The Predator

The coldest ice in Cube’s discograph-tray, featuring his most unmeltable hit (the one devoid of AK use).

As relevant now as it was 30+ years ago

Surprised how much I liked this album. Sharp and political with incisive lyrics and great beats.

How is this album 34 years old and still feels incredibly relevant and edgy? Love everything about this album

This is so good. As a 2000s baby my education on 90s Hip-Hop is sorely lacking, this is going to send me down a rabbit hole.

Absolutely incredible.

Another excellent rap/hip hop record. Huge production that is necessarily bold and serious which never really loses intensity even within it's more soulful moments. This is like James Brown meeting Trent Reznor who decide to dig into a healthy dose of Parliament/Funkadelic grooves, while successfully addressing the political climate of the day. (It's still very relevant now, unfortunately.) Personal bonus points for predominantly, and appropriately, sampling 'Green Earings' on 'Don't Trust 'em.

Simple y llanamente; cine🚬

Evergreen beats

So many reviews of this album are like "look, I get this was important politically and personally to Ice Cube but did he have to use so many bad words?" Anyways, this album aged well. 4.5/5.

It’s 2025 and the USA is entering full out fascism and white nationalism. Thirty plus years later, and this album still rings true with its themes of racism, segregation and how Black America look to gangs as support systems in a failing system.

Ice Cube's best album, but does anyone really believe that at 5-foot-8 that he was freaking brothers every way like MJ on the court? Suspect.

Listening to this like “this sounds like DAS EFX.” Then my man showed up on a track!

Are you telling me Ice Cube came up with “it’s on like donkey kong”?!

Absolutely enjoyed this one thank you Ice Cube

Loved this album

This is the hundred thirtieth album I’m rating. I never really liked Ice Cube that much but maybe I just haven't listened to enough of him. Adding to my Playlist - When will they Shoot?, The Predator, It was a Good Day, We Had to Tear this Mothafucka Up, Dirty Mack, Don't Trust 'Em, Gangsta's Fairytale 2, and Check yo Self, Who Got the Camera?. Not Adding to my Playlist - The First Day of School (Intro), I'm Scared (Insert), Wicked, Now I gotta Wet 'Cha, Fuck 'Em (Insert), Integration (Insert), and Say Hi to the Bad Guy. When will they Shoot? -This feels so old but there's something very charming about it. All in all I liked 9/16 songs. A lot of those horrible interludes in rap except Ice Cube calls them inserts. Still a really good album though.

Excellent album, topics are still relevant and the little skits in-between songs encapsulate the general responses to his music. It's quite ironic that a lot of the reviews on here mention things like the swearing/violence making then dislike it

Such a powerful album. Cube was probably at his peak with this one

Very very good album, very familiar listen with some of the best rap songs ever on here.on the verge of a 4 or 5 out of 5. 9/10 (5/5).

rly enjoyed ice cube's debut as a kind of freeform demonstration of the various aspects of his personality but its p clear that the LA riots became a channel for something more focused, and harder-hitting on the whole id say...probably more exhausting than AMW (tho there there is some funny levity, im here for the gangsta's fairytale tracks on these records!!!) but even that is kind of contextualized within the engineered (and vigilantly maintained) disposibility of blackness in the united states. public enemy is a clear influence, tho the (amazing) sample choices are less Disorienting Oddball and a bit more gritty and earthy. its prob not an essayic record but its still an extremely compelling insistence from gangsta rap on its Right To Exist and a rejection of all the things the white gaze attempts to create, pointing out the throughline between respectability politics and the justification of innocent bloodshed etc etc. again kind of an exhausting listen, the darkness rly hangs in the background of even the less overtly heavy stuff, but on the whole even better then AMW imo!!!

Definitely a strong album already, before even getting to "It Was a Good Day" and "Check Yo Self". Powerful delivery with great lyrics and some great beats

I love the album

Мясо нахуй

cool

This is how hip hop should be and should have stayed. This hits. It’s angry, very angry. The sound bites are on point. The beats deliver and the lyrics get their point across. It’s hard to imagine that this is the Are We there Yet guy. To me, in acting, he’s Doughboy. This should please the fringe hip hop listener unless you consider Drake to be badass. If so, don’t bother, this is too much for you Choice cut: Gangstas Fairytale 2

Awesome album, to go from NWA to this what a rapper Ice cube is

February 6, 2025, needed to hear some rage and anger. Album hit the spot.

some classics

I saw a man holding a broom when Ice Cube said the word "broom." Five stars.

I did not use a private session for Spotify. Again, with the skits. What is about these types of records that think we want to hear the same skits over and over again? I like listening to songs I like repeatedly, but listening to the same skit over and over, despite how much I like it, isn't something I like. Rant aside, I did like this album. I listened to it twice, it can't make it on steady rotation because of the heavy use of the N word that makes me feel like a voyeur.

I wish I’d heard his stuff beyond the radio hits before, that was all around amazing

9.5/10

Awesome. Now I won't have to use my AK today. 5

It's one of his best albums. Great production and lyrics

This is the first Rap/Hip-Hop album I heard in my life, when I was 16 years old. I discovered "It Was a Good Day" while playing GTA: San Andreas in a video game many years ago, and that led me to want to know more about this world of Rap. For the record, Rap/Hip-Hop, Soul, Jazz and Funk were not part of my life until then. I have my roots coming from Rock n' Roll, Blues and music from my country, Brazil (Samba, Forró, Baião, Bossa Nova, Sertanejo). I remember exactly the feeling of listening to this album for the first time. The album starts with an intro that immediately gives away what the mood of the album will be and then it becomes one of the heaviest (if not the heaviest) songs I've ever heard in my life. "When Will They Shoot?" It doesn't owe anything to a Trash Metal song from the 80s when we talk about weight. To this day I consider this the best Rap album I've ever heard and Ice Cube is still my favorite Rapper, and that probably won't change anytime soon hahaha. So now, many years later, I see that The Predator is in fact one of the most influential albums on my musical taste, because thanks to the songs on this album and the samples, I discovered artists like The Isley Brothers, Wilson Pickett and later, several other Soul music artists from the 60s and 70s such as Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin and many others. Not to mention that now, I have a completely open mind to Rap/Hip-Hop, knowing from this album, artists like Snoop Dog, Dre, 2Pac, Too $hort, NWA and many others. Damn, I had no idea how important this album was going to be in my life. Anyway, it was great to be able to remember this album today!!

