AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted

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AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted
Studio album by Ice Cube

Publication
(s)

1990

Label (s) Priority Records

Format (s)

CD , MC , LP , digital

Genre (s)

Hip hop

Title (number)

16

running time

49:19

production

The Bomb Squad , Sir Jinx , Ice Cube

Studio (s)

chronology
- AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted Death Certificate
(1991)
Single releases
1990 Who's the Mack?
April 17, 1990 AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted
1990 Endangered Species

AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted is the first solo album by Ice Cube . It was released in 1990 under the label Priority Records and belongs to the hip-hop genre. It was particularly successful in the United States , where it received a platinum record . Because of the connection between East Coast and West Coast hip-hop , as well as the strong socio-political orientation, it is an important contribution within the genre.

History of origin

Ice Cube started rapping as a teenager . He made his first steps as a musician together with the producer Sir Jinx in the group CIA before he finally became part of NWA . He had his breakthrough as the main writer, but separated from the group after the first major successes when there were disputes with the manager Jerry Heller over payment.

Still, Ice Cube wanted to make his solo debut from NWA member Dr. Have Dre produced, who also agreed to it. However, this failed because of Jerry Heller's veto. As a result, Ice Cube flew to New York City with Sir Jinx in early 1990 to meet and work with Sam Sever, the producer of 3rd Bass . However, this one moved Ice Cube. Then, by chance, Ice Cube met Public Enemy's Chuck D , who took him to Greene Street Studios, where the song Burn Hollywood Burn was being recorded for Public Enemy's album Fear of a Black Planet . Ice Cube was eventually featured on the title and thus met the producer of Public Enemy, The Bomb Squad , who agreed to produce his album.

The title track AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted was recorded as the first song . The idea behind the naming was, on the one hand, an allusion to the television program America's Most Wanted and, on the other hand, a criticism of the United States of America, which at the time the album was recorded was shaped by the Reaganomics , an economic policy that the Ice Cube considered disadvantageous for young African-Americans felt. He established a connection between the part of the country name "America" ​​and the KKK abbreviated, racist secret society Ku Klux Klan .

The entire work was completed within two months, as Ice Cube already had most of the texts with it - some of them were originally intended for NWA or Eazy-E . This is especially true of the songs produced by the Bomb Squad. For those, the music was composed according to the lyrics. For the pieces produced by Sir Jinx, the procedure was reversed. Here the texts were written for the existing music.

Music genre

Since Ice Cube is from Los Angeles , his music is commonly assigned to west coast hip hop . Typical for this subgenre are a boastful mood and references to funk . AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted combined this style with the sound of East Coast Hip-Hop , which is characterized by numerous samples and rich bass , through the production of the Bomb Squad .

The core content of the album is Ice Cube's socio-political views. Above all, the life as a young, male African American in the big cities of the USA is portrayed, which is portrayed as being shaped by police violence, a lack of prospects and racism. Ice Cube relies on a vivid, frightening and personal narrative style. An example of this is the title song, which describes how a criminal can carry out his deeds unhindered for a long time until he extends his radius of action to the predominantly white suburbs, where he is immediately arrested.

Another subject that has been dealt with several times is the relationship between men and women. These were often portrayed out of a misogynist attitude, as on the songs I'm Only Out For One Thang and You Can't Fade Me . The last-mentioned piece in particular caused a stir because of its text, since it describes the idea of ​​kicking a pregnant woman in the stomach in order to avoid any later maintenance payments . In contrast, It's a Man's World , on which Ice Cube and the rapper Yo Yo exaggerate the merits of their respective genders and thus give the content a self-deprecating undertone.

To make the album even more pictorial, several skits were added. This can already be seen in the intro Better Off Dead . Here Ice Cube is executed on an electric chair in the style of a radio play .

