Ice Cube is one of the founding artists of gangsta rap, and much of his musical output has contained harsh socio-political commentary. He was ranked number 8 on MTV's list of the 10 Greatest MCs of All Time, while fellow rapper Snoop Dogg ranked Ice Cube as one of the greatest MC of all time. AllMusic has called him one of hip-hop's best and most controversial artists, as well as "one of rap's greatest storytellers". In 2012, The Source ranked him number 14 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time. In 2014, About.com ranked him number 11 on their list of the "50 Greatest MCs of All Time"
He released his solo debut album, "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted," in 1990 to critical and commercial success, although upon its release he was accused of racism and misogyny. He has since released 1991's "Death Certificate", 1992's "The Predator", 1993's "Lethal Injection", 1998's "War & Peace Vol 1 (The War Disc)", 2000's "War & Peace Vol 2 (The Peace Disc)", 2006's "Laugh Now, Cry Later", 2008's "Raw Footage", and 2010's "I Am the West."
Ice Cube was raised in South Central by his parents, both of whom were employed at UCLA. He began writing raps while attending George Washington Preparatory High School in Westmont, California, most notably "Boyz 'N Tha Hood", which later became famous when done by N.W.A in 1986. Cube finished his schooling at William Howard Taft Charter High School in Woodland Hills, a predominately white neighborhood in San Fernando Valley, some 40 miles from the high-crime neighborhood where his family stayed.
Cube and a friend, Sir Jinx, rapped as a partnership called C.I.A. at parties hosted by Dr. Dre. After a brief stint in a group called "HBO", Cube showed Eazy-E "Boyz 'N Da Hood," and the pair, plus Dr. Dre, DJ Yella, The Arabian Prince and MC Ren, formed N.W.A.
Cube took one year off to earn a degree in architectural drafting in Phoenix in 1987 but returned in time to participate in N.W.A's debut album, Straight Outta Compton. The album attracted much notoriety for the group, from the FBI and concerned citizen and parent groups. Cube did the lead verse for the album's infamous track "Fuck tha Police."
Ice Cube left N.W.A due to financial and personality conflicts in 1989. With Da Lench Mob and the Bomb Squad (Public Enemy's producers), Cube recorded his debut album in New York City. AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted was released in 1990 and was an instantaneous hit as rap's popularity increased in mainstream society.
His 1991 follow-up, Death Certificate, was even more controversial. A few songs in the album featured Cube's hate of Uncle Sam and his politics, and a bonus track named "No Vaseline" was a diss to his former N.W.A bandmates. Also that year, he converted to the Nation of Islam. The album was re-released in 2003 with the bonus track "How to Survive in South Central," originally from the 1991 "Boyz N the Hood" soundtrack.
Controversy stirred about racist lyrics in his material: "Black Korea" (a song against Korean shopowners), referring to a former boss as "white Jew" in "No Vaseline", and songs such as "Enemy and Cave Bitch" (songs against "devils", a popular derogatory term at the time for white people). Partially to help deflect criticisms, Cube appointed a female rapper named Yo-Yo (who guested on AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted) to the head of his own record label and helped produce her debut album, Make Way for the Motherlode.
That was followed by Cube's acting breakout as the grown-up version of Darrin "Doughboy" Baker in the 1991 coming of age crime drama "Boyz in the Hood." Writer and director John Singleton, another LA native, penned the role specifically Cube. Ice Cube was later named "Most Promising Actor" at the 4th Chicago Film Critics Association Awards in 1992, beating out his co-star Cuba Gooding Jr. and newcomer Brad Pitt from "Thelma and Louise."
Cube toured on Lollapalooza in 1992 and widened his fan base. He released The Predator in November (1992) which debuted at #1 on both the pop and rnb charts, the first album in history to do so. For that album, Cube decided to load some G-funk style beats which at that time was the big thing and some remix tunes which brought a new style to Cube, in which previously he had released some hardcore and extreme work. Singles from The Predator included "Today was a Good Day" and "Check Yo Self (remix)" which all had a 2 part music video.
After The Predator, Cube's audience began to diminish. Lethal Injection (1993) was not very well-liked by critics, and Dr. Dre and the West Coast G-Funk sound was dominating hip-hop. It wasn't until later that the album became popular. Taking a break from his own albums, Cube assisted on debuts from Da Lench Mob (Guerillas in the Mist) and Kam (Neva Again). He later dueted with Dr. Dre on "Natural Born Killaz."
Around this time in 1993, Ice Cube also worked with soon-to-be-acclaimed rapper Tupac Shakur with his album Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. and appeared on a track with 2pac.
In 1994 Ice Cube released Bootlegs & B-Sides.
During this time, hip-hop started making a transition from the West Coast Funk Hip-Hop to a more gritty East Coast hip-hop. With Mack 10 and WC, Cube formed the Westside Connection in 1996, releasing their debut album Bow Down later that year. This album was in due to Ice Cube's theory that the East Coast lacked respect for West Coast hip-hop. Songs like "Bow Down", and "Gangstas Make The World Go 'Round" make reference to this. Sales were brisk, but it did not establish a large audience. This album was later perceived as a classic, especially on the West Coast. Cube released several more solo albums; however, he is now known more for his movies than his music.
In 1998 Ice Cube released War & Peace Vol 1: The War Disc
In 2000 Ice Cube released War & Peace Vol 2: The Peace Disc
In 2003 Ice Cube along with W.C. & Mack 10 released Terrorist Threats as the West Side Connection.