Left my homie's house paid Picked up a girl been tryna dig since the 12th grade It's ironic, I had the brew, she had the chronic The Lakers beat the Supersonics Felt on the big fat fanny Pulled out the jammy and killed the punani And my jimmy runs deep, so deep So deep put her butt to sleep Woke her up around one She didn't hesitate to call Ice Cube the top gun Drove her to the pad and I'm coastin' Took another sip of the potion, hit the three-wheel motion I was glad everything had worked out Dropped her butt off and then chirped out Today was like one of those fly dreams Didn't even see a berry flashin' those high beams No helicopter lookin' for the murder Two in the morning, got the Fatburger Even saw the lights of the Goodyear Blimp And it read "Ice Cube's a Pimp" Drunk as hell but no throwin' up Halfway home and my pager still blowin' up Today I didn't even have to use my AK I gotta say it was a good day Yeah, this is a pretty great album. 5/5

Nice

Good Album.

This is riding around with my brother and his friends smoking blunts.

Like yea. Sick album, great music great lyrics

Thoroughly discomfiting, and at times painful; it is a literally brilliant artistic reflection on the moment - the horror of the L.A. Riots of 1992, and the long and deep tensions that ignited them.

there's definitely stuff here that didn't age, uh, gracefully, but there's a lot more that's still very relevant and sonically it's just so fuckin heavy and powerful

Classssssssiccccccc!! The beat on Wicked is absolutely insane. It Was A Good Day will never ever get old. Check yo self still bangs. It’s cohesive, he’s actually saying something other than the usual, and as I mentioned, the beats are absolutely insane!

Indispensable

I liked it!

9/10 Excellent Amazing historical document that captures the early 90s in America A gangsta rap album about gangsta rap, media criticism, the events around the LA riots, and Ice Cube himself Deeply true and insightful, the interludes are so strong Excellent instrumentals, Ice Cube style and flow is outstanding Flies by, it is propulsive and engaging Best: Check Yo Self

Looooved this

Front to back bangers. A phenomenal album.

me gusto wena vaina.

This was honestly a sleeper album for me. I've known about it for years but only bothered to really listen to the one track. Although it's older, it sounds fresh from a musical perspective and the message is still sadly relevant today. A solid piece of a old school hip hop that I'll definitely be returning to again. Standout Tracks: When Will They Shoot, Wicked, It Was a Good Day, Check Yo Self

Holy smokes this was great.

Loved this album as a kid ha

he always has some duds in my opinion but that's true for so many in that transition between the late 80s and early 90s. and when an Ice Cube song hits it HITS

Ice Cube releases his first #1 solo Album with "The Predator" and it is no surprise. Straight Outta N.W.A., the rapper and actor brings us an album with many qualities that are missed in modern rap. The storytelling, different topics, every song has its place on the album, the MC attitude of connecting and introducing the songs, meaningful interludes... Included in the project, "It was a Good Day" broke the barrier between famous rap songs and famous songs. It is a bop. Personally, I enjoyed the album a lot. I had a couple laughs throughout the album and I could vibe to a lot of songs.

need for collection. fan-fucking-tastic piece of social history.

Really enjoyed this.

Som clássico já, nask

Easiest 5 star of my life

Raw, honest and unfortunately still very relevant.

What a classic. Love me some Ice Cube.

Great expression in the lyrics and well done rhythms. The beats is the iconic rap beats that was common for the fellows from nwa

Incredible. Aggressive, in your face. This must have been another mind-blowing album back in '92. I was six, so this was definitely off my radar, but this probably SHOCKED a ton of people. With the prison samples and all the racial content, this album is amazing.

One of the best intro songs I've ever heard. Flawless album.

I’ve cubes lyrics in this album gi so damn hard and are relevant even 30 years later.

just awesome

Not gonna lie, this goes hard as fuck.

So good

An absolute hip hop classic. I am a massive hip hop fan and this album is the essence of what made West Coast rap so interesting. Ice Cube was and is one of the best rappers. The highlight was obviously "It Was A Good Day". Theres a reason why its so popular. The beat is timeless, the lyrics just make sense and its very immersive. All in all, a hip hop classic and a very good roster of tracks. 9/10

Own it already. Great album?

A fantastic album which has stood up well over the years. The main themes are still salient and are delivered with a suitable amount of venom. Some great beats in there, too. This was never my favourite Ice Cube album when I was regularly listening to rap, but going back to it I think that I may have been too hasty with that judgement. Definitely a classic.

Ik mocht al eerder een plaat van deze man horen. Dat was nog niet zo 'verfrissend'. Het miste creativiteit en afwisseling. En al zit The Predator duidelijk in een afgebakend hokje; het is hem nu wel gelukt. Hij zal daarbij goed naar de concurrent gekeken hebben. Je hoort de intonatie van bijvoorbeeld Cypress Hill (We Had to Tear This Mothafucka up) en House of Pain (Check Yo Self). En dit sample-roofdier maakt er geen geheim van dat hij goed naar Public Enemy heeft geluisterd.

These interludes are almost unsettlingly modern for an album released in 1992. This alone should be enough to prove why the message is even more important now. Back to the music...it's simply incredible. (unfortunately) Timeless themes throughout the music, very heavy rapping with impeccable flow, very creative beats. Love this album. Favorite track: Don't Trust 'Em

Brilliant

Genius, from one of the all time greats.

DOPE

Yeah but who would win in a fight tho

Ice Cube's flow is impeccable with an unbeatable aggressiveness and lyrical content that's still relevant today. The beats and production are top tier and there's few albums today that can match it. There's so many bangers on this album and definitely a classic hip hop album.

This sounds like it was the business back in the day and still does. This guy is the real total business.

fan-fucking-tastic

I’ve had hip-hop albums before, but this is the first one from a really classic artist. Ice Cube is one of the best rappers (outside of the sexism, which also seems to decrease from his other album I’ve listened to [but haven’t gotten] AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted) and this has superb lyricism. ‘It Was a Good Day’ is undoubtably a classic - it’s upbeat, but it still notes the troubles throughout the rest of the album (two of the good things that happen to him are getting passed by a policeman without any trouble and nobody he knows dying) - it feels earned, rather than just a happy song for the sake of being a happy song. Great through and through.

I've never listened to an Ice Cube album before, but having listened to NWA, and the fact that Ice Cube seems to permeate every corner of pop culture, I had a pretty good idea what I was in for. It's crazy and also sad that several of the social and political topics on this album are still hot topics today: police violence, the brutality and far reaching scope of the American prison system, segregation, and so on. When it comes to rapping about political and social issues, Ice Cube can channel raw anger in a way that few others can; his lyrics have the candor of a man-on-the-street interview, but delivered with the fierceness of someone hosting a rally. The beats behind the lyrics are really well done too; "It Was a Good Day" and "Check Yo Self" are some of the catchiest, and therefore most recognizable songs in hip hop. The spoken interludes fit really well here too, and "The First Day of School" really unnerved me, which served as a great way to prepare for this album. Ice Cube really executes his vision well on this album, and his work is cornerstone for rap and hip hop.

