Reviews (page 3 of 7)
Respeckt
Ah, here we are, my second and final Ice Cube solo album. I really enjoyed The Predator, and given the title of this album, I think I'm going to enjoy this one as well. Right off the bat, this album snagged my full attention. The beats and samples are fantastic. The use of predominantly funk beats and samples serve a stark contrast to the dark lyrical tone of the album, and I felt like it made the lyrics really stand out. Granted, the lyrics to funk songs can be political and dark as well, so maybe this album just picked up the funk torch and ran with it in a way. Speaking of running with things, Ice Cube takes his reputation as an asshole, and doubles down on his rough reputation on this album. His voice is as fierce as ever, and his lyrics are incredibly raw. The cheerful backing chorus of 'Fuck you, Ice Cube!' on "The N**** You Love To Hate" was my second favorite part of the album, falling just behind the lyric 'You ask me, did I like Arsenio? About as much as the Bicentennial.' A dig at Arsenio Hall and the black experience in America in the same breath? Perfection. When I was looking up some of the lyrics to these songs, one of the lyrics websites featured an ad for Jack in the Box, starring none other that Ice Cube. Outstanding. The production work by The Bomb Squad was great, although the sound was a little bit too busy at times. In other ties to Public Enemy, the guest appearances by Flavor Flav and Chuck D were great as well. While this album's political themes are handled expertly, with the sneering anger I've come to expect (and appreciate) from Ice Cube, there's certainly a bit of misogyny on here that I don't recall being on The Predator. Surely Ice Cube addresses the misogyny on this album in the future? Oh, he does? And does he allay my fears that he's an actual misogynist in real life? Ah, he basically doubles down on it. Well then, that's pretty unfortunate. I did mostly enjoy this album, but it did become a one trick pony over the course of its run time. However, I think it's a solid example of gangsta rap, while not being as good as The Predator.
Magnificent. A powerful debut album from Ice Cube after he split with NWA, this is filled with banger after banger, with production by Public Enemy’s Bomb Squad. Continuing the inner city themes but taking them to a whole new level, it’s a terrific original statement.
I love 90s rap but I never gave Ice Cube a deep listen. All of these tracks tell a story and, while some are definitely dated, I think he's got some good social commentary about being black and poor in LA
Great production lots of stuff going on
Amazing and not my thing
Finally. something objectively enjoyable.
Not sure how this wasn't on my radar back then. Maybe cause it's West Coast and that was a bit too gangsta for middle of Canada me. Now I put this one on and pretty quick, I'm like this a Public Enemy album with Ice Cube rapping. Very political. And look up the production and its the Bomb Squad. Throw in some Flavor Flav and Chuck D in the middle. This would have worn out my CD player in 1990.
8/10
The good kind of early 90's rap. Flows that are simple but effective.
The lack of contraception seems to be at the root of a lot his problems. All jokes aside, I enjoyed this; going to listen to Yo-yo has never heard anything by her.
Fantastic production and story telling.
Great old school rap from Ice Cube from before he became cuddly. He’s super angry here and keen to prove a point. The Bomb Squad handling production duties is inspired and Chuck D and Flavor Flav even drop by for cameos. I liked this a lot.
Ice Cube’s early stuff is a blind spot for me. Not for long after this listen 👌
Angry, funky, classic, crucial and a poet.
Yesterday I spoke about a hip-hop album that didn’t know how to fully embrace its inspiration and become its own thing at the same time. Today I listened to the opposite. By 1990, Ice Cube had already proven himself. N.W.A were still technically together, and they had brought a huge change to the culture of hip-hop and the way it was ultimately received by the public. That context is important. Because it makes up the backbone for much of this album’s material. Ice Cube just didn’t really care, and he wasn’t going to let people judge his music without saying something about it. Many of the songs on this album directly tackle the criticism that he and his group were facing. Gangster rap was starting to become more common place in the mainstream, and people were not happy about it. But that doesn’t stop this album from being just as in your face, intense, and vulgar as other stuff they had put out. Except it might not be on exactly the same level. Because something feels missing. Maybe it’s just the result of Cube being on his own, but there is a certain power absent from the sound of the album. The beats are still great though. Dr. Dre may not be on production. But Da Lench Mob does a great job, and almost reaches the same heights. I might just be misremembering what Dre’s production really sounds like, but these instrumentals definitely use more rock, funk and jazz samples. Cube’s lyricism is as sharp as ever. And as a debut record, this definitely made me understand why he of all people has still had such a presence in rap culture. Rating: 7/10
Definitely liked this more than I thought I would
Yeah, sure, the over the top misogyny undercuts the message of racial equality cube was pushing for, but the production, the pacing, and the flow is so here that I still ended up having a great time.
For its time, a 5.
Solid
AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted hits hard right from the start with Ice Cube getting fried in the electric chair and stop for all 49 mins. Yes finally a hip hop album under and album. Angry, hard hitting, culturally significant and album post N.W.A. 8.0/10
Interesting, not what I expected from cube.
He's not a fan of bitches or hoes.
i find i really enjoy this era of rap. the beats and the rapping are bombastic and aggressive, and that really appeals to me for whatever reason. so i did enjoy myself with this album. the only thing is that a lot of the lyrics and verses are pretty dated by today's standards, like 'it's a man's world' - a song based on an argument with ice cube playing (?) a sexist. even if it's for show or to prove a point, it still leaves a little bit of a bad taste in my mouth.
Nothing changea
Good rap album by Ice Cube. Some of the lyrics did not age that well (a bit misogenic), other lyrics provide a socio-political conscious and gangsta rap statement about the situation in The Projects L.A.
Godt, lille 4/5
Biggest surprise of this entire project is how much I love late 80's and early 90's hip hop. I guess I should have known I would, because I've always liked the hits, but going deep into the albums, there's a lot of great stuff that I missed.
Not surprised to find this album here. Also not surprised that I had heard none of the songs on it, as mainstream radio wasn’t about to touch this disc with a 69-foot pole back in 1990. Doesn’t make it less of an historical (and prescient! - hello LA riots) album. Ice Cube sounded so angry on some tracks that he sounded a bit winded, and I didn’t mind it.
klogere mænd end jeg har sagt det: "ved ikke hvad det er, men han er fanme bare sur!" Hvad kan man tilføje til det! Den med Chuck D er en kæmpe banger og samlet set er det et mere konsistent album end Straight Outta Compton imo. Gode beats!
Vildt fede beats, og Ice Cube lyder virkelig cool (hæhæ)
Pretty cool 🥶
Never listened to it before, but it was SO GOOD!
