AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted: Difference between revisions
Citation bot (talk | contribs) Alter: isbn. Add: journal, date, isbn. Removed parameters. Some additions/deletions were parameter name changes. Upgrade ISBN10 to ISBN13. | Use this bot. Report bugs. | Suggested by Category adder | Category:Ice Cube albums | #UCB_Category 9/17 |
added text stating ice cube as the writer |
||
(42 intermediate revisions by 28 users not shown) | |||
Line 2: | Line 2: | ||
{{Use American English|date=March 2018}} |
{{Use American English|date=March 2018}} |
||
{{Infobox album |
{{Infobox album |
||
| name |
| name = AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted |
||
| type |
| type = studio |
||
| artist |
| artist = [[Ice Cube]] |
||
| cover |
| cover = AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (Ice Cube).jpg |
||
| alt |
| alt = |
||
| released = May 18, 1990<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=Ice+Cube&ti=AmeriKKKa%27s+Most+Wanted&format=Album&type=#search_section|title=RIAA}}</ref> |
|||
| released = May 16, 1990 |
|||
| recorded |
| recorded = January – March 1990<ref>{{cite web|author=Brian Coleman|url=https://medium-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/medium.com/amp/p/202d2a794008?amp_js_v=a2&_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQEKAFwAQ%3D%3D#aoh=15679917268149&csi=1&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2Fcuepoint%2Fice-cube-check-the-technique-202d2a794008|title=The Making of Ice Cube's "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted"|publisher=[[Medium (website)|Medium]]|date=October 13, 2014|access-date=September 9, 2019|archive-date=March 27, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210327130857/https://medium-com.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/medium.com/amp/p/202d2a794008?amp_js_v=a2&_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQEKAFwAQ%3D%3D#aoh=15679917268149&csi=1&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fmedium.com%2Fcuepoint%2Fice-cube-check-the-technique-202d2a794008}}</ref> |
||
| studio = [[Greene St. Recording|Greene Street]] (New York City) |
|||
| venue = |
|||
| genre = {{hlist|[[West Coast hip hop]]|[[gangsta rap]]|[[political hip hop]]<ref name="classic">{{cite book|last1=Wang|first1=Oliver|title=Classic Material: The Hip-hop Album Guide|date=2003|publisher=ECW Press|page=87|isbn=978-1-55022-561-7|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ighxbRRgk6sC&pg=PA87|access-date=January 12, 2018}}</ref><ref name="avclub">{{cite web|last1=Rabin|first1=Nathan|title=In 1990, Hammer, Vanilla Ice, A Tribe Called Quest, and Ice Cube reflected the splintering of the hip-hop nation|url=https://music.avclub.com/in-1990-hammer-vanilla-ice-a-tribe-called-quest-and-1798232852|website=AV Club|access-date=January 12, 2018|archive-date=January 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180113035452/https://music.avclub.com/in-1990-hammer-vanilla-ice-a-tribe-called-quest-and-1798232852|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="dx">{{cite web|last1=Harling|first1=Danielle|title=Ice Cube Speaks On "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted's" Social & Political Relevance|url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.33872/title.ice-cube-speaks-on-amerikkkas-most-wanteds-social-political-relevance|website=Hip Hop DX|date=May 15, 2015|access-date=January 12, 2018|archive-date=January 12, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180112100923/https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.33872/title.ice-cube-speaks-on-amerikkkas-most-wanteds-social-political-relevance|url-status=live}}</ref>|[[hardcore hip hop]]}} |
|||
| studio = [[Greene St. Recording|Greene Street Studios]]<br />(New York City) |
|||
| length = {{Duration|m=49|s=36}} |
|||
| genre = {{hlist|[[West Coast hip hop]]|[[gangsta rap]]|[[political hip hop]]<ref name="classic">{{cite book|last1=Wang|first1=Oliver|title=Classic Material: The Hip-hop Album Guide|date=2003|publisher=ECW Press|page=87|isbn=9781550225617|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ighxbRRgk6sC&pg=PA87|access-date=January 12, 2018}}</ref><ref name="avclub">{{cite web|last1=Rabin|first1=Nathan|title=In 1990, Hammer, Vanilla Ice, A Tribe Called Quest, and Ice Cube reflected the splintering of the hip-hop nation|url=https://music.avclub.com/in-1990-hammer-vanilla-ice-a-tribe-called-quest-and-1798232852|website=AV Club|access-date=January 12, 2018}}</ref><ref name="dx">{{cite web|last1=Harling|first1=Danielle|title=Ice Cube Speaks On "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted's" Social & Political Relevance|url=https://hiphopdx.com/news/id.33872/title.ice-cube-speaks-on-amerikkkas-most-wanteds-social-political-relevance#|website=Hip Hop DX|date=May 15, 2015|access-date=January 12, 2018}}</ref>|[[hardcore hip hop]]}} |
|||
| label = [[Priority Records|Priority]] |
|||
| length = {{Duration|m=49|s=36}} |
|||
| producer = {{hlist|[[The Bomb Squad]]|[[Da Lench Mob]]}} |
|||
| label = {{flatlist| |
|||
*[[Lench Mob Records|Lench Mob]] |
|||
*[[Priority Records|Priority]]}} |
|||
| producer = {{hlist|[[The Bomb Squad]]|[[Da Lench Mob]]}} |
|||
| prev_title = |
| prev_title = |
||
| prev_year |
| prev_year = |
||
| next_title = [[Kill at Will]] |
| next_title = [[Kill at Will]] |
||
| next_year |
| next_year = 1990 |
||
| misc |
| misc = {{Singles |
||
| name |
| name = AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted |
||
| type |
| type = studio |
||
| single1 |
| single1 = AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted |
||
| single1date = April 17, 1990 |
| single1date = April 17, 1990 |
||
| single2 = Who's the Mack? ([[Promotional recording|promo single]]) |
|||
| single2date = 1990 |
|||
}} |
}} |
||
}} |
}} |
||
'''''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted''''' is the debut studio album by American rapper [[Ice Cube]], released on May |
'''''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted''''' is the debut studio album by American rapper [[Ice Cube]], released on May 18, 1990, by [[Priority Records]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2015/05/ice-cube-25-years-amerikkkas-most-wanted/ |title=Street Knowledge: Ice Cube on 25 Years of 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted' |first=Dan |last=Rys |work=[[XXL (magazine)|XXL]] |date=May 15, 2015 |access-date=August 25, 2015 |archive-date=August 1, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150801014917/http://www.xxlmag.com/news/2015/05/ice-cube-25-years-amerikkkas-most-wanted/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>[http://www.enotes.com/contemporary-musicians/ice-cube-biography Ice Cube biography.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090122211536/http://www.enotes.com/contemporary-musicians/ice-cube-biography |date=January 22, 2009 }} enotes. Retrieved December 5, 2007.</ref> It was his first solo album, after an acrimonious split from his former group [[N.W.A]]. Primarily produced by [[Public Enemy (band)|Public Enemy's]] production team [[The Bomb Squad]], the album was a critical and commercial success, being certified platinum in the United States for selling over one million copies.<ref name=RIAA>[https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=AmeriKKKa's%20Most%20Wanted&artist=&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2007&sort=Artist&perPage=25 ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'' certification.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924151606/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1 |date=September 24, 2015 }} RIAA. Retrieved November 28, 2007.</ref> |
||
==Background== |
==Background== |
||
Line 38: | Line 33: | ||
After departing from [[Ruthless Records]] and the West Coast–based group [[N.W.A]], Ice Cube immediately moved to record his own album. Cube maintains that originally, he and N.W.A producer [[Dr. Dre]] still wanted to collaborate for Cube's debut solo, but the move was nixed by label powers: |
After departing from [[Ruthless Records]] and the West Coast–based group [[N.W.A]], Ice Cube immediately moved to record his own album. Cube maintains that originally, he and N.W.A producer [[Dr. Dre]] still wanted to collaborate for Cube's debut solo, but the move was nixed by label powers: |
||
{{ |
{{blockquote|When I went solo, I wanted Dr. Dre to do ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'', but Jerry Heller vetoed that...and I'm pretty sure [[Eazy-E|Eazy]] didn't want Dre to do it. But Dre ''did''<!-- emphasis in the original --> want to do it; we gotta put that on record. Dre wanted to do my record, but it was just too crazy with the break-up [of N.W.A].|Ice Cube, "Ice Cube, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted Retrospective [20 Years Later]", ''XXL''<ref>{{cite news |title=Ice Cube, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted Retrospective [20 Years Later] |url= http://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=79574 |work=[[XXL (magazine)|XXL]] |date=May 16, 2010 |access-date=March 30, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100722000950/http://www.xxlmag.com/online/?p=79574 |archive-date=July 22, 2010 }}</ref>}} |
||
Linking up with [[Sir Jinx]], Dr. Dre's cousin, Cube made use of pre-written notebooks of songs meant for N.W.A member/Ruthless co-founder [[Eazy-E]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/interviews/id.1338/title.producers-corner-sir-jinx/ <!-- Live, but missing all but the first part of the first sentence. --> |title=Producer's Corner: Sir Jinx |first=William |