Discazo del gangsta rap, lleno de clásicos, punto álgido de ice cube. Un disco crudo como sabe dar el cubo de hielo. Se nota como fue logrando algo más sólido con el tiempo y fue evolucionando para dar hitazos como it was a good Day or check yo self. Must listen del rap y de los 90

west coast masterclass una seleccion de samples increible breaks oscurisimos acompañados de unas letras crudisimas totalmente necesario e innovador siendo un disco de 1992 cuando pocos raperos sonaban asi top 15 mejores discos de rap

Great album, creative fun, but also deep. Lots of cultural criticism especially around race

Hard

Still relevant today.

Stone cold classic! I still remember when I got this cassette and EVERYONE wanted a dub of this!

One of my favourite hip-hop albums ever. Some of his absolute best tracks.

An absolute classic. "Say hi to the bad guy" is an excellent closing track and this is Ice Cube at the peak of his social observation genius. The Rodney King verdicts has influence all over this album and it is interesting he named the album after a movie about a monster that kills policemen, while the policemen make a knee jerk reaction about the monster's intentions. Maybe there is no symbolism intended there, but I think this album is a must-hear to get the temperate of 1992 Los Angeles.

Ovaj album je kako bi rekao, dok je Cube još bio "in his bag". Dakle još jedan album poslije i to postaje odličan 4 streak od albuma. Dakle: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted - Death Certificate - The Predator - Lethal Injection. Odlično zaredani albumi, a samim time mi je i Cube uvijek bio u top 5 najboljih repera (bar što se tiče 90-ih i dok je bio u N.W.A.). Kasnije je počeo švrljati, iako mi se svidio Laugh Now, Cry Later - ali to mogu sada zahvaliti nostalgiji jer taj album po lijepim vremenima poznajem (valjda lijepa vremena) - osnovna škola, 2006-2007. godina, slušalice u ušima svaki odmor. No dobro, vraćamo se na ovaj album. Odličan, ali nije na levelu sa prva dva što sam naveo. Odličan album, toliko dobrih trenutaka - najviše It Was A Good Day (što je po meni jedna od najbolji hip hop traka ikad u životu ovom). Iskreno sam mislio da će mi smetati inserti, intro, skitovi, međutim čak su dobri i fora. Ne znam zašto ljudi govore da je ovo pad kvalitete njegove, jer definitivno ne znaju šta pričaju. 4.5.

I played this constantly as a teenager in the ‘90s, amazing album.

God he's good

Was a good day listening

Why are there two “gorillas in the mist” references two songs in a row?

loved it more than I thought I would.

Yeah, I dug it! Not all the themes are appetizing, but overall today was a good listen.

What a difference two years makes! I did not much enjoy the experience of listening to AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990) a couple of months ago. The Predator (1992) showed a tremendous leap in musical maturity. It's intense and serious and compelling but still finds room for humor and play. There were parts that made me feel ill and sad and angry, so it wasn't all a good time. But it was a good listen.

Brilliant

Classic record, love throwing this one on during road trips with my friends

Ice cube <3 <3 <3

Classic Ice Cube album, nice surprise to see this album on the list instead of its predessors. Contains Check Yo Self, probably IC's best single ever.

Más allá de los beats impecables, el comentario social en los skits complementa muy bien el mensaje de cada canción que les precede. Obra maestra del hip-hop de inicios de los 90s.

such an influential album. Check Yo Self & It Was a Good Day are so iconic

What a record. Very nearly 30 years old. Terrifyingly little progress in some quarters in that time since the Rodney King riots. Righteous anger and vitriol ripples through this. Today was a Good Day, obvs one of the best rap songs of all time, even if I sort of blame it's success for Puff Daddy trying to repeat the formula over and over again for years with boring results. But this album is just really high quality the whole way through.

Crazy how the messages delivered in this album are still so relevant today. Fantastic stuff

WICKED NOW I GOTTA GET CHA IT WAS A GOOD DAY WHEN WILL THEY SHOOT

The production on this album is fantastic. Ice Cube has one of the greatest flows of all time and his aggressive delivery punctuates the political and confrontational lyrics. This album is not easily pigeonholed. It contains elements of funk and jazz while using samples in a way that reminds me of some modern day artists like Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar.

:0

Not even remotely surprising that the track that has the least to do with the larger sociopolitical message of the album also happens to be the most well known. I'm a sucker for this type of sampling. Really a time capsule more than most albums from name dropping nba players in the league at the time to Rodney king references and plenty of others I already forgot or didn't even catch. Can't get over "down the street" rhyming with "introduce her to my meat." TPAB's grandpa and I mean that as the highest compliment

Listened Before? N Another rap classic this week! I'm loving it. Pros: This album is straight up amazing. Ice Cube was one of the last true old-school gangsta rap records. A few weeks later, Dr. Dre dropped The Chronic and changed literally everything. This album got overshadowed IMO... this record deserved more attention than it got (probably mostly from white people). This was released in the same year as the LA riots and the Rodney King trial, and it shows. Ice Cube was PISSED, in a good way. Cons: A couple of outdated slurs here and there but its a sign of the times. Added to Library? Y Songs Added to Playlist: It Was a Good Day, Check Yo Self

Absolute gold. Poignant even 30 years later. The way Mr. Cube uses samples to help tell the story is perfect.

I have listened to this album before and it still a great album. Ice Cube's lyrics and rhythm has also been great. Today Was A Good Day is the most well known song on the album. I remember when there was a quest to figure out the exact date of the good day, November 30, 1988 had the strongest argument. Yet Ice Cube said there is no specific date just elements that make up a good day.

Never listened to this album in full before and I’m glad I did. It’s 2023 and everything he said in this album is still relevant.

Love that crazy motherfucker named Ice Cube! Great album!

Holy shit.

holy fucking shit. YES.

Amazing west coast hip hop from a legend. Touches on relevant societal issues at the time and still relevant today.

Great album. Some classics, and very strong all the way through. Uncomfortably topical for being almost 30 years old.

This was amazing.

Love! Genius!

10/10 hip hop classic ice cube top 5 OAT

Credo di aver ascoltato uno dei migliori album di rap

90s gangster rap at its best.

Classic of the genre - Very much enjoyed- Highly recommend. Some brutish thug songs, along with some melancholy introspective tunes.