In December 2004, after a long break from recording, he reached #2 in the UK singles chart with the club favourite, "You Can Do It" (featuring Mack 10 and Ms Toi), released as a single 5 years after it was first included on movie soundtracks such as
Ice Cube was influenced by and took his name from African American pimp-turned-author Iceberg Slim, who published his autobiography Pimp in 1969. At one point, Ice Cube was scheduled to play the lead role in a movie adaptation of Pimp, but the project appears to be halted.
Cube's oldest son, O'Shea Jackson Jr., made his feature film debut in the 2015 N.W.A biopic "Straight Outta Compton," portraying his father.
Robin Lench
Ice Cube Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And welcome to the "lifestyles of the poor and unfortunate"!
Where you and your broad can win eight days and nine dangerous nights at
'The come on in hotel', overviewing the watch tower (oww!)
And for your transportation pleasures, you get to ride on what?
The "R.T.D.": the "rough, tough and dangerous"
Where, we provide you and your bitch round trip transfer
Straight down range (ayo, nigga! Get outta the car, nigga!)
Hello, o.G. Mcbone! Say: "hi!" (nigga, fuck you muthafucka! Get outta here, punk!)
And for your gambling cravings
You can lose that trick-bitch that's with ya almost
Well basically anywhere! (I give you $20 for your bitch!)
And for your nightlife entertainment, you get to visit
Our very own strawberry showgirls! Located where? On figueroa!
'Ey, 'ey, bitch! 'Ey, how much for "head"?
Hahahahahah! Ow ahahh!
Ow! Until next time!
40 ounce dreams and watermelon wishes!
I'm robin lench, peace!
5000 g!
In Ice Cube's song "Robin Lench," Robin Lench welcomes the listeners to "Lifestyles of the poor and unfortunate," where he introduces the come-on-in hotel overlooking a watchtower. He talks about providing the listeners with the "Rough, tough, and dangerous" (RTD) bus service for their transportation requirements. Robin Lench seems to be providing the listeners with an opportunity to meet O.G. Mcbone, a fierce and unsociable gangster whom he calls out with a confrontational attitude.
Robin Lench presents the listeners with what would excite any person who has a deep desire for gambling. He mentions that one could lose their partner on their trip and offers a $20 deal to take the listener's woman. He also suggests visiting the Strawberry Showgirls, which is located on Figueroa Street in Los Angeles, where one can enjoy their nightlife.
The lyrics of "Robin Lench" are entertaining, but it depicts the harsh realities of life for the underprivileged living in Los Angeles. The song's lyrics are full of references to gang culture, violence, gambling, and prostitution, which reflects the corrupt and dangerous living conditions in the region. This song provides insight into Ice Cube's early works, which tackled the oppression and social injustices of those living in marginalized communities.
Line by Line Meaning
Good evening ladies and gentlemen, I'm robin lench!
Greetings everyone, I am Robin Lench and I welcome you all
And welcome to the "lifestyles of the poor and unfortunate"!
We showcase how life is for those who suffer from poverty and misfortune
Where you and your broad can win eight days and nine dangerous nights at 'The come on in hotel', overviewing the watch tower (oww!)
You and your partner could win a stay at 'The Come On In Hotel' with a view of the watch tower, though the place might not be very safe
And for your transportation pleasures, you get to ride on what? The "R.T.D.": the "rough, tough and dangerous"
For your travel needs, we offer a ride on the R.T.D which stands for Rough, Tough and Dangerous
Where, we provide you and your bitch round trip transfer, straight down range (ayo, nigga! Get outta the car, nigga!)
We offer roundtrip transfer services for you and your partner, but things can get rowdy along the way as we may have to ask someone to leave the car
Where you can meet, who? O.g. Mcbone! (Who the fuck are?) Hello, o.G. Mcbone! Say: "hi!" (nigga, fuck you muthafucka! Get outta here, punk!)
During your travel, you might come across someone named OG McBones who might not welcome you very warmly
And for your gambling cravings, you can lose that trick-bitch that's with ya almost well basically anywhere! (I give you $20 for your bitch!)
If you want to gamble, you can get rid of the person accompanying you, we could even buy them from you for a price
And for your nightlife entertainment, you get to visit our very own strawberry showgirls! Located where? On figueroa! 'Ey, 'ey, bitch! 'Ey, how much for "head"? Hahahahahah! Ow ahahh! Ow!
If you want to have a good time at night, we have a strip club called Strawberry Showgirls on Figueroa street, where you can even ask someone for sexual favors
Until next time!
That's it for now, see you next time
40 ounce dreams and watermelon wishes!
May all your hopes and aspirations come true
I'm robin lench, peace!
This is Robin Lench signing off, peace out!
5000 g!
Not sure what this means, could not relate to the song
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANTHONY D. WHEATON, MARK S. JORDAN, O'SHEA JACKSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
GTA GAMEPLAY VIDZ
Great album. I could never get sick of this. Too bad Cube doesn't rap like this anymore.
HydrogenMist
Whys that?
Ludwig the Holy Blade
@HydrogenMist dude hella rich and doesn’t live in the ghetto anymore plus things have drastically changed since the 90s where is he gonna get the inspiration to make those sweet west coast albums again
Mensch
@Ludwig the Holy Blade exactly
Rev. Jimmy Wonko
From the first time I heard this back in '91, I have tried to get anyone to call me O.G. Mudbone. 29 years later, I haven't given up or succeeded.
Jeb Adame
You have to start calling people O.G. Mudbone first and they will then call you that when they see you.
anthonyallender
My uncle has called me mudbone since the 70s bc of a Richard Pryor character. 😂
Ramon Andrade
this would be a fire ass vine video or something! fire!
Trevor Ohare
King cube
PopeBoyy
Eight days and Nine dangerous nights at the “Come on in Motel”.