Track list

  1. Better Off Dead - 1:00
    • Voices from Ice Cube and Brian Holt
    • Produced by Ice Cube, Sir Jinx and E. Sadler
  2. The Nigga Ya Love to Hate - 4:01
    • Music by E. Sadler and Ice Cube
    • Voice of Ice Cube
    • Background voices from Dan Wood, Epitome of Scratch, Krissta and Keith Shocklee
    • Bass and rock guitar : Al “Purple” Hayes
    • Produced by The Bomb Squad
    • Co-produced by Ice Cube and Sir Jinx
  3. AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted - 4:08
    • Music by E. Sadler, Keith Shocklee and Ice Cube
    • Voice of Ice Cube
    • Background voices from Sir Jinx, J. Dee, Dan Wood and Ricky Harris
    • Produced by The Bomb Squad
    • Co-produced by Ice Cube and Sir Jinx
  4. What They Hittin 'Foe? - 1:30
  5. You Can't Fade Me - 4:47 / JD's Gaffilin ' - 0:28
    • Music by E. Sadler and Ice Cube
    • Voice of Ice Cube
    • Bass by Al “Purple” Hayes
    • Produced by The Bomb Squad
    • Co-produced by Ice Cube and Sir Jinx
  6. Once Upon a Time in the Projects - 3:40
    • Music by Sir Jinx
    • Voice of Ice Cube
    • Background voices from Shannon and Jackie Farmer
    • Rock guitar by Al “Purple” Hayes
    • Produced by Sir Jinx
    • Co-produced by The Bomb Squad
  7. Turn Off the Radio - 2:37
    • Music by Paul Shabazz, Chuck D. and E. Sadler
    • Voice of Ice Cube
    • Background voices from Ricky Harris, DEL , T-Bone and The Lench Mob
    • Produced by The Bomb Squad
    • Co-produced by Ice Cube and Sir Jinx
  8. Endangered Species (Tales From the Darkside) ( feat.Chuck D ) - 3:24
    • Music by E. Sadler
    • Voices from Ice Cube and Chuck D
    • Background voices from The Lench Mob and The Bomb Squad
    • Produced by The Bomb Squad
    • Co-produced by Ice Cube and Sir Jinx
  9. A Gangsta's Fairytale - 3:28
    • Music by E. Sadler
    • Voice of Ice Cube
    • Background voices from Dan Wood, Son of Bazerk , Lil Les and Krissta
    • Piano by Tim “Timteo” Rollins
    • Produced by Ice Cube, Sir Jinx and E. Sadler
    • Co-produced by The Bomb Squad
  10. I'm Only Out For One Thang (feat. Flavor Flav ) - 2:13
    • Music by Stevie Wonder and Sir Jinx
    • Voices from Ice Cube and Flavor Flav
    • Produced by Sir Jinx and Ice Cube
    • Co-produced by The Bomb Squad
  11. Get Off My Dick and Tell Yo Bitch to Come Here - 0:55
    • Music by E. Sadler
    • Voice of Ice Cube
    • Produced by The Bomb Squad
    • Co-produced by Ice Cube and Sir Jinx
  12. The Drive-By - 0:56
    • Voices from Sir Jinx and Keith Shocklee
    • Produced by Sir Jinx
  13. Rollin 'Wit the Lench Mob - 3:48
    • Music by E. Sadler
    • Voice of Ice Cube
    • Background voices from J. Dee, T-Bone and Sir Jinx
    • Rock guitar by Al “Purple” Hayes
    • Produced by The Bomb Squad
    • Co-produced by Ice Cube and Sir Jinx
  14. Who's the Mack? - 4:31
    • Music from The JB's
    • Voice of Ice Cube
    • Background voice from Son of Bazerk
    • Vincent Henry saxophone and flute
    • Piano by Tim “Timteo” Rollins
    • Produced by Sir Jinx and The Bomb Squad
  15. It's a Man's World ( feat.Yo Yo ) - 4:46
    • Music by Sir Jinx
    • Voices from Ice Cube and Yo Yo
    • Produced by Sir Jinx and Ice Cube
  16. The Bomb - 3:24
    • Music by Sir Jinx
    • Voice of Ice Cube
    • Background voices from J. Dee, T-Bone and Ricky Harris
    • Produced by Sir Jinx
    • Co-produced by The Bomb Squad

Publications and chart successes

Chart positions
Explanation of the data
Albums
AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted
  US 19th 06/02/1990 (27 weeks)
  UK 48 07/28/1990 (5 weeks)
Singles
AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted
  UK 76 08/25/1990 (2 weeks)

AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted was particularly successful in the USA. The album only debuted there at number 110 on the Billboard 200 , but continued to rise in the following weeks and finally reached the top position 19.

Overall, the long player was able to stay on this list for about half a year, which led to sales of over a million units and thus to a platinum record by the RIAA .

