ICE CUBE

Some time before Ice Cube became the fun time purveyor of family entertainment and star of the likes of 'Anaconda' and 'xXx2' ('x' to the power of 6, presumably) he was a raging rap maverick whose 1991 album Death Certificate, detailing his withering social and political critiques, soundtracked the incendiary riots that erupted in LA after the infamous Rodney King beating. Despite the momentary brilliance of his original band, N.W.A., Ice Cube proved to be a more formidable prospect on his own terms, backed by Sir Jinx and the Lench Mob and produced by the Boogie Men, and released arguably his most important and impressive artistic statement as follow-up to his 1990 debut AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted. He divided the album into two sides, 'death' and 'life', and from these two polar extremes first painted his stinging caustic portrayals of life in the ghetto before sketching out where his compatriots ought to go in order to rise above the self-destructive quick-sand level of existence they had created for themselves. In truth, bar the optimistic trio of "Color Blind", "Doing Dumb Shit" and "Us", there does not seem to be much of a schism in message and mood between the sides with the Cube primarily concerned with raging equally against both the authorities and his own peers throughout. Indeed, perhaps the most coherent conceptual link on the album is when he segues the lascivious ode to a teenage whore ("Givin' Up the Nappy Dug Out") into a vulgar dissection of the trials of venereal disease ("Look Who's Burnin'"). Despite the horrifically and explicitly misogynist overtones (with its classic opening 'your daughter was a nice girl, now she is a slut') "Givin' Up the Nappy Dug Out" has such a catchy chorus that one could spend all day at work humming 'I'm gonna do my thing with your daughter' without even realising. It is a rare diversion for Mr. Cube, though, as most of the material - and certainly the best stuff - relies on pure, undiluted rage. From the explosive opening statement of intent, "The Wrong Nigger to Fuck With", to the anti-authoritarian "I Wanna Kill Sam" ('cause he ain't my motherfuckin' uncle') and "A Bird in the Hand" ('...is worth more than a Bush'), the latter being equally applicable today, Cube is at his most arresting and powerful when he is rallying the crowds on his self-assembled soap-box. One of the angriest songs is not directed against the 'man', though, but concerns his ex-bandmates, still with their attitude but without their most talented member. His previous friendship with Dr. Dre and MC Ren sees Cube express little more than disappointment at their actions but his sheer contempt for the weaselly Ezy-E on "No Vaseline" produces a showcase of vitriolic baiting. The track is one of two famously controversial songs, though, as he allows anti-semitism to creep into the attack ('you let a Jew break up my crew') and his detractors were able to further highlight his apparent hypocrisy and latent racism with the 90 second spittle-stained "Black Korea" documenting the tension between Korean store-owners and their black customers with disturbing venom. It is, of course, rare for rap artists to preach moral consistency and although I would steer clear of condoning or adopting any of the messages delivered here (bar the character assassination of George Bush) it is hardly necessary in order to enjoy the compelling vitriolic assaults Cube conjures up against such a variety of targets, some deserving, others perhaps not. Indeed, arguably the most inexplicable aspect of his whole career was that an artist capable of such success should choose instead to spend his time grappling with a giant rubber snake. Now THAT is inconsistency.

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Email me at: jackfeeny@yahoo.co.uk