Ice Cube - I Am the West - Music & Performance - CD

2010 release from the Hip Hop icon. Ice Cube has remained prolific, with 15 releases as a solo artist or a member of a group (Da Lench Mob, Westside Connection), including the blockbuster release of Laugh Now, Cry Later, the most successful independent Hip Hop release of 2006. It all adds up to a remarkable Rap career that continues expanding and evolving. As he did with his most recent release 2008's stellar Raw Footage, Ice Cube extends his bulletproof musical legacy.

While his 2008 effort Raw Footage brought aggression and bitterness, I Am the West leans back a bit, assured in its status and wisdom, showing hip-hop how to grow old both gracefully and gangsta. Ice Cube's first album since turning 40 masterfully lays it all out on key track "No Country for Young Men." This witty, rapid-fire damnation of the ringtone rapper generation and their foolishness declares them "bitches" with "Rappers go to jail like Oprah go to Gayle/Stedman's policy: Don't ask don't tell," along with a laugh-out-loud Redd Foxx line that shouldn't be spoiled. Making the case that his generation fought the power while the 2010 crew was just fighting itself happens elsewhere, and when you combine this with the "we've got a bigger problem now" attitude of "Hood Robbin'" -- high-tech and high-finance corporations are widening the gap between the classes -- and the sage advice of "Your Money or Your Life" -- "This world, so trife/Your money or your life/Keep your kids, keep your wife/Your money or your life" -- you've got a layered argument against misdirected priorities and their devastating consequences. Cube suggests there are more choices than burning out and fading away when he dedicates a song to his wife of 21 years and explains how she's enriched his life on "Nothing Like L.A.," but the real proof is in all the vital yet lighter cuts that keep the message-filled album from being ponderous. Flashy production drives the infectious "She Couldn't Make It on Her Own," featuring fine contributions from Cube's sons Doughboy and OMG, while big daddy himself has put an entertaining, Kool Keith-like spin on his punch lines this time out, dropping odd stingers like "Internationally known/You about to smell my cologne" ("Soul on Ice") and "You about as lethal as a mojito/Be my amigo, eat my burrito" ("Too West Coast"). Add the usual Keith David narrations and the hard-hitting, full-bodied production the West Coast favors and the album is anchored by tradition, becoming an unassailable cocktail of talent, experience, and growth. Most won't have the skills to follow his playbook, either on or off the field, but Cube's utterly unique I Am the West shows the younger generation how to cross 40 while retaining their freedom and baller status. Middle age hip-hop is born here, and if the game follows his lead, it will be one monster of a genre. ~ David Jeffries, Rovi

Performer	Ice Cube
Music genre	Rap / Hip-Hop
Media format	CD
Original release date	2010
Is collectible	Y
Has parental advisory label	N
Number of discs	1
Track listing	I Rep That West, Hood Robbin', It Is What It Is, Urbanian, Drink the Kool-Aid, Your Money or Your Life, No Country for Young Men, Nothing Like L.A, Life in California Ft Jayo Felony and WC, All Day Every Day, Too West Coast Ft WC and Maylay, Man Vs Machine, Y'all Know How I Am Ft Omg, Doughboy, WC, Maylay, Pros Vs Joes, Soul on Ice, Fat Cat
Record label	Lench Mob Records
Songwriter	Ice Cube
Track name	I Rep That West, Hood Robbin', It Is What It Is, Urbanian, Drink the Kool-Aid, Your Money or Your Life, No Country for Young Men, Nothing Like L.A, Life in California Ft Jayo Felony and WC, All Day Every Day, Too West Coast Ft WC and Maylay, Man Vs Machine, Y'all Know How I Am Ft Omg, Doughboy, WC, Maylay, Pros Vs Joes, Soul on Ice, Fat Cat
Music media format	CD
Is edited	N
Is enhanced	N