AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted

Female Lives Matter. Fuck you, Ice Cube.

Not bad, but the misogyny is... a bit much. I get that this is the 'brand', but in my opinion it's hypocritical and undermines the message of the rest of the album. How can you critique the oppression of black people and at the same time promote the oppression of women? (I feel the same when it's the other way around, which also happens way too often, but that's a different story). Still gets 2 stars for the political songs.

Not my thing personally. I can see why it's so influential, but probably agree with the original Rolling Stone review - "The relentless profanity grows wearisome, the Bomb Squad beats lose steam, and Cube's attitudes toward women are simply despicable."

It does what it does well, but my patience with that level of unashamed misogyny these days is pretty much non-existent. Good delivery, sickening content.

It's not my favorite flavor of hiphop but this album is solid. I mean, Ice Cube has always been ready to get up in faces and speak hard truths. That is very much on display here. Commentary on race, violence, inequality, culture, etc. is delivered with agressive poeticism. The biggest issue is that the beats are hella dated. SUPER dated. A related issue is that every track sounds so similar to the last that that my ears are worn out by track four.

One star for excessive language & disrespect to women. The music etc was just ok for me as well. Don't get me wrong I love rap, hip-hop etc, but only if it is good. This was NOT good.

When Ice Cube split from N.W.A after the group's seminal Straight Outta Compton album changed the world forever, expectations were high, too high to ever be met by anyone but the most talented of artists, and at his most inspired. At the time Cube was just that. With AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted the rapper expanded upon Compton, making a more full-bodied album that helped boost the role of the individual in hip-hop. Save the dramatic intro where a mythical Ice Cube is fried in the electric chair, his debut is filled with eye-level views of the inner city that are always vivid, generally frightening, generally personal, and sometimes humorous in the gallows style. Ripping it quickly over a loop from George Clinton's "Atomic Dog," Cube asks the question that would be central to his early career, "Why there more niggas in the pen than in college?," while sticking with the mutual distrust and scare tactics N.W.A used to wipe away any hopes of reconciliation ("They all scared of the Ice Cube/And what I say what I portray and all that/And ain't even seen the gat"). "What I'm kicking to you won't get rotation/Nowhere in the nation" he spits on the classic "Turn Off the Radio," which when coupled with the intoxicating Bomb Squad production and Cube's cocksure delivery that's just below a shout, makes one think he's the only radio the inner city needs. The Bomb Squad's amazing work on the album proves they've been overly associated with Public Enemy, since their ability to adapt to AmeriKKKa's more violent and quick revolution is underappreciated. Their high point is the intense "Endangered Species," a "live by the trigger" song that offers "It's a shame, that niggas die young/But to the light side it don't matter none." This street knowledge venom with ultra fast funk works splendidly throughout the album, with every track hitting home, although the joyless "You Can't Fade Me" has alienated many a listener since kicking a possibly pregnant woman in the stomach is a very hard one to take. Just to be as confusing as the world he lives in, the supposedly misogynistic Cube introduces female protégé Yo-Yo with "It's a Man's World" before exiting with "The Bomb," a perfectly unforgiving and visceral closer. Save a couple Arsenio Hall disses, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted is a timeless, riveting exercise in anger, honesty, and the sociopolitical possibilities of hip-hop.