A wild album. Hard hitting lyrics, Cubes iconic flow, classic 90s production its everything you want it to be. There are some lyrics that do not stand the test of time and some that are just flat out awful but the moments that reach for something more than calling for violence against women transcend and make you feel the anger that he is expressing.
A lot of anger and violence on this one. I guess it was a snapshot of life at the time for a portion of Americans. This said, Ice Cube is one of my favourite rappers. His voice and delivery is outstanding.
I like this era of rap a lot. Ice Cube is a legend but I honestly was never a huge fan. It's still pretty good though. Was going to give it a 3 but a 4 seems better. Hell, I'm tempted to give it a 5 for all the whining about the lyrics among other users.
For a gangsta rap album from 1990 this offers very polished production, if simplistic by modern standards. Cube also breaks from the basic subject matter that had already worn tired, and instead explores more complex storytelling and subversive material. Definitely my fave solo Cube album. Favorite tracks: The Nigga Ya Love to Hate, A Gangsta’s Fairytale, It’s A Man’s World
I like the beats
3.6
When it doesn’t hit it just sounds like a very aggrieved man yelling too close to a microphone but the beats and when cube cools down it works well. He’s super sus though and probably an op 4/5
Never really listen to ice cube before but I kind of knew to expect. I think this album aged pretty well and had a ton of energy and a lot of fun songs. It probably could have been one or two tracks shorter, but I really did like it more than I thought I would.
Great production. Cohesive. Though listening to the lyrics is hysterical in the fact that Ice Cube would later go on to star in “Are We There Yet”.
Great classic hip hop album. Clever lyrics, interesting listen.
So creative and so cutting edge especially for the time. I enjoyed all of it but it started to get repetitive towards the end. Started really strong tho and I love the radio stuff he plays around with
Decent
I looked up the meaning of his lyrics and it really added to my enjoyment of the album. Way to much extreme language for my day to day taste but the album makes you think.
Classic 90s hip hop album. Somewhat long tho. Standout songs: The n ya love to hate, turn off the radio, a gangstas farytale, the product
This one is weird. The production is sooo good. A lot of these beats if they were spruced up could be fun throwback beats for today. But yeah ice cube isn’t flowing like THE BEST on here but he sounds very good. He says a lot of like, very overtly anti woman shit. Which yeah is like, that happens in hip hop. But this is very direct and vendetta ish. But then he brings on yoyo to almost dismiss the misogyny. So idk. Very good tho
8/10
I’ll never get use to coat hanger abortion lyrics, but this album is otherwise incredibly listenable from a music perspective and is an artifact of both music and social commentary of the time in a way that feels both past and present.
A classic that I haven't listened to in a while, nice to have played it again.
As an Australian this was an album that was hard to listen to. Was cool til it wasn’t
This one is hard to rate, as a kid this was my shit, Cube could do no wrong, straight outta NWA and right into the Bomb Squads universe! It was a perfect combination for me musically and Cube didn't disappoint! Listening now is a whole lot different, the beats are still dope but the lyrics are very suspect! It's hard to remove this from its place and time for me as this was an album of my youth that came out in that sweet spot where you're just developing your music taste, back then it's a 10/5 now it's much harder. I'm still giving this high marks but understand other people's ratings of this!
12/28/23. Ice Cube brings the energy in this one backed by some good beats and samples.
I love Ice Cube and this one did not disappoint!
Ice Cube’s “AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted” is hard. Cube is self-described as a cop killing, child aborting, drive-by shooting gangsta. It’s pretty amazing to see his conversion to directing and voice acting in family movies. As for the album, Cube has flow and powerful rhyme game. While the lyrics are very controversial, this is, without doubt, a very strong album.
I appreciate the funkiness of West coast rap and hip hop more than the jazzy/bluesy feels of East coast, the rhythm suits me better I suppose. I enjoy Ice Cube’s flow and lyrics, even the juxtaposition of dark subject matter alongside danceable beats
The production is excellent, and overall, it's an incredibly cohesive album. I really hate sketches on rap albums, but these are brief enough to overlook. For me, it just lacks a personal appeal to relisten or become a regular listen.
Classic gangsta-rap album. Ice Cube was clearly the best rapper of NWA. I like the beats on this too
Incredible first solo outing after the breakup of N.W.A. I forget how hard the early west coast hip hop hits. Great record.
I forgot how good Ice Cube is. I reviewed before I finished the album, but I'm definitely going to listen to the album and likely favorite some songs.
Awesome beats, sick flow and the rhyme game is on point. The lyrical content isn't ok by todays standards. Still I can't deny that I like this album as it's very well made and it's really my type of hip hop. Production and rap game like this is hard to find today.
Some outrageous bars on this. Classic
Actually pretty good
Pretty good for old rap
4.5
A trailblazer in the gansta rap genre. Great album. Ice cube is great
with songs that are more spoken word poetry than the ice cube of no Vaseline, this album tells you stories about Los Angeles and Ice Cubes experiences. Glad I listened
4.0 + Still as fun as I remembered. Ice Cube is all crude and terribly misogynistic and I probably shouldn’t like these songs as much as I do. At least he was savvy enough to feature Yo Yo to rebut some of that sexism on “It’s A Man’s World.” I hereby revoke my woke card, I guess?
Actually way better than I had expected
Little dated but still solid fun
3.75
19th September 2023 Listened to all of these late due to Stu and Laura, mainly on the drive back from Norfolk but this was in Cheltenham on birthday day. Banging 90s rap and hip hop.
An old album that's actually good? Wow so shocking, never really listened to Ice Cube before this but after listening to this project I wanna go more into his discography Favorite Tracks: What They Hittin' Foe?, You Can't Fade Me/JD's Gaffilin', Once Upon A Time In The Projects, Turn Off The Radio, Endangered Species, A Gangsta's Fairytale, Who's The Mack?
Good old west coast 90s rap. I’ll never love the skits but I’ll never hate the albums. 7/10
Unexpectedly really enjoyed this: had me feeling like I was waking through the streets of New York in the last 90s respecting by all around. Before this I had only known one ice cube song but I’m very thankful for this album appearing and opening my eyes to a new style of music.
Language!
This is a certified hood classic. Really. With the cover and all. It's a statement if I've ever heard one.