In Europe , the work did not achieve the same commercial importance, where it achieved the most important placement in the British charts with position 48.

The first single was the song Who's the Mack? decoupled. However, it was only a promo version , so that the piece could not position itself in any hit parade.

Then the title track AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted was released as a single. In the UK , this song peaked at number 76 but only stayed on the charts for two weeks. In the USA it could not get into the Billboard Hot 100 , but was a success in the genre-specific hit parade "Hot Rap Songs", where it was led to position 1.

The third and final single was the title Endangered Species , which, however, was no longer listed in any relevant charts.

In the years after its first release on May 16, 1990, the album was re-released several times . Among other things, versions were released that were digitally remastered , as well as a special edition in 2003 that contained the songs from the Ice Cube EP Kill at Will , which was originally released shortly after AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted , as bonus tracks .

reception

AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted was mostly rated as good to very good.

For example, Spin magazine awarded the 1990 newly introduced prize for the best album of the year to AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted .

The hip-hop magazine The Source gave the highest rating of five microphones .

Greg Sandow rated the United States school system as B− in a review for Entertainment Weekly . Above all, he criticized the musical component, which he described as seldom remarkable. He praised the lyrics, on the other hand, as an unadorned look into the reality of the poor, black community. He therefore finds AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted more important as an important contemporary document than as a work of art.

David Jeffries discussed the work for Allmusic and gave the maximum possible five stars. He especially liked how Ice Cube withstood the high expectations after leaving NWA, which in his opinion only the most talented artists at the height of their work could do. In contrast to Sandow, he also likes the background music, which he calls rousing. He also highlights the lyrics and summarizes the work as a timeless, captivating exercise in anger, honesty and the socio-political possibilities of hip-hop.

Alan Light was an exception. He only awarded two and a half stars out of five on behalf of Rolling Stone . He disliked the production of the Bomb Squad, which in his opinion was declining over the album, as well as especially Ice Cube's attitude towards women, whom he branded as despicable. However, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted was given the highest rating in The New Rolling Stone Album Guide , which was later published .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Allmusic : Ice Cube | Biography & History
  2. ↑ XXL Staff: Ice Cube, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted Retrospective (20 Years Later). XXL , May 16, 2010, accessed April 16, 2016 .
  3. ↑ a b c Rob Markman: The Making of Ice Cube's AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted. XXL, June 7, 2010, accessed April 16, 2016 .
  4. ^ A b Dan Rys: Street Knowledge: Ice Cube on 25 Years of 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'. XXL, May 15, 2015, accessed April 17, 2016 .
  5. ↑ a b c Pologod: Ice Cube's 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted' Released 23 Years Ago Today. The Source , May 16, 2013, accessed April 17, 2016 .
  6. ^ A b c d David Jeffries: AllMusic Review. Allmusic, accessed April 29, 2016 .
  7. ↑ a b c Alan Light: Ice Cube: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted: Music Reviews. Rolling Stone , July 12, 1990, archived from the original on June 21, 2008 ; Retrieved April 29, 2016 .
  8. ↑ Ice Cube AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted Chart History. Billboard , accessed November 4, 2017 .
  9. ↑ Official Charts Company : Official albums Chart results matching: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted
  10. ↑ Official Charts Company: Official singles Chart results matching: AmeriKKKa's Most
  11. ↑ Billboard: Top 200 Albums | The Week of June 2, 1990
  12. ↑ RIAA : Database with artist search for "Ice Cube" and title search for "Most Wanted"
  13. ↑ Discogs : Ice Cube - Who's The Mack
  14. ↑ Billboard: Ice Cube - Chart history | Hot rap songs
  15. ↑ Allmusic: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted - Ice Cube | Releases
  16. ↑ Allmusic: Kill at Will - Ice Cube | Songs, reviews, credits
  17. ↑ Kyle McGovern: SPIN 30: Ice Cube Reflects on His Back-Against-the-Wall Debut, 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'. Spin , April 6, 2015, accessed April 29, 2016 .
  18. ^ Greg Sandow: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted. Entertainment Weekly , May 25, 1990, accessed April 29, 2016 .
  19. ^ Nathan Brackett with Christian Hoard: The New Rolling Stone Album Guide . First Fireside ed. Fireside, New York 2004, ISBN 0-7432-0169-8 , pp. 400 .