+1 stars for misogyny

“Amerikkka’s Most Wanted” by Ice Cube (1990) I’m marginally familiar with this artist and lyrics (Ice Cube: “political hip hop” [TAR, 416]), especially “The Nigga You Love to Hate” and “This Is a Man’s World”. Most people are not consistently aware of the fact that socio-political propaganda has two dimensions. First, obviously, propaganda includes the promotion of set of views, which may or may not involve deception. But there is a second, more hidden dimension in which propaganda seeks to employ devices of socio-political power to downplay, distort, demean, or deny a voice to the views of others. The first dimension can be simply recognized as free speech (or advertising). But it is the second dimension that should be the focus of our analysis. Ice Cube’s lyrics, to state the obvious, are intentionally and self consciously angry, shocking, and offensive—entertainingly so. For this dimension of Ice Cube’s propagated views he gets five stars. Without question this album is a well executed, innovative, influential, and well performed expression of socio-political sentiment. Good poetry, vocals, production values, which still, 30 years later, have a solid fundamental appeal. Excellent listening experience. On the other hand (second dimension), these lyrics scare white people. They should. They are intended to. And apart from the fact that some racially aware white people (I’d like to think I’m one of them) feel guilty about how white people treated black people for at least the past 400 years, artists like Ice Cube have, using the second dimension referred to above, learned how to effectively tell white people to STFU. Out of unironically serious respect to the artistic integrity of this artist and album, therefore, I will. 3/5

Good flow, but I couldn't make it through the violent/sexist/explicit tracks. Big yikes!

Has aged very poorly

Good continuity, solid beats, but gets monotonous, plus increasingly misogynist and trite.

Production and assembly is great, and it's a (rightly) angry album, but the shameless sexism is not a good look now.

J'ai trouvé le texte de l'album très riche, je vous le joins dans sa totalité ci-dessous : ♫ Boom, bap, boom, bap n-word, fuck, drugs, gang !! Boom bap bap boom, encore n-word, fuck, de nouveau le n-word !! Boom bap motherfuck et revoilà le fameux n-word accompagné du mot fuck... Encore !? Un n-word de plus mon gars et bah ouais, l'album dure une heure, fuck motherfuck bam boop, n-word comme par hasard et m-word maintenant pourquoi pas, gun, fuck ! Gang ! C'est tout pour moi je m'appelle Ice Cube !♫

I love hip-hop, but I don't generally fuck with gangsta rubbish. NWA's Straight Outta Compton is one exception, so let's see if Ice Cube's solo stuff will click.... No. It's shit. Production is pretty catchy, but repetitive, and full of irritating skits with unfunny jokes. Ice Cube's flow and delivewry are alright. Lyrics are the usual misogynistic rubbish about kicking pregnant women in the stomach and so forth. Man, he really likes talking about his dick. What artistry. Yeah, we could say it's raw and aggressive because it's the art of the disenfranchised urban poor. But let's all remember that this style of hip-hop was successful throughout the 1990s because largely white audiences lapped up increasingly extreme stereotypes of the exoticised African-American man, like a modern and aggressive version of minstrelsy. I will defend hip-hop as a genre, but this is crap. "Endangered Species" featuring Chuck D is tolerable, though it's offset by a shitty Flavor Flav appearance later. To be clear, I don't need my hip-hop to be sanitised. But it needs to have something (anything) that lifts it above the level of hateful hyper-masculine posturing. 1/5 To end on a positive note, here's a great hip-hop album from 1990 that should be on the list: Master Ace - Take A Look Around (1990)

I’m giving this one star because of the misogynistic lyrics and general tone which has dated really badly. If we are rightly holding TV from the 50s and 60s accountable for its obvious racism then we have to also hold early rap accountable for its horrendous sexism.

Love this album. Social commentary, great tracks from start to end, and one that deserves a listen straight through.

18. Nunca quis ser mais alto, maisrápidomaisFORTE. Vivo p'ra cair na merda, tipo Vítor Norte. MotA: Endangered Species "Was America willing to maintain order... No matter what the cost?"

One of my favorite rap albums of all time. Bangers from start to finish.

Interesting to think that this album could have been produced by Dre. I think this album benefits a lot from the East Coast style production combined with Ice Cube's West Coast rap style. Every song is good, with Cube alternating between Cube attacking the beat and smoothly following behind it. The pervasive funk samples on this album really make it a breeze to listen to 4/5

Ice cube at the height of his powers in terms of lyrical content. You can literally see the birthing pains of gangsta rap. His subject is the oppression of African Americans and the weight of the system. But is also outrageously misogynistic and a bit hung ho. Would probably be quite tame by later standards and still has some meangingful politics in there. He is a splendid rapper mind and the tunes are quality bass heavy hip hop from it's golden years.

