3.5/5
The Iceman
As cold as ice. After last week's crowded catalogue of album releases (Mary J. Blige, Gwen Stefani, St. Vincent, Jon Batiste, Linkin Park, Jin of BTS and Dolly Parton and Family), rapper slash actor, Ice Cube probably thought he got away Scott free like a production company for Denzel Washington's takeover of 'Gladiator II'. The N.W.A., Westside Connection and Mount Westmore member delivering his first solo set since 2018's 'Everythang's Corrupt'. That was until the man who declared 'I Am The West' like not one, not two, but three Kobe Bryant statues outside of STAPLES (always) had a surprise 'Peek-A-Boo' album from the "big ME" of Kendrick Lamar ('GNX') to deal with. 'Man Down' indeed.
Icing the competition down, Cube has 'Not Like Them' to deal with all of that and address us, thankfully. And 19 hard tracks for an album from 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted' with a controversial cover that is really showing the American apathy to gang violence, like 'Boyz N The Hood', and the causalities of that warfare. This "proud black man" ain't playing as he "speaks his truth" on tracks like 'So Sensitive', without a tub of Vaseline in sight (he's never been down with Diddy bopping at white parties), whether you like it or not. The man who changed another game with the BIG3 league know it's big he on the ice-cold single 'It's My Ego', before bringing the 'Ego Maniacs' back in a classic closer with Killer Mike and fellow form discovering legend of late, Busta Rhymes. Running all sorts of jewels for those who make actual album cases like CDs were back in fashion, with mixtape tracklists and runtimes.
Bow down to a man who has rapped with everyone from Eazy-E to Shaquille O'Neal. Here he brings a roster of co-stars to a bigger block party than LA's AD. Mostly on the cool cut 'She's Sanctified' featuring the Westmore of Snoop Dogg, Too $hort and October London mounting up, as Cube gives props to regulators Warren G and the late, great Nate Dogg. Tha Dogg Pound's Kurupt barks and bites on the formidable 'Fighting For My Life In Paradise', whilst B-Real of Cypress Hill blazes through 'Let's Get Money Together'. J-Dee spits 'Facts' and IshaDon, K-Major and even comedian Mike Epps get down, truth be told, on 'No Cap' for this New Music FRIDAY after next. Yet it's the pimping of a long awaited collaboration with Xzibit, 'Break The Mirror', that really rides this 'Rollin' At Twilight', 'Take Me To Your Leader', coast-to-best coast album. No seven years of bad luck to itch for.
Cubevision can see that O'Shea Jackson Sr. has the game on ice again. A 'Scary Movie' like the Wayans brothers announcement. A gambit leaving all those on deck more afraid than the time Channing Tatum's character in '22 Jump Street' reacted to Jonah Hill dating his daughter. You know how long we've been waiting for this? Even the Mexican Wolverine couldn't claw away at this, Jeff. This '5150' and 'Ghetto Story' for the boys, as classic as the time he said nice things angrily on Kimmel. Give him his damn brisk! Because counting his finger on '3 Lil Piggies', he blows the houses down of all those he takes to market with lines like, "These three little piggies say I ain't good as Biggie/These motherf####n' n###ies say my pen game is iffy/This ain't just yellin', n###a, this is storytellin'/Are there any seeds up in that watermelon?/Just because the melanin, never sold the heroin/Still got the avalanche flow that will bury them." Mountains of it. Blazing as 'I'mma Burn Rubber' on a ride to the tippy top. Everyone can get it, 'Especially You', as 'Talking 'Bout These Rappers' like, "Talkin' 'bout them clappers on the internet (Internet)/Google up these n#ts, b####, I been a vet (Been a vet)/I don't give a f### what's on the internet (Internet)." Don't scroll or stroll past this. This man is still up. TIM DAVID HARVEY.
Playlist Picks: 'Not Like Them', 'Scary Movie', 'Ego Maniacs (Feat. Killer Mike & Busta Rhymes)'.
Spin This: Ice Cube - 'I Am The West'
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