Linking up with [[Sir Jinx]], Dr. Dre's cousin, Cube made use of pre-written notebooks of songs meant for N.W.A member/Ruthless co-founder [[Eazy-E]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/interviews/id.1338/title.producers-corner-sir-jinx/ <!-- Live, but missing all but the first part of the first sentence. --> |title=Producer's Corner: Sir Jinx |first= William III |last=Ketchum |publisher= HipHopDX |date=April 24, 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130801225138/http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/interviews/id.1338/title.producers-corner-sir-jinx |archive-date=August 1, 2013 |access-date=March 30, 2015}}</ref> After relocating to New York,<ref name="Sir Jinx Part2">{{Cite web |url=http://www.dubcnn.com/interviews/sirjinx-part2/ |title=Sir Jinx Part 2 |first=Chad |last=Kiser |date=May 2008 |website=DubCNN.com |access-date=March 30, 2015 |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923221042/http://www.dubcnn.com/interviews/sirjinx-part2/ |url-status=live }}</ref> they worked on the songs, which included "Once Upon a Time in the Projects", "Get Off My Dick & Tell Yo' Bitch to Come Here" and "Gangsta's Fairytale", among others. Under fire from his former group with the song "100 Miles and Runnin'{{-"}}, from the EP of the same name, he also recorded the song "Jackin' for Beats", using beats allegedly planned for use on the next N.W.A album,<ref>{{harvnb|Ro|2007|p=17}}</ref> though he would use this several months later on the ''[[Kill at Will]]'' EP. |
||
After contacting [[Public Enemy (band)|Public Enemy's]] production team [[The Bomb Squad]], they completed the album. The album received a fair share of production credited to various Bomb Squad members, with an appearance by Public Enemy frontman [[Chuck D]], despite Jinx's claims that the only Bomb Squad member fully present was Eric Sadler.<ref name="Sir Jinx Part2"/> [[Hank Shocklee]] spoke on meeting and working with Ice Cube in a ''Cool'eh Magazine'' interview: |
After contacting [[Public Enemy (band)|Public Enemy's]] production team [[The Bomb Squad]], they completed the album. The album received a fair share of production credited to various Bomb Squad members, with an appearance by Public Enemy frontman [[Chuck D]], despite Jinx's claims that the only Bomb Squad member fully present was Eric Sadler.<ref name="Sir Jinx Part2"/> [[Hank Shocklee]] spoke on meeting and working with Ice Cube in a ''Cool'eh Magazine'' interview: |
||
{{blockquote|Cube contacted me wanting to know if we could do a few tracks for his solo album after the whole NWA thing came to what it was and I was like, I'll do it if I can do the whole album. And he said, that's what I was hoping you would say…y'know…and when we were in the studio he showed up with notebooks and notebooks full of new rhymes, a bag full of rhymebooks.|Hank Shocklee|''Cool'eh Magazine''<ref>{{Cite web |url= http://www.coolehmag.com/frontEnd/feature.php?i=34&s=51 |title=Bum Rush The Show |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120218122006/http://www.coolehmag.com/frontEnd/feature.php?i=34&s=51 |archive-date=February 18, 2012 |work=Cool'eh Magazine |first=Dzana |last=Tsomondo |date=July 10, 2007 |issue=Web Issue 3 |access-date=March 30, 2015}}</ref>}} |
|||
{{quote|Cube contacted me wanting to know if we could do a few tracks for his solo album after the whole NWA thing came to what it was and I was like, I'll do it if I can do the whole album. And he said, that's what I was hoping you would say…y'know…and when we were in the studio he showed up with notebooks and notebooks full of new rhymes, a bag full of rhymebooks.|Hank Shocklee|Cool'eh Magazine<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.coolehmag.com/frontEnd/feature.php?i=34&s=51 |title=Bum Rush The Show |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218122006/http://www.coolehmag.com/frontEnd/feature.php?i=34&s=51 |archive-date=February 18, 2012 |work=Cool'eh Magazine |first=Dzana |last=Tsomondo |date=July 10, 2007 |issue=Web Issue 3 |access-date=March 30, 2015}}</ref>}} |
|||
===Content=== |
===Content=== |
||
With [[political hip hop|socio-political]] [[conscious rap|conscious]] and [[gangsta rap]] content, its songs delve into the issues of [[ghetto]] life, [[drug addiction]], racism and poverty. Throughout the album, Ice Cube incessantly attacks [[institutional racism]], as well as social norms which directly or indirectly allowed the oppression of those living in the ghettos of Los Angeles to continue. On "[[Endangered Species (Tales from the Darkside)]] |
With [[political hip hop|socio-political]] [[conscious rap|conscious]] and [[gangsta rap]] content, its songs delve into the issues of [[ghetto]] life, [[drug addiction]], racism and poverty. Throughout the album, Ice Cube incessantly attacks [[institutional racism]], as well as social norms which directly or indirectly allowed the oppression of those living in the ghettos of Los Angeles to continue. On "[[Endangered Species (Tales from the Darkside)]]", he predicts that his neighborhood would become a flash point for violence before 1992's scandal over the beating of [[Rodney King]],<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/13/arts/pop-view-rap-after-the-riot-smoldering-rage-and-no-apologies.html |title=Rap After the Riot: Smoldering Rage And No Apologies |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=April 2, 2010 |archive-date=March 28, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130328143723/http://www.nytimes.com/1992/12/13/arts/pop-view-rap-after-the-riot-smoldering-rage-and-no-apologies.html? |url-status=live }}</ref> and takes police to task for the policies that would later lead to the [[Los Angeles riots of 1992|L.A. riots]] that resulted. |
||
Throughout the album, Cube takes some controversial stands, referring to certain types of African-Americans as "[[Oreo Cookie (slang)#Foods signifying "confused" racial identity|Oreo cookies]]", an [[epithet]] implying that they appear black on the outside, but have, internally, negative white tendencies. [[Arsenio Hall]] is specifically mentioned as being a "[[sell-out]] |
Throughout the album, Cube takes some controversial stands, referring to certain types of African-Americans as "[[Oreo Cookie (slang)#Foods signifying "confused" racial identity|Oreo cookies]]", an [[epithet]] implying that they appear black on the outside, but have, internally, negative white tendencies. [[Arsenio Hall]] is specifically mentioned as being a "[[sell-out]]". Cube also heavily criticizes R&B and hip hop radio stations for watered-down broadcasting. The title song directly parodies the television show, ''America's Most Wanted'', alleging bias and denouncing the glee the program displays in arresting African-American men. |
||
A later skit, "The Drive By |
A later skit, "The Drive By", returns to the same theme at the end, with newscaster [[Tom Brokaw]] reporting on rioting, stating: "Outside the [[South Los Angeles|south central]] area, few cared about the violence because it didn't affect them." He also addressed gender relations on "It's a Man's World", a duet between Cube and rapper [[Yo-Yo (rapper)|Yo-Yo]]. Cube and Yo-Yo verbally spar and trade sexist barbs back and forth in an exposé of sexism between men and women. Amidst critics' accusing Ice Cube of sexism, Peter Watrous of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote, in review of a live show at New York's [[Apollo Theater]]: |
||
{{cquote|...no one came out ahead; any new sense of cultural violence or sexism promoted by the record had dissolved into a traditional battle of the sexes, no better or no worse.<ref>{{Citation|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CEFD81F3DF935A2575AC0A966958260&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fI%2fIce%20Cube|title=Review/Pop; Ice Cube's Hip-Hop Warms up the Apollo | work= The New York Times | first=Peter | last= Watrous | date=16 September 1990 | access-date=23 April 2010}}</ref>}} |
|||
{{cquote|...no one came out ahead; any new sense of cultural violence or sexism promoted by the record had dissolved into a traditional battle of the sexes, no better or no worse.<ref>{{Citation|url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CEFD81F3DF935A2575AC0A966958260&n=Top%2fReference%2fTimes%20Topics%2fPeople%2fI%2fIce%20Cube|title=Review/Pop; Ice Cube's Hip-Hop Warms up the Apollo | work=The New York Times | first=Peter | last=Watrous | date=16 September 1990 | access-date=23 April 2010}}</ref>}} |
|||
==Release== |
==Release== |
||
''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'' initially charted without the support of a lead single or video, although the title track would later receive a pressing, and a rare video for "Who's the Mack?" eventually surfaced. It was directed by [[Alex Winter]].<ref>{{cite tweet |user=icecube |author-link=Ice Cube |number=1261399537765085184 |date=May 15, 2020 |title=Fun fact: The |
''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'' initially charted without the support of a lead single or video, although the title track would later receive a pressing, and a rare video for "Who's the Mack?" eventually surfaced. It was directed by [[Alex Winter]].<ref>{{cite tweet |user=icecube |author-link=Ice Cube |number=1261399537765085184 |date=May 15, 2020 |title=Fun fact: The Who's the Mack video was directed by this guy. Alex Winter.}}</ref> |
||
== Singles == |
== Singles == |
||
The title track was the first official single from the album - the [[B-side]] for the song was "Once Upon a Time in the Projects". Who's the Mack? was released as a [[Promotional recording|promo single]] and music video. A remix of the album track Endangered Species (Tales From The Darkside) was later released as a single |
The title track was the first official single from the album - the [[B-side]] for the song was "Once Upon a Time in the Projects". "Who's the Mack?" was released as a [[Promotional recording|promo single]] and music video. A remix of the album track "Endangered Species (Tales From The Darkside)" was later released as a single the EP ''[[Kill at Will]]''. |
||
== Critical reception == |
== Critical reception == |
||
{{ |
{{Music ratings |
||
| title = Contemporary professional ratings |
|||
| rev1 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' |
|||
| rev1score = B−<ref name="Sandow">{{cite magazine|last=Sandow|first=Greg|author-link=Greg Sandow|url=https://ew.com/article/1990/05/25/amerikkkas-most-wanted/|title=''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted''|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=May 25, 1990|access-date=April 1, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822100009/https://ew.com/article/1990/05/25/amerikkkas-most-wanted/|archive-date=August 22, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
|||
| rev2 = ''[[NME]]'' |
|||
| rev2score = 7/10<ref name="Wells">{{cite magazine|last=Wells|first=Steven|author-link=Steven Wells|title=Freezy Rider|magazine=[[NME]]|date=July 21, 1990|page=33}}</ref> |
