Rhyme Pays is the debut studio album by American rapper Ice-T, released on July 28, 1987, by Sire Records.

[3] An article by Dennis Hunt noted that this lyric "may rub gays the wrong way" in an interview on the album's release.

[5] In a contemporary review for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau gave Rhyme Pays a "B" and credited DJ Afrika Islam for helping flesh out Ice T's crime-themed raps: "Can't know whether his streetwise jabs at Reagan and recidivism will make a permanent impression on his core audience, but his sexploitations and true crime tales are detailed and harrowing enough to convince anybody he was there.

"[8] According to AllMusic's Alex Henderson, "the West Coast was well on its way to becomining a crucial part of hip-hop" when Rhyme Pays was released.

The album was eventually certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 copies in the United States.