Had no clue the guy from Are We The Yet had such impressive bars. Solid album
Me encantó. Desde que vi Quieren Volverme Loco he tenido unas ganas de escuchar Ice Cube que no son normales. Tenía las expectativas altas, pues llevo toda la lista esperando un álbum de Hip Hop que sea más que letra sobre música apenas disfrutable, por suerte, este cumple perfectamente con ambas. Aunque la gente diga que es misógino, sinceramente creo que eran cosas de otros tiempos, por lo que, personalmente, simplemente ignoraría esa parte. En general es super disfrutable, algo que llevo queriendo en un álbum de Hip Hop desde hace mucho tiempo, por lo que le daré las 4
J'ai bien aimé, on voit clairement l'impact que cet album a dû avoir. On est dans un son qui rapelle vraiment NWA. Les beats sont très solides, les paroles aussi, le flow de Ice Cube est très bon. L'album comme un tantinet à trainer vers la fin par contre. 8/10
Amazing lyrics and good ass beats. There’s still too many random before and after talking or skits that I hate. One of the best 90’s rap albums. The Nigga You Love To Hate, AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted, You Can’t Fade Me, Endangered Species and The Bomb. 9/10
This is the epitome of old school gansta rap. The lyrics and imagery here are very visceral and often violent, but it's how Ice was trying to get his message across. Very politically charged, many of the issues raised within are still a problem today (sadly, seems to be a common theme). The production is really cool, with tons of great samples and hidden gems. The inclusion of skits and little spoken bits do date the album a bit, but they're not so heavily leaned on that it is a major problem Fav Tracks: Once Upon a Time in the Projets, A Gansta's Fairytale, Who's the Mac?
Very very aggressive, but very 90's rap. I like this. Not my cup of tea, but I definitely enjoyed.
Comes in hard with a clear statement of banging beats and close to the street lyrics. begins to fade a little in the second half of the album but several all time greats here. It has both the negatives and positives of 90's hip hop, however still enjoyed this album right now. Mix of banging tunes and story telling, not quite at the heights Ice Cube reaches in his next few albums still fantastic though and even more hilarious seeing the hand-wringing over the lyrics here. 4
Can't believe they got this guy for a kids movie in the early 2000s
Thanks to this list, I've been exposed to more rap and hip-hop music than ever before. I can't begin to say I'm an expert or even understand a lot of it, but at least I can differentiate genuine badass rap from wanna-be bullshit crap and Ice Cube's first solo album is the real deal! The beats are great and he has lots to say, with the obvious misogyny aside, many of the issues are still relevant today. A solid record and a good listen.
so vile and profane, i know that’s why people like it, that’s why i would’ve liked it when i was 20, but it’s just gross, the beats & production are incredible though and he’s clearly a giant talent it’s just a sad commentary on just about everything
Hardcore beats and rhymes that still hold power 30 plus years on. You have to also consider that the main stream's idea of hip hop that year was saccharine garbage like MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice. One star off though because the braggadocio and overuse of the b-word bog that album down at times
Ice Cube is such an icon. This record f*cks.
Classic
Disco bem construído. Hip Hop anos 90 clássico. Muitas camadas e instrumentos orgânicos. Baixo e bateria são destaques.
Classic 90s rap solo album. Absolutely love it. I never listened to a full album from Ice Cube before but this is tasty. I can really tell how influential the album was and you can feel the genius of him breaking away from his old group and going solo for the first time. The track Endangered Species is excellent/harrowing. I love that 90s style of rap where you can understand all of the lyrics and I love the beats. It's super impressive. I also really enjoy the layers and how each track builds throughout.
Pretty good stuff. I like that you can understand all the words. And the beats are good.
4.0
It's difficult to offer a decent take on this album. On the one hand, it's absolutely piggin' great. On the other hand, it is tied to its time in a way that becomes rapidly uncomfortable. I was really pleased to hear Yo-Yo contributing to "it's a man's world", which goes a little way to showing that Cube knows his brand of misogynistic rap is "a bit much" but does it make up for the juvenile attitude of the rest of the album? Yeah, naw. I appreciate that Cube is a parody of himself and of the genre, but its not explicit enough to not be seen as genuine. He is bloody good though.
West Coast Hip Hop Gangsta Rap Favs: - The N Ya Love to Hate - A Gangsta’s Fairytale 7/10: This was a good West Coast album, but sounded just a little repetitive after a while.
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
Big bounce, liked it a lot, pas mal old school and it does it well ! Also ça groove a max sur les prod
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
Tekstene er drøye og produksjonene høres veldig gammeldags/naive ut, men koste meg med denne.
Good
A great album but definitely a product of its time
hype. and kind scary at moments.
I can see why it’s a classic of it’s genre
Probably my favorite from Ice Cube, although Death Certificate is definitely a top tier contender
very good flow. great beats. some problematic lyrics by today's standards
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.
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
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!
Yeah, I very much like this sort of stuff
pretty fun rap 7/10
Cube’s got rhymes for days, with nice production from bomb squad - classic samples but less messy than Public Enemy stuff. His delivery is good but having Chuck D feature on there makes him sound a little tame by comparison. The flow is pretty basic, but hey it’s 1990. Decent album but not an all time classic for me.
I do have a soft spot for this hard gangsta rap lol but by the 17 song I started to get a little tired, it is good and goes hard all way long tho those beats and bars are fire
I am not familiar with ICE CUBE or his debut album AMERIKKKA’S MOST WANTED. I am not a fan of hip hop / rap. The only artist that I have listened to and liked is PUBLIC ENEMY. After listening to AMERIKKKA’S MOST WANTED, I enjoyed this style of hip hop. In 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, ICE CUBE - AMERIKKKA’S MOST WANTED Is joined by the subsequent album: THE PREDATOR (1992) Rate Artist: ICE CUBE (4.5) Rate Album (Year): AMERIKKKA’S MOST WANTED (US 1990 Original) (4.5) Rate Album (Year): AMERIKKKA’S MOST WANTED (US 20xx Reissue (xx Bonus)) (4.5) Ranking of ICE CUBE - AMERIKKKA’S MOST WANTED songs No. Title Length Ranking 01. Better Off Dead 1:03 09.0/10 02. The Nigga You Love To Hate 3:13 10.0/10 03. AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted 4:08 09.0/10 04. What They Hittin' Foe? 1:22 08.0/10 05.1 You Can't Fade Me 4:43 08.0/10 05.2 JD's Gafflin' 0:29 05.0/10 06. Once Upon A Time In The Projects 3:41 10.0/10 07. Turn Off The Radio 2:37 09.0/10 08. Endangered Species (Tales From The Darkside) 3:21 09.0/10 09. A Gangsta's Fairytale 3:16 10.0/10 10. I'm Only Out For One Thang 2:10 09.0/10 11. Get Off My Dick And Tell Yo Bitch To Come Here 0:56 08.0/10 12. The Drive-By 1:01 09.0/10 13. Rollin' Wit The Lench Mob 3:43 10.0/10 14. Who's The Mack? 4:35 10.0/10 15. It's A Man's World 5:26 10.0/10 16. The Bomb 3:25 09.0/10 US 1990 Original Release 152.0/170 = 8.94 / 2 = 4.47 Bonus EP: Kill At Will 17. Endangered Species (Tales From The Darkside) (Remix) 4:10 10.0/10 18. Jackin' For Beats 2:57 10.0/10 19. Get Off My Dick And Tell Yo Bitch To Come Here (Remix) 3:38 09.0/10 20. The Product 3:35 10.0/10 21. Dead Homiez 3:55 10.0/10 22. JD's Gafflin' (Part 2) 0:32 08.0/10 23. I Gotta Say What Up!!! 3:08 08.0/10 US 2003 Reissue (7 Bonus) Release 217.0/240 = 9.04 / 2 = 4.52
Gooooooood
Setting aside the rampant misogyny, this is a great album. A fair amount of that credit must go to The Bomb Squad - the production is top notch and the beats infectious. Ice Cube's delivery is relentless and he carries on very much in the same vein as during his time in NWA - though perhaps even more extreme. Reckon I will be coming back to this one.