|||
| rev3 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' |
|||
| rev3score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}<ref name="Light">{{cite magazine|last=Light|first=Alan|author-link=Alan Light|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/icecube/albums/album/270902/review/6068199/amerikkkas_most_wanted|title=Ice Cube: ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted''|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=July 12–26, 1990|access-date=April 1, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080621071151/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/icecube/albums/album/270902/review/6068199/amerikkkas_most_wanted|archive-date=June 21, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
|||
| rev4 = ''[[The Source]]'' |
|||
| rev4score = 5/5<ref name="Source">{{cite magazine|title=Ice Cube: ''Amerikkka's Most Wanted''|magazine=[[The Source]]|volume=3|issue=4|date=Summer 1990|page=44}}</ref> |
|||
| rev5 = ''[[The Village Voice]]'' |
|||
| rev5score = B−<ref name="Christgau">{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|url=https://robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv690-90.php|title=Consumer Guide|newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]|date=July 3, 1990|access-date=July 17, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303224433/https://robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv690-90.php|archive-date=March 3, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> |
|||
}} |
|||
Upon release, ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'' received critical acclaim, and over the years it has been regarded by many as a hip-hop classic.<ref name="rap.about.com">Adaso, henry. [http://rap.about.com/od/toppicks/ss/Top100RapAlbums_10.htm About.com's 100 Greatest Hip Hop Albums] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405151731/http://rap.about.com/od/toppicks/ss/Top100RapAlbums_10.htm |date=April 5, 2015 }}. [[About.com]]. Retrieved April 1, 2010.</ref><ref>Columnist. [http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/source.htm ''The Source'' Magazine's 100 Best Rap Albums] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807103112/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/source.htm |date=August 7, 2017 }}. ''[[The Source]]''. Retrieved April 1, 2010.</ref> In ''[[The Washington Post]]'', [[David Mills (TV writer)|David Mills]] wrote that with the album, "Ice Cube has now proven that he was N.W.A.'s crucial element. He's an unusually gifted rhymer{{nbsp}}... And his delivery is even more self-assured than it was when he dissed every cop in the nation."<ref>{{cite news|last=Mills|first=David|author-link=David Mills (TV writer)|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1990/05/20/los-angeles-gangsters-of-rap-escalating-the-attitude/946400da-81af-482c-9e14-a0e37f7e4be1/|title=Los Angeles' Gangsters Of Rap, Escalating The Attitude|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|date=May 20, 1990|access-date=June 26, 2023|archive-date=August 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170827214451/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1990/05/20/los-angeles-gangsters-of-rap-escalating-the-attitude/946400da-81af-482c-9e14-a0e37f7e4be1/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[The Source]]'' commented that Ice Cube's performances are given "the perfect backdrop" by the Bomb Squad, who the magazine said had "really outdone" themselves by integrating "funky pimp type grooves" into their "metallic bum-rush style of beats".<ref name="Source"/> [[Steven Wells]] of ''[[NME]]'' felt that while Ice Cube's "political awareness and eloquence" are undermined by his "cock-waving machismo", the latter is somewhat tempered by his "self-deprecating sense of humour", with Wells ultimately calling the album "alternately appalling, refreshing, confused and dynamic".<ref name="Wells"/> |
|||
Writing for ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'', [[Greg Sandow]] viewed ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'' as "an important social document, but not necessarily cohesive art", nonetheless acknowledging that "Ice Cube emerges as a rapper most original for his uncompromising tone."<ref name="Sandow"/> While deeming the album musically "as original as [[A Tribe Called Quest]], and probably doper", ''[[The Village Voice]]''{{'}}s [[Robert Christgau]] found Ice Cube's lyrics generally distasteful "despite his gift for rhyme and narrative".<ref name="Christgau"/> ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' critic [[Alan Light]] declared the album "a disappointment" and said that "the relentless profanity grows wearisome, the Bomb Squad beats lose steam, and Cube's attitudes toward women are simply despicable."<ref name="Light"/> |
|||
{{Music ratings |
|||
| title = Retrospective professional ratings |
|||
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]] |
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]] |
||
| |
| rev1score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="Jeffries">{{cite web|last=Jeffries|first=David|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/amerikkkas-most-wanted-mw0000056423|title=''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'' – Ice Cube|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=April 1, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606193341/https://www.allmusic.com/album/amerikkkas-most-wanted-mw0000056423|archive-date=June 6, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> |
||
| rev2 = ''[[The Austin Chronicle]]'' |
| rev2 = ''[[The Austin Chronicle]]'' |
||
| |
| rev2score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite news|last=Coletti|first=Christopher|url=https://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2003-04-04/153359/|title=Ice Cube|newspaper=[[The Austin Chronicle]]|date=April 4, 2003|access-date=April 1, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230626190749/https://www.austinchronicle.com/music/2003-04-04/153359/|archive-date=June 26, 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> |
||
| rev3 = ''[[ |
| rev3 = ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]'' |
||
| rev3score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Smith|first=RJ|url=http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews/index_610.html|title=Mad Dawg!|magazine=[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]|volume=2|issue=2|date=March 2003|access-date=June 26, 2023|pages=148–149|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030220033316/http://www.blender.com/guide/reviews/index_610.html|archive-date=February 20, 2003|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
|||
| rev3Score = {{rating|3|4}}<ref>{{cite news|last=Tanzilo|first=Robert|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-05-24/features/9002120444_1_star-amerikkka-ice-cube|title=Ice Cube: ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'' (Priority 12)|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|date=May 24, 1990|access-date=July 17, 2016}}</ref> |
|||
| rev4 = |
| rev4 = ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' |
||
| |
| rev4score = {{Rating|4|4}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://chicagosuntimes.newsbank.com/doc/news/0F9BB7949DA265BB|title=Ice Cube, 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted' (Priority)|newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]|date=March 9, 2003|access-date=April 30, 2024|url-access=subscription}}</ref> |
||
| rev5 = ''[[ |
| rev5 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' |
||
| |
| rev5score = 9.0/10<ref name="Harvey">{{cite web|last=Harvey|first=Eric|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/ice-cube-amerikkkas-most-wanted/|title=Ice Cube: ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'' Album Review|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=June 9, 2024|access-date=June 9, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240609042118/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/ice-cube-amerikkkas-most-wanted/|archive-date=June 9, 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> |
||
| rev6 = |
| rev6 = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' |
||
| rev6score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Mitchell|first=Ben|title=Ice Cube: ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'' / ''Death Certificate'' / ''The Predator'' / ''Lethal Injection''|magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|issue=203|date=June 2003}}</ref> |
|||
| rev6Score = {{rating|2.5|5}}<ref name="Lights">{{cite journal|last=Light|first=Alan|author-link=Alan Light|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/icecube/albums/album/270902/review/6068199/amerikkkas_most_wanted|title=Ice Cube: ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted''|journal=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=July 12, 1990|access-date=April 1, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080621071151/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/icecube/albums/album/270902/review/6068199/amerikkkas_most_wanted|archive-date=June 21, 2008}}</ref> |
|||
| rev7 = ''[[ |
| rev7 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' |
||
| rev7score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Caramanica|first=Jon|author-link=Jon Caramanica|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/cd/review.asp?aid=2045994&cf=3589|title=Ice Cube: ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'' [Remaster]|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=March 20, 2003|access-date=April 30, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030710173821/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/cd/review.asp?aid=2045994&cf=3589|archive-date=July 10, 2003|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
|||
| rev7Score = {{rating|5|5}}<ref name="Hoard">{{cite book|chapter=Ice Cube|last=Relic|first=Peter|title=[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide|The New Rolling Stone Album Guide]]|edition=4th|year=2004|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/400 400–01]}}</ref> |
|||
| rev8 = ''[[The |
| rev8 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]'' |
