N.W.A. was responsible for Cali gangsta going global. They were revered by fans for bringing the gritty tales of the hood to the ‘burbs and hated by others who believed they were polluting children’s minds and clawing at the fiber of society. Whether you loved them or hated them, they were one of the most impactful groups of all time. Then one day, lead lyricist, O’Shea Jackson, walked away.
He didn’t get a sawed off. There were no bodies hauled off. Ice Cube just packed his bags and stepped out of a situation that left him feeling cheated. Even after Cube expressed his disappointment with Jerry Heller, N.W.A’s manager he decided not to let the static reach his former band mates on his debut album.
AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted was his first project and was immediately recognized as a crucial release in the history of Hip-Hop. Cube avoided beef with N.W.A. and saved the vitriol for the government and society, with more than a handful of hooligan fables so you wouldn’t start thinking he had forgotten where he came from.
Niggas With Attitudes weren’t so lucky on Cubes second release, Death Certificate. The same juxtaposition of thug oratory and angry societal observation found on AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted was present on the sophomore LP, but the stabs at his former crew (following their EP 1oo Miles And Running and sophomore album Efil4zaggin, full of disrespect towards Cube) were aimed straight for the heart, each hitting dead-on with a fury that made everyone take notice. The production was just as hard knock and the overall vibe was just as scathing and frank, but one has to be better.
Cube sought to enlist Dre for production duties on AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted but Ruthless Records was definitely not signign off on that. Instead, The Bomb Squad ( Of Public Enemy fame) took on the project, furthering their ground breaking work and speeding up their usual pace to account for Cube’s brazen wordsmithing. Cube tackled everything from the fast food world of mainstream music (“Turn off the Radio”) to genocide (“Endangered Species”). His rage was thoughtful, but palpable as he exhibited one of the great conundrums of young black males; knowing the method to the madness, but still engaging in the lunacy. It was a telling snapshot of the brutality associated with the neediest of the disenfranchised that offered no solution. It was brash, evocative and it made O’Shea a star.
Once Upon A Time In The Projects
06-Ice Cube-Once Upon A Time In The Projects
Who’s The Mack
Get Off My Dick And Tell Yo Bitch To Come Here.
11-Ice Cube-Get Off My Dick And Tell Yo Bitch To Come Here
The fast roll of his celebrity set the stage for an overwhelmingly anticipated sophomore release. Fans were ready for a fresh set of beats and rhymes to breakdown and critics were looking forward to more fodder for their war against Hip-Hop. Cube didn’t disappoint either side.
Death Certificate was representative of Ice Cube’s growth as both a man and an artist. Gone were the Jheri curls as his association with the Nation of Islam (then NOI speaker Khalid Muhammad is featured in excerpts throughout the album) introduced religious rhetoric and racial elments that were absent from his debut. Songs like “Black Korea” and “Cave Bitch” served to ingite criticism and reverse racism. Cube satiated the streets, delivering keep it real anthem “True to the Game” and kept them hip about STD’s on “Look Who’s Burnin.'” The Boogiemen and Sir Jinx took over production duties from the Bomb Squad, resulting in more Funk elements and more pace management.
My Summer Vacation
True To The Game
No Vaseline
With his first two full-length albums, Ice Cube managed the most perfect balance between the streets and consciousness in Hip-Hop. One had an East Coast feel, the other, a decidedly West Coast album. Both full or Black anger and calls for self determination and powered by some of the best production. Which one wins? You make the call.
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You know, I miss music that had the social edge to it. Angry. Direct. To the point. What made the albums by Ice Cube so powerful is that he had an audience that listened. I was a teenager. My classmates were teenagers. And the music itself became timeless and classic. While the albums as his career progressed lacked the same punch as his earlier work, for the most part, that could be tied into his expansion into other career work. Ice Cube will forever be a legend in hip-hop.