Fork, fork, forkity fork. Guns. Fork.
a great album if you don't actually listen to it
Bright me back to one of the hardest times in my life and reminded me of the music I listened to to express the rage.
Iconic sound that's making a comeback right now. Can't deny the cultural phenom that was and is Ice Cube.
Shit goes hard Prefs: The Nigga You Love To Hate, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, Once Upon a Time in the Projects, I'm Only Out For One Thang, It's a Man's World, The Bomb Moins pref: You Can't Fade Me/JD's Gaffilin
I really liked Straight Outta Compton by N.W.A., but I am not a huge rap fan. I have to say I really liked this album. Hard to believe this man would go on to star in Disney family movies. Favorite song Gangsta's Fairytale.
Here for it
Really inventive, very of its time, very interesting
Iconic sound of the 90s.
Loved to hate Ice Cube before. This was the first time I ever actually listened to his music, surprisingly nice
Just don't really connect with the source material, but good execution of an older style of hip hop.
This album is definitely not for middle class mom's. Classic Ice Cube.
First time hearing this. Really liked it.
Really strong but gets kind of one-note towards the end for me
4.5 great production, bomb squad laced cube. such a crazy album for it to be a debut, even knowing his work with nwa. crazy to see how much cube has changed since this release musically and with his public persona. funny to think that this is the same guy who was in two (three if you ask me but...) of the best comedy movies of all time, one of the worst movies of all time, and a bunch of okay to mediocre shit in between. who's the mack & gangsta's fairytale are my faves. i won't return to the album as a whole but i really enjoyed it and is a important listen
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.
Ice Cube is a legend, and proves that he is the key player in NWA with this album
יס
legend of the game
Rating: 7/10 Best songs: The nigga you love to hate,
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
Cool hip-hop album. Cube went hard back in the day.
Much funkier than I expected. More interesting than NWA.
Heel cool! Kende 't eigenlijk niet echt, maar echt goed.
Dit is voor mij echt jeugdsentiment. Eerste gangstarap plaat die ik luisterde. Echt een goede flow die gast, vette groove en toffe samples. Vooral die 1e track is een van de beste raptracks die ik ken.
Loved all the beats and samples lyrics really not for me.
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.
Heat, anthems, BLM end of black history month iconic end 3.9
always liked cube, plus chuck d and flav are an awesome surprise - wasn't expecting to see them here
Really excellent. I had no preconceived relationship with Ice and this was a great surprise.
West coast is heavy in this one
Sadly, this is still relevant.
wish i had been into this at the time
Classic rap album.
I remember this being fire
It's super good, and he definitely gets his point across that he doesn't need Dre to be an amazing rapper. However, I really don't hear anything remarkable in it. That's probably a hindsight problem, since I can't conceptualize the sound of hip-hop from 1990.
Nothing really stuck with me here. Ice Cube is still a bad ass so I might just not have been feeling it yesterday.
Aujourd'hui on parle du tout premier coup d'éclat solo d'Ice Cube réalisé juste après son divorce fracassant avec N.W.A. Et quand je me repasse cet album aujourd'hui, trente-six ans après sa sortie en 1990, je ne peux m'empêcher de revoir le contexte explosif de l'époque. Nous étions nombreux à penser que prendre la décision de quitter le groupe le plus dangereux du monde relevait du suicide commercial pur et simple. Mais Ice Cube avait un atout majeur sous le coude : il était la plume principale de N.W.A. Sans ses textes, le groupe de Compton perdait son venin le plus acéré. Pour marquer son territoire et prouver qu'il n'avait besoin de personne sur la Côte Ouest, Ice Cube a fait le choix le plus audacieux de sa carrière. Il a plié bagage, quitté Los Angeles et s'est envolé pour New York afin de frapper à la porte de Hank Shocklee et de la mémorable Bomb Squad, l'équipe de production mythique de Public Enemy. Ce qui me frappe toujours autant après toutes ces années, c'est la lucidité effrayante d'Ice Cube sur la condition des Noirs américains au tournant des années 1990. Bien avant les émeutes de Los Angeles en 1992 et l'affaire Rodney King, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted cartographiait déjà la haine raciale, les violences policières et la misère sociale. Sur le morceau-titre ou sur Endangered Species (Tales from the Darkside) aux côtés de Chuck D, la plume d'Ice Cube retrouve cette verve journalistique brute qui faisait la force du rap conscient de l'âge d'or. Ice Cube ne se contente pas de raconter la rue ; il dissèque la mécanique du racisme systémique institutionnel américain. Il dénonce les profilages raciaux quotidiens pratiqués par le LAPD, tout en décrivant la spirale du crime comme une conséquence directe du désinvestissement économique dans les ghettos. Cependant, il est tout simplement impossible d'écrire une critique honnête de cet album sans aborder l'immense problème qui le gâte de l'intérieur : sa misogynie crasse, omniprésente et d'une violence déconcertante. Et si le discours politique a très bien vieilli, le traitement réservé aux femmes dans ce disque est une pilule qui passe particulièrement mal aujourd'hui. On ne parle pas seulement de quelques insultes de routine récurrentes dans le gangsta rap de l'époque, on est ici face à une haine décomplexée et systématique. Le morceau You Can't Fade Me reste sans doute l'exemple le plus abject du projet. Cube y raconte sa peur d'avoir mis une fille enceinte et envisage sérieusement de la battre ou de la faire avorter à coups de pieds dans le ventre. Et même si l'on cherche à remettre l'œuvre dans son contexte historique ou à invoquer l'utilisation d'un personnage de fiction, la violence verbale envers les femmes dépasse largement les bornes de ce qui reste tolérable pour mes oreilles. Les femmes y sont presque exclusivement dépeintes comme des sangsues financières, des traîtresses ou des objets d'assouvissement sexuel. Ce manque total d'empathie gâche une partie du plaisir d'écoute. Cette charge d'agressivité aveugle empêche l'album de se hisser au rang de chef-d'œuvre absolu et intemporel. C'est le principal frein qui m'empêche de lui attribuer une note plus élevée. Sur le plan purement musical et technique, le travail accompli par The Bomb Squad et Sir Jinx demeure une leçon de collage sonore et de sampling agressif. L'album est une véritable orgie d'échantillonnages. La production superpose des couches de funk (James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone) avec des bruits industriels, des extraits de discours politiques et des sirènes de police. L'ensemble crée une atmosphère étouffante, claustrophobe, qui colle parfaitement au propos haineux et révolté du rappeur. Trente-six ans après sa sortie, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted demeure un monument incontournable dans la chronologie globale du hip-hop américain. C'est le disque qui a prouvé qu'un rappeur pouvait survivre au départ de son groupe d'origine et conquérir le marché national sans renier ses racines street. Un travail fondateur qui a ouvert la voie à toute une génération d'artistes engagés et agressifs. Pourtant, je ne peux pas fermer les yeux sur ses énormes faiblesses morales. Le sexisme primaire et la misogynie décomplexée qui traversent le disque alourdissent considérablement l'ensemble et rendent certains passages difficilement écoutables aujourd'hui. Pour toutes ces raisons, après réévaluation complète de l'œuvre en 2026, ma note finale s'arrête très logiquement à un 3 sur 5.