||
| rev8score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="Relic">{{cite book|last=Relic|first=Peter|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan|editor1-link=Nathan Brackett|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|editor2-link=Christian Hoard|chapter=Ice Cube|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|title-link=The Rolling Stone Album Guide|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/400 400–401]}}</ref> |
|||
| rev8Score = 5/5<ref>{{cite journal|title=Ice Cube: ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted''|journal=[[The Source]]|year=1990}}</ref> |
|||
| rev9 = ''[[ |
| rev9 = ''[[Spin Alternative Record Guide]]'' |
||
| rev9score = 9/10<ref>{{cite book|last=Dyson|first=Michael Eric|author-link=Michael Eric Dyson|editor1-last=Weisbard|editor1-first=Eric|editor1-link=Eric Weisbard|editor2-last=Marks|editor2-first=Craig|chapter=Ice Cube|title=Spin Alternative Record Guide|title-link=Spin Alternative Record Guide|publisher=[[Vintage Books]]|year=1995|isbn=0-679-75574-8|pages=189–190}}</ref> |
|||
| rev9Score = {{rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite journal|title=Ice Cube: ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted''|journal=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]|issue=73|date=June 2003|page=113}}</ref> |
|||
| rev10 = ''[[ |
| rev10 = ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]'' |
||
| rev10score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Ice Cube: ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'' / ''Death Certificate'' / ''The Predator'' / ''Lethal Injection''|magazine=[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]|issue=73|date=June 2003|page=113}}</ref> |
|||
| rev10Score = B−<ref name="Christgau">{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv690-90.php|title=Consumer Guide|work=[[The Village Voice]]|date=July 3, 1990|access-date=July 17, 2016}}</ref> |
|||
}} |
}} |
||
In a retrospective review, David Jeffries from [[AllMusic]] called ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'' "a timeless, riveting exercise in anger, honesty, and the sociopolitical possibilities of hip-hop" showing Ice Cube "at his most inspired", crediting the album with helping to "boost the role of the individual in hip-hop."<ref name="Jeffries"/> In the 2004 ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide|Rolling Stone Album Guide]]'', Peter Relic praised it as "an album of menacing, unflinchingly fierce rhymes that took millions of listeners deep into the terrors of South Central L.A."<ref name="Relic"/> Alan Light reappraised the album in the [[liner notes]] of its 2003 reissue, noting its "musical sophistication, brutal imagery, and relentless intensity" and deeming it "one of the most loved, hated, and pivotal albums in the history of hip-hop."<ref>{{cite AV media notes|last=Light|first=Alan|author-link=Alan Light|title=AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted|others=[[Ice Cube]]|publisher=[[Priority Records]]|year=2003|id=72435-37601-2-0|type=liner notes}}</ref> ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''{{'}}s Eric Harvey called it a "groundbreaking" record that ushered hip hop into "the [[tabloid journalism|tabloid]] decade", concluding that "it was ''AmeriKKKa'' as much as ''[[It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back|Nation of Millions]]'' and ''[[Straight Outta Compton]]'' that laid the groundwork for hip-hop's brief and dramatic evolution into an expansive truth-telling media spectacle."<ref name="Harvey"/> |
|||
Upon release, ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'' received critical acclaim, and over the years it has been regarded by many as a hip-hop classic.<ref name="rap.about.com">Adaso, henry. [http://rap.about.com/od/toppicks/ss/Top100RapAlbums_10.htm About.com's 100 Greatest Hip Hop Albums]. [[About.com]]. Retrieved April 1, 2010.</ref><ref>Columnist. [http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/source.htm ''The Source'' Magazine's 100 Best Rap Albums]. ''[[The Source]]''. Retrieved April 1, 2010.</ref> Davis Mills from ''[[The Washington Post]]'' praised the album for its lyrical dexterity, stating: "Ice Cube has now proven that he was [[N.W.A]]'s crucial element. He's an unusually gifted rhymer, and his delivery is even more self-assured."<ref name="Mills">Mills, David. [https://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/washingtonpost/access/72590662.html?FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=May+20%2C+1990&author=David+Mills&desc=Los+Angeles%27+Gangsters+of+Rap%2C+Escalating+the+Attitude Review: ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'']. ''[[The Washington Post]]''. Retrieved April 1, 2010.</ref> [[Greg Sandow]] from ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' called it "not necessarily cohesive art", but complimented the album's vivid depictions of urban realities and wrote that Ice Cube "emerges as a rapper most original for his uncompromising tone. He throws ghetto life in our faces and dares us to draw our own conclusions".<ref name="Sandow"/> |
|||
''[[Rolling Stone]]'' originally gave the album 2½ out of 5 stars in 1990, with [[Alan Light]] commenting; "The relentless profanity grows wearisome, the Bomb Squad beats lose steam, and Cube's attitudes toward women are simply despicable." He also declared the album as "a disappointment."<ref name="Lights"/> (Light wrote the [[liner notes]] for the 2003 CD reissue of the album, that also included the ''[[Kill at Will]]'' EP.) ''Rolling Stone'', however, raised the rating to 3½ stars in 1992 and to 5 stars in 2004, and praised the album for its production, and lyrics.<ref name="Hoard"/> In a retrospective review, David Jeffries from [[AllMusic]] stated: "This street knowledge venom with ultra fast funk works splendidly throughout the album, with every track hitting home [...] ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'' is a timeless, riveting exercise in anger, honesty, and the sociopolitical possibilities of hip-hop."<ref name="Jeffries"/> |
|||
===Accolades=== |
===Accolades=== |
||
* ('''*''') signifies unordered lists |
|||
*<small>The information regarding accolades is adapted from acclaimedMusic.net<ref name="acclaimedmusic" /> except for lists that are sourced otherwise.</small> |
|||
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |
|||
*<small>('''*''') signifies unordered lists</small> |
|||
|+Accolades for ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'' |
|||
{|class="wikitable" |
|||
! scope="col"| Publication |
|||
|- |
|||
! scope="col"| Country |
|||
! Publication |
|||
! scope="col"| Accolade |
|||
! Country |
|||
! scope="col"| Year |
|||
! Accolade |
|||
! scope="col"| Rank |
|||
! Year |
|||
! Rank |
|||
|- |
|- |
||
!scope="row" rowspan=2|[[About.com]] |
|||
|rowspan=4|United States |
|rowspan=4|United States |
||
|''100 Greatest Hip Hop Albums''<ref name="rap.about.com"/> |
|''100 Greatest Hip Hop Albums''<ref name="rap.about.com"/> |
||
Line 106: | Line 115: | ||
| style="text-align:center;"|33 |
| style="text-align:center;"|33 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|''Best Rap Albums of 1990''<ref>Adaso, Henry. [http://rap.about.com/od/top10albums/ss/90sBestRapMusic.htm About.com's Best Rap Albums of 1990]. [[About.com]]. Retrieved April 1, 2010.</ref> |
|''Best Rap Albums of 1990''<ref>Adaso, Henry. [http://rap.about.com/od/top10albums/ss/90sBestRapMusic.htm About.com's Best Rap Albums of 1990] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090111235827/http://rap.about.com/od/top10albums/ss/90sBestRapMusic.htm |date=January 11, 2009 }}. [[About.com]]. Retrieved April 1, 2010.</ref> |
||
|2008 |
|2008 |
||
| style="text-align:center;"|2 |
| style="text-align:center;"|2 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|Robert Dimery |
!scope="row"|Robert Dimery |
||
|''[[1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die]]'' |
|''[[1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die]]'' |
||
|2005 |
|2005 |
||
| style="text-align:center;"|* |
| style="text-align:center;"|* |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|''[[Ego Trip (magazine)|Ego Trip]]'' |
!scope="row"|''[[Ego Trip (magazine)|Ego Trip]]'' |
||
|''Hip Hop's 25 Greatest Albums by Year 1980–98'' |
|''Hip Hop's 25 Greatest Albums by Year 1980–98'' |
||
|1999 |
|1999 |
||
| style="text-align:center;"|1 |
| style="text-align:center;"|1 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|''[[The Guardian]]'' |
!scope="row"|''[[The Guardian]]'' |
||
|rowspan=3|United Kingdom |
|rowspan=3|United Kingdom |
||
|''1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die'' |
|''1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die'' |
||
Line 126: | Line 135: | ||
| style="text-align:center;"|* |
| style="text-align:center;"|* |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|''[[Mixmag]]'' |
!scope="row"|''[[Mixmag]]'' |
||
|''The 100 Best Dance Albums of All Time'' |
|''The 100 Best Dance Albums of All Time'' |
||
|1996 |
|1996 |
||
| style="text-align:center;"|24 |
| style="text-align:center;"|24 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|''[[New Musical Express]]'' |
!scope="row"|''[[New Musical Express]]'' |
||
|''Albums of the Year'' |
|''Albums of the Year'' |
||
|1990 |
|1990 |
||
| style="text-align:center;"|41 |
| style="text-align:center;"|41 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
!scope="row"|''Rock De Lux'' |
|||
|[[Chris Rock]] |
|||
|United States |
|||
|''Top 25 Hip-Hop Albums''<ref>[http://rateyourmusic.com/list/tha_flu/chris_rocks_top_25_hip_hop_albums ''Top 25 Hip-Hop Albums Ever'']. Rock, Chris</ref> |
|||
|2005 |
|||
| style="text-align:center;"|17 |
|||
|- |
|||
|''Rock De Lux'' |
|||
|Spain |
|Spain |
||
| Albums of the Year |
| Albums of the Year |
||
Line 148: | Line 151: | ||
| style="text-align:center;"|46 |
| style="text-align:center;"|46 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
!scope="row" rowspan=2|''[[Rolling Stone]]'' |
|||
|rowspan=8|United States |
|rowspan=8|United States |
||
|''The Essential Recordings of the 90s'' |
|''The Essential Recordings of the 90s'' |
||
Line 154: | Line 157: | ||
| style="text-align:center;"|* |