Absolute Hip Hop classic. Ice Cube's best album.

muy bueno

Wow: the lyrics are incredibly poignant as I listen to them now as the U.S. has pressing issues of racial injustice and inequality that are in desperate need of real action, real remedy. The opening track "When Will They Shoot?" on its own is enough to add so much depth and thought-provocation to the conversation. I don't remember hearing this album back in the early 90s, but I do know that back then I would've missed the message entirely out of my own naivete and ignorance. This is one I want to come back to and spend more time with.

Es kam kurz nach den Rassenunruhen von LA 1992 raus, mit den politisch aufgeladenen Texten hätte es auch 2020 kommen können und niemand hätte sich gewundert. Es ist mehr als nur 'It was a good day'.

The way this record grapples with systemic racism and police brutality feels haunting and prophetic listening in 2021. It's a reminder Black people have been saying this for *decades*, but White people have only started to listen. It also helps that, musically, this record is a real joy to listen to. Can't believe I've slept on this one for so long. Favourite track: "Check Yo Self"

10/10 fucking great

Amazing.

Amazing!

Classic hip hip and classic Ice Cube

Ice curbed a poetic ether of ideas still relevant 30 years later, and probably many years earlier

Ahead of his time!

Dark. Classic. Still relevant.

🔥🔥🔥

I never knew where Danny Brown got his style from.

Always a fan of Ice Cube. Turns out I knew several of these songs already, but have just never listened to the album in its entirety.

It was a good day

One of all time great hip hop albums. Funky, politically charged, angry.... amazing!

I am aware of the existence of Ice Cube - but I am not familiar with his stuff. I do have one song liked by him on Spotify - "Arrest the President" from 2018. I was vaguely aware that he came from NWA. Thoughts after listening 3 times ... I'm only gonna count the actual songs on this - not the intro or "inserts" which are just interviews and other talking. So instead of 15 total songs, I am only rating 11 of them. I really do like the groove of a lot of this - it's pretty fun and funky. A lot of the lyrics don't totally connect with me too much, although some if it seems like it's meant to be kinda funny though. I basically think about it as it's reporting from the front lines where folks like Ice Cube grew up. So it's definitely interesting to hear this perspective. I ended up liking 9 songs on this - "Wicked", "Now I Gotta Wet 'Cha", "It Was a Good Day", "We Had to Tear This Mothafucka Up", "Dirty Mack", "Don't Trust Them", "Ganstas Fairytale", "Check Yo Self", and "Who Got the Camera?". So this is a new high water mark for hip hop albums - my first 4 star rating! And I just got to add 9 more new songs to my Spotify library. Liked songs on Spotify: 9/11 (not 15 when removing the 4 intro/insert tracks) Rating: 4/5

As a farm kid from a rural community during this time period, early Gangsta Rap really spoke to my personal struggles (especially when stacking hay bales or shoveling poop)... Just so happens I was a world away from Compton and the streets were gravel. Gang Life wasn't exactly knocking at my door. As a reminder of my early gangster life, this album for me is somewhere between 4 and 5 stars... 4.5 stars.

Favorite song: When Will They Shoot?

I've had my thoughts on him with his other album (tldr: speaks to real black issues but is misogynistic & homophobic), but he still delivers great flow throughout with the backing of some great beats. It Was A Good Day is the standout, but the rest is pretty great.

Nuance required here. Same trappings as always of great energy, super great topics and bars, why does it have to be misogynistic and homophobic man. The skit on here where his reasoning for what he’s saying is “fuck em” is infuriating. It’s just edgy to be edgy and no backbone or reasoning to stand behind it. Stand behind what you’re embodying or admit what you’re saying is just to be edgy and shut the fuck up. This is not just Mr Cube, it’s so much of this 90s and early 2000s rap. That said, good album, good day is a phenomenal song and maybe one of the greatest vignettes of all time. 10/10 song.

First day at school, de titel deed me even dubbel kijken, word dit het Ice Cube kinder album? Nooope, absoluut niet. De intro gaat al over het binnentreden van de gevangenis. Super gezellig, precies wat je verwacht bij Cube. Rest van het album is die klassieke hard Ice Cube sound, old school boombap beats en dan gewoon bars. Weinig refreintjes, weinig zang, ook de beats zijn vrij rauw. Behalve Today was a good day dan, dat is echt een compleet ander nummer dan de standaard Ice Cube sound. Het is wel grappig om te horen in de context van het hele album, lijkt echt in niets op de rest. Opvallend trouwens; de skits op dit album voegen daadwerkelijk iets toe. Ze gaan voornamelijk over police brutality, de ongelijkheid tussen zwart en wit en wat er fout gaat in Amerika. Het is te makkelijk om te klagen over het grove taalgebruik van Cube op dit album, mensen doen dat echt te makkelijk. Daarmee negeer je eigenlijk waar dit album echt over gaat; het is een aanklacht tegen Amerika en de ongelijkheid. Ice Cube en NWA hebben beiden een hoop muziek gemaakt die dat duidelijk maakt, op een manier die de mensen waar ze vandaan komen ook begrijpen. Ja het is grof, Ja het is pure old school hiphop, maar ik snap meteen dat dit een essentieel album is. Probeer dit album zo neutraal mogelijk in te gaan, het lijkt een 'simpel' bragging gangsta rap album op het eerste oog. Maar er zit behoorlijk meer in dan weer een simpel gangsta rap album... FAVO: When will they shoot? , It was a good day, Dirty Mack, Say Hi to the bad guy

I can't believe I had not heard this before, but it hit right when I got off of Hip Hop. It's fantastic all the way through--still docking a point for misogyny, but it's a 4.5 for me.

West Coast hip hop at its finest. Cube is a pioneer in this game and this record cements that. Not my favorite of the west coast identities, but Cube is an important milestone in hip hop history for his lyrics on culture, race, demographic, and lifestyle in the 90s in LA. This is a great record.

Solid album. 90’s rap rules. The hits are a way better than the rest of the album, but it’s far from filler.

Pretty damn good. Hits still hold up. Topics are still relevant. I just feel like his rapping gets too close to "rip-rap rippidy doo" cadence too often.

A voice of the 90s with strong messaging.

Review: This was a very good album that is one of the most important in the history of hip hop. Ice cube branching off from NWA and finding his own identity can be seen clearly with the passion throughout the album. He is rapping with purpose and you have to respect that. There were some lackluster songs and the consistency definitely could have been better. Another critique that I have is that even though It was a good day is the best song on the album it feels kind of out of place. All of the other songs feel dark and sharp while the best song feels like it doesn't make sense in the storytelling of the album.

Buenísimo album de hip hop. Muy disfrutable, Ice Cube fluye por los temas. Una cosa espectacular. 7/10

I shouldn’t love this, but I do. Whatever. Most rap sucks, and most rappers are vile, blood sucking degenerates. But this guy gets me moving. The anger and passion in his voice was made for poetry. Bring it Cube!

