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.
Turn Off The Radio
Ice Cube Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What you're missing
Personally I'm sick of the ass kissing
What I'm kicking to you won't get rotation
Nowhere in the nation
Program directors and DJ's ignored me
Cause I simply said fuck Top Forty
And top thirty top twenty and top ten
Then I might grin but don't pretend that you're down with the see
And go and dis me in a magazine
How could you figure the brother could dig ya
DJ face down in the river
No it's not a threat but a promise
I'm as
Crazy as they come see
Mama didn't love me
All I got is my nine
And to calm the savage beast here's the Alpine
Turn off that bullshit!
Turn off that motherfucking radio!
Turn off that bullshit!
Turn off that motherfucking radio!
Turn off that bullshit!
Play the music motherfucker put the music on
Damn!
Tune in to the radio listen for a minute
Yo G stick a fucking tape in it
Cause all the radio do is gangle
That R and B love triangle
If you're out there kicking it with the brothers
You don't care about lovers
You want to hear a young nigga on the mic
Going buck wild
Throwing and flowing and showing new styles
That's where I'm coming from
Reality that's what they're running from
So if you're down with Ice Cube let me know that you know
Yo turn off the radio
You know what? You know what?
Basically those black guys and those rap guys
They don't know what the fuck they're doing
I hate those fuckers
I hate em
Especially that one guy
The AmeriKKKa's most wanted
Ice Cube, I hate that fucker
Get him off the air, get him off, get him off
Get that rap shit out of here!
Just get me a gat so I can smoke this motherfucker!
In Ice Cube's "Turn Off The Radio", the rapper expresses his frustration towards mainstream radio stations that primarily catered to top 40 pop music, ignoring and disregarding hip-hop artists time and again. He expresses his disappointment with DJs and program directors who refused to put hip hop in rotation, threatening them with his lyrics that promised to harm them. The lyrics state how he despises ass-kissing and the idea of conforming to the norms just to get his songs played on the radio, which he sees as a betrayal of authenticity. It speaks of his desire to hear young black rappers going buck wild with their lyrics and flows, delivering reality that radio stations are running away from.
The song is a reflection of Ice Cube's disillusionment with the music industry and the media outlets controlled by large corporations that appealed to mainstream tastes. The 90s era played a crucial role in shaping the hip-hop genre, and Ice Cube's song reflected the changes that the genre was experiencing. The rebellious and confrontational lyrics were protests against the commercialization and commodification of hip-hop, which he saw as a threat to its authenticity.
Line by Line Meaning
Turn on the radio take a listen
Listen to the radio and try to hear something worthwhile.
What you're missing
The radio is not playing anything worth listening to.
Personally I'm sick of the ass kissing
I am fed up with the radio station only playing what they are told to play.
What I'm kicking to you won't get rotation
The music I am making and sharing is not being played on the radio.
Nowhere in the nation
My music is not being played across the country.
Program directors and DJ's ignored me
The people in charge of deciding what gets played on air have chosen not to play my music.
Cause I simply said fuck Top Forty
I am against the mainstream way of thinking and expressing disagreement with it.
And top thirty top twenty and top ten
I have issues with all the genres that the radio stations categorize things.
Until you put more hip hop in
Only when the radio stations play more hip hop, will I be happy.
Then I might grin but don't pretend that you're down with the see
Do not act like you are in agreement with the culture.
And go and dis me in a magazine
Do not criticize me in a magazine.
How could you figure the brother could dig ya
I do not see how I could like or appreciate your work.
DJ face down in the river
It is not a threat but a warning that my work is not to be messed with.
No it's not a threat but a promise
I am determined to make sure my music is known and appreciated.
I'm as Crazy as they come see Mama didn't love me All I got is my nine And to calm the savage beast here's the Alpine
I am an unconventional musician and my music reflects it. All I need is my gun, and the Alpine radio for my sanity.
Turn off that bullshit!
Switch off the radio station that plays only crap.
Turn off that motherfucking radio!
Stop listening to the radio station immediately.
Play the music motherfucker put the music on
Play the music that I want to hear, now!
Tune in to the radio listen for a minute
Listen to the radio station for a moment.
Yo G stick a fucking tape in it
Record whatever is playing on the radio because all the station plays is nonsense.
Cause all the radio do is gangle
All the radio station does is cater to the romantic love songs.
That R and B love triangle
Radio stations only play romantic R&B love songs.
If you're out there kicking it with the brothers
If you are out in the streets with the boys.
You don't care about lovers
You do not care about romantic love songs.
You want to hear a young nigga on the mic
You want to hear someone who is young and new to rap perform.
Going buck wild Throwing and flowing and showing new styles
Performing with energy and creativity that is beyond the norm.
That's where I'm coming from
This is my style of music and that is where I am from.
Reality that's what they're running from
The truth is, people avoid my music because it touches upon the dark reality of life.
So if you're down with Ice Cube let me know that you know
Let me know if you resonate with my music and my views.
You know what? You know what?
Do you know what I mean?
Basically those black guys and those rap guys
People who criticize and hate, both rappers and African Americans.
They don't know what the fuck they're doing
They have no idea what they are talking about.
I hate those fuckers
I strongly despise those people.
Especially that one guy The AmeriKKKa's most wanted Ice Cube, I hate that fucker
Especially Ice Cube, who is the most hated and wanted rapper.
Get him off the air, get him off, get him off Get that rap shit out of here!