After the first couple of tracks I worried this would feel samey. Wrong. Deep grooves in the samples, Cube's in-your-face delivery and a dollop of humour and self-awareness made for a very enjoyable listen.

Ice Cube is a talent. His career is a marvel. He's part of NWA and also a children's movie icon. He can do it all. The misogamy in this genre does not age well, not that it was ok then. What Cube does though is create a persona that allows him to dip in and out of otherwise increasingly wicked ideas and statements. Performance is the key. And he is able to build up commentary on race, society, culture, and the industry. This is an incredible debut for a Ice Cube as well. His role in NWA was huge and then he was able to jump out and put this together.

When you think of Ice Cube over the past few years, you think of movies like Ride Along, Barbershop and other somewhat wholesome offerings. This album, and specifically the lyrics, is a bit of a contrast to that. The beats are funky. More funky than I remembered, to be honest. Most "gansta rap" of this era was a bit more raw and gritty, but is a bit more polished and, well, funky. This album also wears it's Public Enemy ties and Parliament Funkadelic influence on it's sleeve, featuring Public Enemy's production teams, The Bomb Squad/Da Lench Mob, as well as appearances from Chuck D and Flava Flav. This is most definitely a west coast rap album, with skits between songs, racial and misogynistic lyrics in full effect and a slathering of political ranting. Some of the themes still ring true today, while others are definitely from a bygone era (this album actually turns 31 in 4 days, so...yeah.) One thing is for sure...this is still a damn good record, regardless.

A powerful and angry hip-hop album that established the genre's footing in the industry. Ice Cube's debut is for sure my favorite after Death Certificate and for a very good reason. He's let out his anger at injustice and top lyrical ideas into one compact album. Ice Cube is a lyrical genius, who's storytelling skills draws you into the setting and mood, while also conveying the underlying message. This is best demonstrated in "The Nigga Ya...", "AmeriKKKa's...", and "Once Upon a Time...". I also love how he incorporates humor and imagination, as in "You Can't Fade Me" and "A Gangsta's Fairytale." And then there's the Bomb Squad production which serves to reinforce and complement the power of Ice Cube's messages. It's reminiscent of what made Public Enemy so special. I did feel the second side was weaker than the first, but still amazing tracks one after the other.

A great hip-hop album. At times the songs feel like they can blend together and that might have to do with the beat, but I have no real complaints about that. Ice Cube has some important things to say, and they're still relevant to this day.

This album is basically an opener of what the hip hop of the 1990s would be like. Groups like Public Enemy and N.W.A opened the way, in the late 1980s, for rappers to take the spotlight in the next decade. In this sense, this first Ice Cube effort goes everywhere, but finds things to say in every corner it touches. Great lyrics, beats and samples overall. Songs that are more political and have social commentary are the highlights, like "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted" and "Endangered Species (Tales from the Darkside)", but the rawness of "The Nigga Ya Love to Hate" is also very interesting.

After NWA, Ice Cube showed he could still deliver with a strong debut solo album. There's no doubt that The Lench Mob brings a-game production for the album, but it's Ice Cube's attitude and lyricism that really cements this as a hardcore hiphop album for all time. NWA deserves praise on their own, of course, but Ice Cube clearly did well for himself after the group. I'll say that the first half of songs are better than second half, but the whole thing is still cool af.

Solid west coast rap. The rhythm section on this album really stands out with classic soul and funk lines. Overall this album is very well balanced. My biggest issue is the portrayal of women in this album though Yo-Yo’s inclusion is a good counterbalance to his misogyny. Ice Cube’s flow is good with moments that break out of contemporary patterns and anticipate the more creative rapping to come

It's not my favourite genre in hip hop, but this album is solid. Ice Cube speaks hard truths. That's very evident here. Comments on race, violence, inequality, culture, etc. are delivered with aggressive poetry. (7/10) FT: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted

Too much Ice, not enough to drink. Honestly, I appreciate this album more than I like it; it’s a landmark for sure, and songs like Once Upon a Time in the Projects and It’s a Man’s World bump so fucking hard. But Ice Cubes flow get old pretty fast without the rest of NWA to back him up. The mostly unremarkable beats certainly don’t help, either. It has some great stuff, but it is too bloated for his charisma to carry it alone.