| style="text-align:center;"|* |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|''[[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/ice-cube-amerikkkas-most-wanted-1063046/|title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time - Rolling Stone |work=Rolling Stone |date=September 22, 2020 |access-date=September 29, 2020}}</ref> |
|''[[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]]''<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/ice-cube-amerikkkas-most-wanted-1063046/ |title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time - Rolling Stone |work=Rolling Stone |date=September 22, 2020 |access-date=September 29, 2020 |archive-date=October 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026030603/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/ice-cube-amerikkkas-most-wanted-1063046 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
||
|2020 |
|2020 |
||
| style="text-align:center;"|187 |
| style="text-align:center;"|187 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|''[[The Source]]'' |
!scope="row"|''[[The Source]]'' |
||
|''The 100 Best Rap Albums of All Time'' |
|''The 100 Best Rap Albums of All Time'' |
||
|1998 |
|1998 |
||
| style="text-align:center;"|* |
| style="text-align:center;"|* |
||
|- |
|- |
||
!scope="row" rowspan=3|''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' |
|||
|''Top 100 (+5) Albums of the Last 20 Years'' |
|''Top 100 (+5) Albums of the Last 20 Years'' |
||
|2005 |
|2005 |
||
Line 176: | Line 179: | ||
| style="text-align:center;"|80 |
| style="text-align:center;"|80 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|Tom Moon |
!scope="row"|Tom Moon |
||
|''[[1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die]]'' |
|''[[1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die]]'' |
||
|2008 |
|2008 |
||
| style="text-align:center;"|* |
| style="text-align:center;"|* |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|''[[Village Voice]]'' |
!scope="row"|''[[Village Voice]]'' |
||
|''Albums of the Year'' |
|''Albums of the Year'' |
||
|1990 |
|1990 |
||
| style="text-align:center;"|6 |
| style="text-align:center;"|6 |
||
|- |
|||
|} |
|} |
||
==Legacy== |
==Legacy== |
||
Ice Cube's social, and political commentary, delivered in an incisive manner, has influenced numerous rappers since ''Amerikkka's Most Wanted'', particularly in the [[gangsta rap]] and [[political hip hop|political rap]] subgenres. Focusing on the hardships of life in [[South Los Angeles|South Central, Los Angeles]], as well as criticizing the [[Law of the United States|American Justice System]] and race relations in the United States, Cube became an outspoken voice of U.S. |
Ice Cube's social, and political commentary, delivered in an incisive manner, has influenced numerous rappers since ''Amerikkka's Most Wanted'', particularly in the [[gangsta rap]] and [[political hip hop|political rap]] subgenres. Focusing on the hardships of life in [[South Los Angeles|South Central, Los Angeles]], as well as criticizing the [[Law of the United States|American Justice System]] and race relations in the United States, Cube became an outspoken voice of U.S. injustice against young Black Americans. |
||
Although Ice Cube's popularity among mainstream listeners has lessened since the 2000s, and his sound may be considered distinctively [[old school rap|old school]] to modern ears, many notable rappers themselves have been influenced by ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted''. His style of rapping about real life sentiment and socio-political awareness influenced the music of West Coast rappers, including that of [[Tupac Shakur]], [[Ras Kass]], and [[Xzibit]], as well as [[East Coast hip hop|East Coast]] rappers [[Nas]], [[The Notorious B.I.G.]], and more recently, [[Saigon (rapper)|Saigon]], [[JPEGMafia]] and Southern rapper [[Young Jeezy]]. [[East Coast hip hop|East Coast rapper]] [[Redman (rapper)|Redman]] also covered "Once Upon a Time in the Projects" on his album ''[[Doc's Da Name 2000]]'', with the song "Jersey Yo!". |
Although Ice Cube's popularity among mainstream listeners has lessened since the 2000s, and his sound may be considered distinctively [[old school rap|old school]] to modern ears, many notable rappers themselves have been influenced by ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted''. His style of rapping about real life sentiment and socio-political awareness influenced the music of West Coast rappers, including that of [[Tupac Shakur]], [[Ras Kass]], and [[Xzibit]], as well as [[East Coast hip hop|East Coast]] rappers [[Nas]], [[The Notorious B.I.G.]], and more recently, [[Saigon (rapper)|Saigon]], [[JPEGMafia]] and Southern rapper [[Young Jeezy]]. [[East Coast hip hop|East Coast rapper]] [[Redman (rapper)|Redman]] also covered "Once Upon a Time in the Projects" on his album ''[[Doc's Da Name 2000]]'', with the song "Jersey Yo!". |
||
==Commercial performance== |
==Commercial performance== |
||
''AmeriKKKas Most Wanted'' debuted at number 19 on the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] chart. It was certified [[RIAA Certification|gold]] by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA) two weeks after it was released for sales of over 500,000 copies. The album was eventually certified [[RIAA Certification|platinum]] |
''AmeriKKKas Most Wanted'' debuted at number 19 on the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] chart. It was certified [[RIAA Certification|gold]] by the [[Recording Industry Association of America]] (RIAA) two weeks after it was released for sales of over 500,000 copies. The album was eventually certified [[RIAA Certification|platinum]] four months later on September 16, 1990. |
||
== Track listing == |
== Track listing == |
||
All tracks are written by Ice Cube{{Track listing |
|||
{| class="wikitable" |
|||
| headline = ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'' Track Listing |
|||
!No. |
|||
| extra_column = Producer(s) |
|||
!Title |
|||
| total_length = 49:36 |
|||
!Producer(s) |
|||
| title1 = Better Off Dead |
|||
!Samples<ref>{{Cite web|title = Ice Cube on WhoSampled|url = http://www.whosampled.com/Ice-Cube/|website = WhoSampled|access-date = September 29, 2015}}</ref> |
|||
| length1 = 1:03 |
|||
!Length |
|||
| extra1 = Ice Cube, [[Sir Jinx]] |
|||
|- |
|||
| title2 = The Nigga Ya Love to Hate |
|||
|1 |
|||
| length2 = 3:13 |
|||
|"Better Off Dead" |
|||
|Ice Cube, |
| extra2 = [[The Bomb Squad]], Ice Cube (co.), Sir Jinx (co.) |
||
| title3 = AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted |
|||
| – |
|||
| length3 = 4:08 |
|||
|1:03 |
|||
| extra3 = The Bomb Squad, Ice Cube (co.), Sir Jinx (co.) |
|||
|- |
|||
| title4 = What They Hittin' Foe? |
|||
|2 |
|||
| length4 = 1:22 |
|||
|"The Nigga Ya Love to Hate" |
|||
| |
| extra4 = The Bomb Squad, Ice Cube (co.), Sir Jinx (co.) |
||
| title5 = You Can't Fade Me/JD's Gaffilin |
|||
| |
|||
| length5 = 5:12 |
|||
* "Weak at the Knees" by [[Steve Arrington]] |
|||
| extra5 = The Bomb Squad, Ice Cube (co.), Sir Jinx (co.) |
|||
* "Keep on Doin' It" by The New Birth |
|||
| title6 = Once Upon a Time in the Projects |
|||
* "[[Atomic Dog]]" by [[George Clinton (funk musician)|George Clinton]] |
|||
| length6 = 3:41 |
|||
* "I Need More Time" by [[The Meters]] |
|||
| extra6 = Sir Jinx, The Bomb Squad (co.) |
|||
* "[[Gangsta Gangsta (N.W.A song)|Gangsta Gangsta]]" and "A Bitch Iz a Bitch" by [[N.W.A]] |
|||
| title7 = Turn Off the Radio |
|||
* "Funky Beat" by [[Whodini]] |
|||
| length7 = 2:37 |
|||
* "[[Superfly (song)|Superfly]]" by [[Curtis Mayfield]] |
|||
| extra7 = The Bomb Squad, Ice Cube (co.), Sir Jinx (co.) |
|||
|3:13 |
|||
| title8 = Endangered Species (Tales from the Darkside) |
|||
|- |
|||
| note8 = featuring [[Chuck D]] |
|||
|3 |
|||
| length8 = 3:21 |
|||
|"AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted" |
|||
| |
| extra8 = The Bomb Squad, Ice Cube (co.), Sir Jinx (co.) |
||
| title9 = A Gangsta's Fairytale |
|||
| |
|||
| note9 = featuring Lil Russ |
|||
* "Advice" by [[Sly and the Family Stone|Sly & the Family Stone]] |
|||
| length9 = 3:16 |
|||
* "Let the Music Take Your Mind" by [[Kool & the Gang]] |
|||
| extra9 = Ice Cube, Sir Jinx, The Bomb Squad (co.) |
|||
* "Humpin'" by [[The Bar-Kays|Bar-Kays]] |
|||
| title10 = I'm Only Out for One Thang |
|||
* "I'm Chief Kamanawanalea (We're the Royal Macadamia Nuts)" by [[The Turtles]] |
|||
| note10 = featuring [[Flavor Flav]] |
|||
| length10 = 2:10 |
|||
* "Prison" and "Jesse" by [[Richard Pryor]] |
|||
| extra10 = Ice Cube, Sir Jinx, The Bomb Squad (co.) |
|||
* "Run, Nigger" by [[The Last Poets]] |
|||
| title11 = Get Off My Dick and Tell Yo Bitch to Come Here |
|||
* "Rocket in the Pocket (Live)" by [[Cerrone]] |
|||
| length11 = 0:56 |
|||
* "[[Fuck tha Police]]" and "[[Straight Outta Compton (song)|Straight Outta Compton]]" by N.W.A |
|||
| extra11 = The Bomb Squad, Ice Cube (co.), Sir Jinx (co.) |
|||
* "Theme From America's Most Wanted" by Robert Walsh |
|||
| title12 = The Drive-By |
|||
* "My Philosophy" by [[Boogie Down Productions]] |
|||
| length12 = 1:01 |
|||
* "Take Me to the Mardi Gras" by [[Bob James (musician)|Bob James]] |
|||
| extra12 = Sir Jinx |
|||
* "Jam Master Jay" by [[Run–D.M.C.|Run-D.M.C.]] |
|||
| title13 = Rollin' wit the Lench Mob |
|||
|4:08 |
|||
| length13 = 3:43 |
|||
|- |
|||
| extra13 = The Bomb Squad, Ice Cube (co.), Sir Jinx (co.) |
|||
|4 |
|||
| title14 = Who's the Mack? |
|||
|"What They Hittin' Foe?" |
|||
| length14 = 4:35 |
|||
|[[The Bomb Squad]], Ice Cube (co.), Sir Jinx (co.) |
|||
| extra14 = Sir Jinx, The Bomb Squad |
|||
| |
|||
| title15 = It's a Man's World |
|||
* "The Jugglers" by [[Average White Band]] |
|||
| note15 = featuring Yo-Yo |
|||
* "Sister Sanctified" by [[Stanley Turrentine]] and [[Milt Jackson]] |
|||
| length15 = 5:26 |
|||
* "[[Synthetic Substitution]]" by [[Melvin Bliss]] |
|||
| extra15 = Sir Jinx, Ice Cube |
|||
|1:22 |
|||
| title16 = The Bomb |
|||
|- |
|||
| length16 = 3:25 |
|||
|5 |
|||
| extra16 = Sir Jinx, The Bomb Squad (co.) |
|||
|"You Can't Fade Me / JD's Gaffilin'" |
|||
}} |
|||
|[[The Bomb Squad]], Ice Cube (co.), Sir Jinx (co.) |
|||
| |
|||
* "Rumpofsteelskin" by [[Parliament (band)|Parliament]] |
|||
* "Pneumonia (Live)" by Kool & the Gang |
|||
* "Synthetic Substitution" by Melvin Bliss |
|||
|5:12 |
|||
|- |
|||
|6 |