6/23/26. Ice Cube's energy and message throughout this album is intense, almost like heavy metal in a hip hop album. Still believe it's underrated among legendary 90s rap records.

Solid stuff.

Some great classics on here!

For me it’s one of the stronger albums of this genre

This was Wicked.

I’m not much of a fan of gangsta rap. Typically I’ve found it to be too harsh to enjoy, even though I respect where it’s coming from. I was surprised by this album, as it was pretty focused on current events of the time and Ice Cube mostly aimed his venom at the police and systemic racism. And I was all in for that, nodding in agreement with way more of the lyrics than I’d imagined I would’ve been. It’s when songs strayed from that message (Don’t Trust ‘Em) that I was less enthusiastic. I rarely add gangsta rap songs to personal playlists, but both When Will They Shoot and (of course) It Was a Good Day have been saved.

"[The right honorable gentleman] will swarm on any motherfucker in a blue uniform" This is excellent. Love Cube, love this album. Whod've thunk ,in a few short years, this hard gangsta muthafukka would be starring in family movies. Doesn't change the art. Fo-stahs

Definitely a classic, great production great flow, great political critiques, it’s got all the hallmarks of a great rap album. I think what keeps this from being an all timer is the lack of variety on the flow. He really just has one. This album is really just missing its curveball.

My second Ice Cube album- I actually found myself enjoying this more than the last. Tight lyrics filled with social commentary, less speaking out against women, and some of his best hits. Overall- good hip-hop album. 3.5/5

Im not a rap fan by any stretch although I am a child of the 90s. Im mildly familiar with ice cubes hits and history. So this isnt really my thing. But I really liked this, turned up and on a good speaker system it was a lot of dirty fun

Heavy gangsta rap

Muchísimo mejor de lo que esperaba un disco de rap

Overall: 8/10 Alright, I'll get into the negatives first. It's early 90s gangster rap, which means it's misogynistic, homophobic and very violent. Not only that, but if you've seen any interviews with Cube recently, you get the sense that he doesn't stand by the political lyrical content on this album anymore, which lessens some of the impact. With all that being said, the songs here are so good. Incredible, danceable beats are used for politically charged songs about the black experience, especially as a black man living in California. I think his flow had evolved since his N.W.A. days as well. Despite some of the unfortunare lyrical content, he sounds his most mature here. Now we get to It Was a Good Day. What an absolutely incredible rap song. He just tells the story of a good day that he had, and it's captivating. I think that song is a masterpiece. It's a shame that Cube has changed so much since this point in time, because he really was a great voice in the rap industry. Fav Song: It Was a Good Day

What an opener!

Ice Cube is a fucking Trump-humping jackwagon now, but I have to credit him with a pretty damn great album from ‘92. His beats are better than his flow, but Ice draws blood from the cops and whitey with nasty vigor. And he can be really funny about it too. Much better than I expected.

I’ve never knowingly listened before but it is possible but of course I know the famous singles from the album, including Wicked, which sadly I came to know more for the Korn version but the original is much better. Knowing how much I liked the songs I knew already, this lived up to my expectations so very much enjoyed. Being recorded shorty after the LA riots in 1992, sadly a lot of the themes covered are still extremely relevant today.

Parempaa gängstaräptii.

Original Gängsta

Ice Kuubio toimii kyllä, omalaatunen flow, kiukkusta lyriikkaa, mikä jottei.

GREAT !!!!!! everyone should listen to this before they die !!!!! not i gotta wet 'cha it was a good day dirty mack check yo self

it was a good day will always b top tier to me liked the rest of the album too right the beats were really fun

So I think Now I Gotta Wet ‘Cha kinda represents the way I feel about this album overall. The samples, the music, the hooks have me. The message of violence- well it’s incredibly disturbing. Kinda like American Psycho. The novel, not the film. Reading the novel I get to sections where I can’t believe I’m still reading - but I am, I have multiple times. I think American Psycho is a brilliant novel. The title says it all. And I have to say I think this album is also pretty f*ing brilliant. Not that I want to listen to it on the regular. But glad I heard it as an album at least once. 4 stars. Boolean rating: yes, glad I heard it before I die, before they put me six feet under and I can listen no more.

Still really good

Enjoyed it overall. Liked When Will They Shoot and Check Yo Self best.

One of his best outside nwa

Surprised at how much I vibed with it, even though I think the early half of the album is kind of weak. Don't take me wrong, a lot of, if not most of, the tracks have some really good beats and production going on, but I do think that some overstay its welcome, specially during the first half. The turning point is shortly after "It Was A Good Day", which is undoubtedly the standout track of this album. For me the album really started picking up from "Fuck 'em" onwards, specially with tracks such as: Dirty Mack: I loved the saxophone sample in the background Gangsta's Fairytale 2: it has an awesome bassline Check Yo Self: is pretty iconic too, and it feels like a great follow up to the previous track. Who Got the Camera has a great production, very funky. And finally, Integration + Say Hi To The Bad Guy is a pretty good closing duo to the album. It almost makes me forget how iffy the first few tracks are. Overall, solid album.

This was fun - 3.5 rounded up

Thought provoking.

It hooked me both politically and musically.

Не самый большой любитель Айс Кьюба, так как с другими его альбомами и N.W.A. у меня особой связи не сложилось. Но этот альбом мне на удивление понравился, крепкий вест-кост гангста рэп, хоть я и больше по ист-косту всегда был. P.S. Очередной альбом, где есть один хит и все остальное разной степени качества. Кажется, что слишком большой фокус у автора списка идет на хиты, а не на сами проекты.

I’ve heard this before, but haven’t listened to it since the early 00s. I love this era of hip hop in spite of the misogyny and homophobia and violence. This album came right at the time where the faster beats that Public Enemy had were giving way to the slower beats that the g-funk rappers had and it covers both pretty well. The version of Check Yo Self here uses the Sweet Inspirations version of I’m Blue, which was also sampled by Salt n Pepa in Shoop, when I remember it using The Message from Grandmaster Flash, I guess that was the single? I’m pretty sure I remember the grandmaster flash sample in the video. Anyway the album version rocks in a different way but still rocks. The whole album kicks ass. Bumping a point off for the misogyny and homophobia. For violence, it’s mostly talking about shooting cops which I’m fine with.

