He began his career in the mid-1980s as one half of the group Kool G Rap & DJ Polo and as a member of the Juice Crew.

[1][17] He has also been cited as a major influence on some of hip-hop's most critically acclaimed figures, such as the Notorious B.I.G., Nas, Eminem and Jay-Z, as well as many underground rappers.

[20] In an interview with The Source he stated; Growing up in Corona was like a little Harlem, it wasn't that hard for a nigga to be influenced by the street life type of mentality.

The song was written and recorded in one night, and had Marley so impressed, that he instantly embraced Kool G Rap and DJ Polo as Juice Crew members.

Shortly after this, Kool G Rap appeared on the Juice Crew's classic posse cut "The Symphony" before they released their debut album, Road to the Riches in 1989.

In 1995, Wilson started his solo career with the album 4, 5, 6, which featured production from Buckwild, and guest appearances from Nas, MF Grimm and B-1.

In 2007, he released Half a Klip on Chinga Chang Records, featuring production from, among others, DJ Premier and Marley Marl.

[29] MTV describes Kool G Rap as a "hip-hop godfather", adding that he paved the way for a lot of MCs who we would not have heard of otherwise.

[9] Other artists who have named Kool G Rap as a major influence include the Notorious B.I.G.,[30] Eminem,[18] Jay-Z,[31] Tajai of Souls of Mischief,[32] Vinnie Paz of Jedi Mind Tricks,[33] Steele of Smif-N-Wessun,[34] Havoc of Mobb Deep,[34] Rock of Heltah Skeltah,[34] MC Serch,[35] Termanology,[36] Black Thought of the Roots,[37] M.O.P.,[38] R.A. the Rugged Man,[39] Bun B of UGK,[6] Rah Digga;[7][40] RZA,[8] Ghostface Killah, and Raekwon[41] of Wu-Tang Clan; Big Pun,[42] O.C.

[4] Kool G Rap is known for using complex multisyllabic rhymes since his debut, and this remains a hallmark of his style, along with his rapid-fire delivery and "superhuman breath control".

[54] He has also been cited as one of hip-hop's greatest storytellers, alongside Slick Rick and Notorious B.I.G.,[24][55] with "laser-like visual descriptions",[12] and "vivid narratives".

[4][9][11][12][13][14][16] This can be seen as early as 1989 in the song "Road to the Riches" where he makes a reference to Al Pacino (who played Michael Corleone in The Godfather and mobster Tony Montana in the 1983 crime drama movie Scarface)[58] – this was long before albums such as Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… (1995), and Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt (1996) made such references popular.

[9] His take on crime, violence, and the mafioso lifestyle ranges from remorse and contemplation (e.g. "Streets of New York", described by Rolling Stone as "a vivid look inside the misery of the hood"[9]) to glorification (e.g. "Fast Life" featuring Nas).