This album is more historically important than actually musically enjoyable. Ice Cube is no Dr Dre.

It seems like both Ice Cube and the N.W.A had trouble evolving once the split happened. While N.W.A continued on and produced a second album, it had nowhere near the impact or quality their debut had; it was missing Ice Cube as an absolutely vital ingredient. His blunt lyrics and aggressive rap style were essential to their sound. Ice Cube's solo debut, in a similar situation, has all of the trademark style that makes him an intriguing figure yet lacks the exciting and inventive production featured on 'Straight Outta Compton'. It's a classic situation of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Regardless, the question here is "is 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted' a good album? It’s okay. It's not that much different from what he knew back in the late 80's. He's angry, he doesn't mince his words, and his overall theme of pointing out racial injustice is both self righteous and, quite frankly, much needed in pop culture; both back then and now. But the overall listening experience is tiring from a musical perspective. As I mentioned above it's missing the bells and whistles of early Dr. Dre production, which tended to compliment him perfectly. It results in an album that feels like it very much belongs in 1990 and hasn't aged all that well. There's also the question of some heavily outdated, and downright worrying, views on women; along with many, many instances of the glorification of the gangsta lifestyle (which ‘Straight Outta Compton’ was very much guilty of, too). Out of all the hip hop albums I have gotten on the list so far, this is by far the weakest. There's very little innovation - as if Ice Cube simply wanted to air his lyrical ability over basic beats, some callback samples, and uninventive instrumentation. The dude had talent, but I feel like rap music creatively succeeds or fails on the production table. Maybe it's a case of starting from what you know and evolving from there - because Ice Cube definitely has better material than this in his overall discography. His debut feels more like a rethread, rather than a true branching out moment. It’s a constant reminder of what came before, rather than moving forward. Maybe I’m wrong, seeing as this album was critically and commercially successful. But that’s the beauty of different opinions and tastes, I guess. 2/5

Hooray, another dose of violent misogyny. This one goes straight in the trash next to Dr. Dre.

Wow. I guess I'm not a gangsta rap girl. I appreciate some diversity in the albums (finally!) but... Such profanity and tough talk mixed with some good ol' misogyny. He's angry, and probably justifiably so (there is literally a drive-by as one of the tracks) but I still did not like this.

Good beats, but much weaker than The Predator. Lyrical content is just terrible, with the social messages overshadowed by one-note misogyny

This album is such a great listen and can continually listen to over and over.

5/5. Hard to argue here, these songs flow so well and the scene by scene style creates a near perfect album. Each song talks about similar themes but has great beats, a little old school, but his anger and lines hit hard enough to make up for it. I understand that there is definitely misogyny that has not aged well here but to discredit the whole album is pretty confusing because you are paying attention to the problem that exists within the "projects" as a black man. Ice Cube, whether playing a character or as himself, this album has only aged well because Ice Cube is not someone to root for yet we just heard his trouble as living as a black man in America. He finds the need to have power over women because he has no power anywhere else, the irony of the title of "It's A Man's World." It is not an excuse to write or rap songs like that, I do not condone these morals, but as an album, it makes Ice Cube a confusing and complicated character, which shows that he views himself as the main character despite his many, many flaws. It's art honestly. Best Song: You Can't Fade Me, Endangered Species, Rollin' Wit The Lench Mob

It is still amazing. Great production and incredible rap that stands the time

Wow. This is just pure energy. Everything I like about hip-hop and more. Ice Cube really was at the top of his game here and the soul funk beats are just sublime. A word on the album’s misogyny. It’s a bit of a commonplace to diagnose this symptom in hip hop, but interestingly while “You Can’t Fade Me” unquestionably leaves a bad taste in the mouth, it exists in this strange tension alongside “It’s a Man’s World” towards the end of the album. That is truly the kind of confrontational paradox that this genre often avoids. In a word: masterpiece.