Classic ice cube rap. Very political and it sounds like rap from MC Hammer days.
246.
Aggressive beats and a solid delivery by Ice Cube but it gets a little tiring and repetitious.
Not Ice Cube’s best stuff, but there were flashes of the angry, attack-rap Cube within this collection that he’s known for. I was bobbin my head more than once and enjoyed the aggressive beats on almost all of the tracks.
This is essentially an N.W.A album that Ice Cube recorded solo once he left the group. It wasn’t until his next album (or maybe the one after) that we start to see his lyrical style turn away from blatant and obvious thug-speak into the more intricate, thoughtful rhymes that made Cube the legend that he is. There are flashes of that here hidden amongst less developed themes and an awful lot of references to gats and bitches … not that any of those words will go away, they’ll just be more carefully delivered and placed for effect as Cube matures and understands how better to tell his stories with his unique sense of humor. One thing that is undeniable here is that this is one of the first important records in rap where a solo voice is featured over a group dynamic, inviting a trend that will become very important to 90s and 00s hip-hop. This is not a great album, it has not aged well, but it is a good throwback to pre-riots LA, to a simpler time before there was anyone named Biggie, Tupac, Wu-Tang or Quest.
Better than expected. Album gets extra points for the minimal number of skits and although there are plenty of cringy 90's gangsta rap themes on display, it wasn't as bad as expected. My biggest problem is Ice Cube raps at an aggression level of 10 for the entire album. He has no chill. Became a bit tiresome.
I like it, pretty good.
Ok not great
I had not listened to this all the way through before. My image of Ice Cube these days is as an actor in the Friday and Barbershop movies. That’s funny, because when I first heard of him in NWA days, he seemed like the hardest of the hard to me — not a comedy kind of guy. It’s interesting hearing him again when he was still all-gangsta.
My heart sank at the thought of ANOTHER classic gangster rap CD by a famous name in the hippity-hop world. However, Mr Cube and his crew did bring a smile to my face on a few occasions, and ...yup. Better than average. 3.5 Stars.
The sound was alright but the lyrics grated in (plenty of) places
A solid early 90’s rap relic, if perhaps overrepresented on this list.
Not bad, I guess, for my 100th album. It sounds pretty good and the political stuff is great as well, but it kinda gets undermined by the constant misogyny. Favorite Track: Endangered Species (Tales From The Darkside)
Logical next step from NWA. Casual misogyny set to Bomb Squad instead of Dr Dre/ G Funk production. Cube's voice is great and bonus for Chuck D. When this came out I probably laughed off the lyrical content, but I can't look past it now. And I'm ok with that.
Tämä on sitä parempaa Los Angeles hiphopia
Some good hard tracks, some kinda corny
Ice Cube is a very good rapper and there is some good stuff on this album, but he tries a little too hard to be shocking and controversial. Some of the lyrical content is pretty bleak, the language is crass and the non music parts are a bit corny and lack any degree of subtlety. Not the worst hip hop album on the list, but far from the best.
Dre’s beats are worth 3 stars
Jeez Ice Cube, chill out man!
It’s hard to figure out what to do with this one. The production is great, the political commentary and storytelling too. But the misogyny, yikes.
Really have to be in the right mood.
Yeah this didn't age well very early 90s
Hits a lot of the normal gangsta-rap beats, if not helping invent some of them, but it's got some interesting variety and enough lyricism flow
I really didn't listen to the lyrics here closely but I thought the delivery and backing beats were solid enough.
Production is stellar, and the lyrics range from insightful to cringeworthy.
So, this isn’t one to blast in your car as a white guy in the suburbs… That said, Ice Cube puts together a debut that makes me want to nod my head and wish I could hit the switches in my minivan! 3.5⭐️
I now understand why my parents didn't want me listening to this when I was 10 years old...
First rap album on the list. I've heard of this album and heard about these songs but never listened to the album and to me all of these songs felt brand new. It was fascinating! Very violent and sexist. I loved the use of newcasts and laughed at the song about fairytale. Just when it's a man's world felt too sexist for me to enjoy femal rapper yo yo hopped on the track and saved the day. I'm still amazed how dated an album released in the year of my birth sound lol
This is like hardcore rap. Bit misogynistic, which is unfortunate. 3
Was fine I guess. Not my favorite hip hop album
also not for me but I guess slightly less for
Man I heard this was a hip-hop classic album and as a fan of 90’s hip-hop I was alittle disappointed. Not bad by any means but went in high expectations and they just weren’t met. Was alright overall
Many strong tracks here - including the title track , What They Hitting Foe, Who’s The Mack and Turn Off The Radio (yeah fuck that straight RnB shit) all great. Good storytelling delivery and rapping style and good Bomb Squad production echoing some PE type sounds. But can’t bypass the misogyny that runs through a fair number of songs. Ok he was 20 when this was recorded but… Easy 4.2 marked down to 3.