|||
|"Once Upon a Time in the Projects" |
|||
|Sir Jinx, The Bomb Squad (co.) |
|||
| |
|||
* "Shoo-B-Doop and Cop Him" by [[Betty Davis]] |
|||
|3:41 |
|||
|- |
|||
|7 |
|||
|"Turn Off the Radio" |
|||
|[[The Bomb Squad]], Ice Cube (co.), Sir Jinx (co.) |
|||
| |
|||
* "House of Beauty" by [[Isaac Hayes]] |
|||
* "Rated X" by Kool & the Gang |
|||
* "Races" from ''[[Do the Right Thing]]'' |
|||
* "Straight Outta Compton" by N.W.A |
|||
|2:37 |
|||
|- |
|||
|8 |
|||
|"Endangered Species (Tales from the Darkside)" |
|||
(featuring [[Chuck D]]) |
|||
|[[The Bomb Squad]], Ice Cube (co.), Sir Jinx (co.) |
|||
| |
|||
* "Standing on the Verge of Getting It On" by [[Funkadelic]] |
|||
* "Long Red" by [[Mountain (band)|Mountain]] |
|||
* "Bop Gun (Endangered Species)" by Parliament |
|||
* "Fuck Tha Police" by N.W.A |
|||
* "2001" by The Cecil Holmes Soulful Sounds |
|||
|3:21 |
|||
|- |
|||
|9 |
|||
|"A Gangsta's Fairytale" (featuring Lil Russ) |
|||
|Ice Cube, Sir Jinx, The Bomb Squad (co.) |
|||
| |
|||
* "Parrty" by [[Maceo Parker|Maceo & the Macks]] |
|||
* "Mother Goose" by [[Andrew Dice Clay]] |
|||
|3:16 |
|||
|- |
|||
|10 |
|||
|"I'm Only Out for One Thang" (featuring [[Flavor Flav]]) |
|||
|Ice Cube, Sir Jinx, The Bomb Squad (co.) |
|||
| – |
|||
|2:10 |
|||
|- |
|||
|11 |
|||
|"Get Off My Dick and Tell Yo Bitch to Come Here" |
|||
|[[The Bomb Squad]], Ice Cube (co.), Sir Jinx (co.) |
|||
| |
|||
* "[[Express Yourself (N.W.A song)|Express Yourself (Extended Mix)]]" and "A Bitch Iz a Bitch" by [[N.W.A]] |
|||
|0:56 |
|||
|- |
|||
|12 |
|||
|"The Drive-By" |
|||
|Sir Jinx |
|||
| |
|||
* "[[Bust a Move (song)|Bust a Move]]" by [[Young MC]] |
|||
|1:01 |
|||
|- |
|||
|13 |
|||
|"Rollin' Wit the Lench Mob" |
|||
|[[The Bomb Squad]], Ice Cube (co.), Sir Jinx (co.) |
|||
| |
|||
* "Givin' Up Food for Funk" by [[The J.B.'s]] |
|||
* "Uphill Peace of Mind" by [[Kid Dynamite (band)|Kid Dynamite]] |
|||
* "Hey! Last Minute" by [[The Meters]] |
|||
* "Memphis Soul Stew" by [[King Curtis]] |
|||
* "[[Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop)]]" by [[Parliament (band)|Parliament]] |
|||
* "Parental Discretion Iz Advised" and "Gangsta Gangsta" by N.W.A |
|||
* "Rollin' With Kid 'N Play" by [[Kid 'n Play]] |
|||
|3:43 |
|||
|- |
|||
|14 |
|||
|"Who's the Mack?" |
|||
|Sir Jinx, The Bomb Squad |
|||
| |
|||
* "I Wanna Get Down" by [[Fred Wesley|Fred & the New J.B.'s]] |
|||
* "[[Hihache]]" by [[Lafayette Afro Rock Band]] |
|||
* "[[The Humpty Dance]]" by [[Digital Underground]] |
|||
* ""T" Stands for Trouble" by [[Marvin Gaye]] |
|||
|4:35 |
|||
|- |
|||
|15 |
|||
|"It's a Man's World" (featuring [[Yo-Yo (rapper)|Yo-Yo]]) |
|||
|Sir Jinx, Ice Cube |
|||
| |
|||
* "[[It's a Man's Man's Man's World]]" by [[James Brown]] |
|||
* "Crumbs Off the Table" by [[Laura Lee]] |
|||
* "Women Are Beautiful" and "Jesse" by [[Richard Pryor]] |
|||
* "Still Talkin'" by [[Eazy-E]] |
|||
* "A Bitch Iz a Bitch" by N.W.A |
|||
* "The Lady Sirro" by Michael White's Magic Music Company |
|||
* "Sing a Simple Song" by [[Sly and the Family Stone|Sly & the Family Stone]] |
|||
* "Brother Green (The Disco King)" by Roy Ayers Ubiquity |
|||
* "JD's Gaffilin' (Part 2)" by [[Ice Cube]] |
|||
|5:26 |
|||
|- |
|||
|16 |
|||
|"The Bomb" |
|||
|Sir Jinx, The Bomb Squad (co.) |
|||
| |
|||
* "More Bounce to the Ounce" by [[Zapp (band)|Zapp]] |
|||
* "The Assembly Line" by [[Commodores]] |
|||
* ''Hindenburg Disaster Footage'' by [[Herbert Morrison (announcer)|Herbert Morrison]] |
|||
* "UFO" by [[ESG (band)|ESG]] |
|||
* "Funk to the Folks" by [[The Soul Searchers]] |
|||
* "[[P. Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up)]]" by Parliament |
|||
* "[[Girls (Beastie Boys song)|Girls]]" by [[Beastie Boys]] |
|||
|3:25 |
|||
|} |
|||
==Personnel== |
==Personnel== |
||
Line 406: | Line 294: | ||
=== Weekly charts === |
=== Weekly charts === |
||
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
||
|+Weekly chart performance for ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'' |
|||
|- |
|||
! scope="col"| Chart (1990) |
! scope="col"| Chart (1990) |
||
! scope="col"| Peak<br /> position |
! scope="col"| Peak<br /> position |
||
Line 422: | Line 310: | ||
=== Year-end charts === |
=== Year-end charts === |
||
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
||
|+Year-end chart performance for ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'' |
|||
|- |
|||
! scope="col"| Chart (1990) |
! scope="col"| Chart (1990) |
||
! scope="col"| Position |
! scope="col"| Position |
||
|- |
|- |
||
! scope="row"| US ''Billboard'' 200<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1990/top-billboard-200-albums|title=Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1990|work=Billboard|access-date=April 1, 2021}}</ref> |
! scope="row"| US ''Billboard'' 200<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1990/top-billboard-200-albums|title=Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1990|work=Billboard|access-date=April 1, 2021|archive-date=January 23, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150123035751/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1990/the-billboard-200|url-status=live}}</ref> |
||
| 82 |
| 82 |
||
|- |
|- |
||
! scope="row"| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1990/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums|title=Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1990|work=Billboard|access-date=April 1, 2021}}</ref> |
! scope="row"| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (''Billboard'')<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1990/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums|title=Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1990|work=Billboard|access-date=April 1, 2021|archive-date=July 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726093618/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1990/top-r-and-b-hip-hop-albums|url-status=live}}</ref> |
||
| 29 |
| 29 |
||
|} |
|} |
||
Line 435: | Line 323: | ||
== Certifications == |
== Certifications == |
||
{{Certification Table Top}} |
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for ''AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted''}} |
||
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=album|title=AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted|artist=Ice Cube|award=Silver|relyear=2003|certyear=2019|id=15505-1043-2}} |
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=album|title=AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted|artist=Ice Cube|award=Silver|relyear=2003|certyear=2019|id=15505-1043-2}} |
||
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|title=AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted|artist=Ice Cube|award=Platinum|relyear=1990|certyear=1991}} |
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|title=AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted|artist=Ice Cube|award=Platinum|relyear=1990|certyear=1991}} |
||
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|streaming=true}} |
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|streaming=true}} |
||
==See also== |
|||
* [[List of hip hop albums considered to be influential]] |
|||
==Notes== |
|||
{{reflist}} |
|||
==References== |
==References== |
||
'''General''' |
|||
* {{citation |last=Ro |first=Ronin |title=Dr. Dre: The Biography |place=New York |publisher=Thunder's Mouth Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-56025-921-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/drdrebiography00roro }} |
* {{citation |last=Ro |first=Ronin |title=Dr. Dre: The Biography |place=New York |publisher=Thunder's Mouth Press |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-56025-921-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/drdrebiography00roro }} |
||
* {{Citation | author = Nathan Brackett, Christian Hoard | title = The New Rolling Stone Album Guide: Completely Revised and Updated 4th Edition | publisher = Simon and Schuster | year = 2004 | location = New York | isbn = 0-7432-0169-8 | url = https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac }} |
* {{Citation | author = Nathan Brackett, Christian Hoard | title = The New Rolling Stone Album Guide: Completely Revised and Updated 4th Edition | publisher = Simon and Schuster | year = 2004 | location = New York | isbn = 0-7432-0169-8 | url = https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac }} |
||
'''Specific''' |
|||
{{reflist}} |
|||
==External links== |
==External links== |
||
Line 463: | Line 349: | ||
[[Category:Priority Records albums]] |
[[Category:Priority Records albums]] |
||
[[Category:Political hip hop albums]] |
[[Category:Political hip hop albums]] |
||
[[Category:Political music albums by American artists]] |
|||
[[Category:Albums recorded at Greene St. Recording]] |
[[Category:Albums recorded at Greene St. Recording]] |
Revision as of 12:49, 14 July 2024
AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | May 18, 1990[1] | |||
Recorded | January – March 1990[2] | |||
Studio | Greene Street (New York City) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 49:36 | |||
Label | Priority | |||
Producer | ||||
Ice Cube chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted | ||||
|
AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted is the debut studio album by American rapper Ice Cube, released on May 18, 1990, by Priority Records.[6][7] It was his first solo album, after an acrimonious split from his former group N.W.A. Primarily produced by Public Enemy's production team The Bomb Squad, the album was a critical and commercial success, being certified platinum in the United States for selling over one million copies.[8]
Background
Conception
After departing from Ruthless Records and the West Coast–based group N.W.A, Ice Cube immediately moved to record his own album. Cube maintains that originally, he and N.W.A producer Dr. Dre still wanted to collaborate for Cube's debut solo, but the move was nixed by label powers:
When I went solo, I wanted Dr. Dre to do AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, but Jerry Heller vetoed that...and I'm pretty sure Eazy didn't want Dre to do it. But Dre did want to do it; we gotta put that on record. Dre wanted to do my record, but it was just too crazy with the break-up [of N.W.A].
