Ice Cube — The Predator

Ice Cube's third album comes out half a year after the riots in Los Angeles, sparked by the videotape of Rodney King's beating. Audiences and critics alike expect another political effort from the guy who is the most ruthless spitter, but Cube has already poured his anger, talent and passion into his two previous records.

Two classic records. Comes short to his third solo album in three years, not so much that you think his album is a flop or an average release, it's still one of the best rap records of the year, but it's far from the previous ones: he's almost forced to keep political themes and songs dedicated to racial tensions in addition to the gangsta tracks that are most popular at the times, he also inserts several pro-black cuts and against police brutality, nevertheless, his lyricism is slightly inferior to the past and his pen slips on the misogyny and doesn't seem particularly inspired.

The veteran MC partly compensates with good energy in the tone of delivery, the execution of which isn't adequately supported by the production: Lench Mob beatmaker Sir Jinx and producers DJ Pooh & Bobcat (both Boogiemen) had done a beautiful job with the previous album, the three are joined by DJ Muggs of Cypress Hill and by Ice Cube himself, who puts himself behind the keyboards in first person to build a soundscape that is modern and dark, in order to maintain the mood that reigns in the streets, and that it's not too different from previous albums.

The chosen sound is funky, darker, sometimes hard as before, but more frequently light and smooth and lounge, not far from mobb music. Personally, I don't mind, but this rhythm pattern has a much lower quality than previous longplays and this partially frays the fluidity of the project and the smoothness of the performer's bars, again flawless at rapping: practically, no one excels in musical choices, Cube ("Wicked", helped by Torcha Chamba), DJ Muggs ("Now I Gotta Wet 'Cha"), DJ Pooh & Bobcat (both in "When Will They Shoot?"), they miss at least one rhythm each — almost funny that of Mr. Woody, affiliate of DJ Pooh, who produces "Dirty Mack": the rhythm is average, good for any other album, but here it don't lives up to the rest — and it pretty much doesn't matter, because at the end of the game the overall sound may not be the most cohesive of the year, but it's quite pleasant and does its job, entertaining. Energetic, solid, brilliant album. First in the USA, double platinum, it's Cube's most commercial success and one of the best hip-hop records of the year. But not a classic.

Much, basically everything, was said about "It Was a Good Day", Ice Cube's first and only single ranked first among Billboard rap songs. Like much of my early hip-hop background, West Coast in particular, I get there from Radio Los Santos. It's a highlight of that radio, it's the song everyone wants to hear most often while they do drive-by to the Ballas or while police helicopters attempt to take them down near Groove Street. It's a great classic, obscure this entire album, over time it also becomes Ice Cube's signature song, because it's a perfect cut: he describes his ideal day over a vintage rhythm created by DJ Pooh.

Light, crisp and relaxing jazzy boom bap, with melancholic vibes and fresh Isley Brothers sample ("Footsteps in the Park") featuring light, slow and regular drum and a funky guitar riff; Ice Cube lets the rhythm breathe, intelligently, for about twenty seconds: the rapper's attack coincides temporally with that of the Isley Brothers if you counts starting when in "Footsteps in the Park" the guitar joins the drum to form the rhythm, nothing is left to the case. Three simple verses follow, executed with a deeply smoothness flow, accompanied by a guitar that seems almost casual and instead keeps you constantly a little tense.

The track doesn't needs neither hooks nor bridges, because the beat chosen by DJ Pooh is perfect (props to him), Cube slips several references — including one of the first to "Scarface", a movie then abused by artists from the other coast in the following years — and closes the song letting the rhythm breathe again for the outro, before waking everyone up from this utopian dream in South Central LA.

Other highlights: "When Will They Shoot?", "The Predator", "It Was a Good Day remix" (in the bonus disk), "Check Yo Self remix" (in the bonus disk; the original one is produced by Ice Cube & DJ Muggs and is just good, instead the remix is realized by DJ Pooh, and is dope, almost at the high of the best track).

Rating: 8/10.