A classic, perfect for riding with the top down. Public Enemy production with a Chronic feel. Ice Cube is a legend

pretty damn good this is real rap

Classic

I loved this album. However, it was really disheartening to hear how little progress we've made in the country with the same issues from this album in '90 still being very prevalent today.

i actually listened to The Predator album (1992) instead. which i loved.

This is my definition of perfect hip hop production. Punchy, funky to the point and very quick. Obligatory problematic content disclaimer that is common of (almost) all 90s releases.

An album that was probably great in its time, but the themes in the record have aged well. Aged in the sense that the issues Ice Cube discusses is so much more real to us as a society and a country.

The albums rules.

Definitely of its time in the production and lyrics, but still a great album overall. 5 stars for me

The delivery is so sure of it self, and the beats are so smooth. A very angry dude, with opinions have maybe not aged all that well in all areas, but the album is an absolute classic, and for good reason.

30 years of awesome gangster rap

classic Ice Cube = 5*

it’s a legendary album for a reason. it does have some of the misogyny 90s hip hop is famous for, but it’s also the best album from one of the best artists of all time.

Old sKKKool, five star.

Old-school rap, although chockoblock with language not suitable for tender ears. It packs a mighty punch, unrelenting. But it is fantastic.

So so

Favourite songs: The Product, A Gangsta's Fairytale, The Bomb, The Nigga Ya Love To Hate, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, Rollin' Wit The Lench Mob, Endangered Species (Tales From The Darkside), I'm Only Out For One Thang, Get Off My Dick And Tell Yo Bitch To Come Here, What They Hittin' Foe?, Once Upon A Time In The Projects Least favourite songs: Better Off Dead, The Drive-By, JD's Gaffilin' (Part 2) (fuck skits) 5/5

He's a badass, and so is this album

CRAZY MF CALLED ICE CUBE

Great album. The features are fantastic. I feel like Ice Cube doesn’t get enough credit.

Han har oändlig karisma på denna skiva... ett av de aggressivaste, smartaste och roliga hiphop-albumen någonsin.

So much funk! What I love about the Wikipedia page is every(?) sample is listed by each song - absolute treasure trove of funk. Maybe there's 1001 albums to listen to on this album. I mean yeah, full of gangsta shit and far too close to the bone at times, I can't listen to much of this around my daughter for example because I'm not a cunt. But this is sheer quality. Just checked back my review of The Predator and I didn't mention that issue with the lyrics, there's more righteous anger in that (though it's far from absent here) whereas the focus here is stories of rolling around and being an absolute dickhead. That said, this is probably almost as good, just in a different way. The Public Enemy influence shines through on several tracks. Mind you, there's nothing here quite as absolutely shining genius as It was a Good Day, or When Will They Shoot? So yeah the predator is better, but this is very good. Early 90s rap is stuff I criminally ignored as a pre-teen (and since, aside from Public Enemy) so dead glad this project has forced me to check a lot out. Hardly any has disappointed. So much funk!

+1 star for rap album on this challenge +1 star for NWA member +1 star for album cover +1 star for KKK in title +1 star for mysogyny in lyrics summary - 5 stars ------------------- without jokes album is also cool. it have solid beats and hardcore flow. truly old school hiphop and gangsta rap classic. tracks added: 8 fav track: endangered species 9.5/10

Ice Cube was the best rapper in N.W.A., and this album proves it. The lyrics are brutally honest, with emphasis on brutality, punctuated with brilliant observations and turns of phrase. What really sets off the album is the production by Public Enemy's Bomb Squad. The poet laureate of West Coast gangster rap paired with the Bomb Squad 's intense, clattering sample-scapes make for rich, rewarding, but not casual listening experience.

ICE CUUUBE!

One of my fav rap albums, better than Straight Outta Compton. Awesome production, full of tasty early 90s sampling, great flow, just how I like it. Not too much else to say, just an outright classic. 5/5.