— Ice Cube, "Ice Cube, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted Retrospective [20 Years Later]", XXL[9]
Linking up with Sir Jinx, Dr. Dre's cousin, Cube made use of pre-written notebooks of songs meant for N.W.A member/Ruthless co-founder Eazy-E.[10] After relocating to New York,[11] they worked on the songs, which included "Once Upon a Time in the Projects", "Get Off My Dick & Tell Yo' Bitch to Come Here" and "Gangsta's Fairytale", among others. Under fire from his former group with the song "100 Miles and Runnin'", from the EP of the same name, he also recorded the song "Jackin' for Beats", using beats allegedly planned for use on the next N.W.A album,[12] though he would use this several months later on the Kill at Will EP.
After contacting Public Enemy's production team The Bomb Squad, they completed the album. The album received a fair share of production credited to various Bomb Squad members, with an appearance by Public Enemy frontman Chuck D, despite Jinx's claims that the only Bomb Squad member fully present was Eric Sadler.[11] Hank Shocklee spoke on meeting and working with Ice Cube in a Cool'eh Magazine interview:
Cube contacted me wanting to know if we could do a few tracks for his solo album after the whole NWA thing came to what it was and I was like, I'll do it if I can do the whole album. And he said, that's what I was hoping you would say…y'know…and when we were in the studio he showed up with notebooks and notebooks full of new rhymes, a bag full of rhymebooks.
— Hank Shocklee, Cool'eh Magazine[13]
Content
With socio-political conscious and gangsta rap content, its songs delve into the issues of ghetto life, drug addiction, racism and poverty. Throughout the album, Ice Cube incessantly attacks institutional racism, as well as social norms which directly or indirectly allowed the oppression of those living in the ghettos of Los Angeles to continue. On "Endangered Species (Tales from the Darkside)", he predicts that his neighborhood would become a flash point for violence before 1992's scandal over the beating of Rodney King,[14] and takes police to task for the policies that would later lead to the L.A. riots that resulted.
Throughout the album, Cube takes some controversial stands, referring to certain types of African-Americans as "Oreo cookies", an epithet implying that they appear black on the outside, but have, internally, negative white tendencies. Arsenio Hall is specifically mentioned as being a "sell-out". Cube also heavily criticizes R&B and hip hop radio stations for watered-down broadcasting. The title song directly parodies the television show, America's Most Wanted, alleging bias and denouncing the glee the program displays in arresting African-American men.
A later skit, "The Drive By", returns to the same theme at the end, with newscaster Tom Brokaw reporting on rioting, stating: "Outside the south central area, few cared about the violence because it didn't affect them." He also addressed gender relations on "It's a Man's World", a duet between Cube and rapper Yo-Yo. Cube and Yo-Yo verbally spar and trade sexist barbs back and forth in an exposé of sexism between men and women. Amidst critics' accusing Ice Cube of sexism, Peter Watrous of The New York Times wrote, in review of a live show at New York's Apollo Theater:
...no one came out ahead; any new sense of cultural violence or sexism promoted by the record had dissolved into a traditional battle of the sexes, no better or no worse.[15]
Release
AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted initially charted without the support of a lead single or video, although the title track would later receive a pressing, and a rare video for "Who's the Mack?" eventually surfaced. It was directed by Alex Winter.[16]
Singles
The title track was the first official single from the album - the B-side for the song was "Once Upon a Time in the Projects". "Who's the Mack?" was released as a promo single and music video. A remix of the album track "Endangered Species (Tales From The Darkside)" was later released as a single the EP Kill at Will.
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Entertainment Weekly | B−[17] |
NME | 7/10[18] |
Rolling Stone | |
The Source | 5/5[20] |
The Village Voice | B−[21] |
Upon release, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted received critical acclaim, and over the years it has been regarded by many as a hip-hop classic.[22][23] In The Washington Post, David Mills wrote that with the album, "Ice Cube has now proven that he was N.W.A.'s crucial element. He's an unusually gifted rhymer ... And his delivery is even more self-assured than it was when he dissed every cop in the nation."[24] The Source commented that Ice Cube's performances are given "the perfect backdrop" by the Bomb Squad, who the magazine said had "really outdone" themselves by integrating "funky pimp type grooves" into their "metallic bum-rush style of beats".[20] Steven Wells of NME felt that while Ice Cube's "political awareness and eloquence" are undermined by his "cock-waving machismo", the latter is somewhat tempered by his "self-deprecating sense of humour", with Wells ultimately calling the album "alternately appalling, refreshing, confused and dynamic".[18]
Writing for Entertainment Weekly, Greg Sandow viewed AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted as "an important social document, but not necessarily cohesive art", nonetheless acknowledging that "Ice Cube emerges as a rapper most original for his uncompromising tone."[17] While deeming the album musically "as original as A Tribe Called Quest, and probably doper", The Village Voice's Robert Christgau found Ice Cube's lyrics generally distasteful "despite his gift for rhyme and narrative".[21] Rolling Stone critic Alan Light declared the album "a disappointment" and said that "the relentless profanity grows wearisome, the Bomb Squad beats lose steam, and Cube's attitudes toward women are simply despicable."[19]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
The Austin Chronicle | |
Blender | |
Chicago Sun-Times | |
Pitchfork | 9.0/10[29] |
Q | |
Rolling Stone | |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
Spin Alternative Record Guide | 9/10[33] |
Uncut |
In a retrospective review, David Jeffries from AllMusic called AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted "a timeless, riveting exercise in anger, honesty, and the sociopolitical possibilities of hip-hop" showing Ice Cube "at his most inspired", crediting the album with helping to "boost the role of the individual in hip-hop."[25] In the 2004 Rolling Stone Album Guide, Peter Relic praised it as "an album of menacing, unflinchingly fierce rhymes that took millions of listeners deep into the terrors of South Central L.A."[32] Alan Light reappraised the album in the liner notes of its 2003 reissue, noting its "musical sophistication, brutal imagery, and relentless intensity" and deeming it "one of the most loved, hated, and pivotal albums in the history of hip-hop."[35] Pitchfork's Eric Harvey called it a "groundbreaking" record that ushered hip hop into "the tabloid decade", concluding that "it was AmeriKKKa as much as Nation of Millions and Straight Outta Compton that laid the groundwork for hip-hop's brief and dramatic evolution into an expansive truth-telling media spectacle."[29]
Accolades
- (*) signifies unordered lists
Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
About.com | United States | 100 Greatest Hip Hop Albums[22] | 2008 | 33 |
Best Rap Albums of 1990[36] | 2008 | 2 | ||
Robert Dimery | 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die | 2005 | * | |
Ego Trip | Hip Hop's 25 Greatest Albums by Year 1980–98 | 1999 | 1 | |
The Guardian | United Kingdom | 1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die | 2007 | * |
Mixmag | The 100 Best Dance Albums of All Time | 1996 | 24 | |
New Musical Express | Albums of the Year | 1990 | 41 | |
Rock De Lux | Spain | Albums of the Year | 1990 | 46 |
Rolling Stone | United States | The Essential Recordings of the 90s | 1999 | * |
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time[37] | 2020 | 187 | ||
The Source | The 100 Best Rap Albums of All Time | 1998 | * | |
Spin | Top 100 (+5) Albums of the Last 20 Years | 2005 | 33 | |
Albums of the Year | 1990 | 1 | ||
Top 90 Albums of the 90s | 1999 | 80 | ||
Tom Moon | 1000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die | 2008 | * | |
Village Voice | Albums of the Year | 1990 | 6 |
Legacy
Ice Cube's social, and political commentary, delivered in an incisive manner, has influenced numerous rappers since Amerikkka's Most Wanted, particularly in the gangsta rap and political rap subgenres. Focusing on the hardships of life in South Central, Los Angeles, as well as criticizing the American Justice System and race relations in the United States, Cube became an outspoken voice of U.S. injustice against young Black Americans.