Remove him from the airwaves, and stop playing rap music.
Just get me a gat so I can smoke this motherfucker!
Get me a gun so I can end Ice Cube's music career, one way or another.
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group, REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ERIC SADLER, O'SHEA JACKSON, CARLTON PKA CHUCK D RIDENOUR, PAUL SHABAZZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Banks
Turn on the radio take a listenย
What you're missingย
Personally I'm sick of the ass kissingย
What I'm kicking to you won't get rotationย
Nowhere in the nationย
Program directors and DJ's ignored meย
Cause I simply said fuck Top Fortyย
And top thirty top twenty and top tenย
Until you put more hip hop inย
Then I might grin but don't pretend that you're down with the seeย
And go and dis me in a magazineย
How could you figure the brother could dig yaย
DJ face down in the riverย
No it's not a threat but a promiseย
I'm asย
Crazy as they come seeย
Mama didn't love meย
All I got is my nineย
And to calm the savage beast here's the Alpine
Turn off that bullshit!ย
Turn off that motherfucking radio!ย
Turn off that bullshit!ย
Turn off that motherfucking radio!ย
Turn off that bullshit!ย
Play the music motherfucker put the music onย
Damn!
Tune in to the radio listen for a minuteย
Yo G stick a fucking tape in itย
Cause all the radio do is gangleย
That R and B love triangleย
If you're out there kicking it with the brothersย
You don't care about loversย
You want to hear a young nigga on the micย
Going buck wildย
Throwing and flowing and showing new stylesย
That's where I'm coming fromย
Reality that's what they're running fromย
So if you're down with Ice Cube let me know that you knowย
Yo turn off the radio
You know what? You know what?ย
Basically those black guys and those rap guysย
They don't know what the fuck they're doingย
I hate those fuckersย
I hate emย
Especially that one guyย
The AmeriKKKa's most wantedย
Ice Cube, I hate that fuckerย
Get him off the air, get him off, get him offย
Get that rap shit out of here!
Just get me a gat so I can smoke this motherfucker!
Your_Alfaaz
A message to the Oreo cookie:
No matter how much you wanna switch
Here's what they think about you
[Sample]
โYou gold teeth, gold chain wearing, fried chicken and biscuit eating monkey, ape, baboon, big thigh, fast running, high jumping, spear chucking, three-hundred-and-sixty-degree basketball dunking, titsun, spade, Moulan Yan. Go the fuck back to Africa. Go the fuck back to Africa. Go the fuck back to Africa.โ
[Interlude]
Think about it, fuckin' sellout
Here we go on station 103.787 and we're listening toโฆ
We won't be listening to, uh...
Ice Cube, AmeriKKKaโs Most Wanted
Because thatโs bullshit get that shit outta here
Straight R&B, straight R&B, straight R&B
Where the motherfucking plug at? I'm about to disconnect his ass
Turn off that motherfucking radio
[Verse 1]
Turn on the radio take a listen
What you're missing
Personally I'm sick of the ass-kissing
What I'm kicking to you won't get rotation
Nowhere in the nation
Program directors and DJ's ignored me
Cause I simply said fuck Top Forty
And top thirty top twenty and top ten
Until you put more hip-hop in
Then I might grin but don't pretend that you're down with the scene
And go and diss me in a magazine
How could you figure the brother could dig ya
DJ face down in the river
No it's not a threat but a promise
I'm as
Crazy as they come see
Mama didn't love me
All I got is my nine
And to calm the savage beast here's the Alpine
[Interlude]
Turn off that bullshit!
Turn off that motherfucking radio!
Turn off that bullshit!
Turn off that motherfucking radio!
Turn off that bullshit!
Play the music motherfucker put the music on
Damn!
[Verse 2]
Tune in to the radio listen for a minute
Yo G stick a fucking tape in it
Cause all the radio do is gangle
That R&B love triangle
If you're out there kicking it with the brothers
You don't care about lovers
You wanna hear a young nigga on the mic
Going buck wild
Throwing and flowing and showing new styles
That's where I'm coming from
Reality that's what they're running from
So if you're down with Ice Cube let me know that you know
Yo turn off the radio
[Interlude]
You know what? You know what?
Basically those black guys and those rap guys
They don't know what the fuck they're doing
I hate those fuckers
I hate em
Especially that one guy
The AmeriKKKa's most wanted
Ice Cube--I hate that fucker
Get him off the air, get him off, get him off
Get that rap shit out of here!
Just get me a gat so I can smoke this motherfucker!
[Outro]
Hello?
Hi, this is D.E.L
Hey, I'm calling from 3838 Twin Oaks Way
Yeah, I just wanted to call to say fuck the radio!
Abraham Palmer
This song right here is so much more relevant than ever before
Vinyl Athletes
I wish there was an instrumental version for the whole album so we can fully appreciate the Bomb Squadโs genius
Kan Edgy
Those are so easy to find
Kevin Scott
Vinyl Athletes
Preach
Kenn K
Ice Cube and the Bomb Squad... Forever the hardest. Match made in heaven, man.
Takeshi
Considering this album was a success without any radio play or commercials, this song makes even more sense.
L Dove
He is so underratedโฆโฆ classic
Deleting Youtube
How is he underrated? Everybody know this man
Michael Classic
Best Album Ever
kevin heatcoat
@Trajoan Mayberry 2020 Hold My Corona.