AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted
| AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted | ||
|---|---|---|
| File:AmeriKKKa.jpg | ||
| LP by Ice Cube | ||
| Released | May 16, 1990 | |
| Recorded | 1989 | |
| Genre | Gangsta rap | |
| Length | 49 min 36 s | |
| Record label | Priority | |
| Producer | Ice Cube, Hank Shocklee, Chuck D, Sir Jinx, Yo-Yo | |
| Professional reviews | ||
| Allmusic.com | 5 stars out of 5 | link |
| Ice Cube Chronology | ||
| N/A |
AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (1990) |
Death Certificate (1991) |
AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted was Ice Cube's debut solo album after his acrimonious split from N.W.A.. It was originally released May 16, 1990.
The title of the album is controversial. It is a spoof of a television show called "America's Most Wanted", wherein real-life crimes are reenacted and viewers are asked to call in if they have seen the alleged perpetrators. The show has taken some criticism for the reenactments, which critics claim perpetuate beliefs in the criminality of African American men and other minorities. The political spelling of "America" with "KKK" equates both the show and the status quo of society in the United States with the Ku Klux Klan, a white-supremacist organization.
AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted is a gangsta rap album, and the songs are tales of a young black man living in the ghetto and dealing with such issues as drug addiction, racism and poverty. To understand the album's statement, it is important to note the environment of Los Angeles in the early 1990s. Riots would rack the city following the Rodney King verdict, seen by many (including Ice Cube) as an example of the racism inherent in the judicial and law enforcement systems. Also, the O. J. Simpson trial would provoke further racial tension in the country, especially Los Angeles. Unlike many other albums from the same period, Cube did not allow the subject matter to infuse the album with inherent negativity. He attacks perceived racist social structures, far more than many gangsta rappers were doing at the time and since. Though he describes with detail the conditions of the ghetto, he does so in order to condemn those that allow ghetto despair to occur, instead of glorifying it.
Cube takes some controversial stands, referring to certain types of African-Americans as "Oreo cookies", implying that they appear to be black but are actually willing participants in the racial hierarchy that keeps the majority of African-Americans living in poverty-stricken and drug-riddled ghettos; specifically, this is aimed at soft-pop-R&B radio stations broadcasting a watered-down sound. Arsenio Hall is specifically mentioned as being such a "sell-out". The titular song on the album directly parodies the television show, "America's Most Wanted", exposing the perceived racism inherent in watching largely African-American men being arrested for entertainment.
- "I think back to when I was robbin' my own kind,
- the police didn't pay it no mind.
- But when I start robbin the white folks?
- Now I'm in the pen with the soap on a rope"
A later song ("Get Off My Dick Nigga, and Tell Yo Bitch to Come Here") returns to the same theme at the end, with newscaster Peter Jennings reporting on rioting: "Outside the south central area, few cared about the violence because it didn't affect them." Also of interest is "It's a Man's World", a rap-conversation with Yo-Yo; the two verbally spar and trade sexist barbs back and forth; outside of this song, the album received criticism for alleged sexism, as in "You Can't Fade Me", a humorous track where Cube fantasizes about kicking a former one-night stand in the stomach because she is pregnant with his baby. "Nigga You Love To Hate" is also notable for a chorus chanting "Fuck you, Ice Cube", setting the tone for the album and introducing a pattern of obscenity and profanity.
Produced by the Bomb Squad (Public Enemy) and Da Lench Mob, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted received accolades for innovation in production upon release. However, many critics do not feel that the beats in the album have aged very well. Since this time, West Coast rap has largely taken a different direction from Ice Cube's style, heading more towards the smooth drawl of Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg; this album sounds dated as a result.