Ice Cube leaves NWA and follows up with a great album and then influenced the genre again. I had not heard this full album before just a couple of songs. Not all the songs are Ice Cube rapping at a faster pace and being angry. A couple of the songs have a mellower beat. It is a different change of pace. Lyrically Ice Cube continues to address social and political issues in his unique way. Also the skits are unnecessary but those are on most rap albums. i enjoyed the album and I would listen to it again.

Unreal how good this is

Very powerful

I love ice cube

Thumping old school hip hop

Another long overdue introduction to a hip hop legend. This album has aged beautifully. Ice Cube is not trying to be cute or too clever with the lyrics. It’s straight ahead hip hop that’s well produced with good lyrics. It’s really a wonderful album to listen to. It’s a man’s world is an interesting subversion and dismissal of the misogyny trope, I’m here for it.

Tekstene er drøye og produksjonene høres veldig gammeldags/naive ut, men koste meg med denne.

always liked cube, plus chuck d and flav are an awesome surprise - wasn't expecting to see them here

Very surprising hip hop album. Notably some funky(-ish) sonorities in the beats and overall good verses from Ice Cube. Its a bit old as an album and you can feel it. Strong strong 3.5/5

Good

wish i had been into this at the time

Really inventive, very of its time, very interesting

Nije se morao dokazivati, ali opet za početak solo karijere je morao drito u meso. Nakon odjeba N. W. A., krenuo je u solo vode i to mu je bio najbolji potez, pogotovo što se tiče 90ih. Ovaj album mu je možda čak i najbolji, iako ima još 2 albuma koja su jako blizu kvaliteti kao što ovaj album donosi, a to su Death Certificate i The Predator, iako se lako može i Lethal Injection ubaciti. Ovdje je gladan kao ja nedjeljom kad se ručak pojede, pa moram ćevape naručit navečer.

Big bounce, liked it a lot, pas mal old school and it does it well ! Also ça groove a max sur les prod

A great album but definitely a product of its time

Sadly, this is still relevant.

Heat, anthems, BLM end of black history month iconic end 3.9

Probably my favorite from Ice Cube, although Death Certificate is definitely a top tier contender

Loved to hate Ice Cube before. This was the first time I ever actually listened to his music, surprisingly nice

I can see why it’s a classic of it’s genre

Iconic sound of the 90s.

Cool hip-hop album. Cube went hard back in the day.

Beats by the bomb squad are great, the skits add to the great flow Ice Cube has. Lyrically the stories are harsh and dark making it difficult for some to listen to but give the album its rawness

hype. and kind scary at moments.

I’m basically hip-hop illiterate. But this was much better than I expected! Plus, I once saw Ice Cube shooting basketball at some corporate event on the Fox lot. That’s gotta count for at least a star.

This album is definitely not for middle class mom's. Classic Ice Cube.

A good listen to old school rap. A lot of the themes in the songs resonate to today's climate in the USA. Best: The N***a Ya Love to Hate, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, It's a Man's World Worst: Who's The Mack?, Get Off My D**k and Tell Yo B***h to Come Here

Cut & paste text to be used to summarise most hip-hop albums on this list: Too long, too many songs, too many skit-bits. but when it's good, it's really good

I appreciate this for what it is, but I don't like it as much as other East Coast stuff from the same time

he really didn't want to have a baby with that lady. very good listen, but the lyrical content isn't for me which makes me feel like a fraud for nodding along to ice cube banging on about murder and misogyny. if i don't listen to the words its great, but once i hear what they're talking about it starkly reminds me that my life couldn't be any further form that stuff even if i tried. i struggle with gangster rap in general as its songs about things that i either have no reference for or glamourising attitudes and behavior that i don't agree with.

This is perfect timing. Just got done listening to a tribe called quest and now this. Just starting to get into 90s hip hop and this is definitely a banger!

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: The nigga you love to hate,

pretty fun rap 7/10

West coast is heavy in this one