I'm under qualified to describe this but the bounciness of 90's rap and the clear and concise bars make the listening experience very fun and nostalgic. Also very relevant politics

Shakin a little ass to this today

This goes hard. Pisses me off that nothing has changed in almost 35 years. 3.5

Banger🔥

In my opinion, Cube's best album. Definitely the one with the best singles. Favorite song: The Wicked

This one isn't my favorite Ice Cube album but it is a great listen. The rhymes are strong and the beats just as catchy as previous albums. The messages are just as relevant today as they were then, not so much the misogyny. Biggest Hit - It Was A Good Day Biggest Miss (if I had to choose) - Gangsta Fairytale 2 Not So Hidden Gem - Check Yo Self

Classic. Enjoyed it

Favorite Track: It Was A Good Day

I’m not a fan of the sexism and homophobia, but ACAB all day.

This was some of the first hip hop I ever heard growing up. It was great then and still is now. The singles off this one were huge.

I love me some 90's hip-hop. I did the thing again where I look at y'alls reviews and realize some of y'all are insanely racist lmfao 4/5

Old school gangsta rap at its finest. Yes there are problematic lyrics in terms of how Cube refers to women and content around making someone wet with blood, but this is the sound of righteous anger. The Rodney King killing was symbolic treatment of black people (I would like to say at the time, but I fear that probably isn't the case). Cube was the best rapper in N.W.A, but this hasn’t always been the case in his solo output, so this serves as a reminder of how vital and meaningful he can be as both lyricist and rapper. Not sure why ‘It was a good day’ is greyed out on the explicit version of the album on Apple music, it’s a great track and needs seeking out rather than missing

I really enjoyed this. I still have zero interest in skits and would absolutely always pick a shorter, skitless version of an album but this era of hip hop just scratches a certain itch. The samples, the groove to it, the rhythm: it's a great sound. Lyrics wise we're back to pretty standard topics of this genre, plus Ice Cube arguing he's not anti-semitic. I was hugely pleased to learn that this album is widely praised for popularising the phrase "It's on like Donkey Kong" though. I had a great time listening to it and particularly enjoyed the moment where, mid song, I took in an Ocado food delivery. The delivery driver certainly seemed surprised. I'm clearly too white and middle class for this record, but screw it... 4/5

como o amigo disse, bem atual beat em dia, produção bacana, ice cube botando na mesa a dureza da realidade

fortíssimo infelizmente mto atual. rap de mensagem pedradaça sem medo de falar as coisas. bão demais, bons beats!!

Didn’t even know It Was a Good Day was on this! What a nice surprise. Anyway, this really hit for me right out of the gate and didn’t really let up. I realized with this i’m a sucker for when rappers write respond to the reaction to their previous work. The production here is GREAT and the sample work is incredible too. But after all that, definitely gets a ding for early 90s casual misogyny and homophobia, WHOOPS CUBE.

Today was a good day... because I got to listen to this album

points off for the misogyny and homophobia sadly

Didn't stop moving once. Shame about the misogyny and homophobia. It must be 'of it's time' I guess.

This was pretty cool. Still an undercurrent of misogyny that is not enjoyable but much more about race and extremely relevant almost 40 years later. Sadly.

Not exactly meant for my skinny white ass but I loved it all the same.

A fascinating listen that transports you to another time and place. So much specificity to the anger and events surrounding the LA riots. Amazing beats, amazing flow. I found myself oddly moved by the period-specific audio clips and collages that serve as interstitials. They ignite Cube’s fury and poignantly underscore his warnings.

On the appreciation I have for the blunt force of Ice Cube's vocal delivery, I have this as a 4. There were a few songs I did not care for based on the filler sonics, but otherwise a solid listening experience I had not previously heard.

Rating: 7.5/10 The G-funk is strong with this one.

Aged perfectly. Angry

This definitely hits the spot in terms of the kinds of rhythm, sampling, and flow that I like to listen to in 90s rap, and it certainly provides a window into the political perspective of a lot of Black artists / people at this time. It feels like it really captured a moment and that makes it pretty intense to listen to…in a similar vein, a lot of this obviously did not age well lyrically. But I understand why this is considered an important part of political music history and a lot of the songs are insanely catchy. Fav track: When Will They Shoot?

My personal preferred cube project. I know that Amerikkkas most wanted seems to be the one for most people. But this one just is more varried and just better songs for me. I felt that amerikkka was more derivative of what he was doing in nwa. This feels like we have a full and absolutely realized cube. Wild that this was only a two year gap. So what it all comes down to is I like these songs better, overall. Thats it. Good day is a classic of all classics for sure but I got a handful of others too. Wicked. When will they shoot. Who got the camera. We had to tear this motherfucka up. All great. I knoe that check yo self is probably a big song but its such a thing for as long as I can remember that it looses its punch in 2026. Maybe if I heard it back when id get it more. Also on Americkkka I liked gangstas fairytale and the sequel here is one of the worst songs here. Oh well. Good record anyway

Veldig kul

Had never given Cube a chance before, this was pretty good. The 90s beats were great. The storytelling was on point. I even didn’t mind the interlude/skits.

just waking up in the morning

When water freezes I to the ice cube but it isn't ice its just nice but something like this comes at its price I guess we have to use dnd dice?

This album goes hard as fuck and is (sadly) still extremely socially relevant today. Released just a few months after the 92 LA riots, these tracks have a lot of raw emotion behind them, nearly every track addressing systemic racism in the United States. ‘It Was A Good Day’ is the song everyone knows, but don’t sleep on ‘When Will They Shoot?’ and ‘Wicked’. Solid 4/5

I like it, but uh.... Rap. I don't think I'll finish this because my mom will be like "wtf are you listeing to😂"

I liked this quite a bit. My favorite part was the inserts

I listened to this album as I walked around a police training facility, struggling keep myself awake on too little sleep. I continue to be pleasantly surprised at the variety of albums presented by this list; the presence of a prominent black hip-hop artist like Ice Cube is incredibly promising to me, and I'm glad to see this album make the list. This album has some of the qualities which I run into with a lot of older rap albums,.which is that some of the hooks and choruses just don't do a lot for me. However, aside from that small nitpick (which is mostly just down to the ways rap has evolved over the last few decades), this album is incredibly powerful. The production hits like a truck, sounding like a horror movie soundtrack and often mixed so high it nearly sounds like it's peaking the channels, which contributes to the chaotic vibe of the project. This album is also unabashedly politically charged, with interstitial inserts driving home the political messaging of the work. There are some lyrical moments which feel a little dated to me personally, but for the most part, Ice Cube is performing provocative and attention-grabbing lyrics with an infectious and aggressive energy, all of which combined to create an album which refuses to be ignored. Highlights: When Will They Shoot?, I'm Scared (Insert), Wicked, It Was A Good Day, We Had To Tear This Mothafucka Up, Don't Trust 'Em, Who Got The Camera?, Integration (Insert), Say Hi To The Bad Guy

Yessir

What this album has to say in terms of racism in America is still sadly very relevant today, but there is also some misogynistic and homophobic language in the album which I wasn't a fan of. The songs themselves are catchy with hard hitting lyrics but there ware a couple of songs I wasn't as bothered with. Overall a thought-provoking listen

Amazing social commentary

It has the steady intensity of a campaign headquarters. The intensity of a collective with a purposeful mission. All in step and leaning far forward, ready to march. But so much more is going on all around - levers being pulled, minds being changed - a social revolution.