Before striking out on his own, Ice Cube was a member of the legendary West Coast rap group N.W.A. (Straight Outta Compton - 1989). Thus, Ice Cube's lyrical style is descended from West Coast rappers like Ice T (Iceberg/Freedom of Speech...Just Watch What You Say - 1989) and Too $hort (Life Is...Too $hort). Musically, Public Enemy (Yo! Bum Rush the Show - 1987)'s spare, hollow beats, old school rappers like Eric B. & Rakim (Paid in Ful - 1987) and Kurtis Blow (Kurtis Blow - 1980) and 1970s funk (Parliament - Motor Booty Affair - 1978; The Gap Band - The Gap Band II) and soul (Sly & the Family Stone - There's a Riot Goin' On - 1971; Curtis Mayfield - Let's Do It Again - 1975) influenced Ice Cube's sound, partially through his producers, the Bomb Squad.
Ice Cube influenced later West Coast rappers, including the stoned drawl of Cypress Hill (Cypress Hill - 1991) and The Pharcyde (Bizarre Ride II to the Pharcyde - 1992), as well as later G Funk rappers like Dr. Dre (The Chronic - 1992) and Snoop Doggy Dogg (Doggystyle - 1993). Though Ice Cube's popularity among mainstream listeners has not continued into the late 1990s, and his sound is distinctively old school to modern ears, many rappers themselves have been influenced by his innovative lyrical techniques. Rappers like Eminem (The Slim Shady LP - 1999), Nas (Illmatic - 1994) and Tupac Shakur (2Pacalypse Now - 1992) similarly use cartoonish and unrealistic images of thug violence to protest the conditions of the poor and working class. While Ice Cube most often described true circumstances in outlandish fashion, such as a fairy tale in "A Gangsta's Fairytale", later rappers took this to the extreme of describing physically impossible acts of violence in an outrageously exaggerated manner.
Track listing
- "A Gangsta's Fairytale"
- "Better off Dead" (Brian Holt/Ice Cube)
- "The Nigga Ya Love to Hate" (Ice Cube/E. Sadler)
- "Amerikkka's Most Wanted" (Ice Cube/Sadler/Keith Shocklee)
- "What They Hittin' Foe" (Average White Band/Ice Cube)
- "You Can't Fade Me/JD's Gaffilin'" (Ice Cube/Sadler)
- "Once upon a Time in the Projects" (Ice Cube/Sir Jinx)
- "Turn off the Radio" (D./Ice Cube/Sadler/Betty Shabazz)
- "Endangered Species (Tales from the..." (Chuck D/Ice Cube/Sadler/Sir Jinx)
- "A Gangsta's Fairytale" (Ice Cube/Sadler)
- "I'm Only Out for One Thang" (Flavor Flav/Ice Cube/Sir Jinx/Stevie Wonder)
- "Get off My Dick and Tell Yo Bitch to Come..." (Ice Cube/Sadler)
- "The Drive By" (Shocklee/Sir Jinx)
- "Rollin' Wit the Lench Mob" (Ice Cube/Sadler)
- "Who's the Mack?" (Ice Cube/JBs)
- "It's a Man's World" (Ice Cube/Sir Jinx/Yo Yo)
- "The Bomb" (Ice Cube/Sir Jinx)
Personnel
- The Bomb Squad - Record Producer
- Mario Castellanos - Photography
- Chris Champion - Assistant Engineer
- Chuck D. - Performer
- Da Lench Mob - Vocals (bckgr), Producer
- (Ex) Cat Heads - Vocals (bckgr)
- Flavor Flav - Vocals, Performer
- Ricky Harris - Vocals (bckgr)
- Al Hayes - Bass Guitar, Guitar
- Vincent Henry - Flute, Saxophone
- Brian Holt - Vocals
- Kevin Hosmann - Art Direction
- Ice Cube - Vocals, Producer
- J. Dee - Vocals (bckgr)
- Tim Rollins - Piano
- E. Sadler - Producer
- Nick Sansano - Engineer
- Shannon - Vocals (bckgr)
- Christopher Shaw - Engineer
- Keith Shocklee - Scratching
- Sir Jinx - Vocals (bckgr), Producer
- Howie Weinberg - Mastering
- Dan Wood - Vocals (bckgr), Engineer
- Yo-Yo - Vocals, Performer
Chart positions
Billboard Music Charts (North America) - album
1990 The Billboard 200 No. 19 1990 Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums No. 6
Billboard (North America) singles
1990 Amerikkka's Most Wanted Hot Rap Singles No. 1