Pretty similar to other 90s hip hop- great but repetitive sound. But this particular album contains You Can’t Fade Me and the following lines: “she started moaning and gobbling like a turkey” and “I’m thinking to myself why did I bang her, now I’m in the closet looking for a hanger.” So we’ll bump it
I grunden bra hip hop. Ett skönt sound. Har inte tagit mig tid till att lyssna ordentligt på alla texter. Men gangstarap är ju vad gangstarap är. Det dynga på pågatågen å Plutten som fick gå om en klass. Tunga grejer. I längden kan det dock nästan kännas lite poserande, även om IC skildrar i grunden sin verklighet. Kvinnosynen ska vi inte tala om. Mörker. Nåväl, mer bra än dåligt. Klarar trean.
Det låter mycket public enemy, vilket inte är så konstigt med samma producentteam och Chuck D och Flavor Flav som gäster. Inte lika militäriskt hårt som It takes a nation of millions men ändå rätt bra. Lite för långt, men en hel del bra spår; The Nigga Ya Love to Hate, Endangered Species och inte minst It's a Man's World.
Interessante. Possui um ritmo bem incessante, consigo entender os comentários dizendo que Ice Cube estava faminto na época, faz sentido. O disco não te dá um segundo para respirar, é uma faixa depois da outra, um verso depois do outro, tudo sem pausas. As batidas são legais, gostei da produção no geral, mas sinceramente, não curti muito os versos do Ice Cube. A voz dele é legal, mas fora isso, nada me agradou totalmente. Disco bem mediano de Rap, mas ao menos escapa das clássicas armadilhas do gênero e do período. 3.5
Ich mag den Flow der Bomb Squad .. die Texte sind dann eher der Negativpunkt.
much better than expected tbh
I want to like it more than I do. Love Cube, but this mostly missed in growing up; a little out of place in 2026
No. 204 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
Solid!
Expected to like this more than I did. Had much of that early 90’s hip hop sound that I expected but not much else. Too long and too much of the same thing. 2.5-3
Hey, it’s an album by the star of “Are We There Yet?” This must be some family friendly fun! All kidding aside, Ice Cube is clearly an amazing rapper. But his flow and the beats felt really repetitive to me by the end. If you took a 30 second snippet and asked me what track it was from, I think I’d have a hard time placing it. Still, his talent is undeniable, and it was solid overall.
It was alright.
It's interesting that this album still has that old school hip hop sound that would turn into the G-funk only a few years later. To my modern ears, it's quite dated and presents a funny contrast: politically conscious and aggressive lyricism mixed with funky, dance beats. Same for the delivery, I find myself trying to "correct" the cadence of the raps 😭.
Like the beats and production. Lyrics - meh.
This was a classic gangster rap album from the early 90s. Had his typical feel and flow, really good stuff. I am not typically a huge fan of it, but this one is great.
11/05/2026 This didn't stand out for me nor did any song. Little disappointed with this. Spotify listeners: 16.5 million
Hm, er hat bessere Alben
The lyrics were a bit much but I enjoyed the beats and his rapping style. 3.5
Pretty good, but it hasn’t aged well
I first was introduced to Ice Cube from the all-time classic film 'Are We There Yet'. Got a bit into NWA as I grew up and started discovering my music taste. Now as message for the kids. No matter what the old heads in your life think when they say music/life/everything was better 'back in my day'. Don't listen to them; they don't mean everything. And they don't mean this album. Now don't get me wrong this album wasn't terrible, but it definitely isn't must listen.
Hot & cold
Because I am An Old, this is what rap is supposed to sound like to me.
what i believe is a quintessential 90s rap album, however i just could not look past the rampant misogyny in the lyrics:(
kind of boring to me, Sorry, Ice!
Less focused than Predator, with the tough talk that seems to want it both ways. Sounds too much like too many rap albums of the time.
I have mixed feelings about this album. Some tracks are genius, exactly the kind of lyrical/political/social force for change that I have always hoped rap would become; others fall back on the same tired rap tropes about women and masculinity. I'm beginning to think that, with rap, you cannot have the political, musical dynamism without the bravado and misogyny; it's as if the genre requires that the two co-exist. But then again, isn't much of rock music the same way?
Some songs are so good, and yet the misogyny (and more specifically the misogynoir) is running rampant everywhere else.
I actually sort of enjoyed this, the music itself was good but as always the language and misogyny are a problem for me.
Love the simplicity of 90s rap beats, much more than I love the simplicity of 90s rap flow
Gangsta rap has a place, but it needs to be a sweet spot when to play it.
We’ve gotta be close to exhausting the supply of rap albums right? From a purely musical standpoint the albums pretty solid, there are some great beats and Ice Cube’s got one of the most iconic voices in hip hop history. There is some pretty cutting racial commentary which I thought was pretty well done, I always like the old white guy newscaster bit when it comes up in 90s rap. It’s just really hard to take this guy seriously sometimes though, those lyrics are so edgy for the dork who played the main character in classic 2025 Amazon film, The War of the Worlds, as well as countless other Hollywood pursuits. I keep forgetting how out of pocket west coast rap is compared to east coast, but man the amount of offensive and just gross lyrics is insane. Think it’s just a bit too long and the lack of variety really starts to rear its head towards the end If this one trimmed the fat and cut out all the garbage songs this would be an easy 4, but there’s definitely enough actively going against it to bring this one down a point. The bones are there at least
I feel like I've listened to enough rap albums doing this that I'm actually starting to get and enjoy it. Like, I can hear the lyrics and the flow a lot more clearly than with the earlier albums we did. Anyway, I'm glad that Ice Cube was able to get out of the hood and star in hit movies like War of the Worlds. Good for him.
An okay album, not really my style of music.
Tough one to rate - this is pretty revolutionary in terms of evolving the NWA sound, sociopolitical and racial commentary, unflinching looks at life in the projects, etc. Endangered Species is pretty awesome with the Chuck D collab, and some good Slick Rick-style storytelling. But man the misogyny is pretty rough in parts, and songs like You Can't Fade Me are a very tough listen in 2026. So I recognize the place this one has but still find it hard to rate too high.
Dug it. 3.5/5
You can’t pay me has to be one of the most ridiculously wild songs in my life To think I would grow up knowing ice cube as the guy from are you there yet talk about reinvention man solid three out of five album. This album is not for everyone don’t get it twisted you definitely have to know what you’re getting into.
3.5
This is solid 90s hip hop, but no individual track jumps out for me. Cube's best work is found elsewhere.
нормалек, вайбово.
2.5
Me gusta la furia y que vaya al grano, sin tonterías, aunque me siento un turista cada vez que escucho algo de este estilo de rap. No es mi cosa, ni creo que llegue a serlo.
Dont like rap that muxh, but still good
Another boom nap album, but this one was slightly better than the last one by every metric in my opinion. There was more character with some funny skits and ad Libs, the beats and sampling were a little more interesting, and most of all I like his style of wrapping because he's almost always telling a story, not just rhyming in an impressive manner. An abrasive, but enlightening look into the reality of living in the hood.