An artist presenting his experience at a specific place and time. This is fury unleashed that avoids being hopeless. It makes you think. And your parents'll hate it.

Well built music. Some really well aimed lyrics particularly at the issues of segregation in America. But also knee-deep in a kind of genre standardization.

Mmm...I have a suspicion I'm not the target demographic for this. Mind you, this is the best of the many hiphop/rap albums this list has presented me. There's a palpable fury at injustice here, the words are great. Unfortunately I think it's let down by a lack of variety in both music and vocal style.

90s hip-hop has a vive of its own. Favorite track: check yo self other picks: it was a good day, wicked, predator

As relevant as ever. Sound wise it sits right at the tipping point between conscious and g-rap. The samples heavily feature the bass driving the songs on with a determined urgency. The lyrics are aggressive, but aimed squarely at the source of so much historical and current pain in black communities all over america. It will stay relevant, sadly, for as long as the powers that be don't get their act together. Fuck the police. Fuck ICE. Fuck border patrol.

So funny listening to this album since I’ve always known Ice Cube as the dad from the 2005 family comedy “Are We There Yet?” It’s a great listen though, don’t get me wrong.

It’s very interesting that the complaints about misogyny on this site is always on albums from black artists or hip-hop artists and never elsewhere. Hm… anyway, this is definitely one of Ice Cube’s best.

One of the notable gangster rap albums from the 90s. Hard hitting.

Long but worth it

Enjoyable rap album

Album was very long but the beats and his delivery had me vibing along. Ice Cube's rapping isn't the most versatile or technically dazzling, but there's something about is clear, commanding delivery that is uniquely him. Easy to follow along and consequently "get". Similar to Chuck D more so than Nas. Interesting to listen and rate this right right after "Done by the Forces of Nature" by the Jungle Brothers, as they represent the two disparate branches of hip hop at the time.

3.5

cant believe this album is 34 years old yet it still resonates deeply with the world's current state favs: When Will They Shoot?; It Was A Good Day; Now I Gotta Wet 'Cha; Check Yo Self

Great record. Rap is not my type of genre, but his signature agressive style is magnetic and the beats on all tracks made this album superb. The sampling was great all along. When I hear a Steely Dan sample, I listen. 'It Was a Good Day' is a banger.

Not a lot of albums where anger is the prevailing emotion. Cathartic. Some good beats and lyrics as well

This album was a bit too long and has some…dated…insults but was a lot of fun overall

Great break from what had been a rather rock-based run of albums - probably enjoyed this more because of that. Some really great moments throughout the album, although I did feel some of the writing felt a little lazy at points. Luckily, Cube's voice makes up for it.

first rap album of the random generation loved it

Is it a three or four? Let's go four because it feels like it was important.

4/5

Best song: It Was a Good Day Felt like the same song, but the message was clear.

good vibe

Light 4

Production kinda wacky on this. First impression is that the beat is too loud, but the beats are at least funky. Cube should be more forward but is still understandable. I don't exactly think the lyrics on this are anything groundbreaking or extra introspective, especially after his previous albums, but Cube still weaves interesting stories and has a point to make on most of these tracks. But at the end of the day, can I really knock the album with It Was a Good Day? 8/10, a solid West Coast Hip-Hop album with some Ice Cube classics

An insane post-NWA album from Cube. Non-stop energy from start to finish.

Wow, he sure is angry, huh?

Outstanding. I thought Amerikkka's Most Wanted sounded a bit anachronistic; I said it sounded like a time capsule and I called it "almost quaint." Ain't nothin' quaint about this The Predator. This album hits HARD after nearly 34 years. Look, Hip Hop, by design, is always going to be a time capsule of the time and culture in which it was created. But the flow and the subject matter is every bit as relevant and cohesive as the day it was released.

Pretty good album from Ice Cube, though not as good as some of his earlier stuff for me. I feel like on this album in particular, he leans into his influences a lot more than usual. At times, it feels like the bombastic and ridiculousness of the Geto Boys fused with the political agency and anger of Public Enemy (purposefully, might I add, Ice Cube references both many times on this album, in his lyrics and samples). The first song, 'When Will They Shoot?', is maybe the most Public Enemy thing here, and many of the interview/TV broadcast snippets and interludes remind me a lot of Fear of a Black Planet. This opener 'When Will They Shoot?' is incredible, though, without a doubt, my favorite song on the album, with such a heavy and clunky beat that works incredibly with Ice Cube's very confrontational style. The 'Wicked' beat is also very clearly PE-inspired, but I do want to say that Ice Cube still manages to put his classic Ice Cube and West Coast twist on many of the songs here. 'Check Yo Self,' particularly, but also his more aggressive style of political commentary, is on full display on the last two (full) songs, 'Who Got The Camera?' and 'Say Hi To The Bad Guy', two great songs that I'm sure pissed off so many people back in the day. Ice Cube really has this IDGAF attitude on here, which is entertaining and sort of refreshing, all things considered. The non-political songs here are pretty good; the obvious highlight is the very West Coast-sounding standard 'It Was A Good Day', which is about as iconic as songs in this caliber get. Such a great song and beat. Pretty good stuff, again, not as iconic and well put together as his last few albums, but good enough and a solid pivot into the newer mid-90s hip hop sounds for the MC.

Lovin it

Great production. Lyrics haven’t aged well, but the beats are great. 3.85/5

I knew a few of the songs from this, but had never listened to the full album. Once again, it's got out-of-date themes, but there's no denying that Ice Cube goes HARD. It's kind of funny to think how the guy on this record ended up becoming a G-Rated family movie star.

One of his best works.

Not much to say here, good stuff !! 4.5

Really liked this!

first track is very mood setting of racial inequality with satire 2. fun beat but listen closely and lyrics are very deep and critical 3.another meaningful interlude with racial injustice and remixed? 4.very fun and hype i enjoy 5 much chiller but still fun 6. creepy intro for title track (makes sense) 7. classic song had no clue it was on this album 8. good not standout but good 9. interesting to hear perspective 10 vibey i like the production jazzy 11 fun as well i kinda feel the songs are blending together atp 12 chill and fun cool kid at end 13 pure vibes 14 storytelling 15 more real life intellect (album theme) 16 sad ending yet makes perfect sense for album (completes it)

Pretty great hip hop album

Ice Cube may have been the best rapper in NWA. This album was great from beginning to end but it's missing a certain je ne sais quoi to really push it into 5 star territory.

