas in tha Mist is the debut album by Da Lench Mob, who originally appeared on Ice Cube’s debut solo album, Amerikkka’s Most Wanted. The titular “Guerillas in tha Mist” was a hit at the release of the album, which also appears in the video game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, on the fictional radio station “Radio Los Santos”. The album was produced by Ice Cube, and he is featured throughout the album though uncredited. The single “Freedom Got an A.K.” peaked at number 7 on the Hot rap singles charts.

The album title is a pun on the popular movie title Gorillas in the Mist and guerrilla warfare. In the post-Los Angeles Riot atmosphere of the album’s release, the title was also perceived as a clever reference to a comment made by one of the police officers who had arrested Rodney King. Laurence Michael Powell, one of King’s arresting officers, had described through radio message a domestic disturbance involving two blacks as something straight from “Gorillas in the Mist.” Powell’s comment was seen as racist, comparing blacks to gorillas, and was used against the officer during the Rodney King trial.