Great album. A little too raw for my tastes, but obviously excellent.
Very influential on the biggest genre of today. The worst part of hiphop from this age is the dumb skits. Really holding this album back, especially when all the skits are about women 3/5
Ten to ma potężną dykcję. Niestety pisze takie głupoty, że w sumie lepiej, gdyby jej nie miał. Kartka z pamiętnika - trochę bawi, trochę żenuje. 5/10.
This one hasn’t aged too well, production wise and in some case lyrically as well…
Love the production, the sexism has not aged well.
Solid beats, a bit dated flows, very dated lyrics.
Get over it. Old-school hip hop has misogyny, violence, and foul language ~>_<~ The sky is blue, I have to pay taxes, and this has a few bangers
i love being reminded how racist early gangsta was! and how badass cube was for it! (not really but kinda). ignorant music should be lstened 2 ignorantly
3.5
I do think some of the themes in the album are there for dramatic purposes but still pretty rough. Production is cool though
é top mas sei laarrrrr
The lyrics didn't do a lot for me, but musically I liked this better than a lot of other rap from this time period.
Pretty decent
I don’t have strong feelings one way or the other. Some parts were pretty funny.
Classic gansta rap. This album is oozing style and skill- Ice Cube is talented and has a strong point of view. And it isnt plagued with the same degree of skits that early rap albums have. Still it isnt without flaws- it has aged a little poorly with its view towards women. The songs also started to sounde a little samey toward the end. Overall- good album. 3.5/5
Favorite songs: The N***a Ya Love to Hate, AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted, Who's the Mack
Good hip hop album although too heavy on the expletives
I don't know if this is my favorite style of rap, but Ice Cube is so good with it. His style, his flow, his substance. He's so good at storytelling, and he mastered the art of interstitial skits. For as good as the album is, it feels dated.
dobar hiphop, šta znam, svidja mi se što mogu da ga razumem, sviđaju mi se instrumentali, i generalno je dobra priča albuma, sve se vrti oko tog nekog života u "hood-u" i tom doživalju doprinose svi isečci iz vesti koje čujemo ili svađe direktno sa ulice, plus pucnjave i tako. neverovatno je mizogen album, što nije iznenađujuće, ali samo zato što je to nekada bilo ''normalno'' ne znači da ću da to i zanemarim. mada mi se sviđa pesma its a mans world jer tu dobijamo žensku perspektivu od yo-yo, ali to ne poništava celu pesmu u kojoj priča o tome kako ga je žena prevarila da je njegovo dete pa će da je tuče ili šta već. priznajem da nisam pratila pažljivo tekst, moguće je da sam nešto propustila, ali da, to je moj utisak.
A solid album of gangsta rap from Ice Cube, somewhat undercut by his goofy acting career in the years that have followed. The beats are the highlight of the record, though Ice Cube's political commentary is interesting. As with NWA, it is rather unsavory in its misogyny and violence, and doesn't quite live up to the magnitude of "Straight Outta Compton." I found "It's a Man's World" to be an interesting counterbalance to the sexist themes that had permeated the album up to that point.
Good beats, typical lyrics about gangsta’s life. Not bad, but I don’t think I’m going to return to it …
Great energy but too long
Listenable gangsta rap, surprisingly!!
Felt just like another hip hop album, nothing special. Liked it’s a man’s world the best
Much like the Public Enemy album I got previously, this feels a lot like a transition album from old-school to new school. It has some of the more new-school, complex rhyming and flow (Although still some of the old-school, simplistic = staccato flows). The beats are definitely on the more old-school side as well. Overall, it's solid, but not what I really look for in hip hop. A little too old-school for me.
I'm not a massive fan of this, but it wasn't the worst thing. Low 3/5
Good beats, don’t love all the lyrics. Very long for a debut album. I will do points for the music though so we’ll give this a 3
Temp
É um álbum interessante nos Beats e Groove mas HOJE sofre como produto do seu tempo... QKZXHBB Hades.
Pretty good. I enjoyed it. But I'm not gonna pick random tracks from it and listen again. It's an album I'd probably listen to again as one piece. But not sure I will listen to it again. I enjoyed it but not sure I'll go back to it.
-definitely liked this more than The Chronic -lots of variety between songs -he might dislike women -still a fun listen overall
Fun, bouncy, interesting even when the content is most grotesque Highlights: "What They Hittin' Foe?", "A Gangsta's Fairytale", "Rollin' Wit the Lench Mob", "The Mob"
Stronger first half than second half. But overall pretty decent
The title of the album is brilliant and honestly scarily relevant today, but the music towards the end I started to think at what point did I stop caring? 3/5
Fun but it started to get a bit old by the end.
Never listened to Ice Cube, actually pretty good. Got a bit repetitive after a while though.
This just isn’t the style of rap I enjoy. A lot of the beats blur together, and the angry lyrics wears you out pretty quickly. I get why it was a hit when it came out, but this hasn’t aged well.
Yes i remember you It was okay
Beats are a little outdated, yes, and some of the lyrics are… shitty. But, this is an important piece of hip-hop history regardless.
7/10
Super zvuk i jako zasterijela tematika/pristup
Ihan jees, mutta ei kuitenkaan omiin parhaisiin räppilevyihin mene. Ei tuttuja biisejä eikä uusiakaan hyviä löytynyt. Biisit siis vähän mitäänsanomattomia vaikka ihan hyvä fiilia niissä onkin. Parhaat: A Gangsta's Fairytale
Definitely a bit too repetitive (like most early hip hop), but it remains fast-paced the whole way through, which I like. The lyrics were fun, but the production was nothing special. Also, I’m yet to find an album where interludes aded something to the table. Fun album but not that exciting. 7/10
The Bomb Squad production is great but Ice Cube's aggressive machismo makes for a tough listen. I'd be able to tolerate it better if it wasn't constant, front and center, across basically every song. Respect to Cube for his place in hip hop history, but I'd love probably prefer an instrumental version.
How could say anything ill toward Mr. Ice Cube?!?
Enjoyed this much more than the chronic
the lyrics here are very strong. this is very much a story telling album and that is very well executed. i agree with someone else who said the beats are aged. some rap songs you think i hope i can find the instrumental of this. this album is nothing without ice rapping. i like the dialogue added in it definitely adds to the successful story telling. one thing ill say is that the songs kind of blend together. they all kind of sound the same which helps the album maintain a theme but it is slightly tedious to listen to. the aggressiveness works, it’s like his “brand.” downloaded one song.
Production has aged notably compared to the Predator. Still good but that holds this back.
The bomb squad goes hard at least
Ice Cube's first album after leaving N.W.A and moving to the East Coast. Sometimes, Cube is ON; his delivery can be smooth, venemous, his rhymes can be clever, but he trends toward gangsta rap cliches too often for me. I thought certain songs sounded like a less sonically dense Public Enemy, and then realized that the Bomb Squad handled the bulk of production duties. The record absolutely benefits from features by Chuck D and Flava Flav, as well as, Yo-Yo, who absolutely holds her own on the track "It's a Man's World". It's a mixed bag, but rest assured the good is really good. Highlights: "The N***a Ya Love to Hate", "Amerikkka's Most Wanted", "What They Hittin' Me Foe", "Who's the Mack", "The Bomb"
Clearly talented. Raw and unrelenting. A bit too raw for me but I see it.
Keeping her going
very interesting
This album comes at you fast and doesn’t stop really. Fast paced and in your face. Once you decide to stop pearl clutching at the gangsta rap themes, you find great beats and an aggressive iconic delivery with some good storytelling.
This didn’t really connect with me, which was a slight surprise since I quite liked his album The Predator, and I like the Bomb Squad productions on the Public Enemy albums. I felt like this album was just a little too up and down, a little too aggressively try-hard.
Know the album and the artist. I feel that Ice is not the best of this style, but credit where credit is due, and I do feel this album is good, but he has better IMO or at least the hits are better than an album as a whole.
Y'know, the last time I engaged with Ice Cube, he was starring in the cinematic disasterpiece that is 'War Of The Worlds'. You've probably heard plenty about it — the screenlife movie where Ice Cube spends the entire time acting like he's one of those reaction YouTubers? It's a great laugh; I honestly recommend it, as one of the new all-time stinker flicks. But did you know: he's also a rapper? And not just in N.W.A., where he made a name as one of the star performers, no. He also had a solo career, and this was his debut. As Ice Cube's first step on his own ... well, it's complicated, to say the least. Because, on the one hand (and I suppose we should get this out of the way to start), Ice Cube doesn't seem to have a particularly great attitude towards women? This mostly comes up on the song "You Can't Fade Me", where, when faced with a woman saying she's having his baby, Ice Cube's first thought is to "kick her in the tummy." Woof. Then, months later, when the kid's almost due, he's racing to find a wire clothes hanger. Like, my man, putting aside the obvious shit here, it's a little late for this **now**, don't you think? Now, myself, I'm not the kind of person who gets aghast when lyrics like these pop up on a rap record (it was, unfortunately, the style at the time), but at the same time ... goodness me, Cube. Was any of this necessary? Some part of me figures he's supposed to be playing a character here, amping up so many of his negative traits. After all, he's supposed to be "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted" — the guy you love to hate, y'know? But I feel like that sort of can only carry you so far. I mean, he's not Eminem playing Slim Shady, where it's so cartoonishly over-the-top you can't even begin to take it seriously. Heck, it's not even like Dre and friends on 'The Chronic', where, yeah, it has its own share of misogynistic lyrics, but the G-funk party vibes are so strong it kind of smooths things over enough for me to enjoy it. Here, Ice Cube seems to want to be taken pretty seriously, with all of his socio-political and reality raps. So, if he's a character playing up the sexism, is he playing it up on those other songs, too? Where's the delineation here? I mean, he's a better actor here than in something like 'War Of The Worlds', but that's not exactly a high bar to cross. And this whole album seems to hinge on how much you buy into this character he might or might not be playing (and I might not), so... At least he gets a good chunk of what's coming to him on "It's A Man's World" with Yo-Yo. That's a great track. To put it in short, a lot of this is a product of its time. I don't say that to excuse anything he said here, but more just ... to better frame this album, y'know? There's nothing you can do to change what it is; you can only deal with what's there. And there's a part of me that thinks Cube had to go and muck things up with these lyrics, 'coz otherwise there's a lot I like about this album. The beat work from the Bomb Squad is fantastic as always; I love hearing how they flip and play around with samples. And as a rapper, I've always had a spot for Ice Cube. He's got a great voice for this stuff, and his flows are dead classic. Like, there's a reason he was a stand-out in N.W.A.. It's, y'know, not great that he chose to bring some of his worse traits over to this album, but still, I can't completely deny the talent. I think it's a good album, though undeniably dogged by some real rough spots. I can't say I totally blame the people whose reviews are essentially just a 1 and "MYSOGINIST!". For my money, I think it's enjoyable, but you'd absolutely hafta toss a song or two from the tracklist if you wanna play the thing in full. So, Cube, I'm glad to know you were doing better things in your youth than 'War Of The Worlds' — but maybe you still coulda done a **bit** better? Y'know? And every time I try to think of this album's title, I always think of "America's Most Blunted" first. Every time, without fail. Goodness.
Certainly a time capsule of the 90's, but the beats do elevate it a bit. 3.5 bumped down to 3.
Fairly generic gangsta rap, made somewhat better by the occasional contribution of members of Public Enemy.
A little long
I hated having to hear a woman sing '"this is a man's world" over and over
Seemed like he was out for several thangs, actually.
I’m k I’m learning that I don’t love ice cube. I definitely don’t hate or dislike him, I just feel somewhere between like and love. This album was definitely not as solid as The Predator album, but it had its moments. I haven’t listened to his whole discography so I can only compare it to The predator and NWA’s debut album, which obviously are both better than this album. But that’s not saying much cause those two albums are probably his greatest achievements (or at least as far as I know). But at the end of the day it wasn’t bad or offensively bad, it was just meh. I’ll concede that like most rap music there’s a chance that this will grow on me and I’ll feel differently in a few years once I actually get to know it, but that’s IF I ever get to know it. I could for-see this album being very forgettable.
If I review a rap album using the word bloviating, will they finally give me my "Whitest Man Ever" award? The beats in this album are incredibly sick. The rhymes are... fine? They go hard enough, they're just not interesting.
It kinda shocks me how the "OG Gansta" rappers really don't have that many streams on Spotify.. Anyways, the lyrical talent on display here is undeniable. The social commentary hits hard and feels urgent, but why any misogyny at all? It hasn't aged well. The production feels a bit repetitive and it definitely drags in the back half. Spins: 1 Playlist Additions - The Nigga Ya Love To Hate - AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted - Jackin' For Beats
There's deffo better IceCube around
While being a very decent hip-hop record, with great flows, nice beats and ability in storytelling, the more times I listen to it, the less I want to return to it. Feels like I reached a point where the album doesn't offer me anything more (and I just listened it bout 5 times..) and it ends up dragging. As I said, not a bad album. Ice Cube's attitude and flow really makes this stand out among other hip-hop projects, but I'm not that invested in the sound of this particular project.