7/10

Nice

I think this is where ice ice baby comes from

4.2

A powerful and engaging message with a strong hip hop beat. I love Ice's voice here, even if the vocabulary isn't to my liking. Still, Ice tells it like it is. 4/5

Amazon's War of the Worlds star Ice Cube really shines here as "controversial figure in 1992." Not many albums can still be labelled 30 years down the road as the coolest shit to be listening to on your headphones, but here it is.

A surprisingly funky and complex early 90's rap album. Definitely liked this more than some of the other early gangster rap albums I have reviewed. I thought the backing tracks and beats played a huge role in how entertaining this album was. While the lyrics are still cringy and over aggressive at times, the melodic beats balanced the album out and made it feel less overtly angry.

I bought this the day it cane out. I was disappointed at the time because this album was not at the same level as Amerikkas Most Wanted, Kill at Will, or Death Certificate.. When i listened today at first I was surprised because the first 4 or 5 songs are so good and better than i remember. The remainder of the album made me remember why i was somewhat disappointed in 1992. They are good but there are lulls when compared to Ice Cube's earlier work . I want to rate this higher due to the lack of hip hop on this list but this is a 3.5/5 album.pery interpretation of the old Spurce.magazine ratings and I will bump up to a 4 here.

Great early 90s hip hop.

The hits still hold up, and the rest of the album is just as solid

I gotta say it was a good album

old school gangsta rap from one of the voices of NWA. this one’s a classic. highlights: “when will they shoot?” “it was a good day” “we had to tear this mothafucka up”

Ice Cube used to be so great before he sold out.

Some classics on here

Very good shit. 4*

Surprised at how much I enjoyed this. Great grooves. Powerful message. Would recommend.

Hard hitting boom bap beats and verse after verse deconstructing the violence of American racism, the routine violence it engenders the lives lived amidst that violence. The sound is definitive of its time, dated but iconic. The eviseration of racial liberalism and the dominant banal ideologies of white supremacy are remarkably, tragically, timeless 30+ years later.

it was a good day when Ice Cube appeared on the album club

Really like Ice Cube and a lot of material he's put out over the years. This was really good, but a few songs towards the end dropped off in quality a bit.

First time listening to an Ice Cube solo project and I was surprised how much I liked it! Similar to Public Enemy, Ice Cube blends incredibly groovy beats with very poignant lyrics. Might explore the rest of his catalog because of this album.

I really liked this. Ice Cube has a great voice, the beats are good. Some of the spoken tracks engage in thoughtful ways with the criticism that this kind of rap often receives, and this is the first album I've heard do that. Today Was a Good Day is excellent, and I found myself liking most of the tracks.

Lyrically, thematically, and sonically powerful. Would be a five but any amount of violent sexism is too much

Also really good, but I do think the slower beats are worse than the faster ones which there were loads of on the last Ice Cube album I got. Obviously some of the things he said haven't aged so well, but he's definitely quite progressive socially on here, which I think he has since revoked, which I guess is sort of disappointing. He's obviously also a great rapper, I think probably one of if not the best on the West coast in this era. He has a great skill of even if what he's saying isn't lyrically the most adventurous, it all flows together so well because of his emphasis and pronunciation and stuff. Also It was a good day will always be great, no matter how popular it is, the beat is just amazing and its a very interesting formula for a song narratively. Favourite songs: when will they shoot?, wicked, the predator, it was a good day, dirty Mack, don't trust 'em, gangsta's fairytale 2, check yo self, who got the camera?, say hi to the bad guy. Overall around 7/10

i was a good day!

7/10

Angry record, funny too. It Was a Good Day will always be one of the best songs ever.

J’ai été agréablement surprise : les premières notes de la première chanson laissaient entendre que je n’aimerai pas, et au final c’était vraiment sympa!

Highlights: When Will They Shoot?, Wicked, It Was A Good Day

"today was a good day" is his second greatest achievement (after using amazon prime to save the world)

Did not expect this to be the Cube album in this list (Death certificate and Amerikkka’s most wanted are more lauded) but I think it might be his best. His first two solo albums felt like Cube rapping over public enemy beats, but this album (and the subsequent lethal injection and west side connection album) slow things down a bit to match his cadence and, to n my opinion, Cube finally finds a sound of his own a decade into his career. Then in the late90s he becomes more of an actor and really neuters his music career. It’s kind of fascinating to listen to the star of the “Are we there yet?” franchise delivering some of the most violent and politically charged lyrics of 90s rap. You’d never guess that in 20 years he’d be way closer to Kevin Hart than Zack de la Rocha. It sure didn’t seem like an act, did the money just make him soft? Does he still have all kinds of political opinions that he just keeps to himself? I’d love to hear a long form interview where Gerald about how he got from the Cube we hear on the album in 96 to the CEO of the Big 3 league. Anyway, I forgot how great he was, this is close to a 5. PS - I’ll bet Mits FM loved the baseline on “Tear this mutha fucker up”

4.1 When will they shoot is a burner. I would think ice cube would be a top five rapper for me. Would that be a hot take? PS the bass sample for tear this mother fucka up is pretty cool and pulled from get down by gene Russell (have a listen to that song, it rips)

The first half is unbelievable, it’s hard hitting and exhausting and poignant. The second half is a lot less impactful and some of the tracks don’t say much, sort of rely on tropes that haven’t aged well.

I was underwhelmed by Fear Of A Black Planet yesterday, and I gotta admit, I’m not in the mood for another hour long early 90’s hip hop album, but I’ll try to give it an honest effort. And…same takeaway as Public Enemy. Definitely some good stuff, and my rating reflects that, but it just drags on way too long. I think it would be a much stronger record with 3 or 4 tracks cut out. 4/5 Highlights: When Will They Shoot? Now I Gotta Wet ‘Cha It Was A Good Day Check Yo Self Say Hi To The Bad Guy

Would buy

Great album

I've always liked Ice Cube's music. Though I haven't listened to him in a while. Shout out to Fire Marshall Bill. Also loved that he talks about his dick several times a song and then implores others to stop thinking with their dick, two sentences later another dick reference. Angry, proud, 90s rap. Several classics including It was a good day and ... Check yo self. It's a wonder that he went from this, and No Vaseline, to Are We There Yet? I guess we live in a round world and a Cubes gotta eat.

Listened to this a few years ago, gonna enjoy this rewind 6.8/10