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.
The Funeral
Ice Cube Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The death side, mirror damage of where we are today
The life side a vision of where we need to go
So sign your death certificate
Fuck all, y'all
Lisa got him
Come on brothers we gotta walk this way
Can't believe it man
The homeboy, hey, open that door
Open it, alright 'right
We've come together by God's demand
Whether it be for life or death
Well, this morning, it's over the mourning
Of one of our little brothers
This brother was a good brother
He didn't get into an excessive amount of trouble
But it's one thing, it's one thing, it's one thing
He was the wrong nigga to fuck with
The opening lines of Ice Cube’s “The Funeral” set the tone for the dark and somber subject matter of the song. The lyrics “Niggas are in a state of emergency / The death side, mirror damage of where we are today / The life side a vision of where we need to go / So sign your death certificate” speak of the dire situation that black people find themselves in. This is a state of emergency that has resulted in death and destruction for the black community. Ice Cube’s lyrics emphasize two sides of the same coin, death and life, and how they are intrinsically linked. The “death side” is a reflection of what the black community has been through up to this point, while the “life side” represents the hope for a better future.
The second half of the song is a spoken-word piece which depicts a funeral procession. The mourners, who are black men walking somberly, are described as being “together by God’s demand”. The solemnity of their group is intensified by the knowledge that they are attending the funeral of one of their own. A “little brother”, who was a “good brother” and who “didn’t get into an excessive amount of trouble”, has been killed. The mourners seem to be struggling to come to terms with this loss and this injustice. They feel that although their friend was not perfect, he did not deserve to die. The mourners are angry and they vow to seek revenge, emphasizing that their friend was “the wrong nigga to fuck with”.
Line by Line Meaning
Niggas are in a state of emergency
The Black community is facing a crisis.
The death side, mirror damage of where we are today
The bad part of our reality is reflecting what is happening to us.
The life side a vision of where we need to go
We should focus on the good part of our future and visualize where we want to be.
So sign your death certificate
Be prepared for the worst because things can get dangerous in this world.
Fuck all, y'all
I don't care about any of you.
Lisa got him
Someone has been taken care of by Lisa, who is known for handling business.
Alright, on three, one, two, three
Let's do this quickly and efficiently.
Come on brothers we gotta walk this way
Let's move in unison and stay together.
Can't believe it man
I'm in disbelief.
The homeboy, hey, open that door
We need to enter somewhere, and someone in our crew has the power to open it.
Open it, alright 'right
The door has been opened successfully.
We've come together by God's demand
We are here because God has willed it so.
Whether it be for life or death
We are gathered here for any purpose, even if it's for mourning.
Well, this morning, it's over the mourning
Today we are getting over our sadness.
Of one of our little brothers
Someone who was close to us has passed away.
This brother was a good brother
The person we lost was a good man.
He didn't get into an excessive amount of trouble
He didn't deserve what happened to him because he wasn't a bad person.
But it's one thing, it's one thing, it's one thing
However, there was one problem.
He was the wrong nigga to fuck with
The person who caused his death messed with the wrong person and is now facing consequences.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANTHONY D. WHEATON, O'SHEA JACKSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
justbeingsocial48
This album alone is the reason why he's one of the greatest!
John Walter
Still relevant in 2020! Stay Ready. The Revolution, might be televised 💪
I Hate Google
or instagrammed
scoldingwhisper
29 years old this album is damn
Alberto Donà
Best intro to an hip hop album ever
Ndea Monk
💯
sum az hole
💯
kwami shorter
That's tuff it was fire though, don't forget that Dynasty intro and the Carter intro
Andrew Flood
GREAT ALBUM !!!!
JoE KeRr
Thank You for uploading this album