Although Ice Cube's popularity among mainstream listeners has lessened since the 2000s, and his sound may be considered distinctively old school to modern ears, many notable rappers themselves have been influenced by AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted. His style of rapping about real life sentiment and socio-political awareness influenced the music of West Coast rappers, including that of Tupac Shakur, Ras Kass, and Xzibit, as well as East Coast rappers Nas, The Notorious B.I.G., and more recently, Saigon, JPEGMafia and Southern rapper Young Jeezy. East Coast rapper Redman also covered "Once Upon a Time in the Projects" on his album Doc's Da Name 2000, with the song "Jersey Yo!".
Commercial performance
AmeriKKKas Most Wanted debuted at number 19 on the US Billboard 200 chart. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) two weeks after it was released for sales of over 500,000 copies. The album was eventually certified platinum four months later on September 16, 1990.
Track listing
All tracks are written by Ice Cube
No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Better Off Dead" | Ice Cube, Sir Jinx | 1:03 |
2. | "The Nigga Ya Love to Hate" | The Bomb Squad, Ice Cube (co.), Sir Jinx (co.) | 3:13 |
3. | "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted" | The Bomb Squad, Ice Cube (co.), Sir Jinx (co.) | 4:08 |
4. | "What They Hittin' Foe?" | The Bomb Squad, Ice Cube (co.), Sir Jinx (co.) | 1:22 |
5. | "You Can't Fade Me/JD's Gaffilin" | The Bomb Squad, Ice Cube (co.), Sir Jinx (co.) | 5:12 |
6. | "Once Upon a Time in the Projects" | Sir Jinx, The Bomb Squad (co.) | 3:41 |
7. | "Turn Off the Radio" | The Bomb Squad, Ice Cube (co.), Sir Jinx (co.) | 2:37 |
8. | "Endangered Species (Tales from the Darkside)" (featuring Chuck D) | The Bomb Squad, Ice Cube (co.), Sir Jinx (co.) | 3:21 |
9. | "A Gangsta's Fairytale" (featuring Lil Russ) | Ice Cube, Sir Jinx, The Bomb Squad (co.) | 3:16 |
10. | "I'm Only Out for One Thang" (featuring Flavor Flav) | Ice Cube, Sir Jinx, The Bomb Squad (co.) | 2:10 |
11. | "Get Off My Dick and Tell Yo Bitch to Come Here" | The Bomb Squad, Ice Cube (co.), Sir Jinx (co.) | 0:56 |
12. | "The Drive-By" | Sir Jinx | 1:01 |
13. | "Rollin' wit the Lench Mob" | The Bomb Squad, Ice Cube (co.), Sir Jinx (co.) | 3:43 |
14. | "Who's the Mack?" | Sir Jinx, The Bomb Squad | 4:35 |
15. | "It's a Man's World" (featuring Yo-Yo) | Sir Jinx, Ice Cube | 5:26 |
16. | "The Bomb" | Sir Jinx, The Bomb Squad (co.) | 3:25 |
Total length: | 49:36 |
Personnel
|
|
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[44] | Silver | 60,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[45] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
References
General
- Ro, Ronin (2007), Dr. Dre: The Biography, New York: Thunder's Mouth Press, ISBN 978-1-56025-921-3
- Nathan Brackett, Christian Hoard (2004), The New Rolling Stone Album Guide: Completely Revised and Updated 4th Edition, New York: Simon and Schuster, ISBN 0-7432-0169-8
Specific
- ^ "RIAA".
- ^ Brian Coleman (October 13, 2014). "The Making of Ice Cube's "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted"". Medium. Archived from the original on March 27, 2021. Retrieved September 9, 2019.
- ^ Wang, Oliver (2003). Classic Material: The Hip-hop Album Guide. ECW Press. p. 87. ISBN 978-1-55022-561-7. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ Rabin, Nathan. "In 1990, Hammer, Vanilla Ice, A Tribe Called Quest, and Ice Cube reflected the splintering of the hip-hop nation". AV Club. Archived from the original on January 13, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ Harling, Danielle (May 15, 2015). "Ice Cube Speaks On "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted's" Social & Political Relevance". Hip Hop DX. Archived from the original on January 12, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
- ^ Rys, Dan (May 15, 2015). "Street Knowledge: Ice Cube on 25 Years of 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted'". XXL. Archived from the original on August 1, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
- ^ Ice Cube biography. Archived January 22, 2009, at the Wayback Machine enotes. Retrieved December 5, 2007.
- ^ AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted certification. Archived September 24, 2015, at the Wayback Machine RIAA. Retrieved November 28, 2007.
- ^ "Ice Cube, AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted Retrospective [20 Years Later]". XXL. May 16, 2010. Archived from the original on July 22, 2010. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
- ^ Ketchum, William III (April 24, 2009). "Producer's Corner: Sir Jinx". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on August 1, 2013. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
- ^ a b Kiser, Chad (May 2008). "Sir Jinx Part 2". DubCNN.com. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
- ^ Ro 2007, p. 17
- ^ Tsomondo, Dzana (July 10, 2007). "Bum Rush The Show". Cool'eh Magazine. Archived from the original on February 18, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
- ^ "Rap After the Riot: Smoldering Rage And No Apologies". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 28, 2013. Retrieved April 2, 2010.
- ^ Watrous, Peter (September 16, 1990), "Review/Pop; Ice Cube's Hip-Hop Warms up the Apollo", The New York Times, retrieved April 23, 2010
- ^ @icecube (May 15, 2020). "Fun fact: The Who's the Mack video was directed by this guy. Alex Winter" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b Sandow, Greg (May 25, 1990). "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on August 22, 2017. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
- ^ a b Wells, Steven (July 21, 1990). "Freezy Rider". NME. p. 33.
- ^ a b Light, Alan (July 12–26, 1990). "Ice Cube: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on June 21, 2008. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
- ^ a b "Ice Cube: Amerikkka's Most Wanted". The Source. Vol. 3, no. 4. Summer 1990. p. 44.
- ^ a b Christgau, Robert (July 3, 1990). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved July 17, 2016.
- ^ a b Adaso, henry. About.com's 100 Greatest Hip Hop Albums Archived April 5, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. About.com. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
- ^ Columnist. The Source Magazine's 100 Best Rap Albums Archived August 7, 2017, at the Wayback Machine. The Source. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
- ^ Mills, David (May 20, 1990). "Los Angeles' Gangsters Of Rap, Escalating The Attitude". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 27, 2017. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
- ^ a b Jeffries, David. "AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted – Ice Cube". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 6, 2012. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
- ^ Coletti, Christopher (April 4, 2003). "Ice Cube". The Austin Chronicle. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
- ^ Smith, RJ (March 2003). "Mad Dawg!". Blender. Vol. 2, no. 2. pp. 148–149. Archived from the original on February 20, 2003. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
- ^ "Ice Cube, 'AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted' (Priority)". Chicago Sun-Times. March 9, 2003. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
- ^ a b Harvey, Eric (June 9, 2024). "Ice Cube: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted Album Review". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on June 9, 2024. Retrieved June 9, 2024.
- ^ Mitchell, Ben (June 2003). "Ice Cube: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted / Death Certificate / The Predator / Lethal Injection". Q. No. 203.
- ^ Caramanica, Jon (March 20, 2003). "Ice Cube: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted [Remaster]". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 10, 2003. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
- ^ a b Relic, Peter (2004). "Ice Cube". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 400–401. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ Dyson, Michael Eric (1995). "Ice Cube". In Weisbard, Eric; Marks, Craig (eds.). Spin Alternative Record Guide. Vintage Books. pp. 189–190. ISBN 0-679-75574-8.
- ^ "Ice Cube: AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted / Death Certificate / The Predator / Lethal Injection". Uncut. No. 73. June 2003. p. 113.
- ^ Light, Alan (2003). AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted (liner notes). Ice Cube. Priority Records. 72435-37601-2-0.
- ^ Adaso, Henry. About.com's Best Rap Albums of 1990 Archived January 11, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. About.com. Retrieved April 1, 2010.
- ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time - Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. September 22, 2020. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved September 29, 2020.
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – Ice Cube – AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- ^ "Ice Cube Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- ^ "Ice Cube Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1990". Billboard. Archived from the original on January 23, 2015. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 1990". Billboard. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
- ^ "British album certifications – Ice Cube – AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted". British Phonographic Industry.
- ^ "American album certifications – Ice Cube – AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted". Recording Industry Association of America.
External links
- AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted at Discogs
- Album Review at Hip Hop Connection
- Album Review at RapReviews.com