Fresh off an acrimonious split with his prior group N.W.A. and riding the wave of massive superstardom that came along with their 1988 album Straight Outta Compton, Ice Cube hit the studio to record his debut solo album. What he delivered in the face of those expectations is largely considered a hip-hop classic.
It’s pretty clear from the jump that Ice Cube was the glue that held N.W.A. together– his impressive rhyming structure and cocksure delivery make every bar compelling, and the aggressiveness with which he unleashes every single line is enthralling. This is gangsta rap in its purest distilled form, and an elevated one at that– sure Cube has a penchant for over-the-top narratives, and the extreme focus on drug addiction, street violence, racism and poverty can be mentally exhausting– but those things never feel cheap or gimmicky. They are presented as the unvarnished truth according to Cube, a social documentary of what life looks like from his eyes as a young 22-year old growing up in Los Angeles. And considering that he would predict the 1992 Rodney King riots two years prior to them ever occurring on the track “Endangered Species (Tales from the Darkside)”, it’s clear that he was able to capture the sentiments of the people in his neighborhood right from the jump.
Standout Songs: “Once Upon A Time In The Projects”, “You Can’t Fade Me”, “Endangered Species (Tales from the Darkside)”, “The N***